random acts of remembrance

I honestly don't know how graveyards came to be perceived as places to dread. My neighbor recently buried his mother in a nearby cemetery, and in my opinion he summed it up perfectly when he said that cemeteries are places filled with love. Everybody there was cherished by their family, with hopes that their memory will live on.

These Memento Mori pieces by Lady Lavona capture that sense of magical remembrance. Each tintype is a portrait of a different person. Who were they? How were they remembered by the ones who loved them? And how does our looking at these portraits - remembering them even though we've never met them - bestow upon them a certain immortality? Are they thankful to be remembered?

my own memento mori

I like the idea of knowing where I'm going, so I commissioned my own urn cover from Pondhopper. It's based on Victorian mourning dress, with all of the brimming bustle and prim lace. It's made with raw unlined black silk, lined with white lace, with a bustle-like top and vintage black buttons. I love the way it's both billowing over yet buttoned down - it very much suits me. Words cannot describe how much I adore this piece!

I plan to keep my most precious personal possessions in it for now, and when my time comes my ashes can kept sheltered in this most stylish cover. If my ashes are scattered at some point, I hope this wrap can be used to store meaningful mementos.

Everyone should have their own memento mori (Alexander McQueen skull scarves don't count.) We mention in passing that we'd like our ashes scattered, but truly never give it much thought. Contemplating and planning for our own death ultimately makes life more meaningful. Take a moment, and if you are so inclined, order your own urn cover from Pondhopper today. She will make you something beautiful and personal.

Mourning McQueen

Who else made memento mori so stylish?

With his skull-adorned scarves and jewelry, Alexander McQueen reminded us that fashion is pure vanitas - a temporal luxury soon to pass. Like life, fashion is fleeting. In time, youth, beauty and wealth will abandon us. Only death waits for us in the end. For most of us, skulls evoked some kind of biker chic, a toughness that gave any outfit an edge. But for McQueen, there was nothing ironic about skulls on clothing. With him, it was always a grim memento mori disguised as style.

I am terribly saddened by McQueen's death, and particularly by the circumstances of it. His grief could not be sustained - even before his mother's death. His work seeped with grief. He was caught in a continuous Danse Macabre, yet through some strange alchemy turned the concept of decay into something beautiful and elegant. I will miss him.

This hologram of Kate Moss is so ethereal and angelic, perhaps McQueen's concept of what remains when all else is gone. I hope he has met his angels.

Time Flies

Here's a modern memento mori necklace by Butch's Baubles. Clocks have long been a symbol of our fleeting mortality, and this timepiece pendant, along with the hearse and wing (time flies) will remind us that life is indeed short and precious.

Until Death

With Valentine's Day only a couple of weeks away, here's a little memento mori for those in love. A customized Hasta La Muerte magnet by creativitylzette.

Modern Memento Mori: Sugar Skull Laptop Decal

Every morning I sit down with my laptop. When I open it, I'm suddenly engaged in a world of obligation and distraction. News, work, email from friends, blogs, on and on. But what if before letting all this in I took a moment to remember that all this shall pass? What's important, and what's just noise?

Here's a little memento mori to go with your morning coffee. This Sugar Skull Laptop Decal by Beepart comes in many colors, and makes any laptop a work of remembrance art.

Haute Hearse

Wall Art Hearse by Pillbox Designs

The sudden sight of a hearse is enough to cast a shadow on even the brightest day. It's a motorized memento mori, interrupting our daily lives with a grim glimpse of our ultimate destination. Yet with so many people being cremated these days, the hearse is quickly becoming a relic.

Not to worry, here are some Etsy artists who are keeping the has-been hearse alive, at least in spirit.


Also from Pillbox Designs, here's a Landau "S" bar vinyl decal to for your car, or even your laptop.


Hearse necklace by Graphic Maniac


Notecards by The Rasilisk

Memento Mori T-Shirt

Be Mindful of Death ... it's a concept that's been around as long as, well, death itself. From the Romans to Medieval Catholics, Buddhists to Bourgeois Protestants, images of skeletons cavorting with the living, clocks that inevitably count down to our final hour, and even flowers past their bloom are meant to remind us of our unavoidable fate. Depressing, yes, but it's also an important reminder to enjoy life while you can - Carpe Diem and all that.

Where are today's Memento Moris? Hard to find. All we've got are Ed Hardy's mall-worthy skull graphics (I've seen people wearing Ed Hardy with Crocs, enough said.) A depressing thought. Thankfully Mixed Species is up to the task. Here's their Pssttt did you HEAR t-shirt, available for men and women. Here's their description:

We are all going to die!

Here's our very own Face McSpecies showing off one of the many Mixed Species Research & Development Centers around the world.

Face made an interesting choice of shirts as well as he sports one of our newest tees. A nice small subtle almost whisper of a print delivers this dire warning. "Did you hear? we are all going to die"

Good times! Well, we Mixed Species guys have known this little fact for a while and live our lives to the fullest. You should too. Plus it's fun to freak the people out who take the time to read the small print on your shirt!

Check out Mixed Species' Etsy store, you will NOT be disappointed.

Memorialized on Film

How do we remember those who have passed? When photography was still an expensive novelty, sometimes the only time people would have their family photo taken was after someone passed. It may seem morbid to us now, but think about it - you've just lost someone very dear, and you have absolutely no image of them. Photography is the last chance to immortalize a loved one before they slip away from this world, before they slip away from memory forever.


The Victorian images above break my heart. The daughter has died. Yet the parents pose with her as if she were still alive. The way the clutch at her speaks of their loss - shell-shocked parents not ready to let go. The mother appears almost angry. The father's desperate gaze compared to the daughter's almost peaceful expression is particularly striking.

Today, we have YouTube. I'm noticing many memorials appearing here. They seem mostly to be devoted to those who die young or in tragic circumstances. Yet it's only a matter of time before all loses are memorialized here.

Modern Memento Mori

Since when did skulls become a fashion statement? And when did they become so cute? You see them on t-shirts,


jewelry,


even Skechers.

This seems to be a modern take on the Vanitas, a Dutch tradition of painting from the 16th and 17th centuries. Times were good, and a new merchant class with expendable income flourished (sound familiar?) Instead of paintings featuring religious scenes, they painted stuff - opulent crystal, gold watches and abundant food. Yet embedded in this imagery was a message - this is temporary, and you are going to die. The ripe fruit will soon be rotten. The prestigious watch is counting the passing minutes as they march toward your death. To drive the point home, some still life painters featured skulls.


Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull and xx's paintings tap into this tradition.

But my favorite is this concept from Oh Boym - a DIY Vanitas mirror to start your day off right.

Morbid but Cute

I'm trying to stay away from all things "morbid", but these little plastic cameos from Etsy seller Cathysjewels are kinda cute. Think of them as charming momento mori charms. Frame them next to your mirror to remind yourself of the transience of time : )