I am so happy to introduce to you an amazing artist and woman. Mary Jo Vick is the proprietress of Red House Ranch, a unique custom jewelry Company. I fell in love with her pieces from first site, and their quality is unmatched. I asked Mary Jo to be a guest on the blog today, and she happily obliged, and has also been generous enough to donate a giveaway, a $100 gift certificate to her online store!!! Please leave a comment below mentioning you would like to be entered, and on the 15th of September, I will randomly draw a winner.
Welcome Mary Jo!
“I am one of those crafter~type girls that loves to dabble in all kinds of crafts. Plus I’ve got a touch of an entrepreneurial spirit. I haven’t taken an art class since middle school… so, most of the time when something catches my attention, I just figure out how to make it myself. I started making a type of jewelry with images using a stained glass technique. I guess it was good timing because that business exploded. In fact, it was so demanding that I got to a point that I wasn’t able to fulfill orders. The process was extremely labor intensive and actually quite toxic with the chemicals involved and such. So, I started trying to figure out how to design jewelry that I could easily reproduce. And that lead me into carving wax designs and having them cast into sterling and pewter.
The first time I carved a piece of wax, I made my very favorite piece… which is a PUSH spur rowel. I got the idea when I took a solo road trip on the back roads of the Texas Hill Country. It seems like I always get my best ideas when I’m driving. Love the freedom of the road, I suppose.
And it’s funny because I went to a wholesale jewelry supply company for the wax and other supplies. The guy that helped me at the counter thought I had lost my mind… I asked for wax. He wanted to know which color I wanted. I explained that I had no idea that wax came in colors… he very politely suggested that I take a carving/jewelry making class. So I asked for some of each color and explained that classes just weren’t my style. And I went about my business.
I love collecting jewelry. Important jewelry. Pieces that have meaning. I don’t really go for trendy pieces… maybe a little thrown in here and there for the bling factor. But most of what I wear are pieces that are timeless. And that’s the kind of vibe that I wanted to share.
And the other part is that I truly want to share a message of hope. Maybe… just maybe… a piece of jewelry with an inspirational message will help remind someone at just the right time that there IS hope.
I am a FREE and COURAGEOUS woman whose mission is to provide HOPE to the HURTING!”
Thank you for that wonderful story and inspirational words Mary Jo!!
Here are some of her gorgeous jewelry pieces…..
Please visit Red house Ranch’s website by clicking on the icon on the right sidebar, or below, and don’t forget to enter her very generous giveaway of a $100 gift certificate!!
I could use some new items in my collection… 
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