Blog Post #36: Death Keepsakes

When I was going through the plethora of options again today I was filled with hope and pride. I ran a poll on Twitter asking what ya'll wanted to read about and when it came down to it--ya'll wanted to know more about the death keepsakes and you know what? I don't blame you. There are so many various options that I couldn't possibly keep listing or we would be sitting here reading for days--and well, though I appreciate the sentiment I don't think any of us have that kind of time. So, let's begin...

In all of the funerals/arrangements I've been apart of for school, I have always been the most interested in the variety of options available to people during this trying time. Sometimes, in our time of grieving we forget to ask about things like this and then we truly miss out. It's okay to be brain addled in a time like this--brain fog is absolutely normal for a lot of people. Shame on the funeral home for not providing a thorough GPL (General Price List) with a variety of alternative options, most only provide a simple GPL because they are required to by law--but some very good places also list the good stuff.

First of all, this blog post is about HUMANS ONLY. It goes mostly by state law, but there are many things offered for our Furry babies as well. That will have to be for another post, and mostly--just so we're clear, it is illegal to mix Humans/Animals cremains. That being said, I already have plans for my own fur son and I would be happy to share them with you, he's sixteen years old this year--so I'm pretty sure it's good to have this plan instilled. Now, moving along....

Okay then, firstly I would like to start by talking about what can be done with human cremains (ashes) once you pass. First and foremost I would like to mention reefing. It's a neat little ecofriendly thing someone can do with their ashes, in order to better the underwater ecosystem. According to the website: An Eternal Reef combines a cremation urn, ash scattering, and burial at sea into one meaningful, permanent environmental tribute to life. An Eternal Reef is a designed reef made of environmentally-safe cast concrete.  With the coral reefs dying off and in the poor state that they (and our oceans) are in....this just seems like a really beautiful way to commemorate someone. ESPECIALLY if that someone was a former environmentalist or someone in general who you would think would appreciate the sentiment for their love of the ocean and its creatures.

If you liked that environmentally friendly idea to commemorate the memory of your loved ones with their ashes, then you will love this next one! The Living Urn is a company who makes biodegradable urns for your loved ones ashes to sit. You take the urn and plant it somewhere after inserting the ashes at the bottom of it, and after some care (and years) a tree (of your choice) will spurt, if it is able to in your area so visit the website so you can make sure! If you want they also seem to provide options for indoor growth for your patio (AND YES THEY SERVICE PET CREMAINS!), so be sure to stop by the website and check it out for yourselves. I feel like if I didn't already have something that I wanted done with my ashes in the future, that I would LOVE to do something like this.

Personally, I am not comfortable with going in the ground, or even in a crypt. I want to be baked into a fine powder and my husband knows what to do with it. Do you? It's never too soon to start thinking about it. I know we live in a very strange death shunning society but I like to shed a little light on it. It's going to happen to everyone eventually, so why not put input in on what we want as people? Just because we are dead doesn't mean we stop having rights--or the will wouldn't exist.

Let's talk about a few other things that we can do with human cremains that are fantastic! There are some companies who press ashes into diamonds:

Life Gem | Cremation Diamonds |  LONITÉ™ | Heart In A Diamond

And that's another fantastic approach to mourning a loved one. You can put it in these things and make jewelry, or have specific pieces made. "Mourning Jewelry is an almost forgotten Victorian practice that dates back to the 1860s." Undertaking LA is a beautiful alternative funeral home that presents these types of options and I truly love the Ask A Mortician Blog. I keep up with it actively because I just love how wonderful they are. Promoting death positivity and supplying the masses with information in a world where people try to keep that information from the public to make a quick dollar is inspirational, and I commend them. Honestly, I hope to someday be as exemplary as these fantastic women (And women ARE taking over the industry folks, hate to break it to ya!). 

Ashes make wonderful knick-knacks to remember our loved ones, and you can't do something with their teeth or bones (its not taxidermy people) other than grinding them up into finite powder and sticking them in really neat things....but did you know you can also make things with hair ? It's not something hugely practiced anymore, but it is an option and it's a wonderful one imho. They make everything from watch rope, to brooches, to finely woven decadent pendants. But there are also simple tubes that you can preserve the hair in as well (it won't decay), and wear THAT around your neck or wrist. One of the truly beautiful pieces I enjoy are the rings they lay the cremated stones into, they can be very beautiful. Here's some History behind the practice if you're interested. Don't be tricked or duped by the fakes.

Speaking of cool things to press ashes into, have you ever considered being pressed into some Pottery? Or, if you have a rough time with thinking about your loved ones eating off your dead remains (and I can feel that personally, but to each their own right? Zero judgment here! Whatever makes you happy/comfortable! I just want to present ALL the options I'm aware of off the top of my head--which is why so much time and thought when into this blog) then how about Memory Glass ? If you can blow it out in glass, you can mesh those cremains into it--YOU BET. You just have to find the right individual/company to go through, and there are QUITE A FEW. Just, it's what they have to offer that might suit you best, so remember to shop around. Each piece through each individual vendor has their own unique touch and they are absolutely beautiful. I wouldn't mind being blown into stained glass, that sounds terrific and very fitting of my soul and identity. If you can think of it, it's out there. So look. It's just a matter of finding a contractor, like I said, who is compassionate to do what you would like. So if you have something that a place might not offer, reach out. You'd be surprised the people you meet in the death industry--who actually care about the people they're servicing. For some it is merely just an email and payment away, so why not give it a try?

Okay we're getting to the slightly creepier, but insanely fucking cool alternative options you can do with yours (or your loved ones)  cremains. So there is a service that you can ask your morticians for, but they may or may not comply so--this might be something you want to arrange beforehand.  Anyhow, in a society so big on self expression through tattoos and piercings I thought it might be cool to share this. So this National Mortuary called "Save My Ink" will use their honed method for preservation of tattoos and ship them straight to you in a very nice frame for you to admire whenever you're missing your loved one. That is BIG in this society nowadays and I really give it to companies like this that are willing to go the extra mile for a grieving family, to give them closure and some semblance of peace. The catch? They only work with preferred providers so be sure to visit their above linked website to check that out and see if there is one in an area near you!

Okay, now that we have mentioned tattoos I think it's fairly reasonable to say that there ARE tattoo parlors who can actually put human cremains into your tattoo ink. Isn't that fantastic??? Who can do this? ANYONE. It merely requires a simple bit of mixing some of the cremains into the tattoo ink and tattooing as normal. Apparently, that tattoo art, vibrancy, and color are unaffected by the added cremains. And YES, before you ask this is COMPLETELY legal. Check it out !!! 

Got a little off track there for a second, but we all do that once in a while right? And honestly it was for a good reason, an informative one. So, back on the track of tattoos....did you know that there are tattoos of soundwaves out there?? It's quite possibly even cooler than actually physically commemorating someone with their ashes. It's an APP out there called Sound Motion that allows you to upload any voice file and it turns it into a sound wave. You take that to the tattooist and have them put it on you, and then use the app to scan it at ANY TIME to hear that soundwave. YOU CAN HEAR YOUR SOUNDWAVE. OMG THAT IS SO COOL!!!!! 

If that isn't one of the coolest most interesting things in the world, I just don't know what is. That is truly amazing. I wish I had known this years ago when I had access to my grandmother's cremains because man would I have LOVED to take this route in her name. I didn't even get a Thumbie. A thumbie is just a thumbprint of your loved one passed, that is offered by quite a few companies (even for fur baby paw prints and baby footprints!) to help feel like maybe your loved one is a little closer than they are now that they have gone on. Most FUNERAL HOMES can even offer this little guy, so if you're interested in something like that, open up that beautiful mouth of yours and speak up to your funeral directors or loved ones. Put that stuff in your will, and look into it more in depth--but honestly a simple google search will just bring up so many companies....so see what you can do pre-death? It's one less simple strain on the loved ones around you when you pass, and it's a real neat gift to leave behind. 

Finally (I know I wrote a lot this week bare with me guys thanks for reading along!), I would like to leave you with these:

BBC | Noisey | Bored Panda | Scattering Ashes UK | Wired

If you are a music lover like me, you will WANT to follow everyone of those links and then watch the video I provide link to below. I read all of them, I watched this PLUS SOME, and all I can say is thank goodness for my talented and compassionate brothers and sisters in the UK. There is a UK based company who will take the ashes of your loved ones and press them into a vinyl. You might wonder what would be on that vinyl? Well anything you want. Music, pieces of your voice. noises or sounds of your favorite things or places--WHATEVER YOU WANT. That is beautiful. That is truly something I desire (well, that and if I don't make it to Victoria Falls its up to my hubbers Raith Mourn to get some of my ashes there). Oh wow, I could think of a few songs I would put on there, and this would just be something for my hubbers and my daughter to remember me by, it's perfect. It's beautiful. I'm going to make it happen. 

Well, what do you think? Is that enough for this week's blog? Did I teach you something new? If not that's okay too. I just love spreading the information I do have along in hopes that it will truly help someone and be of some use. If it wasn't useful, or I forgot something, I'm sorry. There was a lot of preparation and planning that went into this. I even called a few local mortuaries to have them send me their GPL and lil knickknack lists but they were slow as hell with passing that info along so I had to do a lot of digging from memory and this is what I've got for you. What was your favorite part? Mine is definitely a toss up between the tattoos and the vinyl but I REALLY think the vinyl is the route I'm leaning toward if that's an option financially in the future that my husband can pursue. 

That's it! That's all I got for ya! You can stop reading and go home now! But I'll be back next week I love you all thanks for sticking it out. 🖤

Goodnight xx

~Danii Grimm~










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