As the weather starts to warm here and we are starting to see the pop of forsythia, daffodils, and a few early blooming trees, our customers are ordering personalized memorial stones to honor loved ones who didn’t make it through the winter.

Occasionally, friends of the family will order a memorial stone and send as a sympathy gift. Seems like the cardinal stones are a popular choice as a bereavement gift.

We supply stones for a Texas university that operates a history ranch and buys personalized natural looking river rock to recognize their donors.

In Virginia, there is a non-denominational natural burial cemetery run by monks that we supply stones for. This is truly an ashes to ashes, dust to dust concept. Where as some cemeteries may require a burial vault, the monks do not. Cremation urns must be made from organic material, like a woven basket, or biodegradable material. If burial is preferred over cremation, embalming is prohibited and you can do a shroud burial rather than a casket. You pick your spot, the monks will provide GPS coordinates and family can place a personalized stone or flat marker for identification. There is a pavilion on site that you can have a ceremony.

Sometimes co-workers and colleagues will take up a collection and order a stone to be placed in the office courtyard or other location at work to honor an employee that passed away.

Earlier this year, a mother ordered a river rock for her son, who was killed on a job in California. The funeral was held in California since he had lived there for years, but his body was brought back to Texas according to his last wishes, to have his ashes buried near a giant tree on a hill overlooking an incredible view. We had to explain that the rocks were not rush orders and there would be some processing time. She agreed to wait and planned the Texas ceremony for later in the spring.

Last spring, one of our closest friends lost her dad. He was cremated and they planned a private internment on a rugged piece of property that had been in her family for generations. Her dad had grown up there, my friend had lived there for a time and even though no family is on the land now, it holds sacred meaning to them.

Planning the ceremony was an orchestration though, because everyone has moved away, they had to plan around schedule, plus it’s a hike to get to the spot they had chosen and they had to watch the weather to make sure conditions were right.

All in all it was a beautiful and emotional celebration, laying their father to rest in the woods near a waterfall that he had played as a child, rode motorcycles on the trails, camped, explored, hunted for both game and artifacts.

It feels like we will get an early spring here in the Midwest, the hummingbirds don’t usually get here until mid April and we are already getting sightings a little south of here. We launched a couple of new hummingbird styles of urns and hope our families like them.

Two adult size hummingbirds urns in blue or green, sturdy metal designs that are suitable for burial or beautiful enough to display in your home. Hummingbirds are popular with our families, and we offer small keepsakes that can be added to the memorial and gifted to friends and family.

As we wind down the old and look ahead to new possibilities in a new year, I was struck how we tried to keep some of the old traditions around the holidays, especially with food. Thanksgiving we always have an orange Jello/cottage cheese concoction that my late mother in law fixed and the whole family loved. I host the dinners now and even though that orange fluff is not my favorite side dish, I’ll whip it up in her honor.

Dearly departed friend of the family, Blanche, always cooked up a big pot of savory spaghetti and we continue to use her recipe every Christmas Eve.

With thoughts of prosperity, we cooked up a batch of sauerkraut and sausage this year, and tossed in a few coins for luck. The dish was a hit, but I remembered that my mother in law, Peggy would insist that we have a spoonful of black eyed peas on new years for good luck.

Not food related, but when we were starting our family and money was tight, Peggy would help us with back to school supplies and clothes and it was so appreciated. Today, your purchases help us to keep Peggy’s memory alive as we pay it forward and help other kids start the new school year confidently with haircuts, shoes, and supplies.

When St. Patty’s rolls around, I’ll fix corned beef like my grandmother did every year to keep her memory close.

At Thanksgiving my sister in law wore a beautiful blue topaz ring of her mom’s that she inherited and on special occasions, I’ve got a couple of special pieces of my grandmothers jewelry that I like to wear to keep her close. My favorites are a ruby ring that was her birthstone and a necklace that she had reworked from a wedding ring after my grandfather died.

She collected the Franciscan Desert Rose pattern of china and my mother insisted I have it. Now, for the last 10 years, I start every day with a big mug of coffee from that collection and it feels like I’m having a cup of coffee with my grandmother.

When friends are cleaning out a parents estate, often they are stumped about what to do with the china when no one in the family wants it. Flea market friends tell me it’s a hard sell. Recently though I was touched by a friend’s post about a special set of china and how happy she was to get it:

“Are any of you old enough to remember Green Stamps? You’d earn them with your groceries, paste them neatly into little booklets, and once you had enough, trade them in for whatever the store was offering at the time.

That’s how my mom collected her china, elegant plates with delicate details and a gold rim. I was too young to remember how many books she filled, but she collected enough for nearly 20 place settings. Hosting people brought her joy, so this set meant everything to her.

She passed away not long after. She was 36, and I was just 13. Eventually, the china was sold at a garage sale, and with it, a piece of her.

Fast forward, Tom and I were newly engaged. A sweet, older couple who knew our family invited us over for dinner. We talked, laughed, shared stories. When we stood to leave, they asked us to wait…they had a gift for us.

They brought out box after box, and inside was my mother’s china. She had been at that garage sale years before, bought every piece, packed it away, and kept it until she knew I was ready to receive it. She understood what it would mean for me to hold something my mother once held so dearly.”

There were so many touching stories from families that we served in 2025:

The family who was rocked by their father who died during a very routine patient procedure. After they had time to process what had just happened, cardinals appeared everywhere and they felt like it was a sign and decided to order cardinal urn and garden memorial stone.

The daughter who ordered a bronze turtle urn for her dad.

However, while cleaning out his place, she discovered the ashes of her mom and grandmother in the closet. She returned to buy a biodegradable heart shaped companion urn for both.

She had planned to have a memorial service later this year on her dad’s birthday for him, but now will do a scattering ceremony also for mom and grandma.

While doing some end of year banking recently, I asked the bank rep about his tattoo. It was an audio file of his dad’s last voicemail.

The devoted son who was buying a beautiful sage green double size urn for both of his parents and their cat, Cricket. He included a note: “My parents requested that their cat’s ashes be with them – please make sure to include him in the engraving.”

Another friend and I were debating which is worse, the long goodbye or “died suddenly.” She had recently lost both parents, and said firmly that “died suddenly” was defiantly worse. Her mother had suffered a long illness and had time to tell each of the kids and rest of the family her wishes, express her love, and finalize details. Her father, a strong healthy man “fell like a tree”, and shocked everyone.

With all the hustle and bustle over the holidays, I always regret not taking more pictures. We just never know what the new year will bring. All that to say, try to make amends with your family and friends and hug your loved ones. Create a family mission statement that unifies your family and identifies investments, goals and the mission you want to focus on and support. We wish you peace.

When the Wild Guides Us: Spirit Animals as Keepers of Memory

There are moments in grief when our world stops, and then… something small, quiet, and alive reminds us that the bond hasn’t faded. It’s still here. You can see it, maybe you can feel it, nature is speaking for us.

A flutter of wings.
A streak of color.
A dragonfly dancing across the water.

It’s a timeless tale across cultures, animals have long been seen as messengers, protectors, and guides of the human spirit. As humans, when our words fall short, these creatures help tell our stories. Urn Garden’s spirit-animal urns grow from this belief: that the natural world mirrors our emotional one.

The Lion: Courage, Honor, & Noble Spirit

The lion carries a symbolism that resonates deeply during remembrance:

• courage in adversity
• dignity under pressure
• leadership that never demanded words
• a regal presence that filled a room

A lion urn honors a loved one whose strength was as heartfelt as it was undeniable — someone who stood tall, protected others, and walked through life with quiet nobility.

Lion urn styles include beautiful bronze sculpture, artist sculpted oversized urn, gold and silver jewelry

The Eagle: Vision & Independence

Some spirits refuse to be grounded.
Eagle souls rise, even in storms.
They see what others miss.
They inspire through clarity and strength.

An eagle urn honors a visionary, or someone who lived above the noise — always searching for higher meaning. A top choice for veterans, leaders, and anyone who lived with high ideals or inspired others.

Eagle urns available in American made bronze sculpture urns, affordable brass vase designs

The Hummingbird: Joy & Love That Endures

Some of us believe the small but mighty hummingbirds are messengers.
They appear when we need hope, comfort, or a reminder that love outlasts loss.

A hummingbird urn honors:

• spirits full of joy
• playful souls
• the lightness they brought to others
• the idea that loved ones still visit us in small, beautiful ways

Hummingbird urns come in traditional vase and box shapes in metal, wood, ceramic, keepsakes and urn jewelry

The Turtle: Wisdom, Protection & the Long Slow Journey

The turtle teaches endurance and patience.
No hurry. No forcing or fear.

A tough exterior, but soft center
Just a steady heart and a grounded presence.

Great for loved ones who carried burdens with grace or who lived life with quiet resilience. Ocean lovers, gentle souls, patient teachers, the turtle becomes a fitting guide.

Turtle urns come in bronze, biodegradable, keepsakes and jewelry

The Dragonfly: Transformation & Peace

Dragonflies often appear after a loss, glimmering, delicate, and strangely comforting.

• spiritual transformation
• adaptability
• visits from loved ones
• the gentle transition from one world to the next

A dragonfly urn becomes an emblem of healing, growth, and the belief that the soul is free.

White dragonfly metal urn, keepsakes, and silver and gold urn pendants

The Deer: Sensitivity & Spiritual Gentleness

A deer spirit moves softly but leaves a lasting imprint.
It symbolizes intuition, compassion, and a natural connection to beauty.

noticed beauty others overlooked

loved quietly but deeply

brought peace to those around them

Those remembered with deer urns often lived as gentle souls, healers, or individuals who noticed the world’s quiet wonders but perhaps also enjoyed a sporting quality. Excellent for: nature lovers, hunters, hikers, and those remembered for kindness and spiritual sensitivity

Beautiful styles of deer urns are available in American made bronze and wood

Cardinal Urns: Messenger of the Heart

Cardinal urns are for someone whose memory still feels near, or who loved birds, gardens, or the idea of gentle signals from Mother Nature. Our cardinal urn collection was inspired by my grandmother who was a bird watcher and collector.

Choosing a cardinal urn honors someone whose spirit is vibrant and close, a reminder that love is always near and dear.

Cardinal urns available in adult sizes and small keepsakes and memorial stones.

How Families Choose The Perfect Memorial Urn

• Which animal most reflects their loved one’s qualities
• What imagery brings comfort
• Whether the loved one had a personal animal or nature connection
• What symbolism best matches their story

Choosing a spirit-animal urn is deeply symbolic and allows families to create a personal memorial that reflects a loved one’s character, values, passions, and presence. Each animal carries its own symbolic meaning, helping guide families toward the urn that feels right.

For many families, choosing an urn is more than selecting a container—it’s a deeply personal decision tied to memory, symbolism, and love. Among the many designs available, turtle urns have become a powerful and meaningful choice for those who connect with the symbolism of the turtle: wisdom, protection, endurance, and a peaceful journey.

At Urn Garden, we’ve had the honor of helping families find the perfect turtle-themed urn to tell their loved one’s story. From bronze sculptures to biodegradable urns for sea burials, turtle urns come in various materials and styles, each carrying special significance.

The Bronze Sea Turtle Urn: A Tribute to a Lifelong Passion

In one touching story, a woman who had volunteered with a sea turtle rescue organization found the bronze sea turtle urn to be the perfect tribute to her son. Their bond had been shaped over 40 years of Hawaiian vacations, often snorkeling together and swimming with sea turtles.

As much as she loved the bronze urn, she ultimately decided to scatter his ashes at sea and needed a vessel that would be TSA compliant and environmentally friendly. After her son passed away, she sought an oversized turtle urn, but it wasn’t available at the time. Instead, she chose the coral shell urn, designed to hold the ashes of two people, easy to travel with and ideal for a sea scattering ceremony.

The coral color was a good choice, as it had more visibility in the water, compared to the blue shell that her daughter wanted, and could be seen from the glass-bottom boat they were in—a beautiful nod to their shared memories under the waves.

She adorned the urn with red and blue leis, blending island tradition with personal touches. The coral shell became a meaningful symbol of both grief and celebration. Read more about the Bronze Sea Turtle Urn: All-American Turtle Urn

Turtle Cremation Urns: Protection for the Journey

In an older post we reflected on the ancient symbolism of the turtle and its role as a protector during life’s final transition. Turtle urns, especially those crafted in bronze or ceramic, embody protection and strength, making them a comforting choice for many.

Learn more about the meaning behind turtle urns here: Turtle Cremation Urns – Protection for the Journey

Biodegradable Turtle Urns: A Simple, Sustainable Choice for Sea Farewells

For those planning a water burial, biodegradable turtle urns offer a serene and eco-conscious option. One customer from Texas was preparing for a memorial on a cruise ship and struggling with uncertainty. She really wanted the bio turtle urn, but was unable to coordinate family input and the cruise line provided limited details about the ceremony. She needed something simple, easy to travel with, yet meaningful.

She ultimately selected a personalized purple Journey urn, which was easier than the turtle to travel with it’s clean lines and compact design. This allowed her to focus on the emotional experience rather than the logistics. The Journey urn is designed to float briefly before sinking gracefully, making it ideal for ocean ceremonies.

Choosing Your Turtle Urn

Turtle urns come in various materials and forms, including:

Bronze Turtle Urns: Durable and made by American artists, often used for display or burial.

Biodegradable Turtle Urns: Eco-friendly for water or ground burial.

Small Keepsake Turtles: Ideal for keeping a small portion of ashes as a memento, usually made of metal, hand painted.

Turtle Cremation Jewelry Pendants, silver, gold plated, and stainless steel finishes. Designed to hold a trace amount of ashes.

Whether it’s a tribute to a loved one’s connection to the ocean, a symbol of their spirit animal, or simply a design that brings peace, turtle urns carry both meaning and beauty. They remind us that even in parting, our loved ones continue their journey—gently, gracefully, and forever remembered.

Need Help Choosing?

Every story is different, and we’re here to help you find the urn that best reflects your loved one’s life and legacy. If you’re exploring turtle urns or other unique designs, visit Urn Garden or reach out for personal guidance.

This post could be called “Define a Bad Day”. The last few months have been a test not just for us personally and professionally, but also for our customers who are dealing with the grave task of preparing for the end of life of a loved one, or in the aftermath of picking up the pieces. Usually after one of these conversations, it puts everything in perspective.

The Nurse in Massachusetts

We heard from a nurse in Massachusetts who had outlived all four of her children and was buying an urn for the last surviving son. Although he was an adult, he was her youngest and was on Hospice and expected to die soon. This mother had endured another son who had drowned, a daughter dying unexpectedly in her sleep, and another died of cancer. Now she was faced with losing her last child after a sudden illness.

How does a parent survive this trauma? She told me that she has managed these devastating hits by doing outreach and counseling with other grieving parents. It brought her peace in knowing that she was comforting others. Conversations like this put my imaginary “bad day” in perspective.

Another customer in Massachusetts called to replace an urn that they had bought from Urn Garden several years ago for their dad. A house fire recently destroyed the property, but firefighters were able to retrieve the charred metal urn and deliver to the family. They planned to transfer the ashes into the new replacement urn.

It’s actually a good lesson on maybe why it’s not a good choice to store the urn in the home indefinitely. Whether it’s a catastrophic event, or the death of the caretaker, it might be worth exploring alternative and safer storage options.

Losing a Furry Friend

Another customer called on the way to the vet to put his dog down. He had a large breed in the backseat and urns for bigger dogs can be hard to find, unless you step up to a human adult size. He knew what he wanted and ordered it enroute to the vet’s office.

His dog had been suffering for a while and this event was scheduled, so the man knew it was coming and had time to prepare. He and his best friend had a special yet sad week, with his pet’s favorite treats and extra love and attention.

Teenage Suicide

Another mom called with an urgent need. She had lost her adult son to suicide a week ago. They ordered an urn on Amazon and it turned out to be a disaster. The memorial service was on Monday and she wanted the urn present at the funeral. He loved the lake and in addition to the gorgeous sunset, the urn had his favorite shades of blue and black.

The family chose this color palette for the celebration of life service. Mother and friends created a beautiful floral wreath using blue and black flowers to frame the urn. It turned out nice and saved money.

The title of this post was inspired by a customer who requested the verse be inscribed on an adult urn. I was intrigued and discovered that it was biblical and can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:55. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

In 1963 the Vatican allowed cremation and this practice has been part of Church law since 1983.

Catholics believe that when death occurs, the soul meets God, and God gives perfect life to bodies by reuniting them with their souls. The body must be present at the funeral, and there’s more:

Cremains Must Remain Intact (the whole body)

The ashes may not be scattered over land water, or divided among family members and friends. That means cremation jewelry or keepsakes for families that want to retain a portion of the cremated remains are forbidden.

When people put ashes in a necklace, “You’re treating the deceased as if it is a possession of yours. You don’t possess people.” says Father Patrick Carrion, a priest for more than 40 years.

In December 2023, the Vatican published a note signed by Cardinal Víctor Fernández and approved by the Pope, stating that family members could place “a minimal part of the ashes” to kept in a sacred place. This was in an effort to clear up confusion regarding cremation and the handling and storage of ashes.

Couples that want their ashes co-mingled should speak to their priests for clarification. Some Catholic cemeteries provide a “sacred” space designated for preservation of the ashes of those that want to be together for eternity.

Urns Don’t Belong in the Home

This question comes up often, but the Church believes that Cremation urns must be buried or interred in a mausoleum or columbarium and NOT kept in the home.

Eulogies at the Funeral

Eulogies are not part of the funeral Mass and should occur at the wake. “That’s not what our ritual is meant to be” says Fr. Carrion. If the family insists on eulogies at the Mass, Fr. Carrion sets a limit of two eulogies that are each five minutes in length and will be delivered before the body enters the church.

Regarding burials, embalming the body, and using sealed caskets and concrete vaults are fine. Natural green burials that are environmentally friendly are also Church approved.

Other methods that involve treating and dissolving the body with chemicals, called “composting” are unacceptable and legal in only seven states.

Read the complete article here:

Here’s another article for more information on other religious views on cremation.

This will be a short post based on our experience, and if you want to go deeper on the position we take regarding these shopping platforms, you can read this article we wrote a couple years ago.

Is Amazon, Walmart, and Etsy really a good place to buy a cremation urn? We think not and here’s why:

Our view hasn’t changed and it’s not because we have a website that sells urns. In the past, we listed our beautiful urns for sale on Amazon and Etsy.

That all changed during Covid though. We closed our Amazon and Etsy store to focus on our primary site urngarden.com to deliver the level of service that our customers deserve during a stressful time. Supply chain issues and staffing problems were affecting retailers and we did not want the added complication of being at the mercy of a 3rd party platform.

We want to be the first point of contact if you have an issue with an urn that you purchased from us.

Lately, we are getting several calls from customers that make a purchase on Amazon or Etsy and discover that the item they assumed was in stock and expected to arrive in a couple of days is actually coming from India or China and will be several weeks getting here.

Unanswered emails and poor communication with the seller leaves the customer rattled and confused. You don’t need that anxiety. We put our contact information in plain sight if you have questions or comments.

In a customer service world of bots and automated emails, there is a definite LACK of customer service. Often, when customers call, they sometimes express surprise that a human answers the phone. That’s not to say that you won’t get a voice mail occasionally when you call us. If that happens, it’s because the line is busy, or it’s after hours, but we WILL call you back, or personally reply to your email and respond in a timely manner.

We appreciate your business, value your feedback, and wish you peace.

Bluebird Cremation Urn and Keepsake

With so many types of cremation urns on the internet and at the funeral home, it can be so overwhelming to pick one out. Here’s a few selections that our customers made and the stories behind them.

The blue bird cremation adult urn and the little mini bluebird keepsake urn was the choice a customer in Michigan picked for her brother. She was letting him stay at her place, where he eventually died on her couch. She knew he was ill, but she also knew that he would not allow her to nurse him and had no idea how sick he really was.

He was asleep on the couch when she went to bed and still there when she got home from work the next day. He never moved and she questioned whether he was dead when she went to bed the night before.

Urns for Two People

A California family decided it was time to buy a companion urn for the parents. Dad had died 25 years ago and Mother had passed in the last 2 years. They wanted a container that the ashes could be co-mingled and have room for the family pet.

The wanted a box shape, and many of the double sized urns have a divider to separate the ashes, so this narrowed our choices. In addition to a specific style, they planned to bury the urn in a cemetery on the opposite side of the country. This required coordinating the logistics as they preferred not to board the plane with an urn and 3 sets of ashes.

Often, this family vacations in Hawaii and has already told their adult children, that they want their ashes scattered there.

In New Jersey, another family was shopping for an urn for their parents who wanted to be together forever. They were married for 70 years and died 6 months apart. The whole family lived in the same neighborhood, on the same block. There was lots of help when it came time to clean out the parents’ home, who had accumulated several generations of family heirlooms and artifacts.

They were an immigrant family who loved America and served in the military. While working on the estate, they found service medals and a flag from France, belonging to an uncle who had been killed at Normandy. The parents will be interred in a veteran’s cemetery with full military honors.

Motorcycle Urn

In Texas, a lady was helping her uncle pick out his urn as he neared the end of his life. He loved cars and motorcycles, and the old Route 66 ran right through their town. We debated on the proper pronunciation of “route” or “root”. Our Route 66 motorcycle urn was a perfect choice for him.

Beach Themed Urns for Ashes

In Florida, a young lady wanted the Medium Siesta Key urn for her mom, who died on Christmas day in 2021 from complications shortly after receiving a booster (according to her daughter). It was especially painful for the daughters as they could not be with their mom, as both the girls had covid.

An informal memorial service was held by the pool later in January with food and drinks, followed by an ash scattering ceremony at the beach. Guests had strict instructions to wear bright colors, absolutely NO BLACK.

American Made Butterfly Adult Urn

Meanwhile, in North Carolina a customer was very clear that she wanted an American artist created urn for her ashes. She ordered the Raku Butterfly Pottery Urn and sent this note:

“This urn is for me when I pass and I am presently still very much alive! Also, my body will go to a Medical School for teaching with return of my cremains once they are finished. They may keep the cadaver 2 weeks to 2 years at which time they shall cremate the body and return it to my family. I just wished to select my own urn since it shall be the receptacle of my cremains. I have done pottery in my life and love this piece and the placement of the butterfly, symbol of eternal life.”

We were honored to be able to assist with a work of art created by an American master artist.

If you are still trying to decide, here’s another post we did on various types and styles of urns that our customers have purchased recently. It’s a difficult decision and if you have questions or need a little help, reach out.

When there are so many types of cremation urn to buy, families tell us all the time that it’s overwhelming when they have to shop for a cremation urn. Nerves are shattered, they are emotional, and let’s get real….no one wants to shop for an urn. After shopping around and seeing all the styles that are available to buy, they know it when they see it. Added complications are when you are dealing with a committee and you have to run the choice by other family members and get everyone to agree.

Sometimes though, the family has a vision, and that makes it easier. Here’s a few examples of recent interactions and the type of urns that they bought.

Santa Rosa Beach Urn

Mom and Dad were living my dream of being a snow bird. For 20 years they spent winters from November to April at the same resort in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Mom’s health was poor and they were not able to go this year. Instead, they planned for an Easter brunch with family.

Mother fixed lunch and then completed addressing 20 Easter cards with a personal message for friends and family, And then? She died. Everyone knew she was ill, but it was so sudden, her husband and children were shocked.

Her son called after searching for “cremation vase beach”, he found the Santa Rosa Beach urn that was perfect for his mother. The problem was, he had a tight spot in a niche at the columbarium that he thought this urn might be too tall for. It was.

The good news is that we had the same style in a box shape (Salt Life) that he could order, get it personalized and delivered in time for his mother’s memorial service.

Raku Dragonfly Ceramic Urn

A client in California called after her mom passed away looking for a funeral urn that would be creative and unique, like her artist mother. Another requirement was that the urn had to be American made.

She chose the Raku Dragonfly Urn, made in the USA and signed by the artist. She was willing to wait a few weeks to get the urn produced. The husband and wife team that make the urns have a busy small business creating handmade memorials that are worth waiting for.

Madonna and Child Urn for Ashes

An Arizona customer is off to a bad start in 2023 after losing his mom after caring for her for the last several years in his home. He described his mom as a loving, church going lady.

His father has been diagnosed with dementia and had to be placed in memory care and that was not going well. Prior to being placed in a facility, his dad was hard to handle and even though being told by his doctor and family that he could no longer drive, his father continued to get behind the wheel, causing a lot of stress and anxiety for his grown children. I could hear the fatigue in his voice.

Sky Blue Cultured Marble and Walnut Celtic Cross Box for Ashes

Recently, we served the families of two pilots that recently died, one on the job and the other was retired.

The widow picked the Sky Blue Cultured Marble urn because it reminded her of clouds, engraved with her husband’s name in silver.

Next, the son of the retired pilot chose a hand rubbed walnut box for ashes with the Celtic Cross on top, he also had it personalized. We rushed production on this one, but once we got it on the truck for transit, things went sideways with UPS and that is another story for another day.

Both of these urns were created by American artists.

Biodegradable Memento Urn for Water

A Miami Beach customer bought the Memento Urn a year ago. The biodegradable urns have a stable shelf life if stored properly. He is just now getting around to having the memorial service but discovered he could not find the box that the urn came in that contained the instructions for filling or the water-soluble bag and glue.

After his call for help, we were able to email instructions and help him source the other items needed to complete the process and get him ready to disperse the ashes.

The Memento is good for families that want a clean green funeral service and despite it’s unusual football shape, it comes in several colors and is ideal for a water or earth burial.

Depending on your needs, your vision, your loved one’s personality, there are many color, shapes and sizes of cremation urns. We can help you through it.

When a family buys an urn online, they often want the cremation urn personalized with names and dates. We can usually accommodate the request with laser engraving.

Sometimes we get some crazy requests though. If you request it, we’ll do it, even if we think it’s a bad idea. But, if we are being honest, sometimes these customers get the urn with the disrespectful inscription THAT THEY REQUESTED, and they get upset and probably have regrets. Laser engraving is permanent, so no take backs and we can’t edit or fix it. Choose your words wisely.

Years ago, we got a call from someone who was asking about engraving on an urn for his dad. When I asked him what he wanted to inscribe on the urn, he asked, “Can you engrave cuss words all over it?” We could, and after discussing what the final resting place would be (he was keeping it on display in the home) he backed away from his original vision and went with a more traditional format.

It gave us the idea to launch a “Kiss My Ash Collection” of cremation urns, and over the years we’ve saved a few of the creations that our customers have come up with.

Are these cremation urns dignified? Probably not. But we have to consider that these are grown adults that we are dealing with and maybe the messaging fits the personality of the deceased, or perhaps it was their final wish?

Lucky Shamrock Cremation Urn

Lucky Shamrock Cremation Urn is a popular style, it looks blue in this photo, but is actually green, but there is no mistake about the color of the deceased’s backside.

Route 66 Motorcycle Urn for Ashes

Route 66 Urn for Ashes, and this biker chic had an attitude that I can appreciate.

Another “urn with attitude” was this hot red memorial that probably spoke volumes about the deceased.

Celtic Cross Cremation Urn

The owner of the Celtic Cross Cremation Urn was a little more subtle in the messaging and actually inspired this collection.

“Always fun till we lost a wiener” not sure what the meaning is, but maybe it’s an inside joke. We giggled a little when we were setting the Celtic Cross urn up for engraving.

Deer in the Woods Cremation Box for Ashes

This cremation box puzzled us, but we just assumed maybe this was a phrase that the departed used often?

Cardinal Cremation Urn

The person that ordered the Cardinal Urn was a little milder and kind of cute. No names, no dates of the deceased, just “Fiddlesticks! “

Carol, on the other hand…maybe she often told her loved ones, “Someday you’ll miss my bitching!” Well, that day is here.

Journey Biodegradable Urn for Scattering Ashes on Water

We’ve all seen the meme on social media, the Journey Biodegradable urn takes it to a new level.

Celtic Cross Wood Box for Ashes

Recently we had a client who wanted an American made urn for his father, who had a distinguished military career and retired as a commercial pilot.

Our customer picked the Celtic Cross Wood Box, a work of art in hand rubbed dark walnut.

When he submitted the inscription, I had to ask…..

It turns out that his dad was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. Dad lived in a rural area and there was a couple of places nearby that he liked to fish. He referred to one of them as his “bass-hole”.

Maybe this was a situation where the deceased would tell the family “Someday, you’ll miss my bitching!” Whatever the scenario was, the family decided to inscribe their sentiments on an urn for eternity. They ordered and we delivered, we’ll never know the back story.

Siesta Key Beach Urn for Adult

A couple of examples of personalization on the Siesta Key Beach Urn. It comes on several different sizes, and these examples are done on the full-size adult.

The first one must have derived from the old story about the minister who was presiding over a funeral service and while trying to make a deep thoughtful statement, he instead made a memorable gaff that the mourners still laugh about today. “Here we have the shell” he said while gesturing to the casket, “but the nut is gone”.

One of our customers took that statement to the grave. Literally.

This next one was lifted from some song lyrics that were special to our clients’ adult daughter.

She called to ask about personalizing an urn and wanted to know if we had any objections to profanity. I told her that we would add whatever she wanted with the understanding that there are no returns or regrets.

I explained to her that we had experience with customers who were upset with their choice of words during a highly emotional time, and encouraged here to think it about it and if she still wanted the verse, we would do it.

Monday morning the order was placed and I was a little shocked, but she had explained that her daughter was an addict who had struggled with addiction for years and these words were spoken to her mother on more than one occasion.

In Mother’s defense, she did have a more loving message on the back side of the urn. She and I joked that it was a sweet and salty mix of sentiments.

We don’t pretend to try to understand why people choose the messaging they choose for the urns. One of our collogues sent this example that they had recently done for a client.

I Lived, I Died, Goodbye

No name, just a brief sentiment that says it all. “Good things, when short, are twice as good” by Baltasar Gracián

There are more, but we didn’t always get the pictures to prove it. All in all, my top choice for the Kiss My Ash urn collection is one that we do not have an image for, but was very simple and direct. Again, no name, no dates. Just the simple message: “SHE TRIED“.