Highly original stuff. Check out his website, where you can also purchase a copy of his book. peterclarkcollage.com

On the subject of glass…Personal Temples create hand blown pet urns which are a work of art and priced accordingly. But I’m all for high art which is also functional and our best friends are definitely worth it.  Modern, creative, vibrant, highly individual are all words that spring to mind when you see these urns.There’s even a blue, 80’s looking urn which I had to include for those die hard 80’s fans who love bright colours and triangles, squares and those trademark zig zag lines.

Another favourite of mine is their pumpkin urn – its truly original and does not look like a traditional urn. It looks like a pumpkin…

And their onyx urn which is black with the flame looking thingy on top is my absolute favourite. Perfect for a pet who is fiery and has a lot of spirit.

This Etched Cat Urn from Purring in Paradise is also classy, modern and made from brass so its solid and wont shatter. Located at www.purringinparadise.com/shop.

Also available from the same online store is this urn titled “Cats in the mist”. Its understated, peaceful and just how we remember cats; quiet and distinguished.

Campbell Porcelain Cremation Urns are also quite stunning. They are created by one of America’s leading art potters – Bill Campbell, who dates and signs each urn. Check out what he has to offer on www.porcelaincremationurns.com.

I’ve seen some wearable pet urns, a lot of them have been quite tacky, not something you would want to wear. I found a teardrop wearable pet urn which is modernish and looks like a normal piece of elegant jewelery. I’m not a fan of the chain, I would change that, but the teardrop is slick and relevant. Its engraved with your pets name which is a nice touch. These pendants, also available as love hearts and stars (bit tacky and not as nice as the teardrop) can be purchased from forgetmenotpeturns.com

Memories do get fuzzy, so its great to look back at photo’s to trigger them.  I have a special photo album for each cat which is hand stitched and selected to match their personalities.  For example Nash’s photo album has a big heart on it – because she is the kindest, most gentle little soul I have ever come across. These great albums can be picked up from Oxfam or specialist paper stores. Here are some examples of what I mean.

This Fairtrade ivory hand embriodered album is available from Cherry Blossom Favours.

There are a few places around Asia making Albums with natural products like leaves, bark, cinnamon sticks etc all hand made. The one featured is from BeautifulStuff.com

This textured and fun album is available from Etsy who have hundreds of handmade photo albums for sale. This piece was made by Mama Painter and the plaque made from clay on the front cover actually says “Believe” (to me the L looks like a T but anyhoo… its still a beautiful album).

Parkside Harmony from the Etsy store hand makes these very elegant albums using stonehenge heavyweight paper. They are hand cut, ripped and hand sewn. The process takes 2-3 weeks. For pet photo’s it’s worthwhile buying a handmade album, as each one is unique (just like our pets). Department Store bought items are never as special.

Marquessbridal specialises in wedding albums but to me they could also be used for pet photo’s. Also available from Etsy.

Available from…you guessed it – Etsy is Gertie Dots work. The item shown here is for a wedding but all albums are customizable so you just send your request through to Gertie Dot and she does the rest.

Another company that uses this technique is “Curious Art Glass”, a small custom shop specia1izing in stained glass portraits. http://www.curiousartglass.com

How would you like to have a pumpkin carved to look like your favorite dog breed?  Check out these and several other designs and get FREE downloadable stencil patterns from Better Homes and Gardens!  Designs by Diane Starkey.

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/halloween/pumpkin-carving/your-best-carved-halloween-pumpkins/

www.square-designs.com uses a technique called “intarsia” to create pet portraits. Its an interesting effect.  Intarsia is a woodworking technique that uses varied shapes, sizes and species of wood that are fitted together to create a 3-dimensional, mosaic-like picture. Intarsia is created through the selection of different types of wood, using their natural grain pattern and color (but can involve the use of stains and dyes) to create variations in the pattern. After selecting the specific woods to be used within the pattern, each piece of wood is then individually cut, shaped, and sanded. Sometimes, additional pieces of plywood are used to raise areas of the pattern to create more depth. Once the individual pieces are finished, they are fit together like a jig-saw puzzle and glued to a piece of wood backing (baltic birch, plywood). The backing is then cut to the outline shape of the final product. Once the glue holding the individual pieces of wood on the backing is set, a final layer of finish is applied to complete the project.