CREMAINS

When I posted yesterday, I was only thinking of being cremated and having my remains spread out in the ocean at South Padre Island by way of Parasailing. I came to post today and was reading the comments left by Lita at Litaharris.blogspot.com. (great site by the way!)

Lita brought to my attention that you can now have your remains made into a diamond or blasted deep into space. (lifegems.com) (spaceservicesinc.com) So think about it...why have your remains buried in a boring ole casket in a hole, when you can have them made into a diamond or blasted into space. So I thought wow, what a fun idea. lol!

I decided to check out the website and I found the human body has enough carbon to make fifty to one hundred diamonds. I knew I was valuable but never did I imagine. LifeGem's least-expensive product is a $3,950 quarter-carat diamond. So if you decide to have gramma made into a diamond and she gets lost or stolen, don't worry: The company stores extra carbon so she can become a gem again.

More ideas...

If you are an ocean-lover, check out Eternal Reefs, which integrates cremains into artificial coral reefs. President Don Brawley already owned a company that manufactured "reef balls" -- spheres of cement used to form artificial reefs -- so when his ailing father-in-law announced he wanted to be cremated and mixed into a reef ball after he died, Brawley didn't think twice about it. "He said he'd rather spend eternity with all that life than in a field with a bunch of dead people," Brawley said. Since then, Brawley has mixed the cremains of over 100 people into his reef balls, which are placed off the coastline of Florida and South Carolina.

Want the deceased to hang around a little longer? Eternally Yours Memorial Art, a Mississippi company, incorporates cremains into paintings. Bettye Brokl first used her mother's ashes to make a series of abstract paintings that she gave to family members as Christmas presents. The word got out, and soon other people were asking her to commemorate their relatives as well.
The cremains aren't mixed into the paints; rather, two to three tablespoons are sprinkled over the canvas and affixed with sealant. Customers can order customized themes to match their home décor or request paintings reflecting the deceased's favorite place or object, such as a beach scene or flower. Brokl has done over 300 paintings, half from the cremains of pets and half from humans. Prices range from $350 to $950. "My customers want to keep part of their loved ones with them," said Brokl. "The artwork is designed to bring a smile to the family's face and not tears. Their memorial should be as unique as their loved one was."

Other ideas I found....

• Cremation monument-an eight inch bust of your head complete with facial expression, hairstyle, the size of a human head. (imagine if I gave each of my children one so I would be able to be right in their home, watching to make sure they remembered what their mother taught them. ( lol)
• Keepsake jewelry - this is a heart locket, cross or small cylinder you can carry the ashes of your loved one with you around your neck or if you prefer a lock of their hair.
• Card - they can make a card out of ashes from your loved one, that you can display in a picture frame if you like.
• Christmas ornament - they can put your ashes in blown glass and make a Christmas ornament out of them. (Glassmomentos.com)
• Candle urn - this is a candle that has an urn below it with the cremains of your loved one. It has their picture and dates of birth and death on it.

And did you know Edward "Steady Ed" Headrick, who invented the Wham-O Frisbee, told his family that he wanted his ashes molded into flying discs and tossed around.

What will they think of next? ...