June 11, 2012

Research & Development

Here's one thing I love about working for myself. R&D consists of me tooling around the internet, reading blogs, looking at pretty pictures of pretty things, reading craft books, and the occasional trip to the store for inspiration. Things I do anyway, but now I can justify them as work. (Well, almost. I'm still working on that mental stumbling block.) When inspiration does strike, I hop over to the studio and bang out a prototype with what I have on hand which is quite a lot of varied and sundry items, bursting from their cabinets and confines. 

The latest prototype is a fabric jewelry keeper based on the design of an envelope. Because I am not a collector nor wearer of fine jewels and don't know much about the proper care and feeding of said items, I snapped some quick shots of the envelope prototype and emailed them to my personal jewelry guru, Roya. Who then phoned me up with suggestions for improvement.  

Now, if I bake a yummy little thank you and mail it to Roya, is that a legitimate deductible R&D cost according to the IRS? It should be.

Here's the first go at the jewelry keeper, minus a fastener. I have yet to incorporate Roya's suggestions. They're on the schedule for later this rainy afternoon.
 Look, it's a rectangle of surplus upholstery fabric.
 No, wait. Flip it over. It's a fabric envelope.
And it's lined with soft, cotton jersey from a retired t-shirt.
 

3 comments:

  1. Yes! Without a doubt baked goodies count as a business expense.

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    Replies
    1. I better start searching for gluten-free recipes...
      Any requests?

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    2. Yumm-o! I'm sure whatever you come up with will be awesomely delicious.

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