{Giveaway} Fancy Magnifying Glass by Twig Terrariums

Katy and Michelle of Twig Terrariums are giving away this fancy magnifying glass. They use it to create their own miniature moss worlds, but you can keep it in your purse and use it on that oh-so-pesky, tiny type. Enter to win by answering in the comments below: Do you ever use a magnifying glass when you read?

Cool company alert! Terrariums are making a comeback, but we’re not talking those dreadful aquarium-style science projects. Instead, two Brooklyn, N.Y. FUFs have built their business building miniature worlds inside vintage apothecary jars. Here we chat with Katy and Michelle of Twig Terrariums. Plus, their terrariums are now for sale in the FOF Shop!

Is this a full-time gig for you guys?
Oh yes, for both of us.

What are your backgrounds?
Katy: We both were Brooklyn College students; Michelle was there for design and photography and I was there for creative writing.

How did you two meet?
Michelle: We’ve known each other since I was 15 and Katy was 12. We lost touch in our teen years when Katy moved away. We met up at my 31st birthday party. A friend brought her as a surprise guest. The friendship was rekindled, and we liked to get crafty together ever since.

When did you start getting interested in terrariums?
Michelle: I spoke with my college chemistry/biology teacher on how to make a terrarium, and we started experimenting with different vintage jars. They looked like little gardens, and we added people to them. Before we knew it they were all over our apartments. So we had a choice: Sell them or give them to our friends for Christmas.

So you started selling them! Fabulous. When was this?
Michelle: About 3 years ago.

Do you teach others how to make terrariums?
Katy: We have regular workshops all the time at our studio in Brooklyn and around town. We also do private workshops with people who want to work one-on-one with us.

How do you take care of a terrarium?
Katy: They’re moss terrariums so it’s very simple. You mist them with water every 2-4 weeks and keep them out of direct sunlight.

Very low maintenance!
Katy: That’s our goal. We are busy urban dwellers without access to acreage, so our terrariums are our backyards.

What’s your favorite scene you’ve seen someone make or made yourself?
Katy: In a workshop one woman did a medieval scene–with a knight slaying a dragon. That was cool. We have so much fun making custom pieces, like a skydiving couple we did recently. We also did wedding centerpieces and each terrarium represented a different memory in the couple’s life–from one with them having dinner by a lake, to one with them riding on mopeds.

Your business was recently featured by the New York Times. Why the sudden interest in terrariums again?
Katy: They’re so low maintenance, and we’re all so busy. You don’t have to hoe and rake and prune, and you have a petite little garden that you can potentially put your family in. Or enjoy your grandchildren in your little green world. There is a very peaceful aspect to them–yet they add a nice bit of life to any home.

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Enter to win a fancy magnifying glass by Twig Terrariums by answering in the comments below: Do you ever use a magnifying glass when you read?

One FOF will win. (See all our past winners, here.) (See official rules, here.) Contest closes February 9, 2012 at midnight E.S.T.

Thank you for entering. This contest is now closed.

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