Darcy... I dare say.

Here's a little peek into my new grandma hobby, Cross stitching... It's so theraputic, especially when you're creating a stud like this.



Also much love to TWIMOer Britt and biggest Jane Austen fan EVER who received this as a Christmas gift!

TWIMO Crafter-noon Xmas Style

Before I left Atlanta for the holidays I was feeling particularly crafty and decided to whip up this wreath for my door and decorate my lovely silver tinsel tree.



The wreath was made by wrapping yarn around a Styrofoam wreath form. Then I tied a lovely bow out of some Amy Butler fabric scraps I had. I believe I was inspired by something I saw in an Anthropologie catalog, but for a while I just thought I was a crafting genius.



My tree I have given the name "the friendship tree" as many of the ornaments were contributions from some dear friends. TWIMO-er Britt (my DG little sis) gave me the laser cut wooden snow flakes from Roost and the red and white vintage-esque ones are from TWIMO-er and comment contributor Ms. Alison. Thanks for making my Christmas bright! I also used my grandmother's vintage lace as a garland and made a tree topper by cover a wooden star bought at Michael's with that lovely Amy Butler fabric again. Next year I will be adding lovely glass ornaments I bought in Germany.

Hope all you TWIMOers have a lovely holiday wherever you may be and remember the world is your oyster so be merry and make it lovely!

ICE: Indie Craft Experience

Hi All,

So as you may or may not know, I recently got back from a river cruise with Momma TWIMO down the river Rhine through Switzerland, France, and Germany. It was pretty sweet and I'm all in the Christmas mood now, but I haven't uploaded my pictures yet, because my camera cord is misplaced and perhaps is in my luggage which is god knows where in the world right now, so the Rhine Retrospective will be coming soon, but I felt I was neglecting my loyal followers so I thought I'd write about this awesome Indie Craft Fair I went to in November with one of my new friends from my graphic design class. The indie craft experience was this craft fair in a great old warehouse building in a not so good area of Atlanta. All the stuff was super awesome and I really wish I could make a living just crafting. Perhaps I'll look into it. I think I might have a calling as a professional crafter.

Here's what I bought:

Clockwise from the top:

1) Resin Necklace with some sort of berry encased in it. Look at the super cute grass packaging...

2) Felted hair clip. So cute. Check them out at Blue Eyed Freckle on Etsy. I also think I could make my own which is why I bought this to look at construction etc.

3) Fabric covered button earrings. I'm kinda obsessed with plaid this winter.

4) Background: Poster bought as a Christmas Gift.

A lot of cities these days are having these Indie Craft Fairs so I highly recommend finding them and start shopping for Christmas next year. Remember I've been a very good girl and should be at the top of your list! ; )

DIY Monday

And we're back for DIY Monday... I've got a lot of DIY posting to do today too (mostly because I am refusing to apply to jobs).

Quick aside. On the job front I've changed my strategy, because let's face it, I'm 25, I have a masters degree and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up (don't tell my parents), so I've of late been applying to places I may not be trained to work in, but that I think I would be great at and would love doing. Now not all of these places are in Atlanta, which might make my dad have a heart attack if I actually get hired by any of them. They range in places from Columbus, OH, Chicago, and Boston. Oh, and Martha Stewart Weddings in NYC. HAHAHA. I think it just makes me happy to apply to these places and right now that is my main concern. My happiness. Anyway I applied to a Marketing/ Retail strategy place called Big Red Rooster and of course they want to talk to me, because as my mom pointed out you're going to sound really funny when people ask you where you work and you say Big Red Rooster. You know what mom? I think it would be AWESOME. So.... back to DIY.

1) Halloween Costumes

With Halloween fast approaching (only one more month, people) I decided to buy a ticket and join my friend Mandy's Alice in Wonderland brigade in Columbus as the White Rabbit. Plus, I felt bad, because she made me a costume without me even committing to coming. Anyway at first I thought OH DEAR when I saw the costume, but now I'm pretty stoked. I get to wear a wedding dress and let's face it I'm always going to be the bride's maid so I might as well relish in this delight. Plus, Mandy is letting my make my ears, so DIY project coming up. I'm thinking birdcage veil with the bows etc. on it. I'll post pics when I'm done.

My White Rabbit Gown

2) Penny Tile take a whole new meaning...

Yesterday I was wasting time on Craft Gossip when I came across this Apartment Therapy (awesome blog, check it out) post where a hotel in D.C. tiled their bathroom in pennies. Kinda ironic in the nation's capital, where they made money. I think it's pretty, but my OCD is also grossed out, as money is pretty dirty (not that I would lie down and roll around on it. Okay, maybe if I was drunk). Also, I wonder if it is legal to use money as a flooring material? Isn't there some law about defacing money? Anyway start saving those pennies so you too can tile your floor, as I think this might be the ultimate DIY, because you're literally saving your money.

Penny Tiles for those of you who are not interior design geniuses

And "penny" tiles for those of us who take things a little too literally

3) A last bite of summer recipe

This weekend I went to Athens, GA to visit the lovely TWIMOer, Erin and we had a great culinary tour of the city. We had dinner at this great little place called Farm 255 which has all local and organic foods. I had shrimp and grits which was delicious, but we also had a fresh peach crostini with cracked black pepper that you could totally make at home and enjoy those last bits of juicy summer, so here's what to do:

Toast or Broil some lovely bread. I like a rustic French.
Spread some ricotta cheese on it.
Top with sliced peaches and sprinkle with some cracked black pepper.
** Now being a chronic sweet tooth I drizzled the final product with honey and I have to say it was magnifique!

So go out start planning your Halloween mischief, tile your floor with pennies, and eat some fruit. As always, the world is your oyster.

DIY Thursday

Okay okay, so I actually have things to post about my life, BUT because of popular demand today will be DIY Thursday and my reviews of my alumni networking event on green design and the Dali show at the high will be postponed. So DIY Thursday is going to feature work by one of my great high school friends, Mandy. She is a maven of DIY. As she says she can rock a rhinestone. Her current projects are Halloween costumes for her friends for a huge Halloween party that happens in Ohio. Last year her costume placed in the costume contest and this year she plans to take it all and win. Her team's theme is Alice in Wonderland (with in my opinion a dash of Lady Gaga)(and our wonderful TWIMO-er Courtney is going as the Queen of Hearts, which she will be hot as. haha). So be inspired and start working on your Halloween costume or else Mandy will beat you (at life).

Alice: This is my favorite probably because I always wanted to be a princess for Halloween and this is the most princess like.

Cheshire Cat

Mad Hatter

Queen of Hearts: Courtney will be rocking this lovely frock complete with light up scepter.

Now the real question is do I buy a plane ticket and join the group as the white rabbit, because I think this would be so incredibly fun??? Opinions please!!!

DIY Monday aka Jersey-licious Monday!!!

Hey Y'all (theme remnant from Paula post). As you can see I'm back to normal life, as in the blog posts are more prolific. Basically I've applied to all the firms I think I'd like to work for except one, which I need to kick my ass into gear and apply to and now I'm waiting.... and waiting.... so in the meantime I'm getting crafty and coming up with some TWIMO thrifty tips for you other unemployed divas out there.

I have always been into DIY, since I was a kid. I think it was because my mom wanted me to be independent (hence not need to depend on a man to do things) and my dad for teaching me how to use tools. Also my parents are pretty into DIY themselves (did I mention the greenhouse my dad made out of doors? Or the fact that before I was born my mom grew a garden and canned all the veggies my dad and her ate?) So I rarely need help with things unless I physically cannot do them (say lifting a tv. Thanks E and V!) This DIY stuff has caused me a lot of heavy lifting and smashed thumbs (aka do not put Ikea furniture together, like the large Expedit bookcase, by yourself when it says to use two people) and lots and lots of craft supplies (thanks parents for keeping those safe for me!). So here are just a few DIY tips to get you going.

TWIMO Thrifty Tip #1: This isn't really DIY, but it might save you a few cents. On the Today Show several weeks ago they had a segment on getting the most out of your hair products. Well as we have seen from previous posts I'm not big into hair, but I was pleased to hear that you only need a quarter sized dollop of shampoo to get your hair clean. If you're like me, in the past you probably squeezed half the bottle out, but apparently quantity doesn't matter, just quality... of your lather. And so it is in so many facets of life. So save money on shampoo! Whooo!

TWIMO Thrifty Tip #2: Plant an herb garden! This is a great way for people who like to cook amp up their meals and save money (after the initial costs about $35). If you're like me you don't like skimping on ingredients such as herbs in recipes but to buy fresh ones in the grocery is so darned expensive and you use like two leaves and then the rest rots (at least in my fridge). So I had the brilliant idea to start an herb garden on my porch. I enlisted momma TWIMO to help as she is a gardener and I am not. I feel like my non bargain shopping friends in a TJ Maxx when it comes to gardening, confused, overwhelmed, and ready to turn around and run. Apparently it is simple though. Momma TWIMO bought a long-ish planter, some potting soil (she recommends mixing regular with moisture control for those over water-ers out there (aka me)), herbs (about $3-4 a plant) and that's about it. So first you fill your box with the two types of soil and get ready to get dirty. Mix it up with your hands or a large spoon from your kitchen as I did. Also add some water to make it moist. Then take you herbs out of there pots and if their roots are bound (this is getting dirtier and dirtier) as in they are all clumped together in the pot, unbind them by pulling them apart. Then make a little hole and put the plant in and cover it up with dirt to where the plant starts. Now water. So this might seem obvious to the rest of you, but in case you're a little slow in the green thumb dept. like me I hope this handy tutorial helps. I now have a thriving garden (when I remember to water) of two variety of chives (mmm baked potato), rosemary, parsley, and basil. It is so nice to just go snip a few leaves and have a flavorful addition to your meal and feel good about yourself for not wasting food and money with rotting herbs.

TWIMO Thrifty Tip #3: Jersey-licious!!! Have you all noticed the influx of New Jersey themed television these days? Why are we fascinated with that culture? I mean first there were the screaming housewives, and then the Situation and the bump-it hair, and now a hair styling show on the Style network (one of the 4 channels I watch) on Jersey hair dos. So to stay on trend with the Jersey theme I decided to make this great, artsy/ hippie necklace made out of guess what? JERSEY! Hahaha. I crack me up. So here is the blog I found it on and the tutorial. It's pretty simple although took me longer than 15 minutes like the blog promises. I recommend using a rotary cutter if you have one to cut the strips and also a sewing machine although it can be done by hand. Also definitely get a Men's XXL or XXXL so you have enough fabric. This awesome accessory that I will be rocking in the ATL also could be made quite cheaply as you could get t-shirts at a thrift store to cut up (I was too impatient and was at Target so I bought some there that were $8 making my final product not that cheap). If you would like one and are too busy with say your SOCIAL LIFE or JOB just let me know and I'd be happy to make you one! Just let me know the colors and I'll let you know the $$.

Well, that's it for now my lovely TWIMO-ers. Until next time, remember the world is your oyster, so be independent and make something.

A Sarah's Favorite Saturday

Happy Saturday! Hope yours has been more exciting than mine. I've quarantined myself to my apartment so that I don't leave and go shopping and hense buy something with money I don't have. So here I am surfing the Internet in boredom, but no worries, you shall benefit from my turning my brain to mush. In my quarantined state I decided to do something crafty, because if you've ever known me at any stage of my life, you know I love making a good craft. In fact in high school one of my friends proclaimed that in Sarah's world she can make anything, even a TV. Now I haven't tried my hand at electronics, but how cool would it be to say, "Hey I made that TV you're watching right now. Like the rhinestones?"

So to get inspired I looked up some craft blogs and found you all some pretty great stuff:

The first is http://www.craftgossip.com/. Craft Gossip looks at other blogs and finds the best projects in a variety of crafting categories (my favorite is sewing. I think it's the problem solving it takes to put the pieces of a pattern together, plus the freedom of picking from all the beautiful fabrics out there). This led me to some other blogs such as Tatertots and Jello which then led me to where I found this recipe:

Banana Nutella White Chocolate Cupcakes

I think this person is my soul mate. These look pretty complicated, but 100% more food-gasmic than my nutella s'more, so if I make them I'll be sure to give you a review.

After finding all of these great sites I made a headband with fabric flowers (it's a bit juvenile so I might take it apart and make it for a child) and a patchwork pillow which I have to say is pretty cute. Pics will be coming soon.

While I worked on all of these fab-o projects I listened to my new favorite song: Sara Bareilles' King of Anything. You should check out the music video here. This song makes me so happy, because I think it reminds me that I am who I am and no one can take that away. A good reminder at a time in my life when I finally think I'm comfortable in my (extremely pale) skin.

Etsy Saturday Has Arrived

One reason I have postponed my etsy recommendations is because I get engrossed in that website and never want to leave. Plus then I go "I could make that" and head to the craft store where I spend too much money on supplies I won't ever use. I've had crafting phases in jewelry making, knitting, sewing, etc. Anyway my first pick is AMAZING (ly funny, that is).

1) Cross stitched Madonna and Child Icon

Now I really appreciate this woman's skill at needle work, but almost $7,000 for this thing??? Really??? I'd rather by several pairs of Chanel shoes. Just sayin.

2) Satin Flower Headband

I'm sort of obcessed with head bands even though I don't really wear them that much. I like the idea of wearing an outrageously huge flower in one's hair. Don't ask me why. Anyway I like these because they are like an abstraction of a flower. Simple and pretty.

It's Etsy Wednesday!!!

One of my favorite blogs Decor8 has Etsy Take 5 Tuesdays and since this is a lifestyle blog, based on my lifestyle and I think creative copying is fine I will make Wednesdays Etsy Wednesdays. Of course since blogging is not my career I will only give you one or two Etsy items and not ten. So for the first Etsy Wednesday I will be featuring one of my dear friend Alison's shop And Bear. Alison is being honored on The World is My Oyster (TWMO (we love initials here people)) because I'm pretty sure she is one of my only readers and that is most likely, because I make her read it. This shop features super cute paper items like children's birthday invites, but she'll create anything for you. She did the invites for my friend Megan's bridal shower which was Love Cruise themed. The invites looked like cruise tickets and the invite to the bachelorette party were the baggage claim tickets (how CREATIVE is that???!! Like I said amazing). Anyway they were so convincingly realistic that the groom's father threw it away thinking it was a cruise ticket he did not request. I love how men never notice details. It's always about the big picture. By the way, Bear is Alison's 3lbs chihuahua and my dog Clair's best friend (or fr-enemy. whatever bear.) Enjoy! And buy her stuff.

Knit Wit

I'm home for the holidays which means I'm not in school which means I have slightly more free time. Usually when I go to Ohio I bring my sewing machine and spend the entire time crafting fabric creations. This year I didn't bring it, because I figured I have enough to do with oh say THESIS, but alas I cannot not be creative. So, I dug up my knitting needles that I bought in high school when it was trendy to knit and some gorgeous yarn I had bought at the same time. Now my knitting skills are not too good. Basically I can make a scarf, so with this beautiful teal fiber I knitted up a scarf and sewed the ends together to make a cowl neck thing-y. I'm incredibly proud of my knit wonder. Even got compliments from airport security when they were frisking me. Now onto the next crafty project.