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The Memory Box - a unique artwork made with your keepsakes and memories  

Let me create a little world around those precious small mementos that take you straight back to happy moments whenever you look at them.

A large Memory Box about a great-grandma with objects and photos
Detail of a Memory Box showing an old toy car
A Memory Box about an olive tree

If you find other remembrance products too generic, you've come to the right place. When you order a Memory Box from me, your story and memories will become the basis of a one-of-a-kind artwork. My Memory Boxes are remembrance art that really is about the person you loved, but also about you and the fact that you're still around to enjoy life. Prices start at € 495 for a small Memory Box with one or two objects. Larger artworks with several objects are € 2495. 


While this page focuses on memorial art, Memory Boxes can be used to commemorate basically anything. Weddings, anniversaries, phases of life, pets, you name it. The process is the same - making art based on your emotions and recollections.


This page hopefully contains everything you need to know, but if you can't find what you're looking for, just drop me a line. We can also schedule a free 15-minute phone call so that you can get answers to all your questions.

When you lose someone you love, it's like a line running through your life. Everything's either before or after - they're different worlds.

But the love doesn't stop. The love remains.

So you find yourself wondering how to build a new life from the pieces you are left with, even though you're struggling to imagine what it could look like. Sometimes you want to retreat from the world even though you can hear your late husband whispering to you that he wants you to enjoy the time you have left on this earth, even if he is no longer around to share it with you.


It's the little things

The painful task of going through your husband’s belongings is behind you. Besides the many things you could not hold on to, there were some that you simply couldn’t imagine not keeping. Mundane, small things they might be, but they are a portal to your memories – your husband and your relationship live on in them.

You keep them in a drawer and take them out from time to time to caress them fondly – the silver key to the garden shed that was your first love nest before you got married; the beautiful brass ruler that was a fixture on your husband’s desk and carries the patina of many years of use; the picture of your husband proudly riding his first bike at the age of five. These mementos conjure up his presence.
 
You’d love to find a way of bringing these objects together to let them tell the story of his life – having them lying around in your drawer doesn’t do justice to their emotional importance. You’d like to display them more prominently in order to keep his memory alive. But you’d like this display to be something positive, not weighed down by your grief and loneliness. Something that reminds you that you are still alive and that there is beauty still to be found in the world.


 My remembrance art

About two years ago, I found a little orange cardboard box at a thrift shop. Curiously, I lifted the lid and discovered a collection of stamps in neat little piles. I could feel the devotion and energy that the owner of the stamps had put into his or her hobby. It felt like I was looking at a concentrated expression of somebody’s life, and this discovery moved me profoundly.

I decided right there and then that I wanted to do something with it. It took a while for inspiration to find me, but when it did, I knew I had hit upon something of great potential. I am grateful to Joseph Cornell and his shadow boxes for planting the seed of this idea in me about a decade ago.

What I offer is both a memorial to someone you loved and a reminder to you that you yourself are still alive. I use my gift for creating worlds in collage to give you a piece of art that fuses the material and the immaterial aspects of your memories – your keepsakes as well as the emotions connected with them.


Imagine...

...a piece of art that brings you joy whenever you look at it. A unique work that is composed around your memories of who your loved one was, what he or she liked and how you spent your life together – and on the keepsakes from your drawer. A little world in itself that fits the interior of your home. Imagine how this life in a box will keep your memories alive while also reminding you that you are still here to enjoy it.

Introducing the Memory Box

A one-of-a-kind piece of art that immortalizes your loved one while reminding you that you’re still alive.

  • A compact piece that can be hung on a wall or displayed on a sideboard or table.
  • Your most valued small mementos and your story woven into a portrait of the life of your loved one.
  • A powerful reminder of who you were together.
  • Memory art that is very much about your loved one and your memories, not about an abstract concept.
  • Art that captures the immaterial as well as the material.
    Detail of a Memory Box about a great-grandma with a picture and objects

    What you will get

    • A unique 3D collage that weaves together your small objects, photographs, documents and other memorabilia and is infused with the story you’re going to tell me.
    • An intimate live conversation with me about the person you wish to immortalize (duration: about two hours). 
    • A box of your choice (either from my vintage box selection or from my list of new display boxes)
    • All the hardware you need to hang your Memory Box on a wall.
    • Free shipping with a reliable courier service.

    Why commission a Memory Box?

    You could easily pay hundreds of Euros for a mass-produced urn or a piece of memorial jewelry that captures nothing about the spirit of the person you’ve lost.
     
    Or you could receive a piece of art that really is about this person and your feelings about them, and honors the objects that your memories are connected with. A tribute that keeps these treasured memories alive, brings you joy and reminds you that there is so much left to experience in your life, despite your loss.


    By the way - memorial art might be covered by your burial/funeral insurance policy - contact your insurer to find out if this applies to you.

    Pricing

    SMALL

    (WITH UP TO TWO OBJECTS)


    € 495


    This includes a two-hour conversation with me and free shipping. See the FAQs for more details.


    A small Memory Box with one object about a hike in the Alps


    This is an example of a small Memory Box with one object (the stone on top).

    LARGE

    (WITH MORE THAN TWO OBJECTS)


    € 2495


    This includes a two-hour conversation with me and free shipping. See the FAQs for more details.


    A large Memory Box about a great-grandma with objects and pictures


    This is an example of a large Memory Box with several objects. 

    Any doubts or questions? Get in touch with me and we’ll schedule a free 15-minute phone call so that you can get all your questions answered.

    Who this is for - and who it is not for

    This is not for you if



    • you’d like to know exactly what your Memory Box will look like beforehand, or would like to influence the creation process. Fusing all the pieces together into a meaningful whole is an unpredictable process. If you’d like to stay in control, your best bet is to try and make your own memory box (sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of this page if this calls to you – chances are I will be offering workshops in the future.)
      
    • you feel all your objects must be included in the artwork. I’ll do my best to integrate them all, but sometimes it might be impossible due to their size or other factors that are difficult to predict. However, I’ll be listening closely to learn which pieces hold the most value for you and I’ll try to make sure they’re included.
      
    • you’d like to be able to return the Memory Box in case you don’t like it, and receive a refund.



    This is perfect for you if

    ​

    • you’re happy to give me creative license to create a unique work of art for you with the mementos, photographs and documents that you provide to me (they will not be harmed, I promise – see more about that here!)
      
    • you’re fine with not knowing exactly how your Memory Box will turn out because you know you’ll receive a one-of-a-kind artwork.
      
    • you can live with the possibility that one or more items might not be included in the finished work.
      
    • you accept that I don’t offer returns or refunds. (You will, however, always get back the originals of your documents and pictures, and your objects won’t be harmed in the creation of the Memory Box – see more about this in the FAQ section below.)



    Still not sure if this is for you? Get in touch with me and we’ll schedule a free 15-minute phone call so that you can get all your questions answered.

    Pick your vintage box before it's gone

    Once you've decided that you'd like me to make a Memory Box for you, I'll send you a link to the current selection of new and vintage boxes I work with. The new boxes come from art supply shops. The vintage boxes, however, are one-of-a-kind finds from my (rather frequent) visits to various second-hand shops. As a consequence, as soon as somebody reserves a vintage box, no one else can have it and it disappears from the list. So if you like a bit of patina, make sure that you take your pick before someone else beats you to it! If you're not sure whether the box you favor is the right size, get in touch and I'll help you choose.
     
    I put an incredible amount of care into each of my hand-made memory boxes. Many hours or even days of thought and experimentation are needed to find just the right combination of elements to create the atmosphere I am looking for. Therefore, I can only make a limited amount of Memory Boxes per month. The sooner you get in touch with me, the sooner I can start working on your very own box.

    How I treat your valuables

    I know that your personal keepsakes, pictures and other documents are very valuable to you, and I’ll handle them with the utmost care. I won't use any original photos or documents to make your Memory Box, unless you want me to. Instead, I will make high-quality copies and work with those so you’ll get all your originals back unaltered.
     
    If you want to be able to remove your little objects from the Memory Box, I'll attach them with magnets or in other removable ways. 

    FAQs

    If anything remains unclear after you've read the FAQs, just drop me a line or schedule your free, 15-minute phone call! 

    The smaller version with one or two objects is € 495. The larger version with more than two objects is € 2495 (every additional object makes the creation process more complex and requires more time). Both include a personal conversation with me (offline or online, approx. 2 hours) and free, insured shipping of the finished Memory Box with a reliable carrier. Prices include VAT.

    • The prices: € 495 for the small box and € 2495 for the large one (including VAT).
    • Methods: I'll send you payment links from Mollie that allow various methods (iDEAL/Wero, credit cards and others).
    • First payment: € 125 (including VAT) before the conversation, credited against the price.
    • The rest: you get a payment link after the conversation, for the balance of € 370 (small Memory Box) or € 2370 (large Memory Box), and you have two weeks to pay it.
    • If you decide not to go ahead: you owe nothing more, and you’ve paid only the € 125.

    Turnaround time depends on a number of factors. Your Memory Box will be made to order after we've had our initial conversation and after I've received your payment and your keepsakes (more information below). Then, allow at least two weeks for the creation process itself. The best estimate for the entire process from your initial message to delivery is about five weeks. 


    If you have a rush order or a specific delivery date such as an anniversary, please get in touch and I'll see what I can do. 

     I ship to all EU countries. If you live outside the EU, please get in touch and I'll see what can be done. The price of a Memory Box includes free, insured shipping with a reliable carrier, including tracking information. Your Memory Box is carefully padded and packed so it arrives in the same condition it left my studio. I use eco-conscious packaging materials. If you live in or around Amsterdam, I will personally deliver the finished box to you. 


    Please note that shipping costs for sending me your keepsakes, photographs and documents are not included.


    If the Memory Box is a gift for someone else, it can be shipped directly to the recipient with a gift card included and no mention of the price.

    Every Memory Box is made to order using your personal keepsakes, photos and documents. It is an artwork intended exclusively for you. Therefore, refunds are not possible. If in doubt, please revisit the section on who this is for and who it is not for on this page. You don't have to decide immediately - if you want to talk to me first, we can schedule a free phone call. But even if we've already had our 2-hour personal conversation, you still have two weeks to decide whether you want to order a Memory Box or not. If you decide not to go ahead with it, you pay only for the conversation (see 'How and when do I pay').

    1. You tell me you’d like a Memory Box. Any questions can be settled in a free 15-minute phone call.
    2. I give you access to the catalogue of available boxes, and we agree when and how to have our conversation.
    3. We have our conversation (about 2 hours, offline or online). It’s the basis of the creative process, and it’s invoiced separately beforehand (€ 125, part of the total price).
    4. You then have two weeks to decide. If you go ahead, you pay the remainder (see 'How and when do I pay?'). If not, you owe nothing more and have paid only the € 125.
    5. You send me your keepsakes (unless I've collected them in person).
    6. Once I’ve received the payment and your keepsakes, I make your box. I’ll keep you informed of the expected delivery date.
    7. Your box is delivered.

    My Memory Boxes are condensed life stories that are based on emotion instead of facts. Celebrating the life of someone I’ve never met requires that I get a good feeling for who this person was and why they are being missed. I also need to get to know you as the one who is asking me to make a lasting memorial for somebody you loved.
     
    We’re going to sit down and talk to each other – or rather, I’ll mostly be listening to you. You can show me everything you’d like me to include in your Memory Box and tell me the stories connected with each item and the way it makes you feel. This conversation will take between one and two hours. Since I am multilingual, we might be able to have this conversation in your native language.
     
    Given the intimate nature of a conversation like this, I'd really like to meet you in person and at your house if you don't live too far away. Once you get in touch with me, I'll decide whether this is an option in your case. If it is, you won't have to pay extra for me to come and see you. 


    Whenever meeting in person is impossible, we'll meet online for a video call.

    I know how valuable your keepsakes are to you. I'll handle them with utmost care. If we meet in person (see previous question), I'll take all the ‘ingredients’ for your Memory Box home with me. I’ll bring a crate in which they can be transported safely.
     
    If we meet online, you’ll need to mail me everything you want me to include in your memory box. Please note that shipping costs are not included in the price.
     
    Whenever possible, I’ll deliver the finished Memory Box to you myself, including any items that I couldn’t incorporate (see here) as well as any originals of your pictures and documents that are not in the box (see here). If personal delivery is not an option, I’ll mail your finished Memory Box to you with a reliable courier service – safely packaged, insured and at no extra cost to you.

    When you contact me to talk about a Memory Box, I'll send you the catalogue of available boxes. You can choose from a range of new ones that I buy at art supply shops. Or you can pick one of the vintage boxes. I find them at flea markets, second-hand shops etc. They are one-of-a-kind, so if you see one you like, make sure to reserve it as soon as possible. If, for whatever reason, you find it difficult to make a choice, get in touch and I'll help you choose. 

    There are countless remembrance products out there. Most of them are very generic and reveal nothing about the person you want to remember. Even items that incorporate a small amount of their ashes don’t tell you anything personal about them. Even so, many of these products still carry a huge price tag. But what strikes me as even more important than their price is that they are essentially about death, not about life, because they will always be linked to the loss of the person you loved.
     
    A Memory Box, on the other hand, is multidimensional. It can evoke a much broader range of emotions since its message is mainly about your loved one’s life and what they meant to you, not their death. It is like a time capsule, a life story in a box.
     
    Making a Memory Box is a time-consuming process. A process grounded in getting to know you and the person you’d like to celebrate. As a result, there will never be another box like it in the whole world, simply because the person you’ve lost was unique. 

    No. As a rule, I make high-quality copies of any photographs or documents provided to me and I work with those. (Unless you want me to use the originals, of course - but then they will almost certainly be cut up.)
     
    I'll handle all your originals with great care and will return them to you together with the finished box. 

    No problem at all. The vintage boxes usually require a lick of paint, anyway, and the new ones can also be given a different color.

    If you’d like the objects to be removable, I'll attach them with magnets or in other non-permanent ways.

    Sure! Anything you find worth remembering can become the topic of a Memory Box. For example, I made this little box about a hiking vacation in the Austrian Alps.