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Blue Cremation Urns, Beauty from the Ashes

September 20, 2018 Kim Stacey

It can be said the deep reds, yellows and oranges of autumn stand in contrast to the rich, deep blue of the month’s birthstone, the sapphire. In celebration, this month we take a look at some beautiful blue urns for ashes.

Some September Birthdays

More than a few famous people were born in September: Queen Elizabeth I was born on September 7th, 1533; writers Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie were also born this month. And on September 9th, 1890, Colonel Harland Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken, was born. Actresses Lauren Bacall and Greta Garbo also made their debuts this month.

And a woman you may never have heard of, Victoria Woodhull –the first woman to run for U.S. President, was born September 23rd, 1838. (Here’s something to consider: not only was Ms. Woodhull a forward thinker when it came to politics; she was also an advocate of cremation. After her death in early June, 1927, her body was cremated and her ashes scattered at sea (Source). You can read more about the Victorian’s reaction to the advent of cremation in this recent post.

Certainly, if you or a loved one was born in September, you’re in fine company.

What’s so Special about September’s Sapphire?

The Old Farmer’s Almanac tells us people once thought the stone would protect them against evil and more specifically, the evil act of poisoning. It was a favorite gemstone among priests and royalty, prized as a symbol of purity and wisdom. The editors go on to say in the 1600s, wearing the stone could be an aid in foretelling the future. While we commonly don’t believe sapphires have such far-reaching powers; many today feel the sapphire eases pain and reduces stress.

Since we are dedicated to easing pain and stress, we launched a line of birthstone cremation jewelry in several different styles for different tastes ranging from modern to traditional. Here’s an example of a timeless heart shape design that will honor a September birthday.

Sapphires range in color from a light blue to a dark, royal blue. The color blue has significance for color theorists. They argue the color represents sky and sea; and it’s associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, expansiveness, inspiration, trust, sincerity, loyalty (the expression “true blue”), stability faith, heaven and intelligence. It’s fairly clear the color blue is significant to us human beings.

Our Collection of Blue Cremation Urns

If all this information gives you the idea of memorializing a loved one in a beautiful blue cremation urn, you’ll appreciate seeing just a few of the urns in our collection. As September winds down and summer comes to a close, one of the most popular blue urns is our Beach Therapy Urn; but the classically-styled Endless Blue Cremation Urn is a personal favorite.

Another family favorite is the hand-blown glass Big Sur Ocean Wave cremation urn, it’s made here in the USA by super talented glass artisans.

Take a look at the other blue urns in our collection; see if there isn’t something suitable for you or a loved one, born in the fine month of September.

Closing Thoughts and Observations

It grows more obvious every day: autumn has come to the Santa Cruz Mountains where I live. The morning glories in the garden are fading quickly – despite warm daytime temperatures– the nights have grown cold. You can hear crickets in the evenings and–this morning– I lit a fire in the wood stove for the first time since April. The seasons, they are a changing – as they most likely are where you live. Be sure to take a few minutes every day to notice Mother Nature’s subtle changes.

Spirit Animals: What Are They & How Can You To Find Yours

August 1, 2018 Kim Stacey

This month, we’re looking at how you can honor a loved one’s relationship to a spirit animal by selecting an urn from our Spirit Animals Collection. You’ll find full size urns for adults, one of my favorites is the Dragon Fly Swirl Urn.

The collection also features keepsake cremation urns, as well as small cremation urns – often a free-standing sculpture of the totem animal, as in the Fox Spirit Animal Miniature Urn; or the charming Wise Owl Keepsake Urn , so perfect for someone who just loved to learn.

What is a Spirit or Totem Animal?

The origin of spirit animals, also referred to as totem animals, is grounded in many different cultural traditions. It’s defined as a person’s connection with one or more spiritual animals, birds or insects. These beings will accompany an individual throughout their lifetime, acting as guides; assisting and protecting him or her. Oftentimes a totem animal was assigned to a person by someone in their community; but it’s not uncommon today for a person to just pick their own spiritual animal.

My chosen totem animals is the squirrel and turtle. I can’t remember exactly when I actually made the decision to embrace the turtle,but whenever it was, it was a willful choice; where I’ve long felt a kinship with spiders, intuitively adopting the spider as a totem animal.

Take a Quiz: How to Find (or Confirm) Your Spirit Animal

Wondering how you can find out what your true spirit animal is? Try this “What is Your Spirit Animal” quiz. It’s fun and quirky, but I’m not sure how ‘accurate’ it is; according to them, I’m most aligned with the Snake. (I’m not sure I like that…)

Brainfall’s got a totem animal quiz too; similarly titled “What’s Your Spirit Animal?” Again, the questions asked led to answers confirming my spiritual animal to be the Lion. Is the lion the totem animal of a loved one? If so, you’d appreciate the beautiful adult-sized urn, the Lion Sleeps at Night.

Or our other lion urn offering: Lion King. It’s a beauty and expertly crafted by American bronze artists.

The quiz “Which Totem Animal are You?” at All the Tests.com is constructed differently, but yielded the same mis-aligned information: it revealed my spirit animal to be a mixture of wolf (32%) eagle, deer (both weigh in at 26%) and bear (12%).

Look Inside of Yourself

Cardinal cremation urn for ashes — Cardinal Adult Cremation Urn

Although it can be fun, taking an online quiz obviously isn’t the way to discover the identity of your spirit animal; it’s a matter of looking inside yourself. The publishers of Legends of America offer readers looking for that special connection with a totem animal a few questions to get them started on the path of discovery.

I’ve included some of them here:
• Do you feel a close affinity for one animal, bird or insect without knowing why?
• Does one consistently appear in your life?
• Is there one you find to be extremely frightening or intriguing?
• Is there one you see frequently?
• Have you ever had a recurring dream about a certain animal, bird or insect?

Browse Our Collection of Spirit Animal Urns

Just a few more in our collection of cremation urns featuring these spirit animals: There’s the majestic Bronze Deer Cremation Urn, which is handcrafted in the United States by talented artisans.

For those who loved to soar through life like an eagle, the Small Bronze Eagle Cremation Urn Spirit of America, It too is made of bronze and handcrafted in America.

ceramic wolf cremation urn Made in America

Many folks find a close connection to the wolf, which can be celebrated with the classically-styled full-sized Gray Wolf Urn for Ashes. As with the other two, this urn is crafted in the United States.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this foray into the world of spiritual animals, and can understand how meaningful it could be to memorialize a loved one with a cremation urn specially chosen from our Spirit Animals Collection. You might also appreciate learn more about keepsake cremation urns; if so, read “Heart and Soul Keepsake Urns for Ashes”.

Floral Urns: Beauty from the Ashes

June 30, 2018 Kim Stacey

Here at the end of June, I feel compelled to write about what surrounds me: flowers. Mother Nature is in full bloom and they beauty is stunning.

window box flowers

This conversation about floral urns is one of two “companion” posts. The other is The Language of Funeral Flowers.

Happy Hummingbird

I’m going to focus on just two of the urns with flowers in our collection of floral urns. They differ – not only in color, but also in significance and overall ‘feel’. The first, Urn Garden’s Happy Hummingbird Adult Urn for Ashes , has a classic elegance. There’s also a small version for use as a keepsake. Actually, we have several different styles of the small hummingbirds that can be used a memorial.

Mother of Pearl Hummingbird Adult Urn

Mother of pearl inlay hummingbird sipping from the flowers which, in our symbolic ‘language of flowers’, represent purity, perfection, and innocence. Dramatic midnight blue with shimming mother of pearl bird and flowers make for a stunning memorial for a man or woman.

You may remember this urn was featured in the post “DIY Memorials: How to Arrange Grocery Store Flowers” as an alternative to using fresh flowers (often only seasonally available) in a loved one’s memorial shrine. Read our “DIY Memorials: How to Make a Memorial Shrine” for more on that subject.

Ruby Rose Cremation Urn

Roses are the eternal symbol of love and they bring to mind the words of Lucy Maud Montgomery, from her well-loved book, Anne of Green Gables, “The rose is a flower of love. The world has acclaimed it for centuries. Pink roses are for love hopeful and expectant. White roses are for love dead or forsaken, but the red roses, ah the red roses are for love triumphant.”

Ruby Rose Urn for Ashes

Roses are, no matter the color, all about love. If you’re looking for an urn with flowers, but aren’t sure these are ‘quite right’ to memorialize your loved one, be sure to browse our floral urn collection. Or contact us directly for personal assistance.

Other posts regarding urn selections for June:

Roses for June Birthdays and Cremation Urns

Rose Cremation Urns, Endearing Symbols of Love

Beautiful Urn Ideas for Spring

May 18, 2018 urngarden.com

If you have the difficult task of selecting a cremation urn today, our hearts go out to you. It’s can be so overwhelming, there’s so many choices these days. You can pick a favorite color or even focus on the season. Look around, it’s Spring and everything is starting to awaken. In this part of the country, Spring was late this year, but now? Everything is lush and green. Let’s start there.

Green Cremation Urns

Green is the color of renewal. Perhaps this is a contradiction to a life ended, but perhaps this color could signify rebirth and restoration. Here’s a few ideas for green urns to represent the change of season. The first one is an iridescent green and gold that changes color depending on the light. To bad the photograph doesn’t reflect the true beauty. Our customers always tell us that this urn is so much more beautiful than the picture. This is a heavy metal that comes in both adult size and a smaller token that holds just a tiny bit of ash.

Another family favorite is the Lucky Shamrock, also metal and can be laser engraved with your loved one’s name. Deep dark green marbling with hand engraved details. Green is gender neutral and many of these themes work for a mother, father, sister, or brother.

On the small side, is a heart shaped urn for ashes that holds small amounts for families that want to preserve a keepsake from the funeral.

Maybe green is your least favorite color. Take a cue from Mother Nature, my roses are just went into full bloom. There are beautiful vase shaped and wood box style urns that have roses ranging from hand painted to inlaid mother of pearl styles. The birds are singing and building nests. We have a whole category of cremation urns dedicated to birds and flowers that was created in my grandmother’s memory.

The hummingbirds have returned and are hitting the feeders hard after a long flight. We have several hummingbird styles in both large and the small keepsake size.

Most of what we’ve shown you are the traditional metal vase shape urns. They are affordable, versatile, suitable for burial or beautiful enough for display in the home. Some of the most stunning styles of cremation memorials are blown glass. Artisan glass is also more expensive than the brass urns and to minimize handling these pieces are often shipped directly from the artist’s studio.

Spring Fling is a sharp contrast from a dark drab old fashioned funeral urn. This metal design features bright yellow tulips and beautiful butterflies against a blue sky. It feels light and fresh after a dark winter and reminds us that brighter days are ahead. If you have a tight timeline, it’s worth knowing that the most of the metal urns are stocked in our warehouse and can be shipped within 24 hours.

If you’ve shopped around, you know that in addition to the urns, there’s jewelry that ties to these themes if that’s something that your family is interested in. Hopefully, this guide will help you in narrowing down your choices. Have questions? We can help!

Firefighter Burden Walk, March of the Bull

May 2, 2018 urngarden.com

We’ve got a soft spot here for the men and women who dedicate their lives to fire service and rescue. As discussed here before, my father was a firefighter, a captain at one of the busiest fire houses in the country. Growing up around firemen, one thing we’ve noticed over the years is the cancer risk as well as respiratory issues seem to be noticeably higher among this group. When my dad started so many years ago, the department didn’t even provide air masks or respirators. Most of these men are long retired or dead, but besides the brotherhood, they all had one thing in common, the fire house cough.

Recently, retired firefighter Tom “Bull” Hill is on a 640 mile journey from Key West to Tallahassee, Florida walking to raise awareness regarding benefits that families of firefighters DON’T receive when the spouse dies of cancer when exposed to hazards on the job. With over 30 years of service with Orange County Fire Rescue, his walk started in memory of two fallen friends who were disgusted over the lack of benefits for their survivors.

Hill traveled over a 100 miles when firemen from Miami caught up with him and offered to carry his pack to ease the burden and offered a place to rest, eat, and sleep overnight at the station. Word traveled, and all along the route supporters have turned out to walk a few miles with Hill and carry his “burden”. He’s collected patches from the various departments and Hill started a ledger of names to remember those who died in the line of duty, medical issues, and suicide.

Earlier this week, as Hill made his way north, Danny, our friend and colleague in central Florida joined Bull Hill on the march. Danny is a couple of years away from retirement so he understands the impact this health situation can have on the families of his brothers and sisters in fire service. He is also the talented designer behind a touching memorial for firefighters, a bronze cremation urn that is a sculpted fire helmet that can be personalized with name, department, and rank.

A beautiful tribute that is made by American craftsman for true American heros. Danny, we thank you for your service and for supporting awareness on the March of the Bull. You can support the men and women of the Florida fire departments by signing the petition here.