Chronicle photos by Toni Milbourne A wedding dress and cake were created from pages of Nora Roberts books. The imaginative creations are on display at The Gifts Inn in Boonsboro, Md.

BOONSBORO, Md. – The Gifts Inn in Boonsboro, Maryland was selected as the location for the Hood College Alumni Art Show and the Class of 1998’s Elizabeth Goens wanted to create something special.

Knowing the connection of author Nora Roberts to the town, Goens decided to craft an art piece from pages of books written by the town’s famous author.

“I decided to make a dress,” Goens said. “In every book a woman falls in love with a man. The subliminal wedding theme led me to the idea of a dress and wedding cake made from the books.”

Goens collected copies of Roberts’ books from many sources, including local libraries that receive donated copies of books already found on their shelves.

And with the pages, she began what she has called “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

The dress, a full-size creation, now stands in the front window of The Gifts Inn, with flowing skirt and flowered bodice. More than 200 flowers adorn the dress, all fashioned from pages of works that Goens says sucked her in even while destroying the books.

In addition to the dress, a wedding cake has also been created from pages of Roberts’ works, a sort of “repurposing” according to the artist.

While the creation of the cake and dress was a challenge, it was even more an adventure to transport the semi-finished project to its final showing.

“We rented a big Penske truck and created a cage from bunny cords,” Goens said. “It managed to survive.”

She completed the dress on-site in time for the unveiling last week at the start of the college’s art show.

Gifts Inn Boonsboro is located at 16 N. Main St. in historic Boonsboro, Maryland. As a showcase of regional arts and crafts, Gifts Inn BoonsBoro features gifts for nearly every occasion. Among the wide array of art and gifts displayed are functional crafts, interior design accessories, custom built furniture, fiber art, contemporary custom design jewelry and fine arts. Works by many local artists can be found there.