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:

jackie fo said...

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.

Maria said...

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!

Kristina Bailey said...

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

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