Create A Memorial Book

A memorial book is a written record of the passing of a loved one. It can be recorded in a scrapbook, video, webpage, or diary. There is no wrong way to keep the memories of your heart. Some suggested inclusions in a memorial book are:
Obituaries
Eulogies
Stories shared by family and friends
Pictures--Do not be afraid to have pictures if they are already deceased. There are times when that is the only instance where you can take a picture, such as in my case. You can read more about taking pictures of the deceased at the end of this lens.
Family Tree
Cards of Sympathy
Dried flowers

Little did I know, but in January of 2009 a new life had begun. As with my other two pregnancies, I had no symptoms. Some women talk of morning sickness, but with all 3 of my pregnancies I never suspected anything until well into the second month. By March, I had what I thought was a normal period. I had suspected I was pregnant, but then figured that with a period I was not pregnant as I had suspected.
In April, I then had the signs. I knew it for sure and confirmed my pregnancy with a home pregnancy test. I immediately made an appointment with my doctor. She could not get me in until May, so I had to eagerly wait.

On May 11, I stayed at work until 9 pm. There was an awards ceremony which I had to coordinate. I came home around 9:30. As soon as I walked downstairs to greet my husband, he noticed blood. My first reaction was maybe I wasn't pregnant. I went to Wal-Mart and bought a home pregnancy test. I took it in the public stall in the store and called my husband when it came up positive. He made arrangements for the kids and met me at the hospital. The doctor ran tests and listened to the healthy heartbeat. He tried to prepare me by saying tissue would pass. I cringe now thinking of those words. Tissue??

"Nothing prepared me for what happened."
I was told nothing could be done and an ultrasound was scheduled for the morning. We went home and waited for the ultrasound appointment. I did not sleep all night due to cramping. There was no blood, but I continued to cramp. My husband left for work while I rested until the appointment. I was on bedrest, and I laid there until 9:30 am. I needed to use the bathroom, and out he came. All 1 pounds of him. Fully formed "tissue"..yeah right. He was a fully formed 19 week old baby.

What happened next was a whirlwind of rushing to the ER, going by ambulance to another facility for surgery to remove the placenta, losing 50% of my blood volume, passing out, and slowly recovering in my hospital bed. In the middle of all this, my husband had the clearmindedness to ask someone to take pictures. You see we never had baby blankets, no baby book, no booties, nothing to remember him by. Pictures, though, are the connection we now have to him. Months later, I started on a scrapbook for him. I feel that healing has begun by doing this. I also plan on using this book as a testimony to his life.

The ultrasound pictures are from www. breastfeedingmums.com. We were scheduled for our first ultrasound an hour after he was born, so we never had one for our memorial book.

Nothing is more hands on than scrapbooking your memorial book. You can personalize it and add mementos of your loved one's death. Be sure to save cards, flowers, newspaper clippings. These more personalized items will make your pages stand out and give it that special touch. . You can make a truly amazing keepsake.
Before you begin, you will need to have the right equipment and know the basics of creating a scrapbook page. So let's look at the basics before you begin..

Adhesives come in many forms- tape, glue, foam buttons, and strips. Be sure that when you buy adhesive that you look for one that says "made for scrapbooking" or "acid-free". I prefer the dispensers with adhesive strips inside. They are easy to use, but an acid free glue stick will also do the job.

Paper comes in all colors and patterns. The most common sizes are 8X8 and 12X12. These sizes are made for scrapbooks. When choosing what size of scrapbook you want, you may want to think about portability. The smaller size is much more convenient than the 12X12.

Embellishments are so vast in type. Basically anything that is not a picture on the page would be considered an embellishment. Examples include: charms, buttons, fabric, bows, brads. There are endless possibilities, so do not get caught up in the details.

Memory Press will help organize your memorial book. Create an invitation for family and friends to share their photos and memories.


Last-Memories will make a webpage memorial and convert it into a hard copy for you.


Instant Forever will create a memorial book using your photographs and allow family and friends to share their memories.


E book:Create an ebook that can be downloaded onto your computer into high quality photographs.

In order to make a similar page, use an envelope that coordinates with your page. You can either cut off the top flap of the envelope or cut off the back part of an envelope. I then used adhesive tape to secure the envelope back onto the page. This made for a perfect way to store condolence cards that I did not use in scrapbooking.

At Christopher's Closet, we believe in the power of 5. Five dollars helps provide materials to rural hospitals to better prepare them when a family is experiencing a still birth. Hand knitted hats, birth certificates, and blankets are given to families who have lost a baby in still birth. Cameras and other supportive materials are donated to the hospitals. My CafePress shop Always and Forever will give proceeds towards this effort. 10% of those proceeds supports our local pregnancy resource center.