Winter Wonder at Anthropologie

I took part in a design workshop today at the Anthropologie store in University Village.  I wasn't exactly sure what this workshop would be about, but it turned out that the design team was working on creating the Christmas decor for the store.  This year the theme is winter critters, as one of the young women put it.  There is a sort of arch, or cave entrance perhaps, made of pieces of wood and coming through this arrangement is a polar bear.  There will be two cubs, also, when it is all finished.

Besides the polar bears, there will be owls and squirrels and at least one snow bird.  These amazing winter white animals are made with either a chicken wire armature or crumpled paper and lots and lots of masking tape.  Various papers were used to create the fur or feathers----paper toweling, Tyvek, waxed paper and some other sort that I am not sure exactly what it was but it had a sort of felt-y feel.
The papers were torn into either fringes, or tear shaped petals, and the Tyvek was torn and encouraged to be shaggy and then hot glued to the armature.

Here you can see Mr. Squirrel.  He was so cute!

There was a group working on the back end of the polar bear, gluing and shaping the papers to form the fur.

This is the right foreleg of Mrs. P. Bear.  I worked on this and had a great time.  I will admit to getting a couple of blisters with the hot glue (I have never been very careful with hot glue and I should be---it's HOT!)  It was lots of fun to work the paper in and add some Tyvek fur and try to make it all look shaggy and properly tousled.

You can see the armature for the snow bird in the front on the edge of the table in the above photo.

I loved the screen of pine cones that hang in the windows of the store.  It's woodsy and winter-y and natural---and quite beautiful.

I realize that the Anthropologie staff has figured out a way to get lots and lots of free help in creating the decor for the shop, but we all had so much fun!  I don't think there was one of us who felt ill-used, just very pleased to be a part of creating some Christmas time magic for the store.

 Mrs. Bear was coming along nicely when I had to leave....

....and the snow bird was taking shape, too.  Amazing what you can do with masking tape, crumpled paper, Tyvek and some inspiration!

I had such a good time.  Everyone was so nice, both the staff of the University Village Anthropologie and all the attendees.  I will be sure to return in December to see the magic that the store decor is sure to be.