From journaling to reading a book to watching a movie, there are many ways for us to cope with the grief of losing a loved one. While these activities can be comforting to experience alone, some—like DIY projects—are a great way for family and friends to remember their loved one together.
Memorialization projects not only help families cope with grief, but they also allow you to set aside a special time to remember your loved one, leaving you with a keepsake to cherish forever.
Continue reading for nine DIY projects to honor your loved one’s memory.
1. Dried Flowers
Preserve your loved one’s favorite type of flower, or the flowers from their final arrangements, into beautiful works of art. You can save dried flowers in a sealed clear jar, or arrange them in a shadow box or picture frame.
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2. Photo Album
Gather your favorite photos of your loved one to create a special memorial photo album. Whether you organize printed photos into an album or upload digital files to an online photo book creator, sifting through old photos is a nice way to remember the memories you shared with your loved one.
3. Memorial Flower Cross
Decorative memorial crosses make a beautiful addition to your loved one’s gravesite. To create one of your own, you will need:
- A styrofoam cross.
- Artificial flowers.
- Colorful ribbon.
You will also find a wide selection of premade memorial crosses for purchase in the Milano Inspirations gift shop. Here is a video of Milano’s flower specialist, Mary, creating a flower cross.
4. No-Sew Dress Shirt Pillow
If your father, grandfather or other loved one had a favorite dress shirt, consider transforming it into a keepsake pillow. If you’re comfortable with sewing, try these steps to make the pillow case. To avoid sewing, follow this no-sew dress shirt pillow method instead.
Photo credit: The Spruce Crafts
Tip: We’d recommend practicing these steps on a less valuable shirt first. This way, you can be sure your loved one’s shirt pillow turns out exactly the way you’d like.
5. T-Shirt Quilt
If your loved one was an avid t-shirt collector, turn some of them into a commemorative blanket or quilt. The amount of t-shirts needed will depend on your desired size of the quilt, but full-sized quilts (60” x 72”) generally require 30 t-shirts. Follow these steps to create your t-shirt quilt.
Photo credit: Keepsake T-Shirt Blankets
6. Painted Memorial Rocks
Painted memorial rocks and stones can be placed near your loved one’s headstone as decoration or scattered around a memorial garden in remembrance of your loved one.
Families may choose to personalize their rocks with Bible verses, quotes, song lyrics or images that remind them of their loved one.
7. Festive Memorial Wreath
During the holiday season, consider creating a beautiful wreath for your loved one’s gravesite. While you can find the materials at your local craft shop and follow online instructions, you can also join Milano Monuments for one of our annual Wine & Wreath classes. Reservations include the cost of the materials needed and the tutorial session where our team of floral decor specialists will guide you through the wreath-making steps.
8. Holiday Ornaments
Customized ornaments are simple to make and have a lasting impact. Fill clear plastic or glass ornaments with mementos like t-shirt fabric, notes and photos. Some ornaments, like the one pictured below, could even include a handwritten tag kept from your loved one.
Photo credit: Average But Inspired
9. Framed Handwriting
Framing old notes, recipes and letters not only preserve your loved one’s original handwriting, but also make for a beautiful keepsake to honor your loved one. Framed handwriting also makes a nice memorial gift to others who have lost loved ones.
Photo credit: Bless’er House
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