You can plan an Angel Walk for your community.  It is a great way to "do something" in your loved one's memory.
As an event at a family reunion, an Angel Walk in memory of family members who are no longer here, would be an emotional experience.  It would also be great to do after indulging in all the potluck goodies you don't normally eat.

For more information on our community Angel Walk click here /angel-walk-southern-mn.html

Professional paintings can be made from your favorite photos.  This is a painting done from a photo of our son.  The day he got home from the hospital after finding out he had a brain tumor, he went fishing with some friends overnight.  He wasn't supposed to do any heavy lifting and was  to take it easy.  He caught this monster catfish-reeled it in and posed. He had a great night.

For her dad's birthday, our daughter had the photo made into a painting.  It was a nice surprise.  This photo let us know that no matter what news he was given, he continued to live his life to the fullest.  A subtle reminder that we must do the same.

Our Christmas gift 2010.  This was the last professional photo taken of our kids, just the previous Christmas.  Thankfully, our daughter had arranged for the three of them to get some professional portraits done.  She had one of them made into a painting.

The following Christmas we received this phenomenal masterpiece. (below) Our daughter commissioned as artist friend to paint a portrait of our son.  This took her several months to create and is filled with many symbols and was truly made from within her heart.  She knew Trevor and her long-time boyfriend was a close friend.  Arianna also journaled her thoughts and inspirations as she worked on this piece.  It is hard fro anyone to read without crying.  She did such a fabulous job.  I will add her journal below and also the names and some examples of other artist's work in case anyone is interested in hiring one of the contacts I know.

  Name a star after your loved one(s). The international star registry has packages available from $54 to 154 plus shipping and handling.
For $54 you can get a 12" x 16" certificate, skychart, astronomy booklet and letter of congratulations or memorial.

For $109 they add a framed certificate and a wallet card with the star name and coordinates.

The $154 package has a larger size 20" x 16".

The website for this service is at starregistry.com

Trevor's friends wanted to dedicate a bench in his memory.  They chose to put it at the waterfall park near our home.  Trevor, his siblings, and friends all knew about this hidden treasure that was recently bought by the County we live in.  The waterfall is not wide very high.  The county installed the bridge you see in the background so you can look directly at the falls.  Trevor's bench is made from Kasota which is a local product.
From atop the hill, the bench overlooks the small valley. 
The plaque reads:
                   TREVOR CLAYTON JOHNSON
                   ALWAYS IN OUR THOUGHTS,
                     FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS.
             IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR FRIEND.

Sporting tee shirts on vacation, out for birthdays, at family reunions or anytime is a great way to remember your loved one.

These tees say "Team Trevor"  which family and friends wore supporting Trevor through his cancer fight.  Today we're still on his team!

After losing Trevor some of his family posed with tee shirts designed with his "I heart" message.
Ashley's family has bright colored tee-shirts with her favorite motto.  They also have put In Memory Of on the back.
Personalize them with your memories of your loved one.

Have a piece of jewelry made or just buy a piece with their Name, signature, birthstone or some other memory or special meaning.  For our first Christmas without our son, Trevor, my parents bought stylish dog tag necklaces for all the family members.  Since I own a jewelry store and can do specialized engraving, they bought the necklaces through me and then I engraved them with Trevor's "I heart" symbol and put person's name on them.  They are worn, kept on the person, saved as a special keepsake and hung from car rear view mirrors.

Because my engraving system is computerized, I am able to take almost any writing, etching or even a photo and put it on jewelry or plaques.

Have their photo put on a charm.  This can be worn as a piece of jewelry, and also can be put on the bride's bouquet in memory of those who were there in spirit.  Having their photo with you is comforting to many and becomes and heirloom.

                       Fingerprint Jewelry
You can have loved ones fingerprints put on a piece of jewelry.  If you do not have their fingerprint you can just have the generic one.  The back side can be engraved with name &/or date(s).  Necklace, bracelet, or money clips are available.

This jewelry can be used for couples, parents or grandparents, etc.  Not just for those who are no longer with us.  More than one can be hung on a chain or bracelet.

This jewelry and many more can be purchased through my store.

Make a piece of jewelry from theirs.
As the owner of a jewelry store, I often get asked what a widow can do with her husband's wedding band.  A favorite of many is to make it into a pendant.  I have added a bail to top of the "circle" and told them the circle never ends and represents eternity.  Sometime we set a diamond in the bottom of the circle formed by the inside of the ring or we set a cross inside the ring  There are some creative things you can do with jewelry left by your loved ones.    Photo to come soon.

When visiting a memorial site, you may want to leave little tokens behind.  The first fall (Sister and Dad's birthdays, Halloween & Thanksgiving-all firsts without Trevor) my daughter visited his gravesite. This is what she said, "Chentel, Trevor and Blake scarecrows, flowers and a pumpkin that said, "Happy Halloween Trevor...I ♥!"

We are not a tattoo family-nothing against them-we just have one or two family members with a tattoo.  But the "I heart" message Trevor left us was just too enticing.  My daughter talked her dad into getting a tattoo with her and I went along.  The more I thought about it, the more I also wanted to get one to  always have that memory with me.  

Some people get crosses with their loved names, footprints, angels, their loved one's signature or initials-whatever the memory