Ever wonder what ever happened to bronzed baby shoes? Years ago, all the mothers did this for their babies. It was a tradition…and now it appears to be trending back to popularity again.
So why do these sentimental moms do this? There are a few reasons. One is the same as before…tradition. In the past, almost everybody had their first baby shoes bronzed and now, today’s parents want to do the same for their children. Another reason is to preserve the shoes. By having them bronzed, those tiny adorable shoes will be preserved “forever.”
But the reason most moms do this is for the memories. Each time they see their baby’s actual preserved shoes out on display, they feel not only pride and love, but they also experience a rush of pleasant memories of when their baby took their first uncertain steps.
So why haven’t we heard more about this in recent years? It seems that the people who do the bronzing just haven’t been able to get their message to today’s mothers. Years ago, there were just one or two parenting magazines. Advertise in one or both of these and ALL the mothers would know about it. But in recent times, there are so many different places moms go for advice and information that the bronzers have had difficulty deciding which ones to use. But this has changed in recent months.
One of these businesses is the American Bronzing Company in Columbus, Ohio. www.americanbronzing.com. They’ve recently been posting and advertising on Facebook and have racked up 100,000 likes. Their owner, Bob Kaynes, says, “Bloggers and Facebook have helped up spread the word that baby shoe bronzing is alive and well…and growing again.”
Their website features a variety of finishes for the shoes (shiny bronze, antique bronze and pewter) and plenty of mounting options (plaques, photo portrait stands, etc). You can also sign up for email sale offers, too.
There were some new things there as well. Now they make
Christmas Tree Ornaments out of bronzed baby shoes. This way, the mothers can rekindle the memories each holiday season. And they also bronze the tiny baby running shoes! These look so sporty with all the textures of the shoes highlighted.
The last (and most interesting) things to be discovered were the Bronzing Gift Certificate Vouchers. These can be used as baby shower gifts, new arrival or first birthday gifts. The company tells their customers, “What other baby gift truly lasts a lifetime?! And the recipient will always remember WHO gave them this gift!” One must unquestionably agree. This is a wonderful alternative to the “same old same old” baby present that seems nice at first and then is discarded shortly thereafter.
Blogging and Facebook to spread the word…sharp finishes and styles…Christmas tree ornaments and gift certificate vouchers. It looks like baby shoe bronzing is back to stay. And to get that word spread even more aggressively, they are having a special promotion this month only. If you place an order on their website www.americanbronzing.com on or before June 30, enter the Discount Code JUN2016 in the Discount Code box in the shopping cart and they’ll reduce the price by 20%. Seems like a pretty good way to get keepsakes you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
I had actually never heard of bronzing baby shoes until discovering this post. At first, I didn’t know what to think.
After reading your post, though, I have to agree: This is a unique and memorable idea, and I especially love the bookends.