The Beginning – Kaisi’s Heart

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How it began –

This all started when a co-worker had seen some of my acrylic pour artwork and asked me if I could incorporate ashes into a paint pour. Well, yes, I could, but the ashes would be better served set in something that captures them in a way that is beautiful and discreet. I started practicing with resin in jewelry molds incorporating the ashes into them. While these will be offered for custom pieces, this was just the beginning of the journey.

This paralleled the 1 year anniversary of my Mom’s passing. I lost my Mom to an Ischemic Stroke on April 3rd 2018, and since then life has felt shorter to me. I’ve always known my parents wishes upon their death, so I knew ashes were in my future. I just never knew how much they could mean to me. Then, it wasn’t just a little over a year from losing my Mom, and my Niece left this earth early at only 33. For her 34^th Birthday there will be a celebration memorial. I am preparing. I am testing. I had an epiphanous design idea. Microsoft says “epiphanous” is not a word, but it just sounds right to me. Whatever Word… I’ve seen worse on Auto-correct. Anyhow, moving on… Losing two significant family members so closely can get a person to thinking, dwelling…  regardless, the Memorial is coming. It’s time to plan to work effectively. I need 50 pendants with red, blue and ashes which will be her favorite of silver, along with a request for the 4 girls along with her sister who were there until at her passing. I am setting aside my Mom for now, but she does factor in here at a point, trust me.

Employing all my craftiness and love for tools and mixed media, I have begun designing a memorial pendant that can encompass a myriad of needs not only for my Sister’s request, but for anyone who appreciates having a memorial of loved ones. The pendants which I have been working on will be developed in all sizes from pendants to sun catchers or wall art. 

Getting it on paper – The progression of the thought process of the design.

I needed to incorporate several requests into this one piece. Heart shape, Red and Blue colors and silver.

Laying out the pieces of the wood heart pendant puzzle, sketching placement and writing down thoughts. I began stringing the pieces together with symbolization. 

Wood heart – Kaisi’s last name is Wood. So I immediately wanted to do something natural with it. I had cedar wood just waiting for a purpose. Cedar also has a red heart, which pulls in her birthstone color of Ruby, so I sliced them down and starting mapping out the plan. 

I needed a name— Kaisi’s Keepsake? Kaisi’s Heart? Since the design is inspired by the special request I felt it should carry her name at least. I was sure by the time I was done I’d have that figured out.

This design was created to symbolize a jagged and broken raw heart. That which we feel when we lose a loved one. We covered the red for Ruby, but her favorite color was blue. She also only liked silver jewelry. How to incorporate all of that? Ashes in resin take on a silver metallic look, so I deemed that appropriate for her favorite silver jewelry. The blue! Well, that would be the resin coloring. 

Memorial ashes are then fused either into the river of resin that brings the heart back together and mends it, or into a hole or heart shape in the wood itself and then pieced together with a river of resin. 

When all of the steps came together, and the finished piece revealed to my sister I was certain I had created the most unique Memorial piece that will be cherished for a lifetime more.

I added a neon mica powder into the red, so it glows under blacklight. I feel like it embraces Kaisi’s fiery spirit.

There are so many alternatives to the process that makes each piece unique, and it doesn’t even include the variations in the wood. Resin colors, adding in embellishments or other types of keepsakes can be incorporated.

For my oldest niece, Logan, Kaisi’s sister, I knew I needed to go a step further to include my Mom’s ashes as well as her sister’s. A couple of questions later and I brainstormed her piece. To her, my Mom represented a gold color, which was her birthstone, Topaz. For Kaisi, blue. Using the same format but altering it to her liking I was able to create the perfect keepsake. 

**Please note – Kaisi’s Heart refers to this style of pendant, it will be produced for sale with no ashes and is a Trademarked name for this item. If you decide on a Kaisi’s Heart with your own loved ones ashes, that means that your piece is truly one of a kind from the beginning. Add to that your ability to choose the colors you want and you are ensured that your keepsake is special.

Stay tuned for updates! I am developing Kaisi’s Heart to be in various sizes as well as other memorial items in resin. I have some Kaisi’s Heart pieces without ashes coming up for sale in the Etsy store. See you soon!

Please send a message if you are interested in designing your own Kaisi’s Heart keepsake. 

Thank you so much for reading through my ramblings. The mind of a creative person can be messy at times.