“This is the very reason why you were brought into Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there”
You may have been just freshly bathed, tucked up snugly into your bed when you first read of the Pevensie’s adventures in Land of Spare’ oom. Or maybe as a child of the 80’s many cold lazy Sunday afternoons were enjoyed laying by a blazing fire watching the now ‘Vintage’ BBC Tv series. Or perhaps its wasn’t until Disney took on mighty challenge of bringing the Chronicles of Narnia to the big screen, that for the first time when no one was watching you walking into your wardrobe with the slightest glimmer of hope that you too would not be able to find the back.
No matter how you have come across The Chronicles of Narnia, there are several iconic pictures and quotes that are instantaneously recognisable with the story of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. It was these images that I wanted to bring together for the Christmas window of Hope & Gloria, Anyone who has visited Hope & Gloria may have probably noticed a rather lovely wardrobe full of vintage fur coats and when I first saw it I was instantly reminded of that scene where Lucy Pevensie enters the wardrobe during a game of hide and seek only to discover the land that is hidden behind the fur coats. (this is one of those magical iconic images I’m talking about)
One evening in September while doing another window display my mum called in. She seen the same wardrobe and said ‘isn’t that just like the one from Narnia’ so I knew it wasn’t just me. Since then I have been playing around with the idea of doing of a Narnia themed display, but I knew I wanted to save the idea till Christmas. I felt it was a subtle but pretty way of making Christmas shopping less commercial. Oh my goodness!! who knew windows displays could mean so much, lol.!!! Its fair to say I was ridiculously excited about doing display and the time came closer I was waking early with the excitement of it but with it I felt a real sense of pressure and responsibility to get it right.
For now I’m posting pics of the finished window, since going back to work life has got a lot busier. Even though i’m part time now and work 10 mins from home there still doesn’t seem to enough hours in the day but hopefully within the next few days I’ll post some pictures from behind the scenes.
Leaving the land of spare oom
Mini book trees
“Meanwhile,’ said Mr Tumnus, ‘it is winter in Narnia, and has been for ever so long, and we shall both catch cold if we stand here talking in the snow.Daughter of Eve from the far land of Spare Oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of War Drobe, how would it be if you came and had tea with me?”
Her spell on Narnia has made it always winter but never Christmas!!
“It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating,” said the Queen presently. “What would you like to eat?”
“Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty,” said Edmund
“Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia.”
To the glistening eastern sea, I give you Queen Lucy the Valiant. To the great western woods, King Edmund the Just. To the radiant southern sun, Queen Susan the Gentle. And to the clear northern skies, I give you King Peter the Magnificent. Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia. May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens.”
Since the whole window was themed around a book why not theme our tree from books 🙂
“It isn’t Narnia, you know,” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”
“But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan.
“Are -are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.
“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
― C.S Lewis
The Moonwalking Manakin 