JMO Jewelry Is Back!

After putting the JMO Jewelry line on hold for nearly a year, we've brought it back with some fabulous new pieces just for you! Here at JMO we like to design beautiful works of wearable art using an assortment of beads...from wood to glass to crystal. Our simple yet fabulous creations are sure to delight everyone.

Below are a couple pieces we've been working on lately. Over the coming weeks our website will be updated with more designs that have been handcrafted with quality, love and care. In the meantime, you can check out these pieces on our new etsy shop. We've reopened the etsy shop temporarily and are currently offering FREE U.S. shipping on any item in the shop from now through September 30, 2009. Only a select few items will be available on etsy; our website will contain the entire collection in all of our product lines.

Look at these beauties! We call these Crystal Blue Persuasion. Recycled vintage clip-ons have been given new life! Baby blue crystals sparkle in a silver curve and dangle daintily from the lobe. Very pretty!

And here we have the Danielle Hoop Earrings. Silver hoops measuring nearly 2" in diameter with a single column of red, black, and speckled white glass beads with a silver cone accent. They may be simple, but they're fabulous!

Want a one-of-a-kind custom piece designed just for you? We will work closely with our customers on designing the perfect piece that meets your color, size, and quality specifications as close as possible. Use the Contact Us page on our site to submit your request. We'd love to hear from you!

Discover This: "Rad Rugs" ~ Alexandra Marshall

Ok readers, get ready to be wowed by the next featured artist in the Discover This series. Her name is Alexandra "Lex" Marshall from right here in my hometown of Chicago. Lex designs and creates beautiful, unique hooked rugs using primitive techniques. Her parents have always had hooked rugs on display in their Maine home, but a few years ago Lex took an interest in practicing the art herself after visiting the Tunbridge World's Fair in Tunbridge, VT. While watching a rug hooking demo Lex says she "...was fascinated both by the process and by the finished result. I bought a beautiful rug with an image of a lion on it, based on a primitive pattern. It was just so totally charming..." She bought books, searched for tips online, and now creates some of the most beautiful rugs I've ever seen. She would encourage anyone who is thinking of trying out a new craft or art form to just give it a go!

Inspiration for Lex's designs come from different sources. "I like to use images from other forms of art that are perhaps less traditional as hooked rug images. For instance...the Pomona rug was inspired by a pre-Raphaelite tapestry, and the rug I’m working on right now was inspired by still-life paintings of food as well as a Roman Mosaic. The apple rug was inspired by my friend Cassie, who loves apples and who took me to the Tunbridge World’s Fair."

Lex uses high quality linen and wool in her rug designs in the hopes of creating a piece to last many lifetimes. One of her favorite rugs in her parents' home is from the 1800s, and she says "it’s still beautiful." She's happy to create custom rugs, as she believes they are "a unique way to commemorate a favorite pet, a beloved house, or a moment in someone’s life."

Below: Bad Apple Rug, Pomona Rug, Swallow Rug

To read the story behind each of these rugs, be sure to visit Lex's etsy shop HERE



"Food" Rug in progress (Lex hand-draws each image with a sharpie!)




Tools used to create Lex's rugs



Special thanks to Lex for allowing me to feature her and her beautiful rugs in the Discover This series.