Mantle urns are a thing of the past: these creative free-thinkers have better ways to store the ashes of their loved ones.
Ashes to Ink
Permanently display your love for the one you lost by having their cremains tattooed on your body. Think of the possibilities this option opens up: the combination of words, symbols, and pictures is endless. Finding a tattoo artist who has experience with commemorative tattoos is becoming less challenging as cremation becomes more popular, but using a middle man like Engrave Ink may be wise. Mixing cremation ashes with ink solution really depends on the ashes being sifted so fine that they do not change the texture of the regular tattoo ink. This alternative is unique and will last forever, in addition to being an incredible conversation piece!
Final Flight
If a keepsake isn’t necessarily what you’re looking for, look into Eternal Ascent for a scattering technique unlike any other. This family-owned business will place your loved one’s ashes in a five-foot helium-filled balloon. Imagine a memorial ceremony that includes the release of a balloon that is more than symbolic of your loved one’s ascent up to the heavens, it’s their actual vehicle. The balloons are designed to float up to five miles into the sky and then pop, spreading the cremains into the wind to land where they will.
A Cuddly Urn
A container for cremains doesn’t have to look like it belongs in your grandma’s house. Mainly Urns is one example of the growing number of companies that offer alternative urns that are more useful than decorative. Their most popular product is a teddy bear with custom embroidery that houses a small heart urn on the inside, protected by cuddly stuffing that the owner will love. These teddy bears are a beautiful idea for children who have lost parents or grandparents, but the possibilities aren’t limited to the youth!
Holy Smokes
Holy Smokes loads cremated ashes into shotgun shells for you and your buddies to use at a commemorative hunting trip or target practice. This is the perfect solution for a loved one who was a gun fanatic, hunting lover, or Boy Scout. Any keepsake that also brings friends and relatives together is one that’s worth looking into, and a special memorial like the one these shotgun shells will inspire could be exactly the unique send-off that you’re looking for.
Get Creative!
There are so many creative ways to commemorate your loved one’s life and pay respects to what they loved. For example, Max Gruenwald, Marvel comic editor and life-long graphic novel fan, asked that his ashes be mixed with the ink of a comic book (his wife made sure to oblige after he passed). Or Steady Ed Headrick, the inventor of Frisbee golf, who wanted his cremains to be made into a Frisbee. Finding a way for your loved one to eternally be doing what they love is the ideal way to preserve their memory and their ashes.