Discover This ~ The Curious Pug

I am so excited to present the newest featured indie artisan in the Discover This Series, Alycia of The Curious Pug on Etsy. Located in California, Alycia creates some of the most unique and adorable magnets, cozys, ornaments, and brooches made from felt and clay, and even has a few glass tile creations, too. One look at this shop and you'll be squealing with utter delight! Alycia has officially been on Etsy since November of 09, but has been creating all her life. She's pretty much self taught in her craft, with her only real "training" coming from her mom who taught her how to sew when she was a kid. After graduating from an xray training program in June of 09, she had (and still has) a hard time finding work so she took matters into her own two hands and started up The Curious Pug in November of 09. It keeps her busy, and she says "it's been wonderful having others enjoy my work." What's not to enjoy?


When asked where she gets inspiration for her designs, she says "Basically from things that I think are cute or colorful. And I get lots of ideas that just pop in my head at night as I'm trying to fall asleep." I can certainly relate to that!


Alycia is glad Etsy has given her the opportunity to open her shop since selling her designs "has always been something I've been interested in doing but never got around to because of busy schedules and time constraints. But as of now, I can focus fully on my shop and creating more items for customers." She says a whole new floodgate of creativity has opened up since she started her shop, thanks to the wonderful Etsy community. "Anytime I've had a question or concern the forums would be my number one spot for answers. Everyone has been so helpful and insightful so to them I am grateful."

If you're looking for something unique and different, or maybe even a little quirky, then that is what you'll get from Alycia. So head on over to The Curious Pug and check out all the offerings!

Be sure to follow Alycia's blog for all the latest news.

Special thanks to Alycia for participating in the Discover This Series on the JMO Blog.

Discover This: Wearable Art

The Discover This Series is finally back! This time around I bring you Cheryl F. Cameron of Champaign, Illinois. Cheryl's specialty is hand-painted silk scarves, and they are some of the most beautiful works of wearable art you can find.

Cheryl's been painting for some years, but only started painting silk about a year ago. Having done a little formal drawing study, she's self-taught in painting and researched silk painting herself. With a lot of trial and error, she found out what worked well for her. She says "It's a continual process - I'm always looking around for new ideas and ways to experiment and branch out. It was a natural branching out from painting on canvas. My drawing teacher mentioned that she painted scarves and I thought it was the greatest idea because it merged all the things I loved - painting, fashion, batik and the vast scarf collection I already had. From that point I did research to see how silk painting was done, found a technique that I liked and gradually fine-tuned my method till I felt good about the results." I think anyone who sees her finished pieces would feel good about the results! Cheryl says inspiration for her designs "...are very intuitive. I don't really think when I'm painting, I just go with what feels right in shapes and colors. Also, I seek out new aesthetic influences - in music, movies, dancing, folks you see on the street. Beauty and artistry is all around, and I try to pay attention to that. But trusting my instincts is the biggest lesson I have learned. "

Cheryl hopes that other people would like her scarves for the same reason she does - they are a great combination of practical and pretty, they're versatile, and add a little spunk to an outfit. Silk especially is nice because it feels good on the skin and is strong and beautiful. She tries to create what she finds aesthetic, and hopes that comes through in her work. In my opinion, it most definitely comes through in her work!! Her work can be found at boutiques and galleries in Central Illinois as well as in her etsy shop. She's also done a few outdoor art festivals.

In closing, Cheryl shares that this "has been a fascinating couple of years - realizing that art was very important and finding a way to make it the focus of my life. I’ve been amazed at how helpful and encouraging folks have been - like Jean, offering to feature me like this. Thank you!" Thank YOU, Cheryl, for sharing your work with us!

Silk scarves pictured, from top to bottom:
"Too Much of a Good Thing can be Wonderful"
"Green Leaves"
"Burgundy and Violet Curls"
Please visit Cheryl's etsy shop, Frances Cameron Silks, for more information and pricing on these and all of her currently available pieces.

Welcome To The Official Blog of JMO!

Hello, and thanks for stopping by the official blog of Jean May Originals! Let me start things off by giving you a little background information about me.

I'm a widowed mom of 2 boys, 1 girl, 1 dog, 2 cats & 3 goldfish residing in Chicago's south suburbs. Legal assistant by day (for now, anyway!) and indie jewelry/crochet designer by night. I've been designing for about five years now and have really grown creatively in that time. I started out making simple bracelets for myself, but when ladies started buying them right off my wrist I decided to turn my fun little hobby into a business. Soon necklaces and earrings were added to the mix, custom orders came rolling in, and Jean May Originals was born.

About two years into the business I decided I wanted to give customers more variety, and that's when the crocheting began. Again, I started with very simple pieces such as wrist cuffs and basic belts. Customers started asking for more specific items, such as beaded belts, beaded caps, and certain poncho styles. From that point on, whenever I'd pick up a hook and some yarn, I'd just let my creativity fly. Now you never know what JMO will come up with next. An up-and-coming trend seems to be combining yarn and strips of fabric crocheted together, so be on the lookout for my first design using these two mediums. Currently on my crochet hooks are a few custom orders--baby blankets, mittens, and hats--so I've been happily crocheting like a madwoman the last few weeks and wouldn't have it any other way! One of these days I'm going to try my hand at crocheted jewelry....how cool that will be to combine my two loves!

So that's me, at the moment, in a nutshell. My creative world is always evolving, so be sure to visit regularly for all new and informative updates!

Wishing you all the best~~Jean

Photos: Top left, Fall Mosaic Bracelet; Bottom center, Triangle Shawl in Blue Mint. For ordering info, please send inquiry to jmm@jmayoriginals.com