Winter Window

Back in October, I signed up to decorate a window for the Downtown Business Association and Boise City Department of Arts & History's Winter Window Gallery. They match artists (and pay them) with downtown businesses to decorate their windows to make the downtown more festive for the holidays.

Before I knew which business I was assigned to, I had some ideas about creating a 3D display instead of just painting on the windows like many do. But I needed to see which business I would get. I was assigned to do the windows for the Idaho State Historical Museum. And the contact person was someone I knew from yoga class (what a coincidence).

We met to look at and discuss ideas for the windows. The challenge with the museum's windows is that they are tinted and are dark. Even holding a piece of notebook paper right next to the window on the inside was not very visible from the outside. Total bummer for me and my ideas that were brewing! I looked and we discussed options. I discovered I could do something on the outside of the window because there are screw holes on the sides of the windows at top and bottom for the museum to be able to hang banners.

New ideas started to form and I also found out that their featured exhibit in December will be "The Power to Play -- From Trash to Treasure". It is an exhibit of toys made by children around the world who are poor and use trash to create play things. This was good because I wanted to use recycled items and it would tie into the exhibit.

I went home, researched ideas and drew a sketch for the approval of the museum. I would create different items (i.e. snowflakes, beads, birds, etc.) from recycled materials which would hang from strands of fishing line on the outside of the windows (tied to poles that would be screwed in at top and bottom of the windows).

I've been spending many hours working on these components. Since this is going to be on the outside, I've been concerned about weather conditions. I've coated cardboard and paper items with a coating of Mod Podge and spray clear acrylic to make them sturdy enough. Some things are made from plastic and fabric so I am not as concerned about those.

The strands are ready and I install everything tomorrow morning, just in time for the BLIZZARD that is expected to hit Idaho on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yes, I predict much rain and snow and wind for the month of Nov. and Dec., the amount of time this Winter (and I do mean WINTER) window is suppose to be up).

Below are some of the component parts (will post tutorial later).

This picture below is a test piece. It is just part of a component that is made with two layers of thick paper glued together and coated with Mod Podge. It has been sitting out in the snow and rain for two days and still is managing to hold up. So that gives me hope that this whole thing I have spent many, many hours working on is going to hold up through the weather.