urns with birds

Blue Cremation Urns: Beauty from the Ashes:

March 26, 2019 Kim Stacey

In the previous post I mentioned the American Gem Society states there are two birthstones for March: the widely-accepted aquamarine, and the less-well-known bloodstone. So, our task for today is to explore just a few of the many blue cremation urns in our collection.

Full-Size Urns for Humans

https://www.urngarden.com/infinity-angel-mother-of-pearl-urn-for-ashes.html

These urns range in color from intense blue to a delicate sky blue – and anywhere in between. Some are full-sized urns, some are keepsake urns, and others are stunning pieces of cremation jewelry. Here are the ones which especially draw my eye – and maybe yours, too.

I’ve got to say, it was hard for me to choose my #1 favorite in this category – there are so many gorgeous blue urns to choose from! Still, I narrowed it down to two.

The first is the cloisonné Azure Blue Cremation Urn – and the reason is simple: it features beautifully-wrought flowers in many of shades of blue. When I look at it I feel relaxed and soothed; I also love the shape, classical styling and the elegant base. In addition to the adult size, this also comes in an oversized version (double capacity) to store two sets of ashes, known as a companion urn.

My second favorite is, in my humble opinion, gorgeous in its simplicity. I believe it calms me in a far different way than the previous is the cremation urn called Wings of Freedom. The powerful eagle soaring across a beautiful blue sky is easy on the eye and creates a feeling of peace, hope, and serenity.

Why did I choose these two urns? It’s because their respective (and very different) beauty almost takes my breath away. As does this next blue cremation urn.

Blue Keepsake Urns

My #1 favorite in this category is the Blue Butterfly Keepsake Urn. Its intricacy calls to mind (at least for me), the stunningly gorgeous Imperial Eggs of Faberge. (Want to feast your eyes on some of those beauties? Check out “The Imperial Eggs” on the Faberge website.) Reviewers like it too; “awesome,” “beautiful” and “perfect” were three comments left by buyers.

Another sweet and small keepsake for ashes is the bluebird. So tiny and detailed, it will hold just a pinch of whatever you want to store inside.

Now, let’s look at another blue cremation urn, this time, from our cremation jewelry collection.

Blue Cremation Jewelry

The very-fashionable Blue Glass Bead Urn Bracelet is described this way: “Icy blue glass beads and antiqued silver spacers: and while they are eye-catching, it’s the tiny stainless steel heart that holds the magic – and a small amount of a loved one’s ashes. (If you like it as much as I do, but blue isn’t your first choice of color, you’ll be happy to know it’s also available in Emerald Green, Purple, Sweet Pink, and the truly eye-catching Black and White.

If I’ve whet your appetite and you’re now eager to see more of our popular blue urns, we’ve created a special link for the complete collection of blue urns, also, back in 2017 we published “Forever Blue: Our Top 5 Blue Urns for Ashes.” Be sure to check out that post for more blue cremation urns (not featured in this post. You may also enjoy reading the 2014 post “Urns for Ashes: Baby’s Got Blue Eyes.”)

One more thing before I go. If you’d rather pay tribute to a loved one born in March, but aren’t a fan of any shade of blue – perhaps referencing the bloodstone is more appropriate. And this hardwood urn has the potential to become a more inclusive memorial, in that the Companion Double Wood Urn, designed as a companion urn capable of safekeeping the ashes of 2 adults; provides a second compartment could be used to hold mementos or photographs.

Thank you for joining me today – and here’s hoping spring comes to stay for a while. (In my world, it’s as if she knocks on the door and then runs away!)

Need help? Start here.

The Eagle Usually Wins-Even at the Funeral

February 20, 2019 urngarden.com

Its eagle season here in the Ozarks, lots of sightings and photos showing up on social media photography groups . The eagle has always captured the interest of Americans, or really, humans in general. Since the beginning of time. Strong, regal, stoic, and frankly a little scary sometimes.

Indian chiefs wore the eagle feather in their ceremonial headdress and decorated the sacred pipes that were used to communicate with the Great Spirit during rituals.

This bird is featured on our coin, advertising, and even in funeral arrangements.

Yes, the eagle shows up at the funeral home too. You can get caskets with an eagle theme, as well as urns.

Eagle Cremation Urns, Wings of Freedom

Eagle Creamation Urn for Ashes — Eagle Spirit in the Sky Box for Ashes

But the item I see the most at funerals around here is the memorial card, or funeral program. Several services that I’ve been to over the years for men that have passed away, has been this eagle template. It’s a popular choice for veterans.

The image is called On Freedom’s Wing, by wildlife artist, Rick Kelley and features the eagle gliding in front of majestic mountain painted to look like the American flag. I would link to his website gallery, but it looks like it’s been hacked.

The nice thing about this program (licenced through the Messenger company, and available at most funeral homes) is that, in addition to the beautiful artwork, you’ve got three pages that can be personalized with a photo, poem, bio, and service information.

The last funeral we attended, it was actually a memorial service, was at the local Elks Lodge to honor a “missing member”. In addition to the stunning flower arrangements, they used the Eagle funeral program and on the last page it featured the Eleven O’Clock Toast that is an Elks tradition.

“You have heard the tolling of eleven strokes.
This is to remind us that with Elks
the hour of eleven has a tender significance.
Wherever an Elk may roam,
Whatever his lot in life may be,
when this hour falls upon the dial of night
the great heart of Elkdom swells and throbs.
It is the golden hour of recollection,
the homecoming of those who wander,
the mystic roll call of those who will come no more.
Living or dead, an Elk is never forgotten, never forsaken.
Morning and noon may pass him by,
the light of day sink heedlessly in the West,
but ere the shadows of midnight shall fall,
the chimes of memory will be pealing forth
the friendly message —
“TO OUR ABSENT MEMBERS”

Beauty and Bravery. Courage and Grace. The Eagle might be the perfect symbol for a someone in a leadership role.

Sky King Eagle Cremation Urn for Human Adult

Here’s 3 characteristics of the regal eagle that might resemble your loved one:

Eagles Have Powerful Vision

Evidently eagles have tremendous eyesight capabilities. From the air, or on the ground, they can spot and target prey.

Eagles Are Fearless

Flying high and sometimes soaring directly into the storm, the fearless eagle will use the power of the storm front to rise to greater heights and do battle with the fiercest of competitors on the ground. Check out the dual between the eagle and the fox in this previous post.

Eagles Take Care of Family

Nurturing the young, and teaching the babies to fly. Guiding the youth and showing them the survival skills needed to stay alive.

At Urn Garden, we’re bird watchers too and have a whole collection of bird themed urns. Several featuring the eagle of course, but also hummingbirds, cardinals, bluebirds, and owls. We love them all and so do the families we serve.

If the eagle is the spirit animal of your dearly departed, fine. You’ll have an easier time staying on point while planning the memorial service. If you’d like to explore this concept further, we have a whole collection of cremation urns that honor spirit totems. This post, written earlier this year goes deeper and gives a better overview of the spirit animal totem.

source of 3 eagle characteristics:

https://toughnickel.com/business/7-Leadership-Characteristics-of-An-Eagle-That-Man-Should-Learn-From

Birds of a Feather Cremation Urns: Beauty from the Ashes

April 6, 2018 Kim Stacey

bluebird inspirational motivational quote

At this time of year, here in the San Lorenzo Valley of coastal California, bird song fills the air. Wherever you live, you’re most likely experiencing the same thing. This post, featuring a few of our bird urns for ashes, is written in celebration of this joyful annual occurrence.

“When the Sun of compassion arises darkness evaporates and the singing birds come from nowhere.” ~Amit Ray

Hummingbird Cremation Urns

A small beauty, delightfully called ‘Anna’s Hummingbird’, is one of many birds now enlivening the Redwood forest surrounding the town where I live. I hear them twittering in the blooming Camellia tree in my front yard, but rarely catch a glimpse of them there. It’s only when they perch on the feeder on my front porch, sipping ‘nectar’, that I can study them closely. Who doesn’t find hummingbirds enchanting? The same question could be said of our hummingbird cremation urns.

blue hummingbird cremation urn for humans

One of my very favorite hummingbird urns, one which truly captures their jewel-like beauty, is the stunningly beautiful Hummingbird Keepsake Urn. Its detail and coloring is superb. You’ll see two similarly lovely avian keepsake urns below.There are more tiny treasures, such as our hummingbird cremation necklace.

This first is the Silver Hummingbird Urn Jewelry. It’s diminutive, measuring just 1- 1/8″ in length x 5/8″ in width. The talented jewelers who created this hummingbird cremation pendant are American craftsman who design memorials with care and compassion.

hummingbird cloisonne cremation urn for human ashes

But what if you’re looking for a full-size hummingbird cremation urn? You’ll be delighted with the newest addition to our collection of hummingbird urns, the Happy White Hummingbird Urn for Ashes. Its traditional classic shape is graced by a vibrantly colored hummingbird in mid-sip. The image speaks of the bounty, and the beauty, of the natural world. Here are other beautiful bird urns in our collection.

More Urns with Birds: Bluebirds, Owls, Cardinals & Eagles

Remember the Hummingbird keepsake urn mentioned earlier? Here are two equally beautiful ones to enjoy. The first is the Cardinal Jeweled Keepsake. It’s as vibrant as this next one, the Bluebird Jeweled Mini Urn.

I think each is a tiny delight to behold.

If tiny treasures are not what you need and full size storage is, the cardinal adult size urn may be a good choice. The scarlet red cardinal perched on a branch of blooming dogwoods is so symbolic for many and is suitable for male or female, father, mother, brother or sister.

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” ~Robert Lynd

If you want something a little more masculine and with strong symbolism, the Soaring Free Eagle or Sunset Eagle urn might be a good choice.

You can read more about what makes the eagle such a special creature, the power and majesty behind the bird on this post: The Eagle Always Wins at the Funeral.

This month we’ll once again look at planning and planting a memorial garden in honor of a loved one; it’s part three of a series. If you missed the first two posts, take a minute to check them out now: DIY Memorials: Let’s Talk about Memorial Gardens and the most recent DIY Memorials: Planning a Loved One’s Memorial Garden. Since we’re in mid-celebration of spring–and the return of hummingbirds (and other birds of a feather)–I’m going to plan for a hummingbird sanctuary garden. It should be fun, so stay tuned.

Soaring Free, Eagle and Fox Cremation Urns

February 27, 2018 urngarden.com

We follow a group on Facebook that is made up of local photographers that capture great images of amazing Missouri wildlife. Great shots of some of my favorite birds, owls, bluebirds, and of course, eagles. They are active and easier to see this time of year. Lately, we’ve been so inspired by wildlife artists and the beauty of mother nature even though everything around us is dormant. We can watch for clues that spring is coming.

Linda Shannon Morgan is one of my favorite local wildlife photographers and she’s been getting some amazing shots of the eagles and owls on her property.

In addition to the eagles, around here, the skunks are active. It’s mating season and doesn’t’ exactly inspire me. The eagles do. We’re accumulating a collection of eagle themed urns that people can use to create a personal memorial for a loved one that has spread their wings.

Eagle Box for Ashes

The box style urn is good for the niche at the columbarium, sometimes those spaces are tricky and the vase shape urn won’t always work, as they are often too tall. This photo style urn can be altered later if you desire, and want to change the photo out and replace with a choice from your own collection.

Sky King Eagle Cremation Urn for Adult

This eagle urn is a beauty, metal with glossy finish in sunset colors. In addition to the adult size, this also comes in a matching mini size to safely store a bit of cremated remains, lock of hair or other small memento.

Bald Eagle Keepsake Urn

This little sculpture urn is so well done. Hand painted with jeweled wings, the top lifts to reveal a small storage compartment that will store a tiny memento.

People around here get excited when the eagles start moving in and setting up the nest. When I think of eagle characteristics, I think of power first of all. Those wings. Courage and determination, which you can clearly see if you check out this battle between an eagle and a fox.

Eagle and Fox battle — Pic by Sean Weekly-Caters News

Fox Spirit Guide Miniature Keepsake Urn

Great photos and reminded me of the ancient fable. Red fox are what we see around here most of the time. There is a family of them living in the valley around the corner from my place. It’s mating season for them too and I’ve heard reports from neighbors saying they can hear the foxes barking and sometimes screaming at night.

Even though this critter is known to be a little crafty, we were inspired by the fox, because some Native Americans believe that the fox can be a spirit guide in the final journey to the other side.

So, to honor the spirit of the fox we’ve created a little keepsake urn that can be used to store a pinch of ash, maybe a ring or some little trinket that you want to save. For those that want to store some ashes, often it’s with the intention that they are going to spread or bury the ashes at a later date. It’s not a bad idea for a temporary solution, or at least maybe hold until spring and plant some flowers….

Today’s lesson? Depending on where you are, it might be bleak, but look up! Look around. Look past the grey skies and dead trees. The world is alive.

How Bird Urns Can Inspire Grieving Hearts to Heal

April 24, 2017 Kim Stacey

It’s spring; the season when–after a long winter–we once again see birds returning home and hear the melodies of their songs. They are among the first signs of the change of seasons; a transition which brings hope to even those who grieve. For many of our customers, a bird urn or mini-urn chosen from the selection of bird urns shown here reminds them of the power of spring to restore faith and hope.

Cardinal Urns

Because of its popularity, this first bird urn, the Cardinal on Dogwood Flower Urn, was recently featured in “Expressions of Nature’s Beauty: Urn Garden’s Top 5 Nature Urns”.

Cardinals, as you might know are, for some, powerful symbols of power and enthusiasm. In Native American lore, the Cardinal watches over our relationships, overseeing courtship and inspiring loyalty and monogamy. Also, for some, Cardinals represent the spirit of a loved one who has passed away.

This bird urn has a 200 cubic inch capacity, making it ideal for an adult. It is 10 inches high and 6 inches wide; made of metal and hand-painted. It comes with a velvet storage bag.

Our next Cardinal urn, the Cardinal Jeweled Keepsake, is just 3 inches high. It’s exquisite: hand-painted in rich red enamel and studded with Austrian crystal. This tiny keepsake will hold a very small amount of ashes, a lock of hair, or other memento.

Bluebird Urns

Lots of people the world over see the bluebird as the perfect life-affirming symbol of love and happiness. Bluebirds inspire us to embrace life. Urn Garden’s Bluebird Jeweled Mini Urn is also very small: just two inches high and two and a quarter inches long. It will hold just a “trace” amount of ash. It’s hand-painted a brilliant blue and studded with crystals, making it a tiny treasure.

19th century Naturalist John Burroughs called the bluebird the divinest of the birds of spring: “The other birds that arrive about the same time–the sparrow, the robin, the phoebe-bird–are clad in neutral tints, gray, brown, or russet; but the bluebird brings one of the primary hues and the divinest of them all.” (Source: AZ Quotes)

If you agree with him, this bluebird urn may be the perfect way to share a loved one’s ashes with friends and other family members.

Love Owls? Then Check Out This Sweet Owl Urn

Owls are intelligent, patient observers of the world around them. For many, the owl symbolizes intuition (the ability to see/feel what others can’t) and wisdom.

Others believe the owl heralds a change or life transition; a belief which makes this owl urn most meaningful.

As with the previous two bird urns; our Wise Owl Keepsake Urn is small, measuring just four and a half inches high. Made of hand-painted resin, this whimsical bird urn is rich in detail. It’s suitable for a small portion of ash, lock of hair, or other small memento.

Hummingbird Urns

hummingbird mini cremation urn for ashes

One of our most popular bird urns is the Jeweled Hummingbird Mini Urn. Naturally, hummingbirds are symbols of energy and vitality (anyone who has watched one flit effortlessly from flower-to-flower knows that!) But they are also symbolic of healing, persistence and peace.

Just like the bluebird min-urn, this hand-painted emerald green metal sculpture is very small: less than four inches high with a wing-span of just three inches. It can hold just a trace amount of ash, or a lock of hair. Crystals add extra sparkle to this delicate keepsake memorial.

If you’re looking for a hummingbird urn large enough for the ashes of an adult, our Happy Hummingbird Urn for Ashes might just take your breath away. This metal urn is sturdy and features a highly-polished blue surface.

happy hummingbird cremation urn for ashes

Hummingbird lovers who want cremation jewelry will appreciate this unique Silver Hummingbird Urn Jewelry. Sterling silver, and just over an inch in length, this hummingbird urn will safeguard a small portion of ash or lock of hair. Handcrafted in the United States by talented artisans, this pendant will quickly become a treasured keepsake.

Bird Urns Represent the Best in Life: Hope, Faith, Wisdom, and Love

“Everyone likes birds”, said David Attenborough. “What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?”

We love them for so many reasons. Yes, they’re lovely to look at, and fun to watch. But birds are more to us than we may realize; think about Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers”, which describes hope as a small bird. I’m sure you’re familiar with the first stanza:

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all…”

Birds bring us hope; but what of faith? J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, wrote of the connection between birds and faith in his novel The Little White Bird: “The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.” (Source: Goodreads)