Welcome to the letter U in the A to Z Challenge for 2018. I’m traveling through the alphabet at Michaels Arts and Crafts store. Today is U for Unique and Unusual.
Just walking through the store the other day I came upon several things that would qualify (I think) as unique and unusual. First, there was this display just sitting in the middle of the walkway. I’m not sure if it was the beginning of a new display or just a place to sit and rest for a minute. The way it was just by itself in the aisle made it seem a little weird. (No offense to Michaels merchandising team, just my opinion).
Here’s a close up of the stool/end table? I guess you could use it for either, depending on how big you are. They are made of metal.
Mother’s Day is coming soon if your mom is a gardener. These tools are pretty.
Something new since I left are these ceramic stone kits. They come in all different patterns. Maybe there is one that would look good around my
fairy garden?
This was new to me too. They are called
Diamond Dotz and it is a form of needlework, although you are using tiny dots instead of thread. You use a special tool to pick up the Dotz and put them in the picture. The end result kind of like needlepoint. I didn’t read the whole instructions so I don’t know what you can do with them when you’re done or if you have to put some sealant or something over it so the beads don’t fall off.
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| Cute kittens |
These are cool new ways to charge your phones and other electronic devices. Hidden inside is a charger which you can charge at home and then carry this with you to charge your phone on the go. What will they think of next?
In the kids section there are some unusual and pretty cool animals:
Another one of the kid crazes like the slime thing are Squishies.
I asked several kids what the attraction was about these things and all they could say was “They’re squishy.” Apparently they have to have a certain type of squishability to be the most sought after.
One of the moms said maybe they were like the adult stress balls? I don’t know but for $13 and up I think I’d try to find something else for my kid to sit and squeeze. I watched one girl squeeze every single one we had on display and tell her dad that none were the “right” kind. At least they don’t involve tons of glue and glitter and aren’t messy!
These are called Morphs and apparently they can morph from a blob of goo into an animal.
Gotta have a unicorn!
These styrofoam heads are kinda creepy just sitting on the shelf like this don’t you think?
And we can’t forget the masks.
Another U is Unfinished wood. There are a ton of different things you can get and paint or stain to your own liking. Birdhouses and castles.
Serving trays.
Frames and boxes, words and letters.
Shelves and other art.
Unique and unusual enough to qualify for this letter? Ever use unfinished wood to make your own home decor? Interested in trying Diamond Dotz? Need a squishy for stress relief? Love to hear about it. Once again I suggest you visit the other U-blogs for today and come back tomorrow for the letter V.
(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.)
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About scr4pl80 (Scrap Lady)
I'm a 60-ish, married, mom to 3, creative soul looking to make the world a better place one smile at a time.
Janet's Smiles 
I love unique and unusual–and you certainly captured photos depicting just that. 🙂
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Thanks, Dawn. I was unsure about this one and then I saw the heads and knew I could make something of them.
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Ooooooo I love the animals… they were go nicely in my fairy garden. I need some stepping stones for my fairies too… and ohhhhhhhhhh that eagle would look fabulous next to my Uncle Sam and our flag… great ideas here girlfriend!!!
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Happy to inspire you!
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We made a bunch of the mosaic garden stepping stones when our girls were younger. We laid them out in a hopscotch pattern. It was fun. Weekends In Maine
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That’s a good idea! We are about ready to do something with our backyard but there is also a small spot in the front yard that might work too.
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Unusual things always get my attention. Like those styrofoam heads. Reminds me that we used have some to keep our wigs and wiglets on back in the 60s. Everyone had some of them. ..My grand-daughter loves slime, and also the squishies. She has a bunch. I’ve made quite a few things from the unfinished wood, too. I’ve painted bird houses, made box purses, and I do woodburning on some of the wooden pieces.
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I am so glad my kids have outgrown the slime/squishy phase. The youngest is 21 so I don’t have to think about that stuff anymore. I haven’t tried woodburning. I’d probably set it on fire!
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Could we please forget the masks? They’re creepy, no head. Just a portion of a face. Who needs those?
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I agree Ally! Halloween time would be the natural time for them but they are in the store ALL THE TIME!
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$13?! I’ve been wondering what’s up with those things. My kids like the squishy mashers that come in the shape of different action figures or cartoons. LM likes fidgets and those are good, quiet, and cheaper at $4.
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They go as high as $19!! Most of the ones we had were in the shapes of food of some sort. I just don’t know. We were giving away fidget spinners as a promo for a few days. If you spent over a certain amount you would be eligible for a free spinner. If the kid was around I would ask the parent in a whisper if they wanted one because I didn’t want to cause a problem if the parent didn’t want the kid to have one. Drove me crazy though because there would be a pop-up on the screen saying “This purchase qualifies for a free fidget spinner” and I had to ask the customer if they wanted one before i could keep ringing. Some would say, “What’s a fidget spinner?” and that would take time to explain. When you have a line that wraps around the store…
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Oh lord, good looking out!
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Janet,
Michael’s nearly unlimited supply of unique and unusual items certainly aren’t unimaginable but what I’d like to know is, where’s the unicorn and unicycle? 🙂
~Curious as a Cathy
iPad Art Sketch ‘U’ is for Umbrella
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Well, one of the “Morphs” is a unicorn waiting to happen but there were no umbrellas 😦
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I like the metal end tables – a more affordable way to get the look of the expensive ceramic ones. I also am intrigued by the ceramic stone kits. I must check that out next time I’m at Michaels.
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Yes, Wendy. I didn’t look into them much when I was there taking the pictures but it is something I’ll check out as we are about to be “doing something” with our backyard!
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Ack! Those heads are creepy!
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Creepy, yes, but the minute I saw them I knew I found my “U” which can sometimes be a tough one!
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Don’t knock the heads. My sister and I Mod Podged vintage-looking napkins on a bunch of those heads for centerpieces at a luncheon for a ladies organization. We used members’ vintage hats, jewelry, purses, gloves and hankies. It was a hit. Everyone wanted to know how we did it and where we got the heads. HA. Wish I could post a picture.
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That sounds like fun, Wendy!
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