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The pencils are disgusting. They trivialize human existence and remind me of a time when humans were made into lampshades. I wish you would take the item off.

I don't think they trivialize human existence. The designer is trying to address the grief process and traditional notions of death ceremonies, which includes what happens to the body after we die. For some, this might be entirely appropriate. I'm imagining a woman using one of these pencils made from her late husband's ashes to write out a grocery list or a note--in a way, this allows her husband to still be part of her everyday life.

That said, I'm not sure I'd want to pick one up to use it, nor would I have it done to any of my loved ones. If you're gone, you're gone, and I don't want any of your bits hanging around to remind me of your presence/absence.

But if he hated grocery shopping in the first place, that's just cruel.

Or if he hated her trips to the mall, and she uses him to sign her credit card slips. Ohhh, the possibilities are endless.

But it is really creepy in any case.

Seriously. People chew on pencils.

I'm OK with being cremated and having my ashes scattered along my favorite rhododendron trail in the Oregon Cascades.I'm OK with cardboard caskets (makes way more sense than those "Cadillac" caskets to me). I'm OK with having remains converted into artificial diamonds.

It's just that a pencil represents cheap disposable objects that we never give a second thought to. That's why it bothers me so much.

Boomer, I see your point. I think the reference with the lampshades in your firsr post threw me a bit. Personally, they'd drive me crazy as I'd feel like I have to be careful all the time, like they were the "good" pencils. If you're gone, you're gone, I say.

I like the pencils — that is why I posted them. They remind me of Catholic Holy Cards. A little momento to remember the deceased. And they're nearly identical to the pencils with your name a lot of us had in 2nd grade.

I saw these pencils on another blog a couple weeks ago and thought it was neat idea, like I after I'm gone I still might be involved in writing a bunch of grocery lists or a term paper or a great novel or bad poetry if anyone still used pencils. I would also enjoy being a bunch of pencils next to the terminals at the libary so people could use me to scrawl down the numbers. I also would not mind being used for doodling.

The pencils are just TOO out there. I consider myself very open-minded but this one takes it a little too far... even for me!

I saw that :Hood Chair: on *Terramia* a wee bit ago and bookmarked it under unique favs!
It looks cool. Maybe not that functional with the warm weather creeping up on us, but original nonetheless.
That ufo lamp is outta sight!

On the black cabinet in CB catalog that Sarah loved so much - it's an interpretation of Dorothy Draper's exaggerated designs for the grand hotels of the 50's and 60's. Which in itself was an interpretation of French Classics...

i don't really think death & dead people should be taken so lightly as to be doodled w/ or much more so SOLD. that is really lacking in taste. they reminded me of holocaust things as well. it also reminds me of that dress in silence of the lambs. i mean, what if that guy sold that? lol

seriously though. even if the people were ok w/ this, it's just sick.

Ok, normally I do not comment but read daily. The pencil thing really creeps me out... I had a rush of Holocaust relived at reading of carbonized human remains.

I think there should be a warning on the pencils. My bosses just lost a beloved pet and I've been wondering what they did with the remains. Now I'm going to be paranoid everytime I pick up a pencil at the office!

Contemplating the pencils, I'm having a David Mamet Moment... So your usual manufacturer's rep, Jake, dies... and his replacement shows up to work at keeping your account... and instead of handing out free pens with his corporate logo, he offers you a bit of ol' Jake to remember him by.