Mermaid and Friends Finish, Loss of a friend, more hustle

 

A diamond painting finish. From Diamond Dotz, a kit Mermaid and Friends.  The photos looked good, but still look washed out being uploaded, a little more blue tone needed, I think. 55x45cm kit, technically a partial since the woman's body isn't worked.  18.5x14.5 size, edged with shiny turquoise blue green washi tape. Round drills, pinks, purple, coral, blues and a lot of white.  Up on Ebay now, will get it to Etsy in a bit.

I plan to have more posts soon, so this will be kind of short. The cycle of life and living has been strange for most, I think.  I've had my share of ups and downs of real stress in the past two years, more than my normal.  Regular things, pandemic things, health things. I keep thinking I'm on the edge of having nailed some stuff to a nicer pattern, and it always changes.  The latest, has been a real doozy. Finally hoping to breathe, and somehow suspecting that I would get caught short again, I've been working really hard all summer with trying to get more of the diamonds listed, cabs etc.  I do have all the diamonds, square and round, and Ebay relaxed some rules, so I'm going as fast as I can, already.

And then, overnight, life changed. I chatted with a long time friend of mine on a Saturday night before bed, and Sunday morning never came. 20 years, just over.  Perhaps the virus hanging on, maybe just COPD type things, I knew things weren't quite well.  But a huge shock to be right now, it's never a really good time.  And I usually might not mention things like this, except that it impacts my business and life, greatly.  This was my biggest cheerleader, and a bit of constant financial impetus so I could keep going.

Devastating. This impacts the business end of things, as it's been a drain on my personal bills and living situation.  Hard to concentrate, which is what I need to be doing, to properly stay afloat, right in the midst of my main Christmas season.  It's been a slow start, thankfully and somewhat predictably, but not particularly helpful, either.  If you've had your eye on some things, it's a nice time to make some decisions, if you can.  I am downsizing most of all the glass beads from ebay, and moving beyond that, so those will not be replenished.  That would be the Miyuki delicas, and most firepolish, odd shapes. I will still have a few, certain suppliers meet varied needs that I didn't have before. I will be expanding more of the stone strands and cabs, I still have a lot from China that aren't even up yet. I plan to be buying more for 11/11, if I can, as well as some diamond painting drills and supplies, if I can.  I think I've also decided I'm really not a fan of the square drill kits, myself, and may list more of my extras, I prefer the round drill immensely more.

Long story short, I'm hustling. All of my sites are getting as much added inventory up as possible, including Bonanza with some nice perfumes, jewelry, and things I don't really put on Ebay. In the meantime, I'm trying to find some hours to craft, I need that as a solid add to my income now, more than I ever did.  I have a cross stitch Stormtrooper in the works, I hope that is next, and my maple pixel mosaic, who knows. But expect a flurry of new crafted items, I'm as busy as I can be.  Be well, be safe.