Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I choose the right size urn for my loved one’s ashes?
A: The typical way to calculate the correct size is to allow 1 square inch of space for each pound of weight the person was. If you fall right on the edge of two size choices, we recommend choosing the larger size to assure enough space.
Q: What materials are cremation urns made of?
A: Urns can be created from wood, metal, ceramic, glass. Our urns are created from wood, making them both durable and long lasting.
Q: Can I personalize a cremation urn?
A: Yes, in fact we encourage it. You can create a fully custom design, or choose a ready made design and add your loved one’s name, dates of birth and death, or a favorite poem, a message in their signature, a line of their favorite song lyrics, or a scripture.
Q: How much do cremation urns cost?
A: Urns can cost as low as under $100 for mass produced choices, up into the thousands for more unique and handmade options.
Q: How long does it take to receive a cremation urn after ordering?
A: Urns that are ordered as they are shown in our shop and in stock can be shipped within 1 business day, most custom urns will ship within 5-7 days. If you are facing a time deadline always let us know so we can work with you to create a speedy and accurate urn that fits your needs.
Q: Can I purchase a cremation urn before my loved one passes away?
A: Yes, absolutely. We encourage it when possible. We also are having more and more people design and purchase their own urn exactly how they’d like it. We can then ship it to you to store, or we offer storage options where we can hold onto it until it is needed. In that case we would instruct you how to add our information into your estate plan and let others know of your urn choice and how to be in touch with us when it is needed.
Q: How do I properly care for a cremation urn?
A: Aspen Sky Designs offers wood urns, these urns must be kept indoors when used for display. We recommend keeping them out of high amounts of direct sunlight in order to minimize the fading of the hand painted artwork over the years. Keep your urn in a dry area, not high moisture or exposed to water. To clean, simply wipe with a cleaning cloth or even damp rag gently.
Q: Can I purchase a cremation urn for my pet?
A: Or smallest sizes work great for pet urns. We can create larger sizes if needed for horses or other larger animals as well. We will soon be offering custom pet designs as well.
Q: How do I seal a cremation urn?
A: Our urns do not require sealing if you place your bagged urns inside while still in the bag. If you choose to seal the urn you can use E-6000 adhesive or wood glue. Unscrew the bottom and place a line of glue around the lip of the inner bottom edge. Then replace the cover, screw back tight and allow to dry for 24 hours before placing right side up again.
Q: Can I display a cremation urn in my home?
A: Absolutely. Think of your cremation urn as a work of art combined with a remembrance piece. It is common for people also to choose a design that matches their own taste as well instead of a design that fits their loved one being honored. No guilt if you’d rather have a design that fits your own style.
Q: What is a keepsake urn?
A: A keepsake urn is typically a smaller urn used to store a portion of the ashes. These work great when ashes are divided between siblings or multiple people. Our smallest size urns are around 70 sq inches and work great for this purpose. We also offer sets of keepsake urns. If you’re looking to get coordinating or similar style urns as a group.
Q: How do I fill a cremation urn with my loved one’s ashes?
A: For Aspen Sky Designs urns you may place the entire bag of ashes directly in the urn. If you prefer to empty the ashes out of the bag simply do the following. Lay out newspaper or a towel. Turn your urn upside down, unscrew the cover on the bottom using a Phillips screwdriver. Then snip the corner of the bag or use a funnel, and carefully put the ashes into the urn. (If all the ashes don’t fit you have a couple options. A) ceremoniously scatter the ashes at one or more sentimental places in honor of your loved one. B) Order a larger urn or a 2nd keepsake size urn to place remaining ashes.) After ashes, apply a line of glue to the top of the inner edge that will come in contact with the cover. Then replace the cover and screw on. Allow to dry for 24 hours before replacing urn to upright position.
Q: Can I return a cremation urn if I am not satisfied with it?
A: We want you to love the urn you have chosen to uniquely honor your loved one. We have a 14 day return policy on non-customized urns. If you discover that the urn is not ultimately what you’d like you can return it withing 14 days from the date of shipment. (Urns must be in original condition, no personalization or alterations to have refund approved).
Other considerations when choosing an urn:
It’s time to revolutionize the way we honor our loved ones.
Celebrate their unique life in a way that recognizes and honors what they loved in life, with an urn that will help you feel connected to them each time you see it.
At our family-owned company, we understand how important it is to honor the memory of your loved ones. That’s why we take great pride in hand crafting and hand painting customized cremation urns in our family workshop located on the St. Croix River Valley. Each urn is expertly made with the utmost care and attention to detail.
Our skilled craftsman uses only the finest materials to create beautiful and unique urns tailored to your specific needs. From traditional designs to more contemporary artwork themes, we offer a wide range of options to choose from. We understand that every family is different, which is why we take the time to work with you to create a custom urn that reflects the personality and character of your loved one.
We believe that every life should be celebrated and remembered in a meaningful way. A custom cremation urn from our family-owned company is a beautiful and lasting tribute to your loved one. Let us help you honor their memory with a one-of-a-kind urn that you and your family will cherish for years to come. You are also welcome to view our in-stock designs, these are ready to ship as shown or you can add customized names or messages to the urns. These in stock designs ship out fast as well if you’re looking to have your urn soon.
Why we create custom urns
From Noelle, “Years ago, I remember sitting in the funeral home with my family. We were were deciding which casket to bury my mother in. It was surreal, it was impersonal, it all felt like not enough. I think eventually we chose a cherry wood stained casket. Our reasoning; she once had a fireplace in that finish so she must have liked that finish… To this day, I can’t remember for sure what she was buried in.
I only wish I would have been able to create a casket for her that was perfectly her. One that celebrated her humanness, her love, her love of music and design, her Swedish and German heritage, her being everything to us.
Today, in her honor, I have taken all the ways I wish we could have honored her and poured those ideas and intention into customized cremation urns. I am so honored to create designs full of meaning, personality, and the lasting impression desired for your urn. Whether you’re planning ahead for your own needs, or a family member honoring a loved one; your hand painted urn will be unique, full of sentimentality, and hand crafted here in the United States.”
Where are the urns available?
Our workshop and studio is 1 hour from the Twin Cities, and we can deliver locally. We also ship urns locally and nationwide.
Have a custom urn created
Some examples of past designs include working with a mom who lost her adult daughter, we were emailed an image of a special painting the daughter had created during her life. We were able to recreate that painting wrapped around all sides of her urn. In addition, we were able to work in small paintings of her pets within the painting, and add her name in a nice script as well. In another example a woman sent us a photo of her dad’s drum set, we were able to convert that image of the drum set into a fun rock and roll, vibrant colored urn with his band’s logo on it. His name and dates of birth through death were added to the back of the urn.
Other ideas: The farm they grew up on, a favorite flower, a place or vacation spot that truly made them feel at peace or fully alive, a poem or scripture that they loved, their golf clubs on with their favorite green or view in the background, or even their favorite birds or wildlife scene. We can create it for you.
Examples of custom urns and a peek into the process:
How to choose an urn
When shopping for a cremation urn, buyers should consider the following:
- Size: Ensure the urn is the appropriate size to hold the ashes of your loved one. A good rule of thumb is 1 square inch per pound of their weight. We have the square inches shown on all urns in our shop. When in doubt, order a size larger.
- Material: Choose a material that is durable and appropriate for the intended use and location of the urn. Our urns are made from wood and are intended for display. They can be used for funeral services as well. If you intend to bury the urn you will want to verify the requirements of the cemetery, most require the urn to be placed in an urn vault. The cemetery should be able to help you with this. If you need exact outer dimensions of the urn you have chosen from us, simply ask and we will supply you with that information or supply the cemetery or funeral home directly on your behalf. You can in most states bury the urn directly on your private property, check your local laws to verify. Aspen Sky Designs focuses on urns for inside display, they can also be used for funeral or burial. (We encourage you to take photos of your urn before you bury it).
- Design: Consider the design and style of the urn to ensure it is a fitting tribute to the deceased. This is where Aspen Sky designs in partnership with Noelle Rollins Art shines. We want to make sure you have an urn that you feel captures the personality and humanity of the person you loved. Also note, are you keeping all of the ashes or will you be dividing them between family members? We can offer sets of coordinating urns. Just ask.
- Cost: Determine a budget and compare prices to ensure the urn fits your needs. Urns can range in cost from low up into the thousands. Choose a style and price point that makes you feel good both now and proud to display it for years to come.
- Personalization: Consider personalizing the urn with engravings or other customization options to make it unique and meaningful. Aspen Sky Designs can engrave or hand paint your loved one’s information on your urn. As well as customized colors, flower choices, and even create a fully customized design.
- Timing: We at Aspen Sky Designs fully encourage you to proceed with a time schedule that works best for you. Do not allowed yourself to be pressured into wrapping everything up into a week if that doesn’t best serve you. We know people who have gifted themselves both weeks, and sometimes months before holding a full memorial. All those we have talked with who have chosen to slow down this process have been happy they did so in the long run. This allowed them to process their own grief a bit more before holding a public funeral or celebration of life ceremony. Others will choose to have a temporary standard urn used for the funeral service and have a permanent keepsake created for them to have long term, or multiple keepsake urns when ashes will be divided. We have also supplied new urns to those who lost loved ones years prior and are now looking to upgrade the urn they had originally chosen.
About Aspen Sky Designs
Aspen Sky Designs hand crafts all urns in our family workshop. We are located in the beautiful St. Croix River Valley outside of the Twin Cities. Bruce and Noelle are a husband and wife team who have teamed up in life and now business.
Bruce does the woodworking and has handcrafted all urns. Urns are then hand painted by Noelle, a professional artist of 30+ years. We focus on quality and uniqueness. After experiencing loss ourselves, we are keenly aware of the overwhelm and emotions surrounding deep grief.
Testimonials
My family and I are very appreciative of the lovely urn for our father. ~Monica
Custom urn painted with drums. It’s amazing and exactly what we wanted. It was painted and shipped within a few days. Noelle was so patient with us as we changed our minds a few times. Highly recommended! ~ Nicole
The urn is perfect. Thank you so much! ~ Nancy
I love it! And inspiring. The thought of death can be morbid for many but there is a beauty from it that we need to grasp. Finding those positive things that make a difference and this is one of them. Honoring a man in his finest happiest times and moments treasured. I personally think fishing is awesome. Your creation of a masterpiece of art to partner is perfection. Inspiring indeed. ~Lisa
Amazing experience and wonderful kindness in helping to design a memorial urn box. Very talented and empathic artist. Thank you for sharing your talent and kindness! ~ Kim
Looking for support for your grief? You can find our youtube channel with videos to offer support after loss here
.You can also register above to get your free eBook, 3 things I wish somebody would have told me about the death of a loved one.
General phrases to add to urns:
- eternal
- the end of life is not the end of love
- She lives on in the kindness she showed, the love she shared, and the memories she left us.
- forever in our hearts
- the bond of love continues on
Phrases for floral, nature inspired urns:
- rest in peace, forever growing in our hearts
- may your legacy inspired growth in others
- may you find rest in the everlasting garden
- blossom in the garden of eternity
- eternally blossoming in the gardens of the heavens
Phrase ideas to add to music themed urns:
- forever playing in the music of our hearts
- his music lives on in our memoires
- a true artist that created beauty with every note
- a life that harmonized with the world around him/her.
- May her music continue to transport us to a place of beauty and wonder