{ The Anthologist Christmas window }

The inspiration for this Christmas window installation came from the beautiful pop up book 

A Night Before Christmas illustrated by Robert Sabuda 

In particular it was this stunning page where the reindeer jump right out at you.  I read this story from this book to my neice and nephews every Christmas Eve.

I wanted to tell a story of a magical land.  A magical land were things weren't quite always what they seemed...

I found these beautiful gold wings, perfect for young white fawns.  I also created flying stockings and added tiny people dotted around a snow white forest of white trees and fairy lights.

An anthology, as we know, is a collection of books.  So what better Christmas decoration than a Christmas tree made out of beautiful old books.  In amongst the branches of these magical book trees live wise white owls with jauntily placed gold crowns and antlered doves.  I set these amongst some beautiful white bird cages with caged books inside.

The build of this project was also a lot of fun.  I needed a little engineering advice from my father, sewing help from my mother and even a little styling advice from my 10 year old niece.

The book trees were particularly fun.  I got to drill holes in the old books and thread them onto a wire rod to ensure they could keep their own balance.

The snowy ground in the woodland scene was made from reclaimed polystyrene cut to size on a band saw, given a wavy edge with a hacksaw and made to look fluffy with a wire brush on the surface.

All in all I am really pleased with this magical wonderland.

Here is my original moodboard...

pop down to The Anthologist for a drink and a look at the magical land...