Sympathy Tributes - Casket Sprays

Casket sprays are a tribute to your loved one and many times include the deceased favorite flowers, colors, or interest. This first spray was for a cowboy and the flowers were made on his saddle. The Cowboy rode away in the fall of the year and the family ask me to create a tribute to their dad and pop that would honor him and his interest. 

This was another spray for a very sweet lady. The family ask for an elegant fall mixed spray with sunflowers.

A red and white mixed spray with roses, carnations, fuji mums, and larkspur. 

A red and white mixed casket spray.

100 red roses. 

For the woodsy, outdoor man, this spray had a set of antlers from a deer he had shot.

A fall mixed spray for a beloved baseball and softball coach and supporter. Balls were placed in the top of his spray.

My only guidelines for this spray was "colorful for the manly, man." Orange lilies, high and magic roses, blue hydrangeas, dasies, solidago, berries, liatris and curly willow branches were used for this piece. 

Another  mixed spray for a man featuring a mixture of colors and flowers. 

For this spray, I was told it was a pinky/mauve casket and please make something nice. Knowing that one of the family members loved red roses, I handpicked a mixture of pink flowers, stargazer lilies, and red roses for an elegant feminine spray. I delivered the spray and saw the lady was wearing a red dress and knew the pinks and red flowers were the right combination for her.

A garden style arrangement of pink and purple mixed flowers including roses, lilies, larkspur, callas, alstromerias, stock, delphinum, and snapdragons.

The following sprays were all designed for my family members. This was my dad's saddle and bridle on his casket. My daddy was a rancher, cowboy, and team roper.

 For my great uncle- rich burgundy, brown, bronze flowers.

 For my uncle - the coffee drinker, it was very appropriate that the roses were called "coffee break."

 For Meme- a sweet and pastel garden style spray with pink, lavender, blue, white, and green mixed flowers.

Masculine spring casket spray with yellow, orange, blue, and purple mixed flowers.

I was ask to create a feminine, with a touch of country casket spray in spring colors, but mostly pink and purple. Touches of rope and burlap ribbon where included in this spray to give it a touch of country. I hand picked an assortment of spring blossoms and my client text me after the service "that  EVERYONE loved the casket spray!!!!! It was beautiful and so fitting..."

This was a spring casket spray including her favorite flowers: gladiolas, daffodils, and carnations, along with other spring flowers. It took sourcing flowers from several different locations to find all of her favorites, but I'm glad that I could find them and deliver the request. 

A red, white, and blue casket spray. The customer told me that she had used other shops, but there just wasn't the same care, compassion, service, and heart behind the designs. She also said she got more than her money's worth and was very pleased. 

It is an honor to help create a final tribute for your loved ones and I truly strive to help take care of you in your time of loss. 

Sympathy Tributes - Easel Sprays

Easel sprays are often sent to funerals as a final tribute by family members, friends, businesses, or organizations to pay respects to a loved one. 

Family members many times want coordinating easels to flank each end of the casket from children and/or grandchildren. The first two sprays were fall mixed easels to coordinate for their mom and grandmother. One was more elaborate, while the other was smaller in size. 

Red and white mixed easel. 

Open heart with pink and white flowers.

Cross with white base and pink roses.

Yellow Rose easel.

Pink and white mixed flowers.

Pink and purple mixed easel.

Tropical style easel (please excuse the bad lighting - it was much prettier in person.) 

Mixed easels in blue, orange, red, yellow mixed flowers for each end of the casket. 

For " just an old country man, who loved his cows and tractors" If you look close, you'll see a tractor and cow included in spray from the grandchildren.

Sometimes customers want an wreath that will last or that the family can take home  or leave at the cemetery and keep as a memorial piece. Grapevine wreaths are a good choice for this. The wreath above was for a baby boy, so they want blue burlap roses added into the wreath. I try to keep some silk wreaths made up and ready on short notice. Some will be available in my etsy shop or I usually have some silk flowers on hand to create new pieces. I also try to keep a few crosses that can be added into the wreaths. 

Another alternative to the easel sprays is basket arrangements. Baskets or containers can be used to hold the flowers and then family members can enjoy the flowers at home for several days after the service.

More of the silk wreaths that have been delivered in the past.

For the Cowboy - Western wreaths.

For Meme - a "patchwork - quilted" heart

 For my Daddy, the tractor driver. I made a centerpiece for the coffee table in the estate room with my brother's John Deere tractor and green and yellow flowers. My daddy always taught us to be responsible and "work before play." We baled hay for many customers in the community and had our own farm animals and business to tend to and we always had to finish our jobs, before we could go play at rodeos, 4-H or FFA events. Its those lessons that I remember the most and carry forward to today. I know I must take care of my customers and business, before I engage in other activities.

The following three easels was a combined effort of Angea and myself (she made 2 easels on left.) They were made to coordinate with the spring casket spray in yellow, orange, purple, green, and blue. 

A silk easel with bright spring flowers, that was going to stay at the cemetery for the season.

Red, white, and blue easel. This easel had a hand painted sign, with the deceased Ham radio handle on it. I like being able to include special touches to personalize the tributes.  

The "Buckeye" easel with our local school colors including orange, black, and white flowers and ribbon.