Welcome to the letter F in the A to Z Challenge for 2018. For this year’s challenge I am working my way through the alphabet at Michaels Arts and Crafts store. In Michaels land, F has to be for Floral.
Because it is springtime there are mostly flowers that can be found during this time of year. During the winter, there are more oranges and reds and types of flowers that can be found in the winter season. All the flowers are perfect for people like me who don’t know how/want to/like gardening. In other words, these flowers don’t need water and they never wilt or die!
I think if all these flowers were real, the smell would be overpowering.
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| These are peacock feather wreaths. They are so pretty. The picture does not do them justice. |
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| Again, mostly spring themed but there are similar ones during the fall and winter seasons too. |
So easy to have a bouquet of flowers on your table every day!
There is a lot more that I did not capture in pictures. During Christmas time there were long floral swags that you could use to decorate the mantle or drape around a window sill. Michaels also carries wire and branch type wreath bases so if you are really creative you can make your own wreaths. They also have floral tape and wire cutters to use to trim the stems on the flowers.
I did try my hand at wreath making. The green sparkly flower and the silver pinecones are picks that came from Michaels.
This is the finished wreath. It is for sale on my Etsy site if you are interested, let me know!
Well that about takes care of “F.” Are you into flowers? Can you make your own arrangements? Tell me about it. Also if you get a chance, go visit some of the other A to Z bloggers.
(Note: I decided I should add a disclaimer to these posts because I certainly don’t want to give the idea that I am being paid by Michaels to do this or that they are furnishing me with material. All pictures used in this blog series were taken by me at local Michaels stores, or are my personal pictures and every Michaels store may not have everything shown.)
from Blogger http://asmile4ufromjanet.blogspot.com/2018/04/blogging-from-to-z-2018-f-is-for.html
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Janet's Smiles 
I have made some fun wreaths and table centerpieces for holidays and parties before! Buying the pre-made ones at Michaels can be pretty expensive if they aren’t on sale. Your wreath is truly lovely. Do you have good results with craft sales on Etsy?
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They can be expensive to buy pre-made so I definitely would buy them after the season and just hold onto them. I have had sporadic results on Etsy. One of the reasons I stopped working at Michaels was so that I could spend more time making things to sell.
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I love seeing colors so the floral department at Micheal’s appeals to me on a basic level. I just like looking at the flowers, holding a few stems together in my hand to see if I like the color combo. I don’t ever try to make arrangements, but I learn a lot about my own vision of what I think is pretty. [Probably not the customer behavior Micheal’s has in mind, eh?]
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You’d be surprised. There are lots of people who just come and look. If you pick up a few things that catch your eye, so much the better.
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On the whole, I’m not a fan of artificial flowers, but I have to admit these look splendid
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I like things I can’t kill 🙂
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🙂
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I am aces with gardening, but this faux flower stuff, I am NO good at! Fortunately, my MIL is a talented floral arranger. She made flower garlands for my wedding, and a wreath for every home we’ve had. Her house has beautiful artificial arrangements in every room, some so good, you have to touch them to be sure they’re not real. There are few flowers she can have with her allergies, so the silks are helpful. She’s really good — They sell her arrangements in furniture stores.
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That is really cool. Wreath making is such an art. The only green thumb I get is when I have ink on it from a scrapbook project.
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Hah!
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There sure are some realistic looking flowers these days. I doubt I could do a good arrangement of them, and I really can’t grow my own, but I do like taking photos of them, real or artificial. Back when I was a kid, they only had those plastic kind. They’ve come a long way, and it’s so much better. 🙂
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Definitely. Some people make arranging look so easy.
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Finding your blog for the first time from a comment you left on another blog. I consider myself a flower arranger and have observed that through the years the flowers you have photographed at Michaels get better and better. And there is nothing wrong with adding to a live arrangement some of the artificial things that look natural like seeds, nuts, berries. This post is a great addition to the letter F and must have been fun taking your photos. I bet you bought something too. If you have time, come and visit my theme this year, BOOKSTORES, their architecture, location, and the great people who sell books. Stephenyhoughtlin.com
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Welcome Stepheny! I worked at Michaels for six months so I did buy things! I didn’t get many flowers though. I am a book lover so I will definitely stop by your blog! A to Z is a great conversation starter isn’t it?
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I sort of consider myself a flower expert Janet, and these days the artificial flowers are becoming harder to distinguish through sight alone from the real thing. Of course by smell the comparison is immediate. There is a huge market for nice artificial flowers. We have a newer Michaels within 25 miles of our home that the women in my family favor.
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My father was a florist and I am ashamed to admit that I don’t know as much about flowers as I should. Thanks for stopping by!
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I have no floral talent, either, but I sure do love some of the examples and arrangements they put on display. The wreaths are gorgeous and I love the watering can. The colors are always bright and pretty.
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Yes. Maybe someday I’ll be in the mood to try my hand at it but for now, I’ll let Michaels do it 🙂
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Oh don’t even get me going on the florals…Love, love, love those. They do such lovely arrangements and have such a great selection. Me and my Maria (My Decorator) shop there all the time for the florals. Great Post, keep them coming. I think I’m going to end up there sometime this weekend or maybe even today…Blessings Mz. Janet ❤
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I know I have to go back soon to take some more pictures. Hoping I can control myself 🙂
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I ditto Jacqui’s comment!🤣
Great choice for F…Michael’s certainly has a ton of flowers.
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I am amazed sometimes at the different ones that people would bring up to the counter AND there would be people spending hundreds! of dollars!
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I spent way too much money at Michael’s on floral. I used to think I could make my own arrangements. It took a lot of time and money to prove the truth!
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Yes! I tried several times myself and finally gave up as well. They do make some beautiful flowers.
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