But come May

when I've focused and the bears are complete, I'll be able to look at other things.  There's this thing called needlefelting and I've seen some bears made this way and they are soooooooo cute, so I'd like to learn that.  And making bears out of clay.  Have found a place with bear molds and there are pins and magnets and miniature sculpture asking to be made.

 I think this is going to be my plan for 2009:

April/early May:  I make graduation bears.  If my projections are right, I could make in just those months what I've made in a year working for someone else, but I'd have to sew like I worked in a sweatshop.  Though I may have someone to help me sew and then, yeah, I could make bank.

I set up shop at Etsy in June and have x number of  bears available there for sale at any given time.  

The Farmer's Market has an event in July called "Christmas In July" and I participate that one Saturday but have a gazillion bears and a brochure available.

I attend just the one bear show in MA.  That's in November and then in December, I attend this event in Las Cruces which is a three-day Holiday bazaar.  It is huge.  And profitable.  I did it years and years ago and made $5oo in two days and I didn't even have a lot of bears 'cause I'd done a craft fair just two days before it.  It's a very popular social event and though it now costs $2oo for a space, it may be worth it 'cause I'm sure I could make that $2oo back.

I would have to learn to manage money.  That's a good thing.