A Circle of Care
A Sacred Mourning exists within a wider landscape of care, ceremony, grief, and remembrance, and while my work focuses on jewellery There are many moments in loss where other kinds of support may be needed.
This page gathers people and services whose work I feel sits with care, integrity, and a genuine respect for the deeply personal nature of grief. These are not simply businesses, but practitioners, makers, and guides whose approach may be helpful when planning a farewell, creating a memorial space, choosing flowers, or finding support around the practical and emotional realities of death and remembrance.
The Last Hurrah
funeral directors
The Last Hurrah are funeral directors offering personal, creative, and carefully held farewells, but my recommendation of them is also deeply personal.
The Last Hurrah held Ivy’s vigil and funeral service for us, and I do not have words strong enough to properly express what their care meant in such an impossible time. From beginning to end, their whole team worked with patience, respect, gentleness, and an extraordinary understanding of how to support a family through something no family should ever have to face.
Nothing felt rushed, formulaic, or impersonal. Every part of the process was held with care, and they gave us space to create a farewell that felt meaningful, honest, and true to Ivy. In the midst of something devastating, what they offered was not just a service, but a shelter.
Their approach is grounded in transparency, creativity, and respect, with clear pricing, sustainable coffin options, and a willingness to shape ceremonies and end-of-life rituals around the person being honoured. They do not offer church-based services, but do work with clergy of all faiths in neutral settings, and are open to farewells that sit outside conventional expectations.
I recommend them with my whole heart to anyone seeking a funeral, vigil, wake, or memorial that feels human, thoughtful, and deeply held.
Clare James
Art & Floristry
Clare James is an artist, florist, gardener, and maker based in the Yarra Valley, whose work is deeply informed by the natural world, gardens, wild places, ecology, and the fragile beauty of living things. Her creative practice moves between painting, sculpture, floristry, and installation, bringing together close observation, material sensitivity, and a strong relationship with place.
My recommendation of Clare is also deeply personal. Clare created the floral work and visual display for Ivy’s ceremony, and while it was never the way we would have wanted to experience her craftsmanship, the care, thought, and gentle presence she brought to that process meant more than I can properly express.
The final result was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, not in a decorative sense alone, but in the way it helped hold the space, honour Ivy, and give our little girl a ceremony that felt tender, considered, and true. In a time where so much felt impossible, Clare’s work became a crucial part of how that day was shaped, and an important part of our own healing.
For memorial and farewell settings, Clare’s floristry offers something more personal and grounded than conventional arrangements, with work that feels connected to nature, season, gesture, and meaning. Her floral pieces may be especially suited to those wanting flowers that feel intimate, thoughtful, and deeply expressive, whether for ceremony, altar spaces, animal tributes, or personal acts of remembrance.
Website: https://www.clarejames.art/
