Blogging From A to Z – 2018 – M is for

Posted on April 14, 2018 by scr4pl80

Welcome to the letter M in the A to Z Challenge for 2018.  I was having a bit of a problem thinking of something for this letter.  At first I thought of markers.  Yes, Michaels has a TON of markers, but that seemed kind of boring to me.  Then I thought of the word “Make” because of course Michaels is all about the making of things, but I didn’t really like that one either.  Then I saw this:

Miniatures!  You have to see these adorable miniature collections.

Aren’t these cute little houses

Check out this tree house.

How about the one on the far left that looks like a strawberry!  What fun. 

Even a windmill.  Don’t those look a little like rabbit ears? 

Gnomes homes!  Fairies welcome the sign says.

What a cute little guy!

OMG a storybook village!!! Once upon a time…
…there was a castle in the forest (that lights up no less!)…

…and suddenly a purple carriage…

…drawn by a white horse appeared. 
“Oh my!” said the fairy.

Merlin cast a magic spell…

and the handsome prince…

…fell in love with the beautiful princess…
…and they lived at the crossroads of Happiness, Good Vibes and Adventure happily ever after!

Do you know how much I want to have those things in front of my house?  I have the perfect spot right underneath my front room window.  Now I just need to convince my husband!   Maybe Merlin will help with that 🙂
In addition to those fairy tale and gnome scenes there are lots of other miniatures as well:

For those retirees who get in their mobile homes and start roaming the countryside:

Or for the music lover and baseball player:

Another big use for miniatures is with school projects.  I’m not sure about the rest of the country but here in California most of the kids around 4th or 5th grade are required to do “THE MISSION PROJECT.”  This is part of their history lesson because of Father Junipero Serra and all the missions that we have spanning the coast of California.  Each child is required to build a mission and do a report on it to some degree.  I’m not sure there is any parent out there who enjoys this particular school event.  Fortunately, once again, Michaels has you covered!
Early in January we started getting calls asking if we had the missions in yet.  I think the project is one of the first ones given after the Christmas break.  There are pre-cut kits that you can put together for almost each of the 21 missions.  According to the package, they are “highly detailed and easy to assemble!”

But of course you need the “inexpensive” additions to make it look more realistic, like Adobe style roof tiles.

And about a million other little things.

You need trees around the mission.

And statues.

and farm people who work the farms around the missions.

And of course the mission bell!  

I didn’t take a picture of it all but you get the idea.  There are miniature priests and farm animals, etc., etc.  When I was working I could see the surprise on the faces of the parents as I was ringing up each piece.  Some would say to the kids, “Are you sure you need ALL this for the project?”  “Do you have to have so MANY soldiers?”  It was easy for me to be sympathetic at those moments because I had gone through three of my own mission projects and of course each one had to chose a different mission so we couldn’t recycle 😦

I think these “M’s” were much more interesting than markers, don’t you?  I know that I am going to keep my eye on those Fairy Tale miniatures and when they go on sale I’m getting a few, even if I have to put them in a box until I get the yard fixed up and ready for them.  My hubby is a bit of a romantic so if I word it the right way, he’ll cave and let me set it up.  What about you?  Ever build a mission project with your child?  Want a fairy tale garden scene of your own?  Do you think I could make it as a writer?

Make sure to stop by the other A to Z family members and come back on Monday for the letter N.

(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-m-is-for.html
via IFTTT

About scr4pl80

I'm a 60-ish, married, mom to 3, creative soul looking to make the world a better place one smile at a time.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

30 Responses to Blogging From A to Z – 2018 – M is for

  1. Erika says:
    April 17, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    This is cool and good info. My son won’t have a mission project next year, but I do know they have to make a diorama (I think it’s called) and will need to have a bunch of small elements in this. Now I know where to go!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Cathy Kennedy says:
    April 16, 2018 at 4:17 am

    Janet,

    I want to make a miniature Fairy garden and you really spurred my imagination with this post. I’m going to have to visit Michael’s soon. Thanks for visiting my iPad Art Sketch ‘M’ is for my favorite Monster A2Z post on Friday, my friend. I’m playing catch up this morning after spending all weekend with DH. Have a good day and happy A2Zing!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. RetirementallyChallenged.com says:
    April 15, 2018 at 8:41 pm

    When I did my grade school mission project (mine was Mission San Juan Capistrano) there were, of course, no pre-made miniatures available. I remember working very hard on my cardboard and popsicle stick masterpiece. IMHO, the kids have it too easy today… they should suffer like I did 😜

    Liked by 1 person

    • scr4pl80 says:
      April 16, 2018 at 8:28 am

      I agree. Probably was much cheaper too and I feel this kind of discriminates against families that may not be able to afford all the bits and pieces, right?

      Like

  4. Miss Andi says:
    April 15, 2018 at 7:44 am

    Oh adorable miniatures! The mission project also sounds interesting, even if it’s not the parents’ favourite 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  5. XmasDolly says:
    April 14, 2018 at 6:55 pm

    Hello!!!! I’m so glad I came back! WOOHOO! FAIRYLAND! I have one! Unfortunately I cannot find last years pics, but I do have one and soon I’ll be bringing my fairyland out as soon as Mother Nature calms her butt down! The other day it was 60 & today I’m wearing my wintercoat with my hood & gloves! brrrrrrrrrr Anyway, my daughter got me more stuff for my fairyland too! I got another fairy and a gnome and a fairy house & a little flower & little tree and a wizard! Soooooooo cool!!! Love this stuff! I make stuff for it too which is cool too! Like for trees I use little branches I find just as an example. I also used a cupcake cup for a table and empty thread spools for seats! It’s such fun! Cool, huh? Have a great weekend my new friend! hugssss It so cool we both like the same stuff! And I adore sales and coupons too! ~hehehehe~

    Liked by 1 person

  6. joey says:
    April 14, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    Who doesn’t love miniatures? I have a Ball jar full of miniatures my South African friend sent for my youngest kids when they were probably 5&6. Tiny tea sets and animals, toadstools and furniture — oh the fun they had!
    Couple of years ago, I sent my mother gobs of stuff for her fairy garden. She’s got some really adorable set-ups 🙂 I could die of twee!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Donna B. McNicol [@dbmcnicol] says:
    April 14, 2018 at 2:40 pm

    I so love miniatures….always wanted to have my own “adult” doll house. LOL!

    Donna B McNicol, author & traveler
    Romance & Mystery…writing my life
    A-Z Flash Fiction Tales: http://dbmcnicol.blogspot.com
    A-Z of Goldendoodles: http://ourprimeyears.blogspot.com

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Weekends in Maine says:
    April 14, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    I have not shopped for miniatures at Michael’s before. I didn’t know they had so many options. Weekends In Maine

    Liked by 1 person

  9. LA says:
    April 14, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    I have an obsession with fairy houses…..

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Josie Two Shoes says:
    April 14, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    Minatures are fun, it brings out the childlike spirit of fantasy in us! I have a thing for tiny dishes, forks and spoons. I suspect it is a throwback to my childhood when we all had a set of doll dishes! I love all these miniature houses for elves and gnomes too, they are adorable when set up in the right spot in a yard. If you get yours done you will have to share a photo with us!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Jacqui Murray says:
    April 14, 2018 at 10:05 am

    Those are wonderful! I have a small collection of wild animals which I love. I must see if my local Michael’s carries these.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Jill Weatherholt says:
    April 14, 2018 at 9:30 am

    I never realized they had all of this!

    Liked by 1 person

    • scr4pl80 says:
      April 14, 2018 at 9:54 am

      I mostly stayed in the scrapbooking section when I went before I started working there. Then I started seeing all these neat things come through the checkout and I had to explore more!

      Liked by 1 person

  13. ghostmmnc says:
    April 14, 2018 at 9:12 am

    All the little miniatures are so adorable! I can understand wanting it all. The Mission projects sound interesting, as we don’t have that here. I do have some of the little fairy and gnome things, and a lot of the other bits and pieces for a fairy garden I set up each year. So fun. ! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Scarlett79 says:
    April 14, 2018 at 8:40 am

    I love it…I’m going to have to go check it out ❤

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.