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frequently asked questions
What powder do I use to make Art Stones and where do I get it?
What you use to make the Art stones depends on where you live and what you have available. You will need to purchase the casting powder separately to make your stones/rocks –
Many casting plasters work well. I like using Ultracal 30 (highest strength gypsum powder - it is harder, heavier and better for painting than plaster of paris) - available online or in casting/modelling supply shops in most parts of the world. Unfortunately, in some places it can be hard to get or expensive.
In USA / Canada alternatives include Perfect Cast, Rapid Set Mortar mix from Home Depot, Dental Stone powder, Hydrocal powders.
In the UK - Crystacast or Herculite Stone.
In Australia and NZ - Dental Plaster or Casting Plaster from Bunnings.
To see casting - www.youtube.com/c/happydottingcompany
For best results, please follow the mixing ratios suggested on the powder that you use.
What sizes are the art stones when out of their mold and what mixing quanities do I use for each?
Please see the PDF download available in the downloads section on this site.
What paint do you recommend?
In a nutshell - we recommend Fluid Acrylics - the best quality that's affordable. A consistency like unwhipped cream. E.g. Jo Sonjas Matte Fluid Acrylics, Golden Fluid Acrylics. Thicker paints can be thinned with a little water or paint mediums. Stayed tuned for the YouTube clip soon!
Is it ok to sell blank art stones and tea light holders from Happy Dotting Company molds?
If you use Happy Dotting Company molds to make blank art stones to sell to others - we ask that you acknowledge our design by letting the recipients know that they were made with Happy Dotting Company molds.
We love that artists sell completed fully painted art stones - and occasionally we support this by promoting artists on our FB page.
Do you sell pre-made blank art stones and tea light holders?
Our molds are not designed to produce commercial quantities of art stones - so we don’t normally sell ready-made stones. Also, the stones are heavy and often expensive to post. It’s much more economical for you to make them yourself from our molds. Please see our youtube clip demonstrating how. However, if making them yourself doesn’t suit then you can request a custom quote for ready made stones.
Information for selling Molds and other products from Happy Dotting Company
Happy Dotting Company is a retail business. That said, we do enthusiastically support teachers of dot art (and some other art techniques) that use our products. We do this by discounting products for bulk orders on the understanding that the products will be used in a teaching or therapeutic environment. This discount is not designed to enable or encourage further on-selling of our products online unless other arrangements have been specifically agreed with Happy Dotting Company. Teachers and therapists are welcome to sell our products in their classes, but we do ask that it is made clear that the products are originally from Happy Dotting Company.
How long before my order arrives in the USA?
I have a dispatching service within USA that posts domestically, so usually orders take less than a week to arrive. Large orders sometimes need to be sent with tracking from Australia (but usually only takes one to two weeks to arrive) - please contact me if this is a concern - Express postage is an option.
How long before my order arrives in Canada or another Country? - not in Australia or USA.
All the parcels I send are sent with Tracking (with the exception of some small/flat items like a stencil or pencil) and the time they take to arrive can vary from Country to Country. To Canada parcels usually arrive in only 2 weeks while some parts of Europe or South Africa it may take 4 weeks. Express postage is an option when purchasing for faster delivery. Feel free to add your phone number to the order for the postage service.
What do I do if my order hasn’t arrived?
If your parcel has tracking than please keep an eye on it (your tracking number is attached to your order in Etsy when dispatched). Most items are sent using tracking with exception of some cheaper and light weight items such as stencils when ordered by themselves – tracking costs more so this is to save the buyer the expense. An option to add tracking is available in checkout for these items.
We send all parcels with Australia post, and they in turn use the national postal service of the country where sending, so it is worth putting the same tracking number into your national postage service website for further information (e.g. if in the UK then the Royal Mail tracking website). Sometimes it can be sitting at the post office waiting for collection! If no luck please continue:
1. Establish that there’s been a reasonable amount of time since dispatching - shipping varies depending on where the parcel is being delivered. Some examples of expected delivery times are offered in “Shop Policies>Estimated delivery times” in my Etsy shop. E.g. EU countries delivery time may be from 2 to 5 weeks.
2. It is important to check if the correct address (including any apartment number etc) was given when placing the order (this can be found in your Etsy profile or purchase history). If the wrong address was given and the item has been dispatched then sadly there is nothing I can do – I will contact you if I receive the item returned to me.
3. If you’ve gone through the above process with no luck then please contact us via our Etsy shop with details of your order so we can help.