I mailed out beads today and since then I've been working in the studio; using some CiM glass which is new to me and also started making another set of the black, silver, CZ, crystal-shaped beads. The first set has already sold and I've decided to make some more of them so I can list them in Etsy again. I also began to make more of them so I can use them to make a bracelet and some earrings to take with me when I go to a local Urban Zen store to meet with the manager this coming Tuesday. I'm about half way into the beads for the first set. Except for simple pendants, I don't usually make jewelry from my beads. I like to let bead buyers do that part. But this may be an opportunity that would be good for me and since Urban Zen uses small display cases. I don't have to have a lot of pieces there; just a few really nice ones, I think.

These days I've been thinking about how to become better known in the bead-buying world. I've filled my Etsy Shop and have been happy with the response. I've joined Flickr and posted photos but I have no Contacts or Groups to join yet. I've been reading a lot of information online about this topic. I don't do Facebook and I don't Twitter but it's becoming increasingly important to use as many ways as possible to network. And I'm seriously interested in Urban Zen as a way to increase my visibility.

I've also been thinking about trends and how to stay current with trends while still making the style of beads I like to make. But that's a topic for another day...............