BEREAVEMENT MEMORY BOX : 'WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING'

"The whole experience was so cathartic, when we got the finished box home and presented it to Dad it really felt like a bit of the grief lifted."
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Trev

Trev got in touch with me after seeing a viral Twitter post about two memory boxes I’d made for Sian Harries' grandmother. He was looking for a sentimental box in memory of his late mother, who passed away in 2019. 

Every item Trev had gathered for the box was one of his mother's everyday things. These were simple items that he and his family just couldn't bring themselves to put into storage or throw away.

As he said to me: "The more days that passed, the harder it became to bring ourselves to tidy mum’s things. It just felt like we'd be packing away small pieces of Mum from her home and our lives. When I saw what Katherine had created for someone’s late grandmother's items, I knew we had to do this – it was just perfect”.

The process

To start the project, Trev and I had a video call to discuss what he wanted to include in the memorial box. He then sent all of these chosen items to me in the post.

When I received them, we had another video call. This time, I arranged all of the objects in a rough layout. This gave Trav an idea of the overall size and cost of the final box. We also discussed what colour the frame would be and I suggested some ideas for the background of the box.

Some key objects we included were:

• Trev's mum adored her garden and Trev did a wonderful job of drying out some flowers from the garden before sending them to me. 
• When it was her birthday, he found some old super 8 film reels that he got converted – these included many family memories. I included these photos with a clip so they could still take them out and flick through them.
• Some old medical cards that his mother had kept from when Trev and his brothers were babies.
• A watch which he had repaired
• Jewellery
• Irish passport
• Items of clothing
• Ornaments
• Shells from special holidays
• Her whole handbag as it was when she passed away

I curated all of these precious artefacts into a special box to capture the memories of their lovely mum. The memory box transforms everyday objects into a wonderful piece of art that helps to keep her spirit alive every day. 

I completed the box in time for his mum and dad's anniversary, so Trev could give it to his dad on that date.​​

At the end of the process, Trev said: "There were several video chats throughout the whole process, which was so reassuring as we got to see that Katherine wasn't just a talented artist, but was also kind, and really cared about creating something beautiful for us. Those qualities were important to Mum. ​

The whole experience was so cathartic, when we got the finished box home and presented it to Dad it really felt like a bit of the grief lifted. The clearing away of Mum's items had become a real burden for us, but to see them all displayed together in such a loving and creative way is a wonderful tribute to the most beautiful of people. And thanks to Katherine, Mum will always have pride of place in our house."
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Trev

The memory box now sits pride of place above the mantelpiece and a photo of Trev's parents in their living room.

Take a look at more of my bereavement and memorial boxes. 

Would you like to take a loved one’s special items and have them arranged into a beautiful memory box? Please get in touch to talk.

CONTACT KATHERINE