Mother of the Bride an Upcycle Story

I'm often asked if I only refashion Wedding Gowns ....

The answer is NO.

I can upcycle just about anything you provide me with

 can come up with into something new and special!

Below is an example of a beaded Mother of the Bride gown

click here to check out my Facebook Album on this amazing transformation

While your there make sure to like my page so you can keep up with the latest projects

The Ultimate Handme Down

Can you imagine being able to wear the exact gown that not only your mother wore, but your Grandmother before her along with your sisters and cousins.  Well this is the case for the Zgorski women, their Grandmother's gown has been worn by 7 family members spanning 3 generations. 

Such a beautiful story of family tradition.

read the full story here

My heart just swoons at the thought of having one of my christening gowns worn by so many family members and spanning over multiple generations.

Photo by: Joseph Victor Stefanchik/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

The above photo has to be my most favorite photos from the Washington Post Article.  Notice the labels sew into the under skirt; it reminds me of a slip I did for a current project. 

The front of the christening slip has the baby's monogram and christening date embroidered on it.  While there is a tiny label hand sewn in the back that lists the great-grandmother's monogram and wedding date along with the maternal grandmother's monogram and wedding date. 

The actual christening gown was made from the wedding dresses of the maternal great grandmother and maternal grandmother.  It was a very moving project to be able to lovingly refashion two gowns into something that will be worn by all the new babies welcomed into the family ... Starting with baby Aubry.

 

Baby Carlie

I hope everyone had a fabulous Mothers Day!

For me, Mother's Day 2012 began on Friday morning when I went to drop off my latest project,

Baby Carlie's Christening outfit. 
It was made from the train of her Mother's wedding gown.

I love the fact that her Mom saved the picture of her wedding gown

that she tore out of the bridal magazine at the salon almost 15 years ago.

Carlie's has three older brothers ages; 12, 8 and 2.  Her mom has been waiting 14 years for this little princess to arrive.  She has told me that since the day she was married she dreamed about having a daughter
and having her wedding gown made into the christening gown. 

This was such a fun project to complete.

I really enjoyed removing the lace from the hem of her train and

 reworking it for Carlie's Christening Gown and Blanket.

Her Mother also requested that I make a Monogramed Christening Blanket.

Above are a few detail shots of her blanket

When Chris opened the box that contained Carlie's Christening Gown

her eyes filled with tears.

It was an amazing moment to watch her face light up and hear her reminisce about buying her wedding gown and talk about how she dreamed of having a daughter who would be able to wear a Christening gown made from her Wedding dress.

This Mother's day I was able to help make one mom's dream become a reality.

Life doesn't get much better than that :)

Interested in having a dress like this made for your little one ... email me at:

willowbeanstudio@gmail.com

Wedding Gown Conversion

Your big day has come and gone, and the dress that you dreamed about since you were a little girl sits quietly in a box stowed away out of site.  It could be tucked on a shelf in your closet, under the guest room bed or worse sitting in your musty basement ...

Wouldn't it be nice to give your special gown a second life so it may be used and treasured for generations to come.  I can happily accommodate most wedding gown conversion requests.  With over 8 years of experience in this area I know you will be thrilled with the one of a kind design I create for you. 

 Wedding Gown Conversion to An Anniversary Jacket

             The Maddison                                                     Convertable Christening

       Convertable Christening                                            The Fiona

If you like what you see and would like to learn more about my

wedding gown conversion services send an email to:

Willowbeanstudio@gmail.com

Baby Fiona

A few weeks back I posted a sneak peak of my latest christening project. 

I recently received photos from Fiona's parents that were taken at the actually christening.

Oh they were so worth the wait!

If you live in the Philadelphia / South Jersey area please look up

Nicole Nurthen Photography

Such Amazing Photos

of such a special day for the family

Happiness is ...

What brings you happiness theses days?

A Sneak Peak

I know I have said it before, but I love what I do.

I get to take someone’s most precious garment ...

their wedding gown and turn it into a family heirloom.

Below are some “BEFORE PICS" I took from a recent project.

I loved the lace details on this gown

And ohhhh the green sash....

LOVE THE SPLASH OF COLOR!

Hope I have peeked your interest to see how this wedding gown

was transformed into a christening gown!

Check back later this week to see how it turn out.

Just a little teaser....

Every little girl dreams of her wedding day and "The Dress".  Well that day comes and goes and I swear 9 times out of 10 that dress ends up in a black trash bag stashed in the basement.  This is a story of a dress just like that.  It was worn about six years ago by my friend Doreen.  She too had tucked it away and was even thinking about, dare I say "Throwing it out!"  And there my friends is your teaser.  Check back Thursday to see what became of "The Dress".

 

Upcycled Wedding Gown

 Looking for a unique Valentines present for your wife; why not have her wedding gown upcycled into a special piece that she can continue to wear throughout the years. Email me to set up a design consultation

Remember how the bow was all the rage in the early 90's; well we even found a way to include that little detail in the new garment.

We also included a small label on the inside with the wedding date. 


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