PaperTurtleUrns
Announcement
Welcome to Paper Turtle, handmade urns for people & pets by Laura Bruzzese, thanks for visiting! We strive to create custom and readymade urns that best reflect your family members' lives. Readymade urns ship within 1-2 days, custom urns are made-to-order as quickly as possible while giving each urn the care and attention it needs. Turn-around time can vary between 2-6 weeks depending on the design and our production schedule.
**IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A MEMORIAL SCHEDULED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW**. While readymade urns typically ship within 1-3 business days, there are occasionally unforeseen delays; we appreciate your help to ensure your urn is received within the appropriate timeframe. Rush service available.
CUSTOM URNS: We devote our time & attention to each urn as needed; each is unique, and some take longer than others depending on design & our production schedule. I will do my best to keep you updated throughout the process, including any technical issues that may arise (rare, but it happens). Thank you for your patience and understanding with this special work.
SIZING NOTE: The funeral industry standard for measuring appropriate urn capacity is 1 lb living weight = 1 cubic inch. Capacities for urns are listed according to this standard; however, please note that cremation is not a 'perfect science' and there are rare occasions when the volume of ashes is larger than expected. If you have questions about size/capacity, please ask your funeral professional or contact me in advance of purchase. Thanks so much.
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12/12/22 We will be closing our studio the week of Dec 26 so we can celebrate the holidays with our families. Please note that turn-around time for custom urns will be extended accordingly. Thanks for visiting!
8/8/22 Our studio will be closing for a few days this week for R n R, so custom orders placed this week will be started the week of Aug 15, and readymade orders placed after Aug 9 will be shipped Aug. 15. Thanks!
1/2/22 Happy New Year! All Custom listings are active again. We appreciate your patience and look forward to helping bring your ideas to life to honor your special human and furry family members this year.
11/16/21 Current turn-around time for carved or painted custom urns is about 4 weeks. Cat urns are 2-3 weeks (longer for markings & portraits). We will stop taking custom orders Dec 10 in order to finish urns that are in progress, and take some time off for the holidays. Thank you!
11/4/21 *I am traveling for a few days*. New orders will ship Nov 10, and the round and vertical baby urn listings will be renewed then too. If you have an immediate need, please message me and I will arrange advance shipping. Thanks!
8/24/21
Current turn-around times for customized urns:
Baby urns with decals: 2-3 weeks
Painted urns: 3-4 weeks
Painted cat urns (markings or portrait): 3-4 weeks
Single color cat urns (with names): 2-3 weeks
Thank you!
Items
Featured items
All Items
Reviews
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soytufavorita on Mar 29, 2023
5 out of 5 starsAbsolutely gorgeous way to memorialize our sweet little boy. Laura was so receptive to questions and comments and worked to get a direct representation of what we wanted.
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Dominique on Mar 23, 2023
5 out of 5 starsBeautiful and was properly packaged to arrive in one piece.
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Concettina on Mar 20, 2023
5 out of 5 starsLaura provided us an amazing service, one that was very hard for us to do on our own. I knew when I saw her work that we had met the woman who would make our little Chloe’s final resting place. She offered her condolences, and was quick to answer any of our questions and concerns. We absolutely love our urn, having her add a little extra touch of lavender to our pink peonies made it as special as Chloe was. I would recommend her to anyone in need of such a heartbreaking service. She gave us such peace of mind.
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Concettina on Mar 20, 2023
5 out of 5 starsLaura was amazing throughout the entire process, from ordering, and keeping up with the decals, firings, and shipping.
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NASA on Mar 18, 2023
5 out of 5 starsHi Laura, I just wanted to say that your work exudes a remarkable sensitivity that is a testament to your enormous talent and care. I am overjoyed with the order that you created with such dedication and attention to detail, and I would highly recommend your work to anyone. I feel that I have honored the memory of the great love of my life in the most perfect way possible. Thank you so much for everything. 🌷
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Phantasha on Mar 10, 2023
5 out of 5 starsThis urn means sooo much to me! It’s beautiful and perfect! I couldn’t be happier!
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Alby on Mar 30, 2023
5 out of 5 starsThis is the second turtle I have purchased and I’m absolutely thrilled with it!! Thank you sooo much for making these and for making the purchasing and delivery process so easy!! I hope I don’t have to buy anymore soon but if I do, this is the company I’ll be buying from! 🐢
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Abigail on Mar 29, 2023
5 out of 5 starsI am not someone who typically leaves reviews whether positive or negative, but I'm happy leave this one. Laura was very easy to work with from the vision stage, all the way to receiving the final product. She is clear, concise and consistent in her communication while also being sensitive to the nature of her work. I had only a vague idea of what I wanted for my daughter's urn, and she was able to work out what I really wanted, be honest about what wouldn't look great, and execute it perfectly. She even suggested an option that would be more aesthetically pleasing but less expensive than what I had already purchased, providing me a partial refund. I'd highly recommend this shop to anyone in the unfortunate position of needing an urn.
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Samantha on Mar 28, 2023
5 out of 5 starsLaura was very kind and patient with this and past custom orders for my budgies that had crossed the rainbow bridge. Loosing Ziggy hit us particularly hard but she made the perfect place where we can keep his ashes. Thank you again Laura!
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Linda on Mar 28, 2023
5 out of 5 starsThe owner was amazing to work with and the products are high quality
About PaperTurtleUrns
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All of my urns are made by me on the potter's wheel or cast from my original shapes. -
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I hand-paint many of the designs. -
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The cir. 1890s adobe studio I work in is located next to my home.
From My Heart to Your Hands
Shop members
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Laura Bruzzese
Owner, Creator, Designer
Production partners
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3 P Partners
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
A small crafts company located in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where employees are paid fair wages for their work in traditional arts.
Shop policies
Shipping
Customs and import taxes
Payment options
Returns & exchanges
Cancellations
Cancellations: not accepted
Please contact the seller if you have any problems with your order.
More information
Frequently asked questions
Custom and personalized orders
Personlize your urn with names/dates or meaningful text, special imagery or colors, size and shape. Fully custom urns created with my design guidance are also available. Prices vary according to size and design complexity. Rush service available. Please convo me or email laura@paper-turtle.com to discuss options.
Sizing details
Listings include size, weight, and capacity (volume in cubic inches) for each urn. To help customers select the appropriate sized urn for their needs, it is standard industry practice to allow one cubic inch per pound of body weight (i.e., 100 ci for an individual weighing 100 pounds or less).
The dry weight calculation is 1 cup = 14.4 cubic inches.
Care instructions
Clean ceramic urns with a soft, damp cloth or dusting fabric. Clean biodegradable urns with soft cloth.
Gift wrapping and packaging
All ceramic urns are double-boxed to ensure safety during transit. I use only biodegradable fill and recyclable plastic bubble and cardboard packing materials. I am happy to include a note card with a special message per request.
Wholesale availability
Please contact me at laura@paper-turtle.com for wholesale inquiries for ceramic urns.
Care instructions
Ceramic urns may be sealed or left unsealed for future scattering. To permanently seal your ceramic urn, squeeze a few drops of clear epoxy such as E6000 onto the flange, and insert into base. Wipe off any excess epoxy with a clean cloth.