Up-themed engagement-ring box

Paul Pape created an Up! themed engagement-ring box as a commission and liked the results so much he's doing ten more and putting them on Etsy: "The piece was originally made from plasticized cardstock and then molded and cast from plastic resin and hand-painted by me. Since the whole piece is molded, I will be doing a limited run of ten ring boxes and putting them up on Ebay on March 1st. This is my annual charity fundraiser, in which I will donate a percentage (40%) to a charity of my choosing. Normally I choose Child's Play, and excellent charity that provides games for children in hospitals, but this time around I think Habitat for Humanity is more theme appropriate."

UP and away! (via Super Punch)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Tavie

I will marry the man who proposes to me with this box. Doesn’t have to be my boyfriend.
fnc

Completely awesome. If you curmudgeons are being serious, watch the scene where Carl finishes reading Ellie’s book until you get it.

I’d say if there’s any message in the packaging it’s “let’s have a grand adventure together!”
pepik

Etsy or eBay?
SteveFlack

A sweet idea, but really, it’s a little bit of a morbid omen to start a marriage.
The Chemist

My girlfriend would totally go for something like that- even if she finds the whole concept of the ring itself to be stupid.
Anonymous

They’ll be on eBay, as they’re going to be auctioned off.

I’m friends with Paul, he did Nintendo Mii custom cake toppers for my wedding that revealed zombified facial features when exposed to UV light. He’s a consummate pro, and this is one of my favorite things he’s done.
brassandlace

I wouldn’t say morbid since the couple were together until one of them died. Why do you say so?
- Anonymous
  
  “Let’s delay our dreams until one of us is dead and the other is compelled to play catch up.”
  
  See? Morbid.
urbanhick

and they haven’t sued his ass off for this yet? don’t get me wrong – i think it’s cute and fun, but i can’t believe Pixar hasn’t landed on him w. both feet.
Anonymous

It is curiously polarizing. I would run away screaming if I were presented with this from a aspiring fiance, because I also find it grim and rather morbid.

And not in cozy, Heretic-sofa kind of way.
grimc

Subtext: “I’m going to outlast you.”
dukerayburn

@pepik (#1)

They’ll be on eBay, since it’s an auction to support a charity. I don’t think Etsy has infrastructure for auctions.
Anonymous

It’s certainly creative, but I can’t help feeling that the ring itself would be kind of an anticlimax after such elaborate packaging.
Gennady Borukhovich

So I can’t help but comment. I am Gennady, the groom that originally asked Michal (themodelmaker.net) to make the Up Ring box. It was the one that inspired Paul’s ring box. When I first got the idea of doing this, I had NO IDEA it would spark this eBay auction and re-build or get any other blog posts or anything at all. My, now, fiance ABSOLUTELY LOOOOOOVVVEEED the box. It’s standing in our apartment in a glass box that we got to preserve it. Both Paul and Michal are INCREDIBLY talented model makers!!

To those who say it’s morbid or whatnot… that’s silly. The house is a symbol of the extreme love that Carl had for his wife; they went through a lot of good times and bad times together, just like most other marriages, but the 2 things that remained constant were the house and their undying love for each other. What some people don’t realize is that she died in her old age even though it was in the beginning of the movie… Maggie & I loved the movie so much that I knew it would be the perfect way to propose. When i proposed, Maggie obviously loved the ring but she just couldn’t believe the house! She basically spent the first 5 super exciting minutes (which feel like hours) looking at the house and then looked at the ring. It was the happiest day of our life, but it was the first of many happiest days to come.

For the grooms to be out there: It’s all in the story about how you propose. Yeah people will look at the ring and blah blah blah, but they’ll listen intently to the story.
Lucifer

Talk about a mixed message…
“I want to spend the rest of your short life with you until you die soon.”
sally599

I can only imagine the couple that commissioned it thinking they would have a unique proposal etc until now—although getting your story on BB might be worth the trade off.