What services do I provide as a Keepsakes Designer?
Life is full of rituals and routines that we carry out every day with our people and these small things keeps us grounded. Coffee in the morning together, dinners watching your favourite shows, cuddles on the couch at night, Sunday morning walking the dogs together, the list is endless.
When all of that comes to a halt it can feel like you’re left with a void that is unimaginable to carry. The reason I make bespoke keepsakes is to support the grieving process but also because I truly believe that people deserve to be remembered by the people that needed their presence most. The keepsakes I design are created to keep your loved one close to your hearts and have a part of them with you in your everyday life.
Below are a few examples of keepsakes I can create with you. Some examples have had their names/photos changed or omitted for privacy but they have given permission for me to share the image designs of their keepsakes and their beautiful stories. If you wish to share your loved ones’ stories and keepsakes as well please let me know when we work together as these go to give people hope that they are not alone in their grief and remembrance journey.
Examples of Keepsakes
LEO & CELIA’S LOVE. This is a book full of Leo and Celia’s wonderful life stories of how they met, fell in love and had children. Leo was Argentinian and Celia was Italian. They were huge foodies, so the book included the recipes they both loved to cook most so that the future generations can also share the joy they had for food.
BREKKY BABIES: Toast and Crumpet were both always affectionately close. This is a wooden printed keepsake keychain with the artist, Angela’s, artwork of their beloved rat boys. Both brothers went to the rainbow bridge at different times as Crumpet had cardiac issues, but Toast got to enjoy a full retirement. This keychain is a way for Angela to carry the boys around everywhere that they travel so they could see the world together.
TOBI’S GARDEN: Morning coffee chats about environmental impacts and wildlife were naturally ingrained in Tobi’s and his husband Sebastian’s life. Even though the native birds came to steal the peaches from his garden, Tobi was still happy to see them because he knew there was enough to go around. That was the kind of person he was. Customised mugs with Tobi’s words gave Sebastian and their friends a way to bring Tobi to the table for coffee even after his death.
Other Memorialisation Services
Select an example below to learn more.
Living Wakes // Celebrations of LIfe
A living wake is a gathering held to celebrate a person’s life while they are still alive and mentally present. Sometimes this is a chance to experience shared memories, closure, some humor, and for loved ones to pay tribute and express their affection and gratitude before death.
This can be arranged at your home, your hospice or anywhere you feel most connected to. They can be as small and intimate or as formal as you wish.
Some people run this like a “living funeral” and some prefer it over an actual funeral so they can see their loved ones altogether one last time. There are no rules around a living wake, (other than that we obviously will not be doing anything illegal!) so feel free to put any ideas forward that you feel you would like and would be feasibly possible for your health and mobility.
Bedside Vigils
A bedside vigil is a time of staying continuously by the bed of a dying person to offer comfort, love, and a compassionate presence so they are not alone. This is a chance to speak with the person in bed, share memories if appropriate, quietly play music the person requests or include spiritual/cultural rituals such as prayers. The person may or may not want gentle massaging of their hands or feet by their loved ones but that is also often requested and appreciated.
Eco Friendly Memorials
Depending on where you would like to be buried we can arrange for an eco-friendly burial and memorial where the confetti, shroud or coffin/casket and décor will be either biodegradable and recyclable.
We can also support any unique ash scattering memorial services if you would like your ashes to be scattered at a particular place that means a lot to you or in a Legacy Forest where your ashes are processed to nourish the soil for a tree to grow 10-15% faster. Legacy trees can connect your loved ones with a place to visit your tree, to a community and to nature which can support their grief journey.
Legacy Videos or Letters
Writing letters to loved ones or recording video or audio messages may support grieving and closure for yourself and for your loved ones. If there is anything you’d like to express to anyone you care about, my skillset in coordinating, producing and editing videos can help you capture and deliver your message whichever way you feel. This is a helpful way for people to hear your voice and see you when they miss you.
Memoirs
If you wish to record a memoir of your life for your loved ones to read I can assist in writing/typing and producing a softcover or hardcover book for them to keep. This process can be cathartic and may help you with reflecting on your resilience, the highlights of your life, what you wish to achieve or what you wish to imprint upon your loved ones. This process and memoir can be as long or as short as you’d like and include photos, letters or sentimental ephemera you’ve collected in your life.