all because ...

I'm inspired by this picture garland, created by Pearl at Vintage Pretty - what a charming way to keep the ones we love close to our hearts at all times. Pearl used a popsicle stick to rub the vinyl lettering onto the walls, creating a meaningful and lovely message. She attached the photos to string with mini clothespins, held in place on the wall with screw loops. Gorgeous!

Keepsake Shelves

How do we hold on to the momentos that remind us of our loved ones? I'm not a big believer in "shrines" - there's no beginning or end to them. And the word "shrine" feels like we need to worship, when really all we want to do is remember. But I love the idea of a keepsake shelf.


Sawdusty's Cabin at Etsy creates "Farmhouse Primitives" - shelf sitters, racks, signs, rolling pin/spice racks, the kinds of things you'd imagine in your great grandmother's kitchen. They evoke a specific mood and era, and seem like the perfect way to remember the vintage pictures, salt shakers, flour sifters, and other items that get handed down. I especially like how they feel at home in the kitchen, because let's face it - most of the items we inherit from our ancestral womenfolk are going to be from the kitchen.


Sawdusty's Keepsake Shelves, however, can be placed anywhere. I think they'd look especially nice as part of a bookshelf, holding grandma's old bible or grandpa's pipe. All those items we keep stored away because we don't know what to do with them finally have a home.

Memorial Photos

Most memorial pics are solemn and serious, formal sit-down portraits with the life sucked out of them. Is that how we really remember people? For me, it's those casual snapshots that hold the most personality. By transforming them into art, it's possible to elevate and honor the candid moment into something meaningful and fun.

Emmie Bean can transform that favorite snapshot into art. I love the humor (and even cheekiness) of this images. What a great way to immortalize the small yet significant moments that truly capture our favorite memories.

If you know someone who's recently gone through a loss, a gift certificate for one of these works would be a truly thoughtful gesture - much more unique than a bouquet of sympathy flowers, and also less expensive!

Remember Me

What do you do with a photo of a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a person from another era who's part of your history yet you hardly knew, if you knew them at all? Somehow, frames don't seem to be adequate. Something else is required to bridge the distance between times.

I came across this Remember Me Sampler by Miniature Rhino at Etsy, and it seems to me the perfect solution. The intimate, handmade quality of needlepoint framing a vintage tintype photo, along with the words "Remember Me, When This You See" feels both contemporary and timeless. It's framed by a wooden embroidery hoop, with archival fabric glue holding the embroidery linen in place.


This piece is a perfect way to think outside the frame, a thoughtfully-crafted reminder to remember those forgotten.

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.