So it looks like I have to put together a very, very low four figures in a month to pay off the HVAC repairs. I choose to look upon this as a challenge more than a hardship.
Towards that end I will be heavily promoting all of my jewelry, books, my book cover design skills ($100 for ebook and print cover plus six promotional banners/images—email me for more details), and next weekend I will be setting up a PayPal Business account so that people can buy jewelry directly from the Belaurient Arts page here and signed books from both me and Nicola (payments are processed through PayPal so all you’ll need is a credit card).
To be honest, it was high time I switched into small business owner mode for all of my income streams anyway so I’m not stressing about this. As long as I keep good records (and I do), pay my taxes, and get the accountant to square everything away at the end of the tax season I should be okay.
What I really need to do is learn more about the mindset of a successful small business owner; what do I need to focus on, what I should look out for, tips and tricks that will make all of this work better for me. If you have any book recommendations, let me know.
And a most blessed Beltane to everyone who celebrates.
Got the dendritic quartz with moonstone cabochons set in sterling silver with a handmade bail, and even I’m surprised at how well this turned out. A friend said that it looks Art Deco-ish, and Lyndon says that it looks futuristic. I added the texture on the back plate with a very small ball burr for some visual interest (and to kinda make it look like the surface of the moon), and with the offset jump ring and bail it hangs straight on a chain.
In the garage on the bench, mainly. I have this pretty little triangular cab of dendritic quartz that looks like a moonrise over the limb of a planet, so I’m going to set it in sterling with three 5mm moonstone cabs along the lowest side. I think it’s going to be really cool and kind of mid-century astro-futuristic, if that’s a thing, when it’s done.
As part of Operation Finish All The Projects in 2023, I have been tackling the craft room over the last few weeks and working on cleaning/organizing it to the best of my ability. The original plan was that Lyndon and I would use it for our respective crafts, but over the years it has turned into a store room for various computer bits and pieces and a place where he would work on his vintage computers. There are so many computer cases, monitors, keyboards, boxes of circuit boards, et al piled in there that I couldn’t get to my dollhouse table or my storage shelving units.
There’s a short story I want to take a crack at writing this weekend (if I can find the time between working on the Nicola WIPs, doing promo, cleaning, making jewelry, and keeping the J Crew entertained). I have the shape of it in my head, and I think I have the chops to pull it off. We’ll see—if nothing else, my writer’s group will be happy that I’m finally submitting something for them to crit.
Since I shut down my Etsy store I really do need to set up a section here for Belaurient Arts where I can sell jewelry. In any case I finished setting the stones, cleaning up the bezels, and polishing the pendants today. Considering that I haven’t done any bench work for at least a year I’m really pleased with how these turned out.
The rutilated quartz on the left is for a giveaway Nicola will be running this weekend (this kind of quartz has a starring role in one of the most recent releases so I thought making a pendant out of it would be a nice giveaway prize). The giveaway will be open to anyone who joins Nicola’s reader group on FB (
To my surprise the polished ammonite pendant has already been sold. I’d originally made it for myself, but when I posted these pics on FB a friend said, “Ooh, can you make me one?” Since I’m pretty sure I can pick up more of these ammonite slices I decided to sell this pendant to her.
The ornate spoon end set with peridots is one of those super Boho pieces that has a deliciously funky feel to it. Or maybe that’s just the weight of the thing—this piece has some serious heft to it. The pendant is available for $35, and a sterling chain in your choice of length is $10 extra.
Today dawned bloody marvelous so I fed the J Crew, did the usual Sweeping of the Floors, racked up 30 minutes on the treadmill, cleared some old bottles out of the fridge and took out the recycling, and now I’m putting together some chapters for Kindle Vella, whee!
After a very, VERY long day of sewing I have the entirety of Throw Quilt #2 quilted. I didn’t intend to use the quilting pattern I wound up using, but once I saw how it was turning out I realized it was perfect. Hopefully the recipient will enjoy this quilt as much as I do (and I still wanna make a full-sized one for myself).
Melanie Fletcher 