It’s business time!

Clocking out early because we’re going to San Jose later.

No morning pages today; I got up early and had a slow breakfast before heading off to Martinez. Filed my fictitious business name, filed my business license — I am now a registered business owner, very strange thought — and browsed some antique shops for possible FabMo display props. Everything was too expensive; I guess that’s to be expected in a town known for its abundance of antiques. Stopped by Michaels and bought a baker’s dozen kraft-paper gift bags, which came out to a little more than 50¢ per bag only because I had a coupon. I hope that will be enough bags… I might go back to Michaels next week, when I get another coupon, to pick up more bags before the show. Stopped by Party City and bought a pack of 120 sheets of white tissue paper for about $4. I’m dismayed that I have had to buy so much nonrecycled packaging material, and I still can’t think of a good line to use to make people think twice before taking a bag…

Went to Thrift Town and Goodwill, back near home, and bought some display props. It looks like my display will have an unexpected Japanese flavor: one of the “cake stands” is a flower-shaped Japanese lacquer tray on a rotating stand, the other will be a Japanese plate glued to a Chinese (?) cup, and I have bought two really lovely squat Japanese teacups to use for displaying eye-pillow fill. And I got a Pier 1 candle holder shaped like a lotus, to hold business cards; I tried it out when I got home and it looks really sharp in that purpose. No trays, though, but I think I will try the shops once more before FabMo… and I might try the Unicorn thrift shop in Almaden when we go to San Jose today.

I also found, at Goodwill, an odd item that will be perfect for displaying my smaller totes, once I stand it up on something:

When I got home I found that my digital camera had arrived — my prize from the SJ Library online scavenger hunt — and it’s so cute I almost regretted my declaration that I would give it to Mommy. But I will, and I even whipped up a 5-minute drawstring pouch for it out of a soft FabMo scrap.

And I’ve uploaded my charcoal sketches from last night. Here’s one, and if you click on it, it will take you to Flickr to see the other three I posted.

Time to run!