Memorial Projects

My husband, Joe, and I both agreed that we wanted to surround ourselves with memories of Claire. As we deal with her passing, I will post the ways in which we have memorialized her. These ideas (so far) range from the simple -placing photographs of her all around the house- to the permanent- tattoos of her footprints on our feet (done!)- to the charitable- hoping to create a non-profit organization in her memory. See below for a list and description of our completed projects but also a list of those that we hope to complete in the future.

Completed Projects:
1. Footprint Tattoo’s: My husband immediately loved the idea of getting Claire’s footprints tattooed on our feet. He came up with the extra special idea of us splitting her footprints into two tattoo’s- one on his foot, and one on mine. We also decided to get exact replica’s of her footprints- down to the size. Joe has Claire’s right footprint tattooed on his right foot and I have her left footprint tattooed on my left foot. In this way she walks with each of us daily and we love putting our feet next to each other to see the tattoos side-by-side. Neither tattoo is complete without the other, a great reminder that Claire is a product of the love between the two of us.

2. Memorial Ornaments. From Left to Right: Framed picture ornament of Claire, Angel Ornament from Claire’s Grandparents Mimi and Pappy, and Bear Ornament from Claire’s Great Aunt. Every year our collection of memorial ornaments will grow and I am truly appreciative by the thought of our family to honor her memory in this way.

3. Claire’s Great Grandma Glo started making a quilt for Claire after we found out we were having a little girl. I know she put a lot of time into picking out the perfect design, colors and size. A lot of love went into starting this quilt and I know, after Claire died, a lot of tears went into finishing it. The result is a truly beautiful piece of art that Joe and I will cherish forever.

Project Ideas:

1. Footprint Stamp- A custom stamp with Claire’s footprint(s) that we can use next to our signatures for cards/gifts/correspondence. She will forever be a part of our family and though she will never be able to sign her name, her tiny footprint can do so for her.
2. Scrapbook- Before I had Claire I swore up and down I would never scrapbook. There is a reason why people say, “never, say never.” But a scrapbook provides me the opportunity to continuously document Claire’s life with us. I can store her ultrasound and baby pictures, our tattoo templates (the artists gave them to us), cards that we received after she passed, her memorial program, letters to Claire (yes, I plan on writing real letters too) and much, much more! Furthermore, I intend to celebrate Claire’s birthday every year. I can take photographs of the yearly celebration and add new pages to the scrapbook. I can buy her a birthday card and take a picture of her birthday cake. My hope is that twenty years from now we will look at it and have twenty years of memories with her and for her, a great accomplishment for her short time here with us.
3. Memory Box- This will be a place to store all of the mementos that we received at the hospital and others that we have gathered for Claire, since. Usually these items are stored in a box by Moms that find their way to the back of a closet or an attic. I’m hoping that we can create one that we can display and always keep accessible.
4. Jewelry- I’m investigating different ideas for memorial jewelry. I will likely wait to purchase anything until I can afford the perfect piece. I’ve toyed with the idea of having a locket with her picture or a small, pinky ring with her birthstone. I want something that I can wear everyday that reminds me of her.