A Wooden Urn Built to Please You
An urn designed by you?
Yes. Designing an urn is actually a delightful project.
You decide on the wood, the details and the attitude.
We ask the questions and you are the guide.
You might be surprised with what you come up with.
You might decide on a clean simple container with very subtle details. You may want a simple engraved brass plaque on your box and that’s it.
You might be interested in something more casual, unusual or exotic. Maybe a little walk on the wild side.
Either way you are in the drivers seat.
Some people enjoy having words on their box, this often brings a little smile of recognition. It could be their favorite, phrase, poem, saying, prayer, joke, hobby, sport, music, quote, artist, flower, tree, place, animal, tool, toys, car, cards, pleasure, instrument, religion, nationality, service, piece of wisdom, etc.
You might want to incorporate symbols that represent your loved one’s passions, interests, kindness done, or work. These can be applied or carved right into the wood.
The Cabin Funeral Box
I was working with a guy whose father had died. We were talking about the design of the box and he was showing me a lot of photos of his dad and their summer cabin.
I asked him if he’d like a funeral box that looked like their cabin. He thought that would be terrific and so that’s what we did.
He and his brothers were very pleased with the box. They poured a lot of his dad’s ashes in the river that runs past the cabin. They all agreed that they would all like some of their ashes put into that little cabin when they died.
So now the little cabin is in Canada resting inside of the big cabin, waiting patiently.
Funeral Box for a Baby
This little box was for a still born baby. It was the mom’s first kid and very sad.
They had a small simple maple box made with a brass plaque for the baby that never made it.
The Pine Box
This was a clean and simple box made for a very sweet guy who died from prostate cancer and got a quiet military burial.
It is made out of pine except for the corners. They are from small buckthorn trees that were gently removed from the golf course that bordered his backyard.
Kerry’s Funeral Box
Kerry is a 42 year old friend of ours who died suddenly from a heart attack. I made two boxes for her ashes, one for her parents and one for her partner, Tim.
The sides are Ancient Kauri, which is wood that is 50,000 years old. Kerry has been described as having an ‘old soul’ and I figured that prehistoric wood would be right for her. The color of the Ancient Kauri is a rich golden reddish hue and that plays off of the lighter golden maple.
The top and bottom pieces are wonderful quilted maple that comes from northern Wisconsin near Lake Superior. That wood has an incredible satin like finish that really pops when it is finished right.
The corner pieces are from the park where her she and Tim would walk the dogs. He discreetly visited the park and cut a couple of limbs from the bushes there.
I decided to dress the seams where the sides met the maple with green glitter because she had a huge garden and was very passionate about growing things.
You might notice some little toes sticking out from under the boxes. I was about to put some feet on the boxes and something told me to stop, it was not time. When I woke up the next day something said ‘Feet, make them feet!’ That seemed kind of nutty to me but I remembered that she almost always was bare footed. I carved the feet and securely attached them to the boxes. I did not know how that was going to fly and I knew she had a very lively sense of humor and that would make her smile.
The phrase on the top of the box came from a print she had hanging by the front door. Her parents knew she liked the sentiment ‘Love Always’ and wanted that on her box.
I was nervous when I presented the boxes to her parents and Tim. They were delighted. Her father laughed out loud when he saw the feet. It turns out that Kerry was going to the Olympics as a gymnast but she fell and damaged her back just a few weeks before leaving the country and couldn’t go. He said she loved being bare footed.
Tim teared up when he saw the green glitter. He said that sometimes he’d brush glitter off her face when he got home from work. She would often be involved with her kids that involved a lot of glitter.
The Simple Box
This is a simple box for a wonderful and giving man. The top and bottom are made of that beautiful curly maple, the sides are Ancient Kauri, and the corners are made from ‘that damn buckthorn’ from his dad’s back yard.
His son took the box with his dad’s ashes in it on a cross country tour visiting all of the lower 48 states, a trip he and his dad took many years ago.
He spread the ashes in a river back East where his dad used to play as a kid.
Please get in touch with us if you are interested in designing an urn. Thank you.