Well it’s the last weekend before the LAST weekend before Christmas. A perfect time to stroll up Fifth Avenue and check out the holiday windows on display. This is an illustration I did for Lord & Taylor’s Nutcracker Suite holiday window displays a year or two ago. What a dream job – as a little girl I would look at those windows with wonder…how nice that I was able to be a part of them years later. Add to that the fact that one of my loveliest memories is of seeing the Nutcracker Suite at Lincoln Center with my parents and sister many years ago. I remember running up and down those big halls during the intermission, listening to my new jingling charm bracelet. That’s what I love about illustration; basically you can earn a living enacting your childhood fantasies. The job came from a sample in my portfolio of my illustrated version of Cinderella. You can see one of the illustrations featured on my website, studio1482.com, under my publishing section.

Anyway, the assignment was pure fun, although the deadline was very tight. I remember missing sleep for about three nights running, cutting those little figures and chandeliers out of paper at 4 am. I’ve posted a detail below so you can see what I mean. For weeks after I finished the illustration, I was finding little tiny chairs and other decorative elements around the studio. What a great memory!

So, now I’ve got to get out in today’s snowy streets and check out this year’s holiday windows…happy holidays everyone!