It sounds insane, but Amber Mills from North Richland Hills, Texas, put a lot of sweat and tears into creating the perfect wedding gown. But this mom didn’t do things the conventional way. Instead of using fabric, Amber used toilet paper and let’s just say you’ve never seen anything like this before. But there’s a story of struggle and perseverance behind this dress that will leave you with a smile on your face all day long!
Meet Amber Mills
Being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job. Just ask Amber Mills. But somehow, she had managed to come up with a creative and affordable way to desig a wedding dress using Charmin toilet paper. But this isn’t your typical Charmin brand. She mixed regular white toilet paper with pink Charmin toilet paper from the 1970s to create a gown with a little color. She also knew this dress had to be perfect, so it would stand out for a wedding dress contest.
Boiling Down The Process
She started out by removing the cardboard roll and then throwing the toilet paper in boiling water. Once it had boiled, she strained the toilet paper and then used a hand mixer to blend the material with glue. Then she placed the
She Makes It Look Easy
To make the toilet paper sturdy enough to wear, Amber rolled the toilet paper out in strips and combined with glue and tape to create a material that was similar to fabric. Then, she used
Toilet Bridal Dresses
Contest participants were responsible for creating a full-size bridal dress made of toilet paper using needle, thread and glue. Most importantly, the wedding dress had to be wearable. It might sound like a weird challenge, but Amber was interested in the contest as soon as she stumbled upon it. She figured this was what was missing in her life. So, she decided to try to make it work. But this wasn’t just some wacky stay-at-home project.
It Saved Her Life
Amber, who’s a former Marine, was suffering from multiple sclerosis. Her condition made it impossible for her to work again because the pain was simply too much. She felt absolutely defeated. Soon she found herself sinking into a deep state of depression. Even the things that used to make her happy weren’t doing anything for her anymore.
Glimmer Of Hope
Then she read about the dress design contest online. Amber didn’t have a background in fashion design and had never made anything with toilet paper either. But she loved a challenge and this project gave her a reason to feel useful again. It didn’t matter what she had to do to achieve her goal or whether she won or not. She just wanted to have fun and see if she could pull it off.
It’s All In The Details
When you look at the bodice and the ruffles on the dress, you’d swear you’re looking at anything but toilet paper. She designed a strapless gown with a ruffled skirt, a train, and an open back. But the real wow factor was the detailed lace pieces. It’s hard to imagine that this was all hand sown. But she was happy with the final results and sent it without knowing if she could beat the competition.
Still A Winner
Unfortunately, she didn’t win the top prize in the wedding dress contest, but she did get third place, which is still pretty awesome. She never expected to win the contest in the first place, but she still felt like a winner anyway. She had pushed herself and achieved what she set out to do. She was undoubtedly proud of herself and so are we.
Serial tea drinker. Professional wig snatcher. Content creator and video script writer who may or may not be John Leguizamo’s body double. If you don’t like where you are, move. You’re not a tree.