A Custom Tribute, Post 2

I will be honest, little Joel Smith captured my heart from the moment I saw his sweet pictures.  His smile was so big and bright and hid the fact that he was actually fighting a very difficult battle- the battle against cancer.  Aside from his smile I also noticed something else about Joel, something that everyone who knew him also knew- Batman was his hero.

Working on a child's headstone is always extremely difficult for obvious reasons.  Of course part of me always wants to cry for (and sometimes with) the family, for all of the pain and heartache they have been through.  And then the other part of me wants to give the family my absolute best efforts in honor of their child.  So, when I begin working on a child's stone, I always listen to the parent's ideas and try to come up with a design that is both beautiful and appropriate given the child's interests and hobbies.  While many parents do know exactly what they want for their child, others have no clue what they would like and simply want us to take an idea and expand upon it. 

In Joel's case we visited with the family and then got the opportunity to "meet" Joel through a news broadcast about the Make a Wish Foundation and how they made Joel Batman for a Day.  Check out the link below to learn about Joel and what an amazing super hero he truly was.

Joel as Batman by the Make a Wish Foundation

Of course, after watching the videos we knew that the memorial needed to incorporate Joel as Batman and, with the help of his family, came up with this proof....

One of the wonderful things about technology is that we can make changes to monuments until the family is 100% satisfied with the way the memorial looks, and this case was no exception.  The family wanted to move some text to the back thus resulting in the second proof:

Many families choose to put information on the back of their memorials and there is really no right or wrong inscription to use.  Of course I prefer to recommend that you go with an inscription (or epitaph) that is natural and truly "fits" your loved one's personality.  In this case "Our Little Super Hero" is completely appropriate.

Joel's memorial is absolutely beautiful and is such a special tribute to an amazing little boy.

Keeping Your Vases from Freezing

Granite vases are fantastic for keeping flowers at your loved one's grave.  However, they do tend to be a little bit of a maintenance issue if they are not tended to in the fall and winter.  Why?  Because water may accumulate in the vases if their drain holes are clogged.  Then, when freezing temperatures hit, the water will freeze, expand and bust the vase.  With that being said, a common question folks ask around this time of year is how to keep their vases from freezing and busting.

At Emerson Monument Co. we always recommend that you go out to the cemetery with a coat hanger or other narrow object and thoroughly clean out your flower pots as winter draws near.  Doing this will ensure that debri is not clogging the vase's drain hole.  Once the vase has been cleared, there are several different ways to ensure your granite vases remain in tact through the winter.  Common approaches include:

• Consider placing a coffee filter or florist foam inside the vase.  This will prevent the drain hole from being directly blocked.
• Consider placing a plastic zip bag on top of the vase and securing it tightly with a rubber band.  This will prevent water from getting in. 
• Consider purchasing a metal vase insert to protect the vase (cost is approximately $20 and may be ordered at Emerson).

Many are often surprised to learn that there is not a good way to fix a broken vase.  We have experimented with Gorilla Glue, Super Glue, Epoxy, Vase Tape and other forms of adhesive and have not found one that will hold a vase together for a speakable period of time.  Therefore, the only solid way to correct a broken vase is to completely replace it.

Have a question about preventing the vase from clogging or replacing a busted vase?  Email us and we'll be glad to help!

Preserving a Slice of History

Emerson Monument Company is pleased to announce they have accepted an invitation to participate in the 2nd Annual Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Cemetery Information Fair.  The fair will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2011 at the First United Methodist Church in Little Rock from noon to 4pm.

This is the second year that Emerson has participated in the program and, in doing so and with the assistance of other organizations, helps to teach fair participants proper cemetery preservation techniques. 

We hope to see all of our Little Rock area readers and customers there!

A Custom Tribute, Post 1

What a blessing it is to work with families and create stunning memorials that truly capture who they are and what they were "all about"!  And while it is SO difficult to truly capture a life story on one single piece of stone, the Reeves family has done a great job of honoring the husband, father and son that they love and miss.

Franklin & Anita Reeves memorial.

Racing was a family affair at the Reeves' home.  It was a sport that Franklin was passionate about and his wife, Anita, was supportive of.  In fact, even the kids got involved, eventually earning them the title of "Reeves Racing pit crew"!  As I sat and listened to Anita passionately describe her husband...and the father that he was...and the abilities he had...I couldn't help but to suggest a memorial that featured the car- a piece of their lives that the family enjoyed together.

After much discussion and planning, it was decided that we would use an actual racing photo that, I believe, was taken by Franklin & Anita's daughter.  If you look closely below at the space just behind the back window, you will notice the words "Pit Crew" followed by the Reeves' family's names.  

Original photo provided by the family.

When we received the photo we immediately had it cropped and enlarged to fit a double stone.  This part was tricky because we had to ensure that the car would enlarge without losing the level of detail that we desired.  But it all worked out!  Calculations were then made to determine the exact size of the stone and the positioning of every cut to ensure the stone would be an exact fit to the image.  Once that was done, we sent a series of proofs to the family for them to review and change until they had it just the way they wanted it. 

Final proof.

Once we had a final approval from the family it was time to begin etching. Of course the first photo I posted is a photo of the semi-complete stone. It was laser etched and, at this point, is awaiting lettering on both the front and the back.



What a beautiful tribute!



Placed in the Cemetery!

At Emerson Monument Company there is nothing we love more than to help families design and create lasting tributes in honor of their loved ones.   

In the News...

The spotlight was on Emerson Monument Company in the September issue of the MB News!

Emerson Monument Company recently teamed up with Love Ashes to create an afordable alternative to pricey cemetery cremation memorials.

While many families choose to simply bury their loved one's cremains and erect a headstone, just as they would if their loved one was buried traditionally, some families choose to go a different route. These families may choose to place a small quantity of their loved one's cremains in the cemetery and then keep a majority of them at home where they may be safeguarded for years to come. Now, thanks to Emerson Monument Company and Love Ashes, families can do that in a whole new way!

Beautiful Adornments are vibrant dichroic glass tiles that contain a small portion of a loved one's ashes. They utilize an industrial strength 3M tape to adhere them to the back of granite memorials and look absolutely amazing in the sunlight.

This stunning memorial was made by Emerson Monument Co. and utilizes one of our Beautiful Adornments in honor of a son who had passed away. Here the Beautiful Adornment gave a family the flexibility to to include the son's memorial with that of the parents.

We are proud to have teamed up with Love Ashes to offer new and unique products to the customers we serve.

Decorating Ideas

One of my favorite things to do is to stroll through local cemeteries on or around their decoration days. These days are designed to bring families together to help beautify the cemetery and give them an opportunity to honor their loved one with flowers, trinkets and more. Of course in doing this I have gained several decoration ideas that I would like to share.

Of course the most popular way to decorate a loved one's grave is by simply utilizing the granite vases that are commonly attached to the base of the memorial. You can purchase pre-arranged silk floral bundles that are perfect for cemetery use at stores like Hobby Lobby or you may have some made at a local florist shop. To keep your flowers from blowing away, try using florist foam in the vases (the trick is to cram as MUCH as you possibly can into the vase).

Another popular way to decorate is to use a saddle on top of the monument.

I have found that the prettiest saddles come directly from a florist and they are typically reasonably priced. When purchasing a saddle it is important to know the size of the monument (you don't want a small saddle on a large stone or vise versa). If you are working with a florist you can also have him or her incorporate trinkets (can you see the ornaments in our Christmas saddle?) and other unique items into the design.

Some other decoration ideas include:

-Shepherd's Hooks. These are iron hooks that allow baskets of flowers to hang from them. Check with your cemetery to see if these are allowed.

-Blankets. These are flat mesh coverings that are covered with flowers. Check with your cemetery to see if these are allowed.
-Sprays. You have probably seen the little metal stands with floral attangements on them. Those are called sprays. Check with your cemetery to see if these are allowed.

I hope you find these decorating ideas helpful. Add your favorite decorating idea in the comments section below if you have an idea to share.

Planning Ahead

I often think the most difficult purchasing processes one may go through is that of pre-planning his or her funeral, burial and memorial arrangements. It's even true for those of us who work in the industry; I spend each day creating monuments but, when it comes to my own memorial, I am at a loss!

But as much as we would like to avoid it, there comes a time when we realize it would be nice to get the planning out of the way so that we don't burden a loved one with the task.

If you are at that point in your life you probably have several questions regarding pre-planning for a headstone and I am here to help.

The first thing people ask me when they begin pre-planning for their headstone is: "Do I get the headstone now or just pay for it to be placed later?"
The answer is that you have it placed now. Most monument companies do not have the insurances, bonds, trusts or anything else in place to safeguard or track your funds for years to come. Therefore, it is the industry norm to make the stone and immediately place it in the cemetery. Of course your name and birth date will have been engraved and there will be a blank space for your death date inscription.

The second thing people ask is what needs to be done to the stone after they pass. The answer to that varies depending upon the familiy's situation. In most cases you don't need to do anything more than to contract us to engrave the date of death on the stone. However, in the case of a Veteran you will need to order your VA stone and contact us to place it for you.

The third thing people are typically surprised about is that all future engraving, including the inscription of the date of death, IS NOT included in the price of the headstone. The reason for this is that we do not have the ability to track or safeguard your funds for years to come. Therefore, we only accept payment when the services are needed.

The last question most folks ask is how to get started. If you are interested in pre-planning for your headstone, we recommend that you start by gaining an idea of what you are interested in. This may be done by simply walking through cemeteries or browsing through photos online. In doing this you will discover elements that you do and do not like about memorials and will gain a sense of what you think is appropriate for yourself.

If you are considering pre-planning for your memorial or have questions about creating a headstone, please contact Emerson Monument Company and visit with us about the process. Our staff is kind, friendly and informative and will "hold your hand" through the entire process.