Memorial Service Ideas
Jewelry Trunk Show
Today’s jewelry show features more mourning jewelry from the Victorian age.
Plaited hair woven into the eternity/infinity symbol..serpent style! These styles are a lost art and are very collectible. Recently I talked with a funeral director in Ohio who collects the hair art. She wondered if the community come out for an exhibit on Memento Mori….at the funeral home?
And then we have the modern designs of cremation jewelry that blend the ancient symbols of circles, wings and feathers and leaves the skulls and scales in the past:
New Urn Jewelry
There’s not many choices for urn bracelets, so it’s exciting when a new style becomes available for families that want it. We’ve been working this week on our new collection of urn jewelry, cremation rings and bracelets and matching urn pendants.
The circle is an ancient symbol of Eternity. Beaded leather and 14 K yellow gold combine for a contemporary urn bracelet design. Our urn jewelry blends the simplicity of the Eternity symbol that discreetly holds a trace of cremation ash, lock of hair, or other small loving memento. Comes with full instructions and necessary tools for filling. Also available in sterling silver.
Memorial Stones and Fall Planting
Fall is an excellent time to plant a tree as a living memorial for a loved one. Even apartment dwellers can adopt and beautify a blighted urban area or possibly a park area. (Contact local officials in your area) We’ve assisted many schools that have planned tree planting memorials for students and faculty.
Depending on the zone you live in Fall planting is best in mild climates. Weather conditions are cool and allow plants to establish roots in the new location before spring rains and summer heat stimulate new top growth.
A popular choice for a memorial planting is the Weeping Cherry tree. These stunning ornamental trees are generally pest and disease resistant and don’t require a lot of pruning. Pair your new planting with a memorial stone and you’ll have created a beautiful living tribute to honor your loved one.
Examples of memorial stones that some of our families have chosen:
This style is one of the most popular and can be personalized with artwork and a custom message.
The heart-shaped memorial stones are an inexpensive option: Less than $40.00
The river rock garden stones also do well and can be personalized with custom message and artwork.
All of our stones can sustain harsh winters and usually ship within a week after ordering.
Thank you for letting us serve you.
Painting Over the Past
Some of our friends in life and cyberworld have transformed their living spaces after the death of a loved one (or a flood). It’s usually a struggle at first and then the breakthrough. Sometimes we need a push to get us started. But in the end it’s good therapy.
Shadowed by memories of a lost husband, Hilary and her living room needed an infusion of joy. The room is filled with painful reminders of Hilary’s husband Joe’s battle with cancer. The giant gray sectional that Joe spent his last days on was the focal point of the room. How do you brighten the mood without painting over the past? That’s where the brilliant and intuitive Nate Berkus comes in.
Joe passed away shortly after his daughter Carly’s first birthday, and Hilary hasn’t been able to change the room. Nate’s challenge, he says, is to help Hilary and Carly “find a new beginning while still honoring Joe’s memory.”
“Color and light have a profound effect on mood,” says Nate. “This place needs an infusion of energy.
Nate retires the gigantic gray sofa that Joe spent his last days on and enlivens the room with flowers and trees.
Feathers have been mysteriously floating into Hilary’s life like silent messages from her late husband. In one of many gestures of tender genius, Nate mounts and frames a perfect white feather for the wall.
Hilary and Joe loved the beach, so Nate finds a terrarium lamp and fills it with sand and in the sand places keepsakes from their Caribbean honeymoon.
From a memorable episode of Oprah.