Passing of Pets

[Rbarleatherworks]

Hi all

I just had to say goodbye to my best friend in the entire world a couple days ago, such a huge loss .

My question is ... is anyone doing any kind of Memorial Items for the loss of a pet. 

I have some hair from her and was thinking about a bracelet but not quite sure how to go about that.  I found two sites that do horse hair items but not with dog hair (I guess it is to thin and short).

I am working on a picture frame for my 3 yr. old cousin who just loved my dog dearly, but would love to do something with her hair. 

Any suggestions are Welcome.... Thanks so much

Regan

Regan (3).bmp

[TomWisc]

Hi Regan,

Sorry for your loss. My dog is my best friend also and dread the day we have to say goodbye.

I am not sure how to incorporate hair into a leather item but I do glass fusing and know people have incorporated pet ashes into a glass item. Most do like a pendent that can be worn on a chain.  You might do something like that and incorporate into a leather bracelet or something.

Let me know if you want any info on glass working forums, etc.

Tom

 

[Smartee]

So sorry for your loss   I know that some of the places that make the horsehair jewelry also do shorter hair encased in a resin of some type.  Google "animal hair keepsakes" or "dog hair keepsakes".  Lots of choices come up on Etsy for those.

[Alexis1234]

I'm so sorry for your loss... I lost my constant companion of 19 years on December 15- I saved some hair. I'm in the same boat- don't know how to incorporate it in leather work. I was going to encase it in acrylic resin for a necklace, or I was going to try to do his  pawprints and a nice poem in leather( a picture frame type thing).

[Northmount]

Just a couple thoughts.  You could mount a piece of leather in the shape of a dog, or paw prints, etc. on a piece of mat board, place some of the hair across part of it, or beside the shape you picked, and frame it with a non-reflective glass.  Even a swatch of hair over a good photograph would do the trick.

Hope this is enough to jog your thinking cells.

Loss of a long term pet is traumatic.  We won't be getting any more pets.  Our cats were very difficult for us to put down when they became ancient and very ill.

Tom

[Rbarleatherworks]

On 1/25/2019 at 10:10 AM, TomWisc said:

Hi Regan,

Sorry for your loss. My dog is my best friend also and dread the day we have to say goodbye.

I am not sure how to incorporate hair into a leather item but I do glass fusing and know people have incorporated pet ashes into a glass item. Most do like a pendent that can be worn on a chain.  You might do something like that and incorporate into a leather bracelet or something.

Let me know if you want any info on glass working forums, etc.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom I appreciate your suggestions.... This has been the hardest thing I have had to do.   I just picked up her ashes today.

I did find a site online called Tail Spin Bracelets and they do a glass globe pendant which might be nice.. not quite sure just yet its all still pretty raw but I sure want to have something special.

If you would check out their site and let me know if that is what you were thinking of.

Thanks again

Regan

[Rbarleatherworks]

On 1/25/2019 at 10:17 AM, Smartee said:

So sorry for your loss   I know that some of the places that make the horsehair jewelry also do shorter hair encased in a resin of some type.  Google "animal hair keepsakes" or "dog hair keepsakes".  Lots of choices come up on Etsy for those.

Thanks so much Smartee for that tip ... I did look and you were right there are lots that come up, didn't really see anything that caught my eye though but I will keep on looking

Thanks again

Regan

[TomWisc]

Hi Regan,

I will check out their site. Also I will try to find the references I mentioned in a few other FB groups that do glass fusing. It will be tomorrow before I can do this, getting late tonight. 

Tom

 

[Rbarleatherworks]

On 1/25/2019 at 12:51 PM, Alexis1234 said:

I'm so sorry for your loss... I lost my constant companion of 19 years on December 15- I saved some hair. I'm in the same boat- don't know how to incorporate it in leather work. I was going to encase it in acrylic resin for a necklace, or I was going to try to do his  pawprints and a nice poem in leather( a picture frame type thing).

I am very sorry for your loss... this is absolutely the worst experience of my life

How would you use resin to make a charm .. Ive never used resin for anything before.  Is that how they make those globes and such on ETSY under Dog Hair Keepsakes?

3 minutes ago, TomWisc said:

Hi Regan,

I will check out their site. Also I will try to find the references I mentioned in a few other FB groups that do glass fusing. It will be tomorrow before I can do this, getting late tonight. 

Tom

 

No worries .. thanks so much Tom

 

[Rbarleatherworks]

13 hours ago, Northmount said:

Just a couple thoughts.  You could mount a piece of leather in the shape of a dog, or paw prints, etc. on a piece of mat board, place some of the hair across part of it, or beside the shape you picked, and frame it with a non-reflective glass.  Even a swatch of hair over a good photograph would do the trick.

Hope this is enough to jog your thinking cells.

Loss of a long term pet is traumatic.  We won't be getting any more pets.  Our cats were very difficult for us to put down when they became ancient and very ill.

Tom

Thanks so much Tom for you suggestions, the pain I am feeling is almost unbearable but I know it will get better, each day seems to be. 

I will get another but not for a while, still need some time. It took me 2 years when my last dog passed to even think about getting another and then I got Bailey and I just cant even imagine my last 13 years without her love.

[RockyAussie]

I am sorry but this picture makes the pain so real and has made that thinking part of me go into overtime. To quote you - "I have some hair from her and was thinking about a bracelet but not quite sure how to go about that". I can think of all sorts of elaborate ways  but here' a thought - What about a tassel of hair done up like a small tassel like a charm. Stick a line of hairs down onto some sticky tape about 1/4" up from the edge and make them in a row a few inches along. Then firmly roll the sticky tape around on itself until it is perhaps 3/8" in diameter. Whilst rolling the tape try and keep it from closing at the end so that it leaves a hole into which you can put in some clear sealer to start with. When that has dried off make a loop of leather to go down into the hole and put some araldite in and place in the loop to dry again. Then make a circular piece of leather to cover the top and a little of the outer edges and stick that into place. Follow this by making a leather band to wrap around the tape and finish it off.  These pictures below are done a bit along the lines I am trying to describe and probably help to make it clearer. You can attach it to a bracelet or whatever you like then.

[Northmount]

10 hours ago, Rbarleatherworks said:

then I got Bailey

Beautiful dog!

Tom

[TomWisc]

Hi Regan,

I looked at the web site for Tail Spin Bracelets and they have some nice items for hair. First time I have seem their products.

With regards to using ashes in glass, following is a Face Book forum that addresses putting pet ashes in glass. Basically the way this works is the ashes are placed usually between 2 layers of glass and it all is melted together in a kiln at about 1475 degrees creating one solid piece of glass containing the ashes.  The glass can be formed into different shapes & different colors of glass can be used.

Assuming you use Face Book: type "fused glass fanatics" in the 'search' bar at the top of your screen.

When their page comes up, on the left side of your screen is a bar "search this group"

type "pet ashes" in this bar and it will bring you to dozens of members discussing how to do this and also several who will use pet ashes in glass for a customer.

If you can't find this info let me know.

Tom