Altered Precious Moments FAQ

Thanks for being a fan of our painted Precious Moments figurines, also known as "Altered Moments" collectibles.

We put together this page to answer the frequently asked questions you've sent us.

If you have more questions, DM us @chicaandjo on all the socials or email us at chicaandjo@chicaandjo.com.

Altered Moments Frequently Asked Questions:

• What paint and sealers do you use?
• What clay do you use?
• What tools do you recommend?
• How do I get started making my own?
• Where can I see your work?
• Do you have a community for AM artists?
• Do you sell your pieces?
• Can you make me another one?
• Where do you get the figurines?
• Do you do custom pieces?
• Do you want to buy my PM collection?
• Don't you know these are valuable?

Q: What paint and sealers do you use?

Our absolutely favorite paints and varnishes to use are from DecoArt.

Their multi-surface acrylic paint sticks beautifully to the porcelain with no primer needed and the satin finish looks great and actually helps make painting easier (see our painting tips video).

And the brush-on varnishes allow for excellent control and come in a variety of sheens.

These are our favorite paints and sealers:

• Americana Multi-Surface Satin Paint
• American Decor Varnishes
• DuraClear Varnishes

You can also find these DecoArt supplies linked in our Amazon storefront and in our Walmart storefront.

Q: What clay do you use?

We use a two different air-dry clays, depending on the application (see more in our clay video).

Sculpey Air-Dry is our favorite, because it's easy to work with, very affordable, dries rock hard, and is easy to sand and shape after drying. You can find it here at Walmart and here at Amazon.

Sculpey Air-Dry Porcelain is a variation that dries even harder and is much more resistant to cracking. It costs more and is harder to shape after drying, but it's great for tiny, fragile bits or for applications that encase the figurines. You can find it here at Walmart and here at Amazon.

Q: What tools do you recommend?

Having the right tools makes all the difference with Altered Moments!

You can find our favorite supplies linked in our Walmart storefront and in our Amazon storefront. (Canadian friends, visit our amazon.ca storefront)

For help using these supplies and tools, be sure to check out our getting started videos below.

Q: How do I get started making my own?

We love nothing more than hearing about people trying this hobby for the first time!

To help you get started, we've created a series of helpful videos showing supplies, tips, and techniques.

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss our new videos when we post them!

Q: Where can I see your work?

We share our painted Precious Moments figurines on all our social media channels as they are completed. Be sure to follow us @chicaandjo on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

We also have a great round-up post here on our blog that features a bunch of Painted Precious Moments by us and other artists.

Q: Do you have a community for AM artists?

We have developed a huge community of Altered Moments artists in our Altered Moments Facebook Group. Our members include established artists, newbie alterers, and vicarious onlookers who just like to see everyone share their work.

Join our group for the latest updates from us and lots of ideas and inspiration from the community. That's where you'll see our latest tips, monthly challenges, and the occasional sneak peek about the pieces we're working on.

Q: Do you sell your pieces?

Sometimes we do sell our pieces, if there is enough interest.

Keep an eye out for listing announcements on our TikTok account and our Altered Moments Market Facebook Group.

Whenever a piece is available for purchase, you'll find it listed in our eBay store (#ad). Hit the "Save Seller" button to make it easy to find us again.

Q: Can you make me another one?

All our pieces are one of a kind, and we only create a single copy of each altered work. We found that doing the same thing over and over to create more copies takes all the joy out of it, and makes it seem too much like work, so we do not create duplicates.

If you want to be sure you get a chance at purchasing one of our pieces, all announcements will be made in our TikTok account and in our Altered Moments Market Facebook Group and then listed in our eBay store (#ad).

Q: Where do you get the figurines?

We source most of our pieces from thrift stores, where they sit on shelves, just waiting for someone to give them a new life and love.

We occasionally receive gifted collections from friends and followers, and sometimes we hit up eBay when we need that perfect piece to complete an idea.

Q: Do you want to buy my PM collection?

We do not have the budget for purchasing complete collections at this time, but we do occasionally need individual pieces. We post our needs on our Altered Moments Market Facebook Group, so if you have items to sell, keep an eye out there for any announcements.

We also accept donations if you would like to send us your collection. If you want your pieces to go to a good home rather than the landfill, you can send them to us at:

Chica and Jo
PO Box 188
Bryantsville, KY 40410

Q: Do you do custom pieces?

At this time we aren't able to create custom pieces or take custom orders. This includes personalized pieces (to match you) or duplicates of pieces we have already created and sold.

Q: Don't you know these are valuable?

We understand that Precious Moments are emotionally very valuable to dedicated collectors, but most pieces — certainly the ones we alter — are not worth very much money at this time. The Precious Moments market was flooded in the 90s and most of the individual pieces have greatly reduced in value.

We do research every piece we receive before altering it, to be sure it is not highly valuable. We rarely pay more than $10 for a figurine and would not alter a piece that is rare or worth a lot.