It was a Twitter about terrariums that started it all.

An avatar on Twitter that caught my eye, of a clay-made doll-of-a-girl with curly, purple hair and a yellow dress photographed at an angle. Very fun. It made me click for more.

A new connection north of the border was instantly made, as I was checking her Web site out, while she was checking mine.

“I love your work!”

“Me, too! - Er, I mean, I love your work, too!”

Thyrza Segal lives in Vancouver, B.C. and is an avid terrarium artist. Alright, she is a gardener, but her work is that of an artist, and, hey, why can’t there be terrarium artists anyway?

When I first saw her terrariums it was love at first sight. There were magical glass scenes full of plants and moss - and these wonderfully strange creatures popping out of the foliage.

“Organic dioramas from thrift store glassware and ceramics.” What a perfect blend of “green,” too! Reusing containers AND making them into terrariums. Succulent planters, coffee pot terrariums – what is there not to like?

But it was her alien accessories that really made me smile. Eyeballs coming out of a wee fern and a dog-like creature in lime green, that were so whimsical and colorful! Plant-like figures in among the plants made of polymer clay – they just fit into her scenes so perfectly!

After a bit more digging (pun intended), I learned that Thyrza has a theater design background and has spent almost 10 years in film costuming. You can see how she brings the many years she has spent refining her eye for staging, colors and textures, to her terrariums. She has been called a “pop surrealist” and I love it.

Visit her Web site and have fun sifting through the wonderful images. Look under my favorite, “Alien Accessories,” Thyrza has the measurements beside the creatures so you can figure out what size you like – and they are reasonably priced from $10 to $40, depending on the size and complexity.

I recommend at least three different pieces for a complete scene – and aim for one tall one, a short one, and one in between. Do checkout her “girls” too, they are absolutely wonderful and can easily stand alone too, without the terrarium. Thyrza can also do custom colors if you have a particular setting in mind, no wouldn’t that be fun?

Check out her Web site and email your request - her shipping costs are really reasonable, too – under $5 for most orders. And only her accessories can be shipped – no plants, unfortunately. And she’s been working on her etsy store at: http://www.thyrza.etsy.com.

If you are in the Vancouver area, you can see Thyrza’s Plantscapes in person at one of several craft fairs throughout the city this coming season as these would make great gifts – check with her on the places and dates.

You can visit her studio, give her a call at 604-215-2444 or email her at thyrza@gmail.com. She does classes and groups when she can too – perfect for a garden clubs, craft clubs or for parties!

And you can follow her with me, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thyrza – after all, that’s how it all started!