Finding seasonal inspiration in shops

A tightened economy means tightened purse strings, but that doesn't necessarily mean one has to stay home. Quite the opposite, I say. If ever one needs inspiration for ways to make our money stretch further, the time is now and what better place to get ideas for ways to repurpose and get crafty than by visiting those shops where stylists are known for their inventiveness.

Take a look at this shop window of a Kate Spade store:



Notice the cardboard chandelier. I don't think this would fly at my next dinner party, especially with a pair of my shoes hanging from it, but I take this cardboard chandelier as a reminder to lighten up and add some humor in decorating my home.

I especially adore the wallpaper of oversized flowers on the back wall of the store. It was late evening and I didn't have time to go inside to see everything close up but I enjoyed the window shopping nonetheless.



The dazzling display of purses, jewelry and other luxurious goods at this store in Pasadena, Calif. is made up largely of simple materials, like the chain which appears to be made out of shiny wrapping paper.



Here's a closer look at that chain. What a great idea for something to adorn a Christmas tree, a mantel or a bookcase.



Paris in a Cup in the city of Orange is a shop after my own heart! You may remember me gushing over everything French and pink in previous posts, so you know this Christmas display had me gasping for breath.



The shop was closed when I passed by, but the tiny glass ornament on the bottom left corner inspired me to create a similar vignette at home, which I hope to show you in a future post if Southern California weather lavishes some great sunny light inside my home in the next few days so I can take some photos. (Right now, the wind is howling and rain is beating furiously against our windows.)



Of course, the store where I could spend hours and hours gathering inspiration of all kinds is Anthropologie. The rest of the photos in this post are ones I took at Anthropologie stores in Irvine and Corona in Southern California.



Another paper chain! What a cozy spot for a child and an easy craft to make to adorn a space for your kids at home. The shapes of the figures for the paper chain could be something simpler for younger kids or of little people like the ones here for the older kids who are better at cutting paper.



Let's talk containers. Anthropologie's stylists are amazingly creative in displaying their wares in vintage containers. Here they're using giant (oil?) funnels to display Christmas ornaments.



I can never tire of the traditional pairing of red and green ...



... though I enjoy seeing fresh combinations of colors for Christmas or winter decorating, like the yellow and white here. These numbered, white containers are similar to a set of three I recently bought at a thrift store.



All those tiny jars would be a bear to clean regularly, but what a lovely display of nature set amidst rustic and vintage materials.



Something about those mantels crafted of simple wood planks makes me want to pick up a hammer and head out to my nearest hardware store. Notice the crafty use of sweaters to make the clock. You may remember in the funnel picture above, the letters crafted from sweater material.



White paired with rustic wood. Need I say more?



I'm fortunate to live within driving distance of at least five Anthropologie stores in Southern California so I've seen this guy at all five, but I've yet to understand the significance. In any event, he's a remarkable looking fellow in all his giant white splendor. This scene actually reminds me of my kitchen when I'm trying out a new recipe, with my nose buried in the cookbook and loads of ingredients and other whatnot on the countertops.


Strangely, the photo above is similar to the one here of the beautifully romantic white duvet cover.



Here's a crafty display rulers/yardsticks arranged to look like the skyline of a big city after a major snowstorm.



The window display that first lured me into the shop (not that I need much incentive). I fell head over heels in love with the tiny snow village vignette inside the big glass jar.



I went inside to take a closer look at the glass jar. It's like a microcosm of a cozy mountain village or a skiing lodge.



Here it is again from a different vantage point, next to the plant decorated with a sweater cozy. Don't tell me you're not yet cutting up all your old sweaters.



Here's a photo of me right at home in the clearance room at Anthropologie. I was actually trying to photograph my two-year-old daughter, who loves looking at herself in the mirror, but she ran off before I could capture her image and instead took a photo of myself with only a blur of her pink and lime green outfit on the lower left corner.

I hope you enjoyed looking at some photos of my recent forays to a few favorite shops and maybe gathered some inspiration of your own to decorate your home or craft some gifts this winter season.