How to decorate a window that is 4000 miles away...

I already shared a few pictures snapped of the window I decorated at the McNally Jackson independent bookstore in New York. I am so thrilled that everything came together and wanted to share a few pictures of the process.

working on the silhouettes for the window

When the bookstore asked me to decorate the window they sent measurements and photos for reference. I realized very quickly that it was a challenge to put together a decoration from so far away without ever having  seen the actual window. I ended up using a book shelf as a model for the window size (the measurements were about right) so I could get a sense of what the scale of the decorations would have to be.

the finished pieces for the window waiting to be packed

But I only started thinking of one of the biggest challenges very late in the process: getting everything there. When I had finally created all the pieces and figured out how I wanted to set them up, I got out my biggest suitcase, only to realize that I would not be able to fit the pieces in it. I ended up having to cut a few pieces in two, and putting them back together in New York, and I made a large slim packet to carry with me on the plane, thank you dear airlines for letting me do that!

Finally in New York, after quite a few hours of putting everything back together, twisting and tweaking and drinking lots of coffee, and with lots of help and encouragement from fabulous and incredibly generous author Kate Milford, here is what the window looked like from the back:

paper-foamcore-tape-architecture...

And a week after I set everything up I am happy to show proof and report that all is still up and looking good:

the window a week later

close up of the silhouette details

As I wrote before, the window is up for the month of February, so please go have a look! The bookstore also asked me to sign a whole bunch of books and put together a beautiful corner advertising them all:

signing, signing, signing... :)

Thank you McNally Jackson, it was a great adventure!

book display inside the store