Blog

Sharing Life, Death, and Love with Chloe

I recently had my four year-old granddaughter, Chloe, stay the weekend. I kept being reminded by her enthusiasm and delight over simple things of how I, too, felt at that age over those things. We made art projects with glitter...LOTS of glitter. We went to the library and she was enthralled with a... Read More

Gavin: A Short but Powerful Life

The following are some excerpts Gavin's mother, Kate, wrote about her experience: "There really aren't any 'rule books' or 'how to' books when it comes to grieving the devastating loss of a child. And that's especially true when it comes to choosing an urn.  It's quite possibly the worst job... Read More

A Delightful Connection

"I wanted to let you know Ross passed away. I also wanted to thank you for the caring way you worked with Ross and the "muse" to provide such a beautiful resting place.  He so enjoyed the entire creative process and the wonderful relationship he had with his artist. I must admit I was not sure... Read More

Cremation Thoughts and Insights

A teeny bit of history from Sacred Journey Vessels: In ancient Rome, around 753 B.C. to 100 A.D., cremation was the main form of disposing of a body. Then societal pressures caused the practice of burial to dominate. Cremation became associated with paganism, and with Christianity on the rise, Em... Read More

Critter's Legacy

My son, Chad, and his wife, Tabitha, asked me to create a special urn for their sweet kitty, Critter. It is heart-wrenching when a family member as beloved as Critter passes on, so I did my best to capture the essence of this beautiful creature. They expressed their gratitude for the finished work.... Read More

Hidden Images Depict A Life

This medium-sized urn was ordered by a woman who asked to have subtle images added in a way that when one looked at the urn, they'd see the whole of the design; but then when they looked more closely, they would see the shapes enclosed within the waves of color. She requested her dog's face, sea sh... Read More

Jerry's Lodge

"We wanted to express how much we love the urn you painted for us.  You did an amazing and beautiful job." Jerry's wife and daughter worked with me on this urn to include his most favorite things: He loved his cabin and spent many years improving it, many seasons hunting and fishing there. I... Read More

The Loon

A woman came to buy an urn as part of her pre-planned funeral arrangements. She loves loons and wanted an abstract black and white representation of one that filled the whole urn rather than a picture of one on the urn. Now, this was tricky...how could I paint a loon in the shape of an urn? She lov... Read More

Black Roses

This mother requested that her urn be decorated with three roses connected to each other to represent her three daughters. She wanted the urn's background to be lavender and the roses black. I painted it so that there were three different groupings of the roses with smaller roses and buds all over ... Read More

Father and Child's Artwork

While I don't paint portraits of people on my urns, since this one was drawn by the child himself, I made an exception. His father sent three pictures that he had drawn to represent his son's favorite things: his home, his cats, and playing with his dog. Designs between the drawings and angels at t... Read More

Frankie

Frankie was a 22 year-old Army veteran who was an Eagle Scout, a champion wrestler, a drummer, and was fondly remembered by his sister for excorting her to school in his bright red car. His parents requested these images as well as 22 stars in the flag and around the rim to commemorate Frankie's ag... Read More

Community Cat Urn

This woman wanted an urn for her beloved cats to share. The deceased pets' names are above the tulips and among the branches in a tree on the urn's back. She was pleased with the results, as was I! Read More

Young Girl Designs Her Own Urn

Her mother wrote: "Sharon, you are a blessing from God. Thank you so much for sharing your special gift with others who really appreciate it. I do think God had us talk; it was all in His Big Plan!  You helped me! and I thank you for that. Stay a beautiful person. You have a kind and giving so... Read More

A Family's Tribute to their Four-Wheeling Son

Although his parents did not submit any written statement, they expressed deep gratitude fo their son's urn and how it included so many of his favorite things. This urn was designed for a boy who loved 4-wheelers almost as soon as he could walk. His parents told me that although he died in an acc... Read More

Good Grief! Eliminating Bad Consequences

When my husband died, I was faced with a future as a single mother of two young boys. I rebelled by remarrying too soon, and not wisely. I was thinking about how much I enjoyed my first marriage and that I wanted that again. I thought that my chances of having that again were slim at the ripe old a... Read More