If you’ve ever wandered the aisles of a craft store while you’re grieving—or while you’re trying to plan ahead—you’re not alone. Many families find themselves looking for something that feels personal, beautiful, and “right,” and the question comes up in a surprisingly practical way: does Hobby Lobby sell cremation urns? Sometimes the search is about budget. Sometimes it’s about wanting a container that doesn’t look “funeral-like.” Sometimes it’s simply because you’re already there buying a frame, a candle, or supplies for a memorial table and you wonder if you can solve one more problem at the same time.
These questions are happening more often because cremation itself is becoming more common. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to reach 63.4% in 2025. The Cremation Association of North America also reports cremation continuing above 60%, with 61.8% in 2024 and long-term projections rising further. When cremation becomes the majority choice, more families naturally need guidance on cremation urns, keeping ashes at home, and what options are truly safe, respectful, and accepted by cemeteries.
The clear answer about Hobby Lobby (and why people ask)
If you’re searching specifically for an urn for ashes, Hobby Lobby is not typically where families find purpose-built cremation urns for ashes. Some third-party funeral retailers who track common shopping questions state that the store notably does not carry “urns for ashes” as a standard offering, even though it sells many types of home décor items. One example is this overview from Funeral Direct, which explains why people look there and why it usually doesn’t solve the “ashes container” need.
That said, you may see the word “urn” used in décor contexts—an urn-shaped vase, a planter, or a lidded jar intended for display. That’s where families can accidentally drift into risky territory: a decorative container can look meaningful and feel symbolic, but it may not be designed for the weight, security, and long-term protection that cremated remains require.
Why a decorative urn isn’t always a safe container for ashes
When people picture ashes, they often imagine something light and powdery. In reality, cremated remains are usually heavier and coarser than many expect. A container meant for flowers may have a lid that sits loosely, a porous interior, or a narrow neck that makes filling difficult and stressful. Even more important, many families eventually want options—moving the urn, traveling with it, placing it in a niche, or burying it—so a container needs to be stable and secure over time, not only “pretty” on a shelf.
If you’re starting from scratch, it can help to begin with a collection designed for this exact purpose, then choose the look that feels right. Funeral.com’s cremation urns for ashes collection includes a wide range of styles and materials so you can prioritize what matters most—durability, simplicity, display, or something that blends into the home quietly. If you’re unsure about size, the guide What Size Urn Do I Need? A Simple Urn Size Calculator Guide walks through capacity in plain language so you’re not guessing during a tender moment.
If you want a DIY or decorative alternative, make it safe first
Sometimes a family wants a diy cremation urn or an alternative urn container because the person loved antiques, pottery, travel souvenirs, or handmade art. That can be meaningful—and it can be done safely—if you treat the container like a protective vessel, not just décor. Think of it as building a respectful “inner system” and a dignified “outer system.” The inner system is about containment: a secure bag, a second layer, and a closure you trust. The outer system is about stability: a container that won’t crack easily, tip over easily, or open accidentally.
If you are considering a repurpose container for ashes, aim for a rigid, non-porous material; a lid that screws, clamps, locks, or seals firmly; and a shape that sits steadily without wobbling. Many families also choose to keep cremated remains in the secure inner bag provided by the crematory, then place that bag inside the container rather than pouring remains directly into a decorative vessel. If the plan is keeping ashes at home, Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally covers practical home placement, safety, and future planning conversations that can prevent regret later.
It’s also worth thinking about what the next few years might bring. A container that works for a mantel today might not meet a cemetery’s requirements later. Planning gently now—without forcing a decision before you’re ready—often looks like choosing a secure, purpose-built urn for the long term, and using decorative elements around it: a photo, a candle, a small keepsake box, or a framed note.
Cemetery and columbarium rules: what “requirements” usually mean
When families search for cemetery urn requirements or columbarium urn requirements, what they usually want is certainty: “Will this be accepted if we place it in a niche or bury it later?” The honest answer is that policies vary by location, even within the same state. Some columbaria have strict niche dimensions, rules about how the urn must be labeled, and requirements for the type of closure. Some cemeteries require an outer burial container or vault for in-ground urn burial, which can influence the material you choose. Other cemeteries have a scattering garden and only need a temporary container until the scattering date.
If you want a calm way to choose by scenario—home display, burial, travel, scattering, or sharing—Funeral.com’s guide How to Choose a Cremation Urn That Fits Your Plans: Home, Burial, Scattering & Travel helps you match the urn to the reality of what you intend to do, including the practical step of checking cemetery or columbarium specs before you buy anything.
Where to buy cremation urns (locally or online) without pressure
If you’re searching where to buy cremation urn locally or even “affordable urns near me,” you’ll usually find three main paths: a funeral home, a cemetery/crematory, or an online memorial retailer. Funeral homes can be convenient because everything is coordinated, and many families appreciate having one place to handle the details. But you should also know you have the right to compare pricing and choose an urn from any seller you prefer.
The Federal Trade Commission explains in its consumer guidance that you can provide a funeral home with a casket or urn you buy elsewhere, and the provider cannot refuse to handle it or charge a fee to do so. If you want to understand the pricing document you may be offered—especially when you’re comparing funeral home urn prices—the FTC’s business guidance on Complying with the Funeral Rule explains the General Price List and why itemized prices matter for comparison shopping. Funeral.com also offers a practical companion guide, Funeral Costs Broken Down: What You’re Paying For and How to Compare Price Lists, which helps families translate the paperwork into understandable choices.
Because urn costs often sit inside a bigger budget question—transportation, cremation fees, permits, obituary, service costs—many families also want one clear explanation of the full picture. If that’s you, How Much Does Cremation Cost? Average Prices and Budget-Friendly Options can help you understand how much does cremation cost in real-world terms, and how an urn fits into the total plan.
Choosing the right type of urn when you’re not sure yet
One reason craft-store searches happen is that families don’t always know what kind of urn they need. Some people want one primary, full-capacity urn. Others want to share ashes across siblings, keep a portion for travel, or pair a main urn with smaller pieces. If you think you might want to divide remains, small cremation urns can be a gentle middle ground—big enough to feel “real,” small enough to fit a shelf or a memorial nook. Funeral.com’s small cremation urns for ashes collection is designed for exactly that kind of practical flexibility.
If your family is leaning toward sharing, keepsake urns can reduce conflict and increase comfort: everyone who needs a tangible connection can have one, without turning the decision into a tug-of-war. Funeral.com’s keepsake cremation urns for ashes collection is intended for small portions and multiple tributes, which is often what families are really trying to accomplish when they search for “decorative alternatives.”
Pet memorials: when the question is about a dog or cat, too
Grief doesn’t sort itself neatly. A family can be planning for a parent and mourning a pet in the same season, or facing pet loss first and later realizing they want the same kind of clarity for a human loved one. If you’re searching for pet urns or pet urns for ashes, the sizing and style needs are different, and the emotional goal is often the same: something that looks like love, not like a transaction. Funeral.com’s pet cremation urns for ashes collection includes traditional styles, modern designs, and memorial pieces meant to blend into the home.
Some families want the memorial to look unmistakably like their pet, especially when the pet was a daily presence in the home. In that case, pet figurine cremation urns for ashes can feel more personal than a generic container. And if you’re sharing pet ashes among family members—or keeping a small portion while scattering the rest—Funeral.com’s pet keepsake cremation urns for ashes collection offers smaller designs that fit the reality of how families memorialize pets.
Cremation jewelry: a wearable alternative that still needs real sealing
When people ask for a “decorative alternative,” sometimes what they really want is not a container at all—it’s closeness. Cremation jewelry can be that bridge, especially when grief feels like it comes in waves and you want something you can carry on hard days. Pieces like cremation necklaces are designed to hold a very small amount of ash in a sealed chamber, which makes them fundamentally different from a charm or locket that’s only symbolic.
If you’re exploring this option, Funeral.com’s cremation jewelry collection and cremation necklaces collection provide purpose-built designs, and the guide Cremation Jewelry 101: What It Is, How It’s Made, and Who It’s Right For explains how these pieces work, what they hold, and how to think about durability, closures, and everyday wear.
Funeral planning that leaves room for “not ready yet”
In real life, funeral planning often happens in two timelines at once: what needs to be decided now, and what can wait until your heart catches up. One of the kindest things you can do for yourself is choose a safe, secure container now—even if you don’t choose the “forever” memorial style yet. A temporary container can be appropriate for the short term, but many families find peace of mind when they pick a reliable urn early and then take their time deciding the long-term plan: display, burial, scattering, or sharing.
When you’re ready to think about what to do with ashes, it can help to remember you don’t have to choose only one path. Some families keep most ashes at home and scatter a small portion in a meaningful place. Others place an urn in a niche and keep a keepsake at home. Some plan a water burial or ocean ceremony and still keep a small keepsake afterward. Funeral.com’s guide Understanding What Happens During a Water Burial Ceremony explains what families typically do and how biodegradable vessels are designed to behave on water, and Scattering Ashes at Sea: Laws, Safety, and Ceremony Ideas for Ocean Farewells walks through the practical planning side.
If your plan involves ocean waters in the U.S., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains the federal “burial at sea” framework, including distance-from-shore rules and restrictions that can surprise families—especially the EPA’s note that the general permit does not allow placement of non-human remains (including pets) in ocean waters. Rules can vary by location and by the specifics of the ceremony, so it’s always wise to confirm details before you finalize plans.
So what should you do if you were hoping Hobby Lobby would be the answer?
If you walked into Hobby Lobby hoping to find an urn, it doesn’t mean you were wrong to look—it means you were trying to solve a human problem with the stores you already know. You can still use that space well: you might find a memorial candle, a shadow box, materials for a remembrance table, or a frame that becomes part of the tribute. But when it comes to a container that holds remains, it’s worth choosing something made for that sacred job.
Start with the plan you can name today—home, burial, niche, travel, scattering—and choose a secure urn that matches it. If you need flexibility, explore cremation urns for ashes, then narrow by purpose with small cremation urns for ashes or keepsake cremation urns for ashes. If the love you’re honoring has four legs, the same care applies through pet cremation urns for ashes and smaller tributes like pet keepsake cremation urns for ashes. And if closeness is what you need most, cremation jewelry can be a gentle way to carry memory into ordinary life.
Whatever you choose, you don’t have to rush. You just have to keep it safe.
