St. Thomas

is the Patron Saint of Architects…or it it beaches?  In either case, he’s the guy for me!

I recently spent a week hiding out from my everyday life on the beautiful islands of St. Thomas and St. John in the US Virgin Islands.  (And yes, I brought my beach bag.)  They are supremely gorgeous.  White sandy beaches, blue-blue water and uber friendly natives - this beach girl’s dreams come true.

If you know anything more about St. Thomas, than you know it’s a shopping haven.  Practically duty-free and no taxes, you can get some great deals.  But I made sure to take some time away from the tourist malls and checked out some shops with items produced by local crafters.   Here’s a couple of items you won’t find on Etsy, yet.

I found this cute magnet outside of Iggies at Bolongo Bay.  Wednesday nights are Carnival Nights at Iggies.  Along with a show and all you can eat feast, they feature local artisans displaying and selling their handicrafts.  Being a residential designer, I loved this beachy cottage.  A must-have since I saw the sunset in the “window” just that evening!  It was created on St. Thomas by Bridgette Julius of Kallaloo Cards & Gifts.

At Jans Creations by the Sea, an adorable little window shop in Coral Bay, St. John, I snatched up these  beautiful wire and crystal earrings.   I had so much fun chatting with Jan about the island, and even wore the earrings the next night!   You’ve got to check out her website to see just how cute her shop is!

So now that I am full speed ahead back into my everyday life, I think I’ll still dream about relocating myself and my sewing machine to a tropical paradise like these “smart” St. Thomas and St. John crafters; I’ll just have to keep telling myself that sand and sewing machines don’t mix.

Dabbling in Handmade Jewelry

Last weekend, I went to a black tie wedding. Who has money for black tie weddings in this economy, right? I found a super deal on a gown at a great second hand store in Skippack, PA called Second Seitz. Then I borrowed some shoes from a friend and a mink stole from my mother-in-law.

Looking for some not too expensive costume jewelry proved a little more difficult. I searched through Etsy multiple times to see if I could find the perfect purpley-pink necklace to go with my amethyst colored dress. I bought a cute necklace with a pink rose, but when I tried it on with the dress, it wasn't dressy enough. (It looks great with jeans and a simple top, though!)

One evening, while walking through Michael's with my husband (past the jewelry aisle), he told me that I should try to make my own jewelry for the wedding. Just the invitation I needed! That night, I purchased some pink and purple glass beads and small pink pearls. While in college, I made some football inspired bracelets, so I found my old jewelry making supplies and went to work!

Well, making this necklace turned out to be a lot harder than I thought! The first necklace I made was mostly glass beads, and my husband said it looked like something made of plastic a child would wear. Yikes! I made several more trips to Michael's to get the right balance of glass beads to pearls, which I didn't accomplish until I went back again for more supplies to add another strand of beads. After stringing and restringing and restringing, here's what I finally came up with:



Admittedly, I was a little disappointed that I didn't get any compliments on my necklace that evening...and after all those trips to Michael's, I don't think it turned out to be the bargain necklace I hoped for. However, making a necklace filled up that part of my heart that loves to be crafty, so it was worth it in my book!

Finally, a picture of me all dolled-up with my handmade necklace!