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It's time for Part 2 of Ashes, Ashes We all hold Frank where we
discuss some very unique things you can do with your loved ones,
Ashes. I was curious about Holly has a
necklace with some about. I would love to create maybe
like a piece of jewelry or something for my kids.
I'm not this is controversial. I'm sure I'm not a huge tattoo
person myself. I don't judge anyone that does
that. But I wouldn't mind having
someone having a piece of jewelry or something with the
ashes and I haven't even looked into this, but you guys.
Talked about. So I, Toby and I met this
jewelry designer in San Francisco that makes
reliquaries. Those are like back in Victorian
time. You would take some a sacred
object and put glass over it. So so.
Yes. So when Toby was still alive, he
our cats died. They kind of died around the
same time, so know. Why I'm laughing?
He reached. Out to in.
This is her name. We're now talking.
About cats. So the jewelry designer's name
is Alex Blue. She owns a shop called Modern
Relics in San Francisco, and I have so many pieces by made by
her. And so Toby sent the cat hair to
Alex, and I have a necklace with my cat's hair, and then little
gold, teeny teeny tiny initials for their names.
And we should. Probably put a picture of this.
I know. On there because it's pretty in
person, but if you hear about it, a bunch of hair and a neck
it. Sounds all.
It's hair. Yeah.
No, you would never know her, Never know what it is.
So. Very pretty to your.
Toe. OK, so flash forward.
Oh. It has beautiful jewelry.
In general, she has great taste. She.
Is our jewelry. Person for sure.
So we're in the at the Funeral Home after Toby died and I'm
like yeah, I want, I want the cheapest box for to be burned on
you know whatever. And and I said and can I have
some of his hair. I haven't told you all this yet,
so I not only have his ashes, I have.
I have hair. I have hair.
And so I didn't ask. I went to San Francisco a couple
years after he died and saw Alex, and I took ashes and hair.
And you know, she was very close to Toby because he would call
her every year around my birthday or Christmas and have a
piece made for me. So she knew him very well.
And this went on for years. And so I went to San Francisco
and took the ashes and hair, Just a little thing.
OK, so so I was able to get into the box where the ashes were,
Karen. So I was not the same kind of
box. As you need help with my box.
So I I got into the. Box that's got to be cut out my.
Toby's box is a little nicer than Frank's box, Frank.
'S box is definitely just a plastic.
Box. So I got into the I got into the
ashes and I scooped a little tiny bit out.
And so I have a ring that Alex made for me that has Toby's
ashes in them, but I she still has his hair.
We. She made something for herself
with his hair. I know I need to.
I'm going to send her the link to this podcast and tell her you
still have Toby's hair. But I could never decide what I
wanted. Like I wanted a ring because we
did the ring with the ashes, because I wanted a ring to put
on my ring finger, 'cause I took my Are you?
Wearing the ring right now, too. Yeah, yeah.
But. You know what's strange is the
Funeral Home sent me the hair or who?
Somebody sent me the hair. I didn't ask for it.
Really. No, I didn't ask for anything.
I didn't know how any of that works.
Once you're at the hospital, they take the body away.
I don't know what happens after that.
And then there we are at the funeral.
There we are. Interesting you didn't ask.
For it? No, I didn't ask for.
It's in. I'm glad though, I mean.
Change like, was it just like, hey, there's just an envelope
gets like, slid across the table I.
Don't remember. I mean like everything else.
In a safe place. Don't.
I don't remember any of it. I I remember later seeing it,
but just yeah, there's so much that happened.
Yeah, you know, I don't know what I would want to do with his
hair. Well, I have some unusual
options for Ashes that I'm going to share with you guys, but I do
have one other question about Ashes.
So you haven't been able to break open your box, Kira, So
nobody's getting any of Frank's ashes unless you can get in.
I'm. Sure.
No, I'm going to get in this summer.
I'm. Sure you.
Could call the 10 year anniversary, I may just go over
there and be like open this thing for me please 'cause
they're local. Let my husband out.
But let you know. And his sister and his parents
have asked for some. So I mean, I got to get that
figured out. And then, Holly, what about, oh,
and your kid? You want the?
Do you think your kids like the? Jewelry idea.
Maybe we don't have any hair. I mean, yeah, Frank was pretty
bald. He was bald.
I thought about doing little bit of like putting some ashes,
having something made for the boys like I don't know a key
chain, like a little, I don't know something on a key chain.
I was trying to think what would be.
I mean I haven't done it because I haven't come up with what it
would be. I think Thomas would.
Wear a necklace? For sure.
He would wear something. Yeah, I know the girls would.
It can get very expensive to do jewelry, but I think they're
finding ways to to make it less expensive.
I found this great place when I was doing research for this
episode called spiritpieces.com Beautiful cremation jewelry and
glass art. They have so many different
options and tons of five star reviews.
So people are really happy with them because it it is kind of
it's got to be a little daunting to to just ship your ashes off
to somebody. But anyway there are definitely
some more reasonably priced options out there for jewelry or
other, you know, other things that you can do besides jewelry
like the cremation glass art, but jewelry and glass art,
that's just one way you could go.
I actually found a lot of interesting options here.
First of all, look, if you want a truly unique send off, you
could just strap your ashes to some fireworks and have a
fireworks display. Yeah, that's not.
I mean that's kind of fun, you know, at the celebration of life
are y'all are just staring at me.
Like, no all of all. Of your.
Services all of these things that I'm suggesting.
Just go on Google and and check it out because they're offered
everywhere and I don't want to give any specific spots because
wherever you live you'll be able to find something.
Another option is the jewelry, the memorial jewelry.
Holly, your ring is more of like a capsule type thing that has
some ashes in it. Kind of looks like a mood ring a
little bit. It's a reliquary.
Yes, a reliquary, but you can also have your loved ones ashes
created into a a diamond or some sort of a gem that you put, you
know. On it I want to add the the
ashes in my ring also have sparkly white glitter has in
there so it makes it look pretty so it's not like.
No, we're going to. We'll put a picture of it.
On our Instagram, you know. Just a ring full of dirt.
It's just a dirt ring. That's why we should put it on
the Instagram so they could see it.
It's very. Pretty It is very I.
Never would have thought the. Way that she does that because
it's mixed. In and you would think that you
need okay. First of all, for those who
don't have ashes, you actually get a lot of ashes.
This is I it's. Heavy.
It's heavy. But it's.
Yeah, it's. It's.
Gotta be it's a. Lot.
And so when you use these ashes. At least £15 to.
Create jewelry or something you've you haven't even barely
scratched the surface. Like you can do all of these
things and still have. Some I got a lot of ashes over.
Here to the cat. Yeah, oh, we're the cat.
I would love to hear from our listeners like who did what?
Like who did I did burials, what and what age you are because?
Shake it like. And I also.
Like from different countries. Since we're in. 40 different.
Countries now. Yeah.
We the people, different cultural What are the different
cultural differences? What do you do like?
Yeah, you know, you deal. The countries, what do they do?
Right, all right. Another option for your loved
ones Ashes is you could take them on a trip around the world,
just like Frank got in the car today.
You don't have to take the whole box.
You can take a little bit of it, but then you can scatter it at
all the places that you know, like Hunter and I never got to
go to Italy, but it would kind of be interesting to give.
It to Roger, he's a. Little bit of ashes over there.
I have probably widows that travel with little portions with
Baggies and sprinkle like so they're on the trip with them or
they're. Yeah, I think that's nice, Toby
put. It in your carry on so they
don't lose this. That'd be really.
What were you going to say, Toby?
Toby he was 49 when he died and was he wanted to go to
Australia, New Zealand, Australia and New Zealand for
his 50th and so I'm going to take him.
Some point planning a trip to Machu Picchu.
I should take him, but I'm sure you have to be careful.
I'm I'm sure there are. You can just.
Well, you're. Not taking the.
Whole box. I mean pepper a little.
Bit a little back. I wonder like.
At the airport, if they've like, 'cause they do look, if you have
like, medications and you're like, this is ashes, I wonder
what that would look like at the airport in certain countries.
Because I know that if you have a a prescription and you're
traveling in certain parts of Europe, yeah, they find it.
You better have a doctor's note. It isn't just what's I just
learned that travel. With the death certificate to
prove the yes, actually the yeah, Holly and I both got
tattoos of our husband's handwriting.
But you can actually get a tattoo mixed with your loved
one's ashes and do the tattoo with the ashes.
So if I had known that, I probably would have done that.
My husband died. A Group?
A strip I'm not doing. Yeah, maybe I don't do that for
him. Another cool interesting thing
to do with your loved one's ashes is you can shoot them into
space. Apparently that is an option.
There are. Yeah, I'm sure some of this is
very expensive. I don't have the.
Price, Elon. This particular place uses
meteorological balloons filled with helium to carry
biodegradable urn to the edge of space.
Once the balloon reaches 100,000 feet, it bursts and scatters the
ashes across the Earth. So that's one option.
I don't know. Yeah, Are you?
Buy a seat on and. Then on.
Somebody. Spaceship.
What about the place that you can make diamonds?
Yeah. So there are places that where
you can make diamonds. The jewelry can get very, very
expensive. If you're creating a gym, I
found a place where they will make glass art to put on, like a
paperweight or a beautiful Hummingbird.
Or. You know, things like that.
And it was in the $200 range and it was very, very beautiful.
You can also put your ashes and make them into a sculpture.
There's lots of artsy things that you can do.
But yeah, that I really liked the idea of creating art Glass.
And they had. Go on Etsy and type in.
I just. Went in Google and typed in.
What can I do with these ashes? Yeah, and all these different
ideas came up, so. Like, there's no rush.
I obviously I'm we're coming up on 10 years and I'm just now
thinking about it and maybe there are people that dive in
sooner but. Whenever.
Yeah, they're not going bad. They're not rashes, especially
in there's no. Expiration date.
There's wait, let me. Check the box, maybe there is an
expiration. Date they've already expired
maybe. For eating them, they're.
Fully expired. Our husbands are expired.
They are, definitely. There's a 1800 number on here.
People need to know how to get in that box.
All right, well, there you go. We hope we've helped you in some
way today. Either just laugh or give you
some real ideas of what to do with those ashes.
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Bye.