Really Short Post for Today

Well, this is going to be a very short post - had a busy day and not much time for either beading or writing. I think I more than made up for it with the length of yesterday's how-to, though.

I saw that Art Bead Scene's May Challenge is Monet's "Waterlilies". I love that painting. Was very fortunate to see it at an Impressionist exhibition in Los Angeles back in the mid-80's and brought home a number of museum exhibition posters featuring Monet works.

If you find yourself inspired to create something that includes art beads you should consider entering the contest - the prizes this month are wonderful as well.

I've been doing a little of this and a little of that lately. I posted three new lanyards on Etsy, cute floral ones great for eyeglasses,

Finally, here's a new piece I finished last night with the angelite stone that I used with the Swarovski pearls last week. There are sterling silver Bali Swirl bead caps from Artbeads, sterling silver beads and Jablonex Czech glass "black diamond" bicones in the design.

(click for detail)

Hope your Wednesday goes well! See you tomorrow.

Angelite Jewelry Lanyard and Accessories

Had some meetings today, so last night I knew that I was going to wear a pair of medium gray slacks with a subtle periwinkle blue pinstripe, matching silk knit cable sweater and gray knit and suede sweater jacket. I got out my hematite, the new angelite stones I received the other day, and made this lanyard to go with the outfit:

(please click to enlarge for detail)

The angelite stone is nearly a perfect match to the sweater. I also made earrings - the bead caps in the earrings and lanyard are Tierra Cast gold plated lead free pewter, ordered from D & I and have simply lovely detail, and a bracelet, but in the bracelet I used the Swarovski Tahitian-look pearls instead of hematite:

And this is kinda what they all look like on (what you can see of) me in the periwinkle blue sweater and added Swarovski Tahitian-look pearl and gold bead bracelet I made the day before (note the Tahitian pearl pendant - goes great with hematite, too).

I do plan on making more with the Swarovski pearls, but I have a lot of hematite, especially the 4mm rounds, because I wear a lot of dark to medium gray in the fall and winter and lighter gray in the spring. Of course, all my meetings were with guys who probably didn't even notice the jewelry (and if they did weren't about to comment). I may make a duplicate set for sale - but for now, these stay in my personal collection!

My First Blog Review on Technorati and Thoughts About Marketing and Social Media

Ok, pictures first - lots of 'em today, so I hope you're not on dial up! Then the post.

Someone special I know has a May birthday, so I got out these emerald Swarovski rounds - not totally sure what I'm going to make, but it needs to be in the mail tomorrow...

My new assortment packs of aluminum jump rings from Blue Buddha Boutique (as mentioned in prior post) - very cool colors, light weight - going to play and play!

I was just going to order eye and head pins, but I saw these and had to have them, too - Angelite - what a lovely blue!

Needed these fire polished Czech Purple/Gold AB rounds in 12mm size to finish my Step by Step Beads Colorworks Contest submission. It's all done now, and I'm very excited to submit it. Just worried about whether or not I can get the photograph specs correct per rules.

OK, last picture! A while back Rings & Things sent me some brass frames during the Gluable Challenge month. I never used the square one, although I did try something new with one of the rectangular ones. So I got this punch to make perfect-fit squares of paper that I'll use in a collage inside the frame. I have 72 of these frames, due to a *duh* moment in making my order, so I should be able to experiment freely. Got the punch and other cool stuff from Alpha Stamps, which I had never heard of until I read about them on Barbe Saint John's blog.

That's it for the pictures today, on to the title story.

I recently wrote a very short post referencing Technorati. I've been registered there since October of 2004 with my other blog NVNC ID VIDES, NVNC NE VIDES and decided to register this one as well. In that little post I asked if you'd be so kind as to give my blog a review.

Last night I checked my page, and saw that a dear friend of mine had posted a review. The generosity of her comments left me speechless, honest. This was me: " ... "

I've been thinking lately about how a little-known indie artisan gets the word out that they have things they'd like to share, sell, say... Well, blogging is one way, but people need to know to read your blog. Not easy when there are eleventy gazillion blogs about every kind of craft imaginable. Ok, I Googled craft blogs and there were 19 million hits, beading blogs, 16.2 million hits. Not quite eleventy gazillion, but close enough.

Now, I primarily blog because I like to. I'm a social person, extroverted and the beading thing is pretty solitary, so it's my social outlet. (this explains why it may seem like I'm stalking you when sometimes I comment on your blog, or respond to your comment here, about 3 minutes after you post - it's just that I'm starving for conversation!)

I also like to think there are some people who read this and enjoy my posts. I also realize that there's a marketing aspect to this now. As I was talking to my daughter on the phone we got to talking about why that's important.

I don't think it's enough to just have good stuff out there and hope that people will find it; they won't unless you give them some breadcrumbs to follow through the wild forest of the internet. I think you have to go find people you feel are kindred souls, make connections, share jokes, links, help each other out, pay it forward when you can. It's not that I'm looking for you to be my customers, but that when we share in this online conversation it makes us more visible on the web to potential customers - for *all* of us.

Someone lands here, doesn't really like my styles, but is gaga over Tish's or Lisa's, or anyone else on my blogroll. And, I hope, vice versa. Blogrolls, links, reviewing each other's work...fun for us, good for us. It's why I'm going to do my Sunday Dawno's Wanderings Around the Beadosphere, and I hope that someday some others will share in the fun, too.

And, just for fun - I posted on my other blog about my internet addiction along with a fun video clip about Twitter. Would love it if you'd take a peek!