Memory Trees

When planning a funeral these days, there are a number of things that MUST be done involving estates, financials, and coordinating last wishes.

One of the things I wanted to help my husband and his family with was the luncheon reception following the memorial service for his mother.  I knew that with a bit of Pinterest help and my own ideas I could provide a wonderful setting for those gathered.

It all started with this pin.

Source:  The Knot

I loved the photo display idea, and even though it was not for a funeral, I could see exactly in my mind how it could easily be adapted in a respectful and honorable way.

So, off to Hobby Lobby to grab some large twig-like branches and QuickWater.  Then to the Dollar Tree to grab three tall glass cylinders and 2 bags of river stone.

I had my wooden skewers, scissors, plastic take-out pint container (saved of course from take-out Chinese Won-Ton soup), paper towels, painters tape, and lots of ambition.

Here's how to do this successfully.

First, clean the glass cylinders both inside and out with glass cleaner, making sure they are residue and lint free.  Then, place as many stones in the bottom of each; looking across to make sure they are even.

REMOVE the stones into three separate piles.  It's important to NOT have the stones in there UNTIL you have poured the QuickWater.  (I'll explain why in a bit.)

At Dollar Tree, there are great river stones.  I bought two bags, looking for one bag that had larger stones and one that had smaller stones.

QuickWater can be found in Hobby Lobby and Amazon.  It's an epoxy mix that allows you to simulate water in clear containers AND hold your faux flowers and filler in a permanent state once it dries.

The directions are very clear and it's a fun product to work with.

There are two parts.  Part A and Part B.

The directions call for putting Part A in a plastic container (Saved take-out containers are great for this, so save them if you get them!) THEN adding Part B while mixing it.

I recommend that you put the ENTIRE contents of each into your container.  Do not try to figure out half and half.  You may not have enough of one part and then your acrylic won't cure correctly.

Once you begin to pour Part B, use 2 wooden skewers together to mix SLOWLY, avoiding build-up of air bubbles.

You will need to mix for several minutes to thoroughly mix both parts while avoiding bubbles.

You will not totally avoid bubbles, but you don't want to have a lot of them floating in the acrylic mixture if you can avoid it.

I always have these skewers on hand.  They are great for cooking as well as craft projects.

Now, here is an important part.  

Fill your containers FIRST with the mixed acrylic.  

The acrylic takes 8-10 hours to fully harden, so you have enough time to make multiple arrangements.  This also allows you to evenly distribute the acrylic.

NOw, slowly drop your piles of stone into each container.

TIP:  Do not put the stone in first then the acrylic.  Here's why.  If the stones are in and you pour the acrylic, it will take a long time for the acrylic to fill the holes and opening around the stones.  This means that the acrylic level will slowly sink, leaving a film of acrylic clinging to the sides of the glass.  Water doesn't do this in real life, and since you want it to appear as "real water" you must pout the acrylic first.

Once you have your stones in, and your multiple containers look even across, use clean skewers to poke the air bubbles on the surface and just below the surface.

Now is the time to also place a few smaller stones as well.

Carefully SHOVE your twigs down into the acrylic and stones, gently forcing the end to the bottom of the container.

Now start pulling off long strips of painter tape.

Use those long stips to wrap once around each twig, pulling in opposite directions until you have each twig suspended right where you want them to be.

The trick is to use the tape to leverage the twigs out and away from the edge of the container.  This makes it appear that the stones in the "water" below and holding up the twigs.

In the photo above, I tried it first without the acrylic to make sure that the tape would be able to do what I intended it to do.  It worked like a charm.

Once you have the twigs set, you can add a few more stones, which will raise the QuickWater level again.

Find a place for them to set up and cure.  Again, it takes about 8-10 hours for it to set fully.

And here's what I visualized. 

See how the twigs look like they are being held up by the stones in "water?"  

The tree was used to showcase photos, Cardinals, and memory quotes.

I made one for each of the children and personalized them with photos that included them with their mother.

I included some of the same photos and all the quotes were the same as well.

I simply used twine and computer scanned photos to attach them to branches going all around the tree. I alternated between photos and quotes to make it appear evenly distributed.

The Cardinals just clipped onto branches.

I searched the internet for quote ideas, but you could use anything you wanted.  Special Bible verses, song quotes, and familiar remarks, life achievements.  It's truly a personal selection.

I think these trees would make great ideas for just about anything.  You could even adapt them into a money tree if needed.

Think along the lines of:

Retirement Parties

Bridal Showers

Baby Showers

Birthdays

Weddings

Graduations

Church Remembrance Services

Sorority/Fraternity Socials

Anniversary Parties

Reunions

Really, you could make them work for any idea you have, even if it's just displaying a Family Tree or cherished family photos.

Think outside the box and make a tree of your own.