cremation urns for sale

Urn Shopping Online: What’s the Big Deal about the Amazon Effect?

January 23, 2019 Kim Stacey

Here’s the big deal: mega-relaters like Amazon and Walmart are changing the way we do business – and not necessarily for the better. In a nutshell, they are driving “the ongoing evolution and disruption of the retail market, online and in offline “brick and mortar” stores, primarily as a result of e-commerce” (source).

I see the results every time I walk along the main street of town: there are at least four empty store fronts at any one time. Often someone gets excited about starting a service-based business, but they don’t last long. (Here’s a fun story for you: one woman opened a business offering psychic and Tarot card readings. I guess she couldn’t see into her own future very well; I’ve heard she and her partner left town in the dead of night, stiffing the landlord for rent. Ah, but I digress; my point is: has changed both the face of the marketplace.

high quality low price

To some degree they’ve restricted our (perceived) vendor options: often we think only of Amazon (or, if you’re a Walmart loyalist, then you’ll think of them first) as the best source of what we want or need and our values as consumers. Today, supporting local retailers has become less important than convenience and price. Let’s not forget about free shipping!

After literally years of being an Amazon loyalist, I’ve become–over the past 8 months or so –disillusioned with them. I’m not the only one; In “5 Things to Consider Before Buying Cremation Urns from Amazon or Walmart” we heard firsthand from disappointed Amazon and Walmart customers – and there are hundreds (if not thousands) more complaints about Amazon and bad negative Walmart reviews on the internet. Our dissatisfaction grows, it seems, as these companies continue to dominate the marketplace – but let’s face it: as consumers, we’ve got all the power. I think we should use it to drive the quality and diversity of vendors and products, and reshape the online shopping experience.

Sources:
whatis.techtarget.com

Seasons of Life: Autumn Urns for First Day of Fall

September 22, 2017 Kim Stacey

“…and all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” ~Oscar Wilde (Source)

Today is the first day of autumn. I chose to open this post with quote from Oscar Wilde because, for me, they capture the rather shocking transition of the seasons well. But I have other favorites too so–much like the falling leaves – this gallery of autumn urns will be sprinkled with quotations and literary passages about autumn.

Am I the only one who thinks the year has just flown by? I doubt it; you too might be feeling the same way right now; saying to yourself, “Where have the months gone?”

seasons change leaves

“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.” ~J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Source)

The Autumn Season Blown Glass Cremation Urn, and its smaller counterpart, the Autumn Season Blown Glass Keepsake Urn, are blown glass cremation urns for sale here at Urn Garden. Each is luminous and iridescent.

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” ~Lauren DeStefano, Wither(Source)

fall park scene

The next three autumn urns in our collection are almost beyond description. The rich reds, oranges and golds must be seen to be believed.

The first, a cloisonné urn, is the Autumn Splendor Cremation Urn, is crafted from copper, brass and baked enamel.

“But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.” ~ Stephen King, ‘Salem’s Lot (Source)

The next two autumn urns, Legends of the Fall Cremation Urn, and the smaller keepsake version, the Small Urn for Ashes Legends of The Fall Cremation Keepsake, are also classically styled cloisonné urns.

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person died for no reason.” ~Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast (Source)

I hope you enjoyed this look at Urn Garden’s autumn urns. Before I go, I’d like to share one last quotation about the season ahead. It’s from Albert Camus, who puts a more positive spin on autumn: “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” (Source)

Enjoy the day, everyone.

The End of Summer Series Continues: Seashell Cremation Jewelry

September 20, 2017 Kim Stacey

One of my favorite passages about the end of summer comes from American Novelist Jonathan Safran Foer. It comes from his book Tree of Codes: “August has passed, and yet summer continues by force to grow days. They sprout secretly between the chapters of the year, covertly included between its pages.” (Source)

I hope, wherever you’re experiencing the end of summer, you can still pause to enjoy those few remaining summer afternoons ‘sprouting between the chapters’ of your year. Today, I think we’ll celebrate one of the simpler joys of summer: collecting sea shells by the sea shore with a rather playful look at our shell urns. We’ll start small, with our seashell cremation jewelry.

The first is our Sand Dollar Cremation Jewelry. It’s available in in silver or gold. The small chamber within is perfect for a small portion of ash or memento.

The pendant is ¾ in wide and 1 ¼ inches high: large enough to be engraved with up to 25 characters.

Sand dollars have deep significance for many Christians: it is said if you break the center of the shell five white doves will be released to spread peace and good will. According to others, the sand dollar represents the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But for many of us, the beautiful sand dollar simply represents the carefree days of summer at the seashore with someone special.

“At first, we had collected only the larger specimens, but gradually as we learned what was rare and to be truly prized, we began to gather only the smallest sand dollars for our collection. Our trophies were sometimes as small as thumbnails and as fragile as contact lenses. Annie Kate collected the tiniest relics, round and cruciform and white as bone china when dried of sea water, and placed them in a glass-and-copper cricket box in her bedroom. Often we would sit together and admire the modest splendor of our accumulation. At times it looked like the coinage of a shy, diminutive species of angel. “~ Pat Conroy, The Lords of Discipline (Source: Goodreads)

This next piece of seashell cremation jewelry is one of my favorites. It’s the Starfish Memorial Urn Jewelry Necklace. It’s made of stainless steel, and is the same size as the sand dollar pendant: ¾ inch wide and 1 ¼ inches high. Again, it’s only large enough to hold a trace amount of ash (or other small memento). The necklace comes with a complimentary chain and presentation box–making it a lovely memorial keepsake gift for extended family or friends.

Finely detailed, this sea shell urn features a delightful starfish which, because of its ability to regenerate a limb, is a symbol of healing and renewal. For me, it’s a reminder of our ability to recover from loss.

Now, let’s have a bit of fun. Do you remember the old tongue-twister “She Sells Seashells by the Seashore”?

She sells seashells by the seashore,

The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.

So if she sells seashells on the seashore,

Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

Just like lots of folks, I’ve always thought it was a 1908 song based on the life of a remarkable amateur paleontologist: Mary Anning. Well, It seems we’re all wrong: Stephen Winick, in the 2017 Library of Congress online article “She Sells Seashells and Mary Anning: Metafolklore with a Twist” proved otherwise. Live and learn.

This next piece of seashell cremation jewelry is a tiny treasure. The Silver Sea Shell Cremation Jewelry is a sterling silver conch shell measuring just over ½ inches wide and high. For Buddhists, this seashell signifies truthful speech and strength. In the Hindu tradition the conch, or Shankha, is a sacred emblem of the Hindu preserver god Vishnu. (Source)

Our Silver Sea Shell Cremation Jewelry is hand-crafted in the U.S.A. by skilled artisans. It comes with a complimentary black silk cord.

Next time, we’ll continue our look at shell urns, with a focus on our collection of seashell biodegradable urns. Until then, repeat after me: “She sells seashells by the seashore…”

The End of Summer Series: Beach Urns

September 11, 2017 Kim Stacey

ocean sunset

“By all these lovely tokens September days are here,” Helen Hunt Jackson writes in her poem, September. “With summer’s best of weather And autumn’s best of cheer.” Even though autumn brings cheer, I still find myself feeling a bit sad for the change of seasons. Summer seems to take too long to arrive and disappears all too quickly.

To celebrate this change and revisit what is–for many people (including me)–one of the joyful experiences of summer: afternoons spent at the seashore; I’m going to look at beach urns.

“In the tranquil waters of the sea

where cool water runs in waves where there is only me

azure wave shadows melt across the pure white sands…” (Source)

Santa Rosa Beach Urn for Ashes

One of our family favorites is the Santa Rosa Beach cremation urn, it’s named after a popular seaside community and was inspired by one of our customers who was fulfilling their dream of retiring at the beach when life took an unexpected turn.

This style is hand painted in soft muted colors of the fading sunset over the water and framed with sea oats that gently sway in the wind. We can laser engrave a name and dateline, brief verse or sentiment if desired. Pretty, peaceful and suitable for male or female. This is a standard size that will contain all of the ashes of an adult.

Sea Shell Cremation Jewelry

If you want a smaller memorial keepsake, there’s jewelry like the sea shell below, and token size hearts and mini vases that will hold just a small amount of ashes or cremains. It’s a personal choice and sometimes families will order mementos for grandchildren or extended family.

Maui Beach Cremation Urn

While we’re not the only source of urns for human ashes offering the Maui Beach Cremation Urn. we are the only one to offer engraving.

For a nominal fee, you can customize with up to three lines of engraving (a total of 99 characters).

Maui Beach is a gorgeous, classically-shaped metal cremation urn. The hand-painted scene features a sandy beach, azure blue water and tall, elegant palm trees. Storage capacity is the standard 200 cubic inches, making it suitable for the ashes of an adult. It stands 10.5 inches tall and measures 7 inches at its widest point. If you and your loved one liked the beach, this memorial can be a reminder of the time you spent together strolling the sandy seashore.

Purple Siesta Key Small Heart Urn for Ashes

This small urn captures that beautiful beach sunset and is available in a large adult size. Take your pick of the purple of blue versions of Siesta Key, they are both family favorites.
purple ocean heart urn for ashes

Tamora Pierce, in the fantasy novel Sandry’s Book wrote of the deep connection we feel to the sound of ocean waves. “Waves are the voices of tides. Tides are life,” murmured Niko. “They bring new food for shore creatures, and take ships out to sea. They are the ocean’s pulse, and our own heartbeat.” Source

Glass Art Ocean Wave Keepsake Urn, Made in USA

Our Big Sur Ocean Wave Keepsake Urn captures this life-giving pulse of the sea. It is of blown glass, hand-crafted by artisans in the United States. (Read “Cremation Urns Made by American Artists” for more on American urn artisans.)

This beach cremation urn comes in two sizes. The large wave can hold approximately 14 cubic inches (it’s not a full-sized urn). The smaller wave holds only about 2 cubic inches of ash, making it a perfect keepsake to give to family members or friends.

Bronze Dolphin Cremation Urn and Jewelry

For many folks, dolphins share many things with us humans. Peter Singer wrote, “Dolphins are social mammals, capable of enjoying their lives. They form close bonds with other members of their group.” And Joan McIntyre went one step further when she wrote “There may be a common thread of consciousness between man and dolphin.” (Source)

The dolphin as an animal totem expresses happy playfulness, sharpness of mind, and humor. As a spirit guide, “dolphin comes to those who need to reclaim their voice, communicating in effective, honest ways.” (Source)

Customers tell me the Bronze Dolphin Cremation Urn expresses all those things: the kindred nature of our relationship with dolphins as well as their unique spiritual gift of helping those in grief reclaim their voices. This bronze metal sculpture features twin dolphins leaping in joy and riding a wave in the last rays of the evening.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the end of summer series, where I look at another wonderful memory of walking the shore: collecting sea shells. Until then, take time to enjoy the waning days of summer!

January’s Featured Cremation Urn: Grey Wolf Grace and Power

January 24, 2017 Kim Stacey

Both feared and revered, the wolf holds a unique place in the mythology and folklore of cultures around the world. For many, the wolf is a sacred totem animal, expressive of a keen intelligence, an ingrained desire for freedom, and a strong connection to instinct.

This first month of 2017, we’re celebrating the power, beauty, and intelligence of the wolf with a special price on our Grey Wolf Urn for Ashes. This ceramic urn captures the essence of the wolf’s character and natural intelligence. Earlier this month we observed the full “Wolf Moon” and were inspired by this ancient creature.

celtic wolf

Wolf Mythology
Myths and legends about the wolf abound, many of which attempt to explain the complex relationship we share with these creatures. For example, the Ainu, a people described in Japanese folklore as “indigenous” to Japan and Russia, believed they were descended from the union between a goddess and a wolf.

Then there’s the Roman myth of Romulus and Remus, twin infant boys found and raised by a she wolf. (Unfortunately, their story doesn’t end happily: Romulus eventually kills his brother before founding the city of Rome. It seems his early years shaped his personality, mirroring the some of the characteristics of a wolf from his early childhood: wild, free, and dangerous.

The Christian Bible has thirteen references to wolves; most often as a means to describe the destructive and greedy nature of human beings. While many see only a dangerous predator (just think of the iconic “big bad wolf” in the fairy tales of Aesop and the Brothers Grimm); the wolf is described in other mythologies as a magical being with the power to protect and even heal.

Urn Garden’s Wolf Urns for Sale

These qualities–the wolf’s wild, territorial, and protective nature–are beautifully represented in our handmade ceramic wolf urn. We are proud to showcase American artists and this urn is handmade in the United States. This cremation urn will not only be a beautiful, and deeply meaningful, decorative addition to your home; it will also safeguard the ashes of your loved one for years to come.

Need help or have questions creating the perfect memorial? We can help.