Ideally, an appropriate pet memorial gift in Canada is personalized for the person who is grieving. Something with a space for cards, special places for keepsakes or little gifts to honour the pet that has died, a place for their stuffies, and maybe a small urn. It gives sad hearts a purpose to make meaningful memories.
"We all know the depths of people's sadness through loss; it can take a long time to feel better."
“Black Kitty” was my prosaic name for her. I spent months patiently winning her trust so she would let me pet her never-before-touched black coat. She eventually leaned into our relationship, as did I. By winter, I'd made her an opulent faux fur sleeping blanket to erase her hardscrabble street days. But our time together ended when she found herself in a last dire predicament and was killed in traffic while crossing the street to see me. I. Was. Broken. Hearted.
"I later heard that she cried when she received it."
Four years later, I was reminded of that shooting star street cat when I painted a portrait of another black cat whose owner profoundly missed him. As an artist, I had always built and crafted things, so motivated by this person's grief, I provided her with something more she could keep, something that was more than a portrait. It was the very first Memory Frame Portrait I made for someone. I later heard that she cried when she received it.
A PET MEMORIAL GIFT IN CANADA CAN BE DESIGNED TO BE A MEANINGFUL PLACE FOR KEEPSAKES, AN ALTAR TO DECORATE, RETURN TO, AND CELEBRATE THE REMEMBRANCES OF OUR PETS WHO ARE OUR FAMILY MEMBERS.
And so, the ©Memory Frame Portrait was born as the ultimate
tribute to a beloved pet.
Children (and adults) can add special notes in the Memory Frame Portrait's secret compartments. They might include remembrances of their distinctive habits, places they loved to be, birthdates, and how you met.
Little handmade gifts can be added to the built-in niches.
Family members can decorate the interior with many handmade and uniquely sourced embellishments, a healing and fun activity.
An appropriate pet memorial gift in Canada should help us
feel all the feelings.
Feeling all and any feelings is the way to healing. I wondered if stretching out the remembering might be nice for those who embrace it. The Memory Frame, a one-of-a-kind new pet memorial gift idea in Canada, was created to do just that: to remind you of a pet and that connections are important in life.
The 100% handcrafted ©Memory Frame / shadow box is hinged to a float-framed, hand-painted Portrait. It comes with many crafted and custom options to make each a one-of-a-kind Canadian pet memorial gift. Start Here.
Five frame-style alternatives are offered, including "Artist's Choice." I use a frame that works best with the pet's colour tones.
From front to back:
Natural 100 + year old barn board (also on the 8x10" in the rear)
Natural pine (some with knots)
Whitewashed 100 + year old barn board
Black-washed pine
White-washed pine
Five Memory Frame sizes to choose from:
X-Small 4x6" portrait (add frame measurement)
Small size 6x6" portrait (add frame measurement)
Small size 5x7" portrait (add frame measurement)
Medium (vertical) 8x10" portrait (add frame measurement) for one animal
Medium (horizontal) 8x10" portrait (add frame measurement) for two animals
What more is included with the Memory Frame?
Every aspect of the Memory Frame is meticulously handcrafted. The frame and interior, including unique and crafted embellishments, are also personalized to reflect the grieving person and the pet. It is designed with a contemporary home in mind, although the Memory Frame can be styled to suit a different look. It is a modern way to honour a special relationship with an animal(s).
Designer fabric or artist-painted canvas lines the interiors, matching the colours of the portrait or style ideas about the recipient from notes you may want to add.
Artist-curated decorations. Dried wild botanicals, a fitting choice for our nature-loving pets, are left as is or painted a matte designer-ish white. An array of crafted embellishments that might touch a creative heart are included.
A lidded metal partial urn for some of their ashes. Either black or chrome is provided. You can choose a colour or pick "Artist's Choice" when ordering. You'll be able to find a company to provide that service; look up laser engraving.
Space extended behind the portrait: allows enough overall room in the Memory Frame for a best-loved toy or "stuffie," a small ball (the diameter of a large one will be too big for the interior depth. A halved larger ball could be mounted), a collar, or a piece of their blanket.
A strong and sturdy "rare earth magnet set" is used, superior to typical flat magnets and means you will never worry about the frame accidentally opening. (Do not force a stuffed toy too oversized)
A raw steel desk stand keeps your Memory Frame sitting upright. (Although they sit well on their own, the stand prevents accidental upsets, especially with little children around)
A saw-toothed wall hanger is added to the back.
A glass vial with decorative botanicals and designed additions These can be replaced or added to with a tuft of fur, trimmed or saved from their comb.
Room for photos and cards in front of the shelves.
Pins, sticky tape, and a covered foam board backing allow you to personalize the memory Frame with anything, whether a plaster or inked paw print, or personal embellishments.
A secret compartment for notes and remembrances is handcrafted into all but two sizes of the Memory Frame:
A custom bookmark with the pet’s image is included in the Small 6x6". (The
X-Small 4x6" and the Small 6x6" are a bit lacking in size for a secret compartment.) A custom bookmark is also available as a separate gift.
We are all drawn to secret things. So, OF COURSE, there is a secret compartment.
I am still drawn to secret things fifty-something years after, as a kid, I created picture books with surprise fold-out secret pictures so, OF COURSE, there is a secret compartment for notes and remembrances of your special animal. (or just put your jewelry in there)
Two Memory Frame sizes do not have room. Instead, one size has a bookmark with the pet’s image, also available as a special memorial gift.
Paying tribute to a pet after their death makes us feel good about ourselves. The love within us defines who we are.
When a pet memorial gift provides a visual or interactive reminder, those beautiful memories return to us. We feel good about our ability to love while remembering a beloved friend—a win-win.
Memorializing our dead should also be part of life. A perfect pet memorial gift allows time to ponder what they meant to us.
The "Day of the Dead" celebrations originated in Mexico. I encountered their experience when visiting Albuquerque, New Mexico, a long time ago long before the internet let this unique and beautiful holiday out of the bag. Not only had I never imagined a day set aside to honour the memories of loved ones, I was jealous. Our family had just experienced a significant loss; my favourite Uncle had collapsed into a coma and died fairly soon after. He had been the keeper of our family farm with a river bending around it in Tavistock, Ontario, Canada, and his death was the end of that beauty for the whole family and many friends.
After our Uncle’s death, I recalled the Mexicans' tributes to their long-dead family members. I felt that little by little, even those who meant the world to us, adding texture and loveliness to our everyday lives would eventually not be mentioned. It made me sad. Forgetting to remember, the self-disappointment; who needs those thoughts?
People have found many beautiful, meaningful ways to honour their pets in death.
People have found many beautiful and meaningful ways to honour their pets in death: planting a tree with a plaque in their honour, making a monetary donation to an animal-based organization, donating a park bench to a dog park with a plaque in their name, spreading their ashes in the garden to always have them with them, volunteering at an animal rescue, or walking a dog for a neighbour who needs help to name a few.
At a time when pet companionship seems to increasingly be the norm, especially as some of us age out of child rearing, careers, and time fillers, it is essential to remember and memorialize the loss of all dear friends.
For many of us, our pets are our understanding companions and friends. They are the guardians of our sometimes sorrows, the reason we take part in any aspect of exercise, the silliness factor to our day, and the tail-wagging (or, if they are a cat, a slow blinking of the eyes) acknowledgement that we give meaning to someone's/something else’s life.
“I MAY NOT HAVE GONE WHERE I INTENDED TO GO, BUT I THINK I HAVE ENDED UP WHERE I NEEDED TO BE” ― DOUGLAS ADAMS
留言