Welcome to Jewels of the OBX - The Blog!

If you know my jewelry, you are probably more familiar with my jewelry collection, Jewels of the OBX. I'm very proud of this collection and it will continue to grow - that's why I'm keeping this blog. However, I would like to invite you to get to know all my designs and you'll find them at my new website,
Julie Smith Jewelry.

Thank you for letting me share my passion with you and I hope you'll enjoy wearing my designs.
If you ever have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me!

All the best,
Julie


Friday, July 2, 2010

Beaded Components are a Great Summertime Project!

Instead of being tied to my desk during the summer with the usual elaborate projects, I have enjoyed the portability of making the smaller beaded components used in my newest bracelet and earring set. Once the beads were chosen, I fit them into a compact 5"x5" covered box along with a couple needles and small scissors and the project was ready to go! I completed the individual rounds and beaded bands during two separate road trips.



It was a little tricky working out of that small box, though! If you bead or craft on-the-go, I would love to hear from you as I'm sure there just has to be tips for that kind of organization.



Designing the set was also completed on the fly ... no pun intended ; ) During the layovers on our recent trip to Las Vegas, I pulled out my artist pad and gel pens (yes, they're okay with the TSA folks!) and came up with this set I have named, "Casino Marker" in honor of all the beautiful casinos we visited while there. Not big gamblers, we just wanted to at least go into as many of the famous casinos as we could. Which, by the way, was easier said than done because everything is more spread out than you think and it takes a little effort getting from place to place. Sorry, I digress but I find my thoughts keep going back to that trip, it was so much fun! We thought it would just be a one-time trip but now we can't wait to go back!




Aaaaanyway ... once I was finally able to get back to my desk, the bracelet was pieced together and the gold-filled round clasp added in one afternoon. The earrings were also completed with gold-filled earwires at the same time! I like the way the round focal pieces resemble poker chips (hence the name) and the thickness of each is about the same, too.


If you would like more details on "Casino Marker," just go to the Bracelet and Earring Sets section of my website at http://www.jewelsoftheobx.com/#/bracelet-and-earrings-sets/4539679149 . I hope you enjoy the set as much as I enjoyed the exciting city that inspired them!


Okay, okay ... getting my feet back on the beach now ... see you there!


Julie