The Windows of Anthropologie

These may all look the same to some people, but I can tell the variations, using the same supplies, and I am always intrigued by it.

This store is just a few miles from the hotel we have stayed at the past few years, in St. Charles. We have been to this store before.  It is a big square building, rather plain looking from outside, but has a huge skylight in the middle of the store so the lighting is fantastic.  It's one of my favorite locations to visit.

Here they did not stack them, just kind of marched them across the expanse of the windows, all white, no blue roofs, and some white outlines on the blue backdrop.

A few displays from inside. Bedframe made of paperback books.

I'd seen this wall of canvas alphabets before, but not where they had extended the scene onto the actual wall.  It looked really great.

 We usually buy one drawer pull when we travel, but these were on sale so we chose 4. I could have gotten at least 10!

I find this appealing where they stacked and hung these mirrors.  Probably would just look junky if one tried it at home.  Besides, I don't have nearly that many mirrors.

 

 

 

Downtown Chicago. Store on State Street. Front window.  It was hard to get a good photo of the houses because of the constant foot traffic, and the reflection from traffic and across the street.  I like that the flags on the building across the street are reflected, plus look at the entrance to the subway right in the center of the photo.

Looking across the street at the building that houses Anthropologie, you can see the second story windows.

 From the second floor looking back across the street. In the bottom left is the restaurant we had lunch at.  Every single item on the menu had "eggs" and none of it sounded too appealing to me.  I settled on a poached egg in a nest...which was spinach and it had a really nice dressing, and some very good croutons. Hubby had some kind of "Texas" hash with cornbread, and poached egg.  The waiter seemed thrilled that he liked it, since we were from Texas.  Both our meals were good, but we remarked later that we enjoyed the décor and watching the people more than the food. Always good to try new places though.

 

 

Inside this store, I didn't see anything that was much different than the other stores. The displays were nice , and the employees were extremely sweet to us.  They did not have a bed with books around it, but had these suspended shelves full of books, and sculptural books hanging from the ceiling. and a quote painted on an open book.

 

 

 

These were Reader's Digest Condensed books cut into alphabet shapes. I resisted the urge to buy a few.

 

Since this is such a long post, I will stop now, and show the last store in a day or two.  If you are not already totally bored with Anthropologie displays, please come back.  I may toss a few Lincoln Park Zoo shots in just for variety...or the Art Displays we saw in the parks. 

 

Who Knows Where the Time Goes

Remember that song by Judy Collins that those of us of a certain age listened to?    In reference to the fact that it has been a long time since I've shared my Anthropologie shots with you.  This blog has become mostly that.  But I did not realize how deeply I am feeling the sentiment of time passing, until I typed the title for this post.  That song must have been in my subconscious and there it popped out, so I went to listen to it. Just as beautiful as I remember it. I am reflecting a lot lately, having had my 70th birthday just a mere 10 days ago.  I don't usually think much about birthdays, but passing from one decade to another seems to be thought provoking.

Well, here's the news from the Anthropologie stores.. First in Austin, where I got to help build the houses.

There are always refreshments at the store workshops. 

 

 

Here we glued pre-cut cardboard shapes to build houses, then painted them and then added stucco to them.  It was a fun, messy good time.

 

The finished display in the windows. Front of store, with some houses outside, then close up of outside houses. Part of my head is in the lower corner.

 

Window on corner of 6th and Lamar St. Austin, TX

 

 

Next up, my travels to Idaho and Chicago, where I visited the other stores to see how they had done their displays, using the same theme.

Quick trip to Anthropologie

It's been awhile since I got to the store downtown, where I helped make peaches for the Earth Day displays.  Here is the finished peach tree in the window that faces 6th St.

 

 

 

Only took a few more photos on this visit.

 

 

 

lamp with stitched shade 

Woven paper installation

 

My Day at Anthropologie

Yesterday I was able to attend the Display workshop at my local Anthropologie store. About every quarter, they invite customers to come and help with the making of some of the things they use in their displays. This one is for Earth Day, and they are doing a big peach tree in one of the major windows. Peaches to celebrate our famous Texas peaches from Fredericksburg. The design team had already constructed the peach forms from masking tape and plastic bags. Everything they make is from ordinary materials, and becomes "upcycled" into amazing things. Those of us who came to help were given the task of gluing torn bits of coffee filters to the shapes, basically we were making papier mache'. They looked pretty odd as their naked selves, but we were shown the sample of how they would look when painted and having leaves attached. The tree will have about 100 peaches on it. A couple of the design team members were making the leaves from wire and green landscape cloth, or painters canvas, I can't recall which they said. We were all seated at a long table in the middle of the store and other customers kept stopping by to see what we were doing, some of them joining in on the fun. They had lemonade and snacks and lots of good conversation going on round the table. I always enjoy myself when I go, and it is so fun to connect with other like-minded people. Everyone has a story, and they are all interesting to me. A couple of ladies had come over on their lunch hour, made some peaches, then went back to work. I'll be going back in a couple of weeks for their actual Earth Day celebration, and will take photos of the finished windows.

You can see the peach sample hanging from the top of the small blackboard. They had also done these seed sprouters using toilet paper tubes cut in half. They can be planted as is. They take the place of the peat pots you would have to buy.

Sweet Little Basil Sprouts

 

Naked funny looking peaches,waiting for their blush.

 

While there, I did stroll around and take a few photos of other things that caught my eye. As you all know, I love those Anthropologie displays.

 

Different size painted birdhouses clustered together

 

White porcelain and driftwood

 

Love these coral bowls and spoons, they were too pale in the photo, so I Lomo-ed them to make them more vibrant. Would make great ice-cream dishes.

 

Flowers covering one wall, made of dyed and twisted muslin.

 

An entire shelf of lamps.

 

That's all the Anthropologie I have for now.

Marching along

Ah the crazy month of March, it's slipping by.  Typical of March weather, we've had a few days in the mid-80s already, a Hail storm,which beat a lot of the fresh new growth off the trees.   Yesterday it was 80.  Hub and I went out around 7 p.m. to get a few items at the store.  Within an hour, the temp had dropped 20 degrees and the wind was howling.  Cold and windy last night, it's 52 this morning.  No one should pack away their sweaters and jackets just yet.  The weatherman forecasts, but Mother Nature keeps us guessing.

I've only been to Anthropologie a couple of times in the last two months.  They were just getting their spring displays installed a couple of weeks ago.  Here's a few, taken with my camera that is needing to be retired, as it's auto-focus is beginning to act up.  Trying to decide if I will buy a new small camera or just wait till I get a smart phone and use that.

 arrangement of tiny seed boxes

 

tiny boxes up close

 Paper flowers, left side

 Paper flowers, right side

Paper flowers, close up. I love the shadows!

 Bakers rack, with boxes set in shelves for storage.

 

Table setting.

 

"cardboard" cookies under glass

 

Golden timers

 

Blue and Chartreuse

 

Faux Stag Horn Ferns

 

A wee bit of Artwork

This is the most recent work I did, and it was a few weeks ago, while at my other house. I don't have many art supplies there so I just used what I could get my hands on at the time.  Some scrapbook paper, magazines to rip up, a couple of photographs, an old glue stick. I made all of these quick collages one evening while sitting in front of the fireplace, listening to music. It took me back to my beginning days of collage, when I worked with very few supplies, mostly just "found" stuff. I think my collages made me much happier then, as they were more intuitive, and  much simpler/spare. I did not get caught up in all of the purchased stuff that I have to sift through now.  There is something to be said for simplicity don't you think?   I made them to fit this old wrought iron frame easel stand "thingie" that I have had for years.  I cut up some cardboard packing boxes for the backs to give them some body.

Even though I called them done and left them alone, I'm not saying I may not add more to a couple of them later.  I'm not sure, in looking at these photos now, that there aren't a couple of them that could use a little something more. I'm pretty happy with 1, 2, and 5.  I think #3 needs a bit more somewhere, and #4 could really use some paint over those circles that were already on the paper.  But they are fine for now, until I get back there again.