Tuesday, July 20, 2010

the gift of paper

now that my sister is engaged (yay!), my brain is on all things wedding and i came across this idea that i more than love. artist kristina bailey does ink and watercolor sketches of a bride's dress so she can have it forever, in a compact and beautiful 8 by 10 form.

i love this because all brides know the pain of wearing your perfect garment once and then it's over. this is such a great way to immortalize the dress and have it as a lovely reminder in a special spot - a vanity, a dressing area, a bedside - forever, long after the preservation box in your closet has been forgotten. and you could even take it a step further and donate the dress, once you have a sketch like this as your forever memory - there are wonderful organizations like brides against breast cancer and the bridal garden which sell the gowns at a huge discount and the proceeds go to breast cancer and children's charities, respectively.

to me, $140 (which is the starting price of kristina's sketches) is a worthy investment (moreso than the several hundred dollars spent to preserve a dress that will never be worn again). of course you could also dye your dress black and wear it again, like i did.

i think giving the gift of one of kristina's sketches is a particularly sweet idea as a shower gift - different, unexpected, and cherished forever.

all images from kristina bailey

3 comments:

  1. Those are GORGEOUS and I agree, I would love to get or give that as a gift. It's very unique and will be remembered more than a blender or something.

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  2. I would love to get this, and would totally give it as a gift. Also would greatly consider buying a dress from Brides Against Breast Cancer or The Bridal Garden...what a great feeling to have my money spent go toward a good cause. It would make the dress even that much more special! Great post. Thanks!

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  3. Thank you for featuring my wedding dress sketches! Discovering your blog has brightened my day!

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