VoiceQuilt, a Uniquely Personal Gift Idea, is Now Available

VoiceQuilt was created by Atlantan Hope Flammer, who was inspired by witnessing the healing power of loving words spoken at a hospital bedside

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ATLANTA -- You might not guess it upon first meeting Atlanta entrepreneur Hope Flammer, but this successful business owner and innovator hears voices. As creator of the newest custom gift idea on the market, VoiceQuilt, Flammer hears the voices of friends and family members preserved for years in keepsake handcrafted boxes.

“VoiceQuilt looks and works a lot like an heirloom music box,” explains Flammer. “But instead of music, when the lid is opened the box plays the messages of family or friends offering birthday wishes, anniversary greetings, graduation congratulations or even encouragement during an illness or difficult time. Each VoiceQuilt is completely unique and preserves those 'goosebump moments' we all have throughout our lives. As far as I know, there's never been anything like it,” she said.

A quick glance through almost any retail catalogue shows that customized gifts continue to grow in popularity. A recent study by Arketi Group reports that 39 percent of respondents participate in gifts given by a group of people, especially for birthdays, religious holiday such as Christmas, baby showers and retirement. Another 45 percent of respondents like to give sentimental gifts. VoiceQuilt offers groups of people an easy way to participate in the creation of a uniquely personal gift for someone with a minimum of effort and cost. It takes about two weeks to create a VoiceQuilt, and the final product is a timeless keepsake that can be enjoyed over and over again.

The process is simple. A secure Internet site serves as the communications hub, automatically delivering instructions and reminders to contributors who simply call a toll-free number to record their sentiments. Via the Web, the organizer arranges the messages in any order preferred and often records an introductory greeting. Everything is easily handled on-line at www.voicequilt.com.

Typically, the finished recording lasts about 20-25 minutes, with each individual message playing from 1-3 minutes. There are several choices of keepsake boxes, and the final product is shipped anywhere in the United States within two business days of completion. Some customers choose to instantly download the messages and burn them to a CD to play immediately, with the keepsake box to arrive a few days later.

VoiceQuilt makes an ideal holiday or birthday present for someone of any age, or group gift for a coach, teacher or other special person. The instant download option works very well for a last minute holiday gift. The preserved memories can commemorate anniversaries, weddings, graduations, births, retirement and other milestone events, as well as offer words of encouragement to someone who is ill or bereaved. It's also well-suited for sending messages of support to military personnel or college students. A sample message can be heard at www.voicequilt.com.

Flammer was inspired to create VoiceQuilt after hearing the encouraging words her best friend spoke to her hospitalized husband. Flammer believes her friend's familiar voice providing words of support was instrumental in the husband's recovery, and she began to imagine how the voices of friends and family could be preserved as permanent memories. Using existing technology, she began to develop and patent her idea, eventually quitting her corporate marketing job to focus on VoiceQuilt full-time.

“There's something special about the sound of a loved one's voice, or even the friendly voice of a co-worker or teammate,” says Flammer. “Especially with young children, it's priceless to capture the sound of their high-pitched voices and even their endearing mispronunciations,” she said.

“Several VoiceQuilt recipients have told me they were tremendously touched when they realized that a group of people came together to create this uniquely personal gift for them,” she continued. “Although the gift recipient might imagine that hours and hours of effort went into creating the VoiceQuilt, the reality is that it's remarkably easy and convenient to pull together. As a working mom, I really appreciate that the whole thing can be done from anywhere in the country at any time of day. All it takes is for the organizer to have access to a computer and the other participants to make one toll-free phone call. That's it!”

The gift-giver has several styles of keepsake boxes from which to choose. Each one comes with an on/off switch, buttons to repeat or forward to another message, a “play list” detailing who recorded the messages and the order in which they appear and a volume control. The boxes are large enough to contain personal items such as photos, jewelry or other mementos.

“Families may want to come together to create an audio album,” said Flammer. “Spoken memories preserve family history in a kind of audio scrapbook or yearbook. With so much interest these days in genealogy and family reunions, families can create a legacy for the generations to come and even fill the VoiceQuilt box with memorabilia to match the recorded memories,” she added.

Flammer admits it's a little daunting to bring a product from idea to reality, but she's convinced VoiceQuilt will be a hit. And even if she does suffer a little good-natured teasing about hearing voices, she's serious when she says she wants everyone else to hear voices, too. “I love the idea of opening a box to hear the voices of people I care about speaking words meant just for me,” she said. “I'm betting that a lot of other people will feel the same way, too.”

For more information, visit www.voicequilt.com or call 1-800-764-8533.

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