Janet's Smiles

James J. Cudney at This is My Truth Now has invited us to an Agatha Christie Readathon during the month of April.  I’ve never participated in a readathon or been part of a book club but I have really enjoyed getting to know Jay this past year through his 365 plus 5 blog series and I absolutely love Agatha Christie so I knew that even though I was already committed to doing the A to Z Blogathon, I’d have to give it a shot. 

Jay sponsored a poll to come up with four titles for the month and the first book chosen was The Secret Adversary.  This is the first in the series that features Tommy Beresford and Prudence Cowley (Tuppence to her friends) as the detectives, or Young Adventurers as they decide to call themselves. 

I’ve read a lot of Agatha Christie but I haven’t read any in a long time and I don’t remember this story so it was a fun one to start with.  The inscription on the dedication page is:  “To all those who lead monotonous lives in the hope that they may experience second-hand the delights and dangers of adventure.”  Agatha Christie.

While I don’t consider my life especially monotonous, I certainly don’t get much dangerous adventure in it and I am delighted by Dame Agatha’s treatment of the subject. 

I’m not going to give a synopsis of the story as you can find that on Goodreads and other places.  I will instead talk about my favorite parts.  Being a romantic at heart I enjoyed the interaction of Tommy and Tuppence and watching that love story unfold.  I also liked the way Agatha Christie took one character and put them into a precarious position and left them there for a bit while she went on to the other character and put them in a precarious position of their own.  It definitely made me want to keep reading so I could make sure they each came out of it okay.  In the end, even though I thought I knew who Mr. Brown really was, I was surprised by the ending.

In her autobiography, Agatha Christie had this to say about the idea for this story, “That, I thought, would make a good beginning to a story – a name overheard at a tea shop – an unusual name, so that whoever heard it remembered it.”  Jane Finn.  Would that be a name that would stick in your mind?  Are you one who eavesdrops? 

Just because I can, I’m using this book to fill the category of a book about a heist in my PopSugar challenge.  There was, after all, some stolen documents at the bottom of the whole thing. 

Unfortunately, the next book in the Agatha Christie Readathon is Peril at End House and I have been unable to get a copy of that one in time to start tomorrow so I’ve picked another one of her books, Hallow’een Party, since one of the categories in PopSugar is a book set at Halloween.  I won’t review it for the readathon but at least I’ll be reading with you in spirit. 

As for Mr. Cudney, he is an author himself, his first work being Watching Glass Shatter which is a little mystery too, along with some great family drama.  He is about to launch his second work, Father Figure, and I am excited to read that one also! 

It’s not too late if you want to join the Agatha Christie Readathon.  Just click the link and you can get all the deets.  While you’re there, check out the rest of Jay’s stuff.  He’s great. 

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Welcome to the letter G in the A to Z Challenge for 2018.  This year I am A to Z-ing through Michaels Arts and Crafts store.  G is the letter of the day.

Gotta be for glitter, glitter, glitter!

Glitter is such a big deal it gets its own banner!  Glitter can be found in a couple of areas in Michaels.  First pictured is the General Crafts area.  Here you can find tons of different colors and types of glitter, from big chunks to fine crystals.

In multicolor packets,

tubes

The next area that has a selection of glitter is the scrapbooking section (my personal favorite).

 So many cool collections and colors!

Aren’t the colors so vibrant?  There is chunky glitter, fine glitter, regular glitter and microbead types and even some designer glitter.  Bet you didn’t know there was a glitter designer – LOL.  Recollections is the “house brand.”

Heidi Swapp designer glitter

Extra fine glitter

chunky glitter

microbeads

They are packaged similarly but you can tell from the prices that the glitter in the scrapbooking section is significantly higher priced.  Maybe that’s the reason I never wanted to let my kids play with my scrapbooking supplies!

Another two-for today.  The other big G of Michaels is glue (gotta have something to stick that glitter down with, right?)  One whole aisle devoted to glues and adhesives of all types.

Even Gorilla Glue (although that’s not really necessary to hold glitter in place).

The scrapbook area has its glue too since you need acid free glue to protect your memories.  These are tape runners and glue dots.

Glitter glue, the best of both worlds!

Gee there’s a lot of glitter and glue!

Do you use glitter for projects?  Let your kids play with your expensive craft items?  Love to hear about it.  Be sure to stop by the rest of the A to Z-ers.  We made it through the first week so tomorrow is a day of rest.  Come back Monday for the letter H.

(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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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.

These are peacock feather wreaths.  They are so pretty.  The picture does not do them justice.

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.)

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Welcome to the letter E in the A to Z Challenge for 2018.  During the month of April I am using the alphabet to work my way through Michaels Arts and Crafts store.

Today we are looking at Events and Classes.  Every month there is a different schedule of events, usually themed around the next holiday.  This month it was all about Spring and Easter.  You can find the details and schedule right at the front of the store with some examples of the projects you can make. 

Then there is the ever popular slime!  (In case you don’t have little kids around, slime is a concoction made with glue, water, saline solution and sometimes shaving cream, depending on the consistency you want.  It’s kind of like silly putty but not).  You can add food color and glitter and all kinds of things.  One of the first weekends I worked I helped with a Halloween slime event.  The slime was pre-made and tinted orange by one of the Michaels staff.  A sandwich size baggie was given to each child and there were different kinds of decorations like glitter and tiny sparkles that they could use to decorate it.  This was a free event and the kids got to take home the slime when they were done.  I tell you, the amount of glue alone that gets sold in the making of slime is ridiculous.  Elmers has something going with this one because glue is expensive!  We sell gallons of them for $30 and they are “Everyday Value” items so the coupons don’t work on them.  Many a parent has come to the register with their 40% off coupon only to be dismayed that it cannot be applied to the glue.  Some very interesting discussions between parent and child at this point – LOL.   

The classrooms can be rented for other types of things too, like Girl or Boy Scouts meetings and things like that.  I’m thinking of renting one for a scrapbooking event.

Did you know Michaels held events like this?  Would you take a class?  Leave the kids while you shop?

Make sure to stop by some of the other A to Z participants, and come back here tomorrow for the letter F!

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Welcome to the letter D in the A to Z Challenge for 2018.  Each day during April I am taking you through the alphabet at Michaels Arts and Crafts store.  Today, D is for Drawing.

Michaels has a great section with all kinds of tools for drawing, from books for the beginner to the specialty pencils, pens and markers,

drawing pads and sketchbooks, both regular and watercolor,

charcoal bits and pencils,

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Welcome to the letter C in the A to Z Challenge for 2018.  This year I am alphabetting my way through Michaels Arts and Crafts store.

I said I wasn’t using crafts as a word and I covered coupons in the A is for App post.  I’m choosing candles for my letter C.  We have walls and walls of these jar candles in all different scents.  They have fun names like Sunset Lily, Coral Amber, Lilac and Hyacinths, Vanilla and Macaron, etc.  This was just one wall.  Aren’t the colors pretty?

Turquoise Waters…doesn’t that sound beachy?

There are the standard stick taper candles.

And pillars.

 

Ginger Citrus

and wax melts that don’t have a wick but you put them in a holder with a tea light underneath and as the wax melts, it gives off a great scent.

I think there was room for five or six taper candles in this holder.  I couldn’t fit it all in the picture.

with a matching pillar holder.

I think I see some washi tape rolls in this picture!  This must be from the planner section.

The wooden deer head would make a great Father’s Day gift for a hunter, don’t you think?  Stain or paint the background and then decoupage a picture of you and the kids in the center?  Actually, this was probably leftover from Christmas and could have been used as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

This looks like some clearance from the baking section…cookie cutters for sure.

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Welcome to the letter B in the A to Z Challenge for 2018.

You may not think of baking when you think of Arts and Crafts but Michaels has quite a baking section.  Wilton is one of our main product lines.

There are all kinds of cake decorating supplies like different tips for applying frosting, decorative cake holders and the containers to carry the finished cake so it doesn’t get wrecked.

My attempt at a castle cake about 15 years ago.

Gingerbread Easter House

Cookies for decorating with frosting included!

So, the next time you need something in the bakery department, check out your local Michaels!  Are you a baker?  Make any fancy cakes lately? 

Make sure to stop by and visit some of the other A to Z-ers!  Coming tomorrow, the letter C. 

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Welcome to Day 1 of the A to Z Challenge for 2018.  Yes, it is April 1 but this is no April Fool’s joke.  This year I’m blogging my way through the alphabet in Michaels Arts and Crafts Store.  I wrote about starting to work there last September and Jacqui Murray from Word Dreams made a comment that it would be a good subject for an A to Z theme and I had to agree.  So, thanks Jacqui!  Here we go.

Since the name of the store is actually Michaels Arts and Crafts, you might have thought I would start with Art but I am using neither Arts nor Crafts as letters in my alphabet!  Instead I am starting with App, as in the Michaels App that you can download for your smartphone or tablet.  This is what it looks like on my screen.

The Anatomy of the App as defined by the handout that Michaels gives.

This is what my home screen looks like.  From it I can navigate to lots of different places.  By tapping on the little scissors on the upper right corner I can get to the latest coupon deals.  I can say that there are usually coupons of some sort EVERY SINGLE DAY so it is to your benefit to access this information from your phone and even more benefit for all concerned if you access it BEFORE you get to the check out counter.  If you have trouble, the cashiers will be more than happy to help.  If you are a Michaels Rewards member (and you should be) your rewards code will be there as well and the cashier can scan that too.     

Also available in the app is a map of the store.  Michaels can be an overwhelming experience, even to a veteran shopper.  This map will show you aisle by aisle where everything is.  True, you may need a magnifying glass to see it, but it is there!  There is a search bar and you can use that to search for something specific.  If you find a product and you want to know how much it costs, you can tap the bar code icon and a scanner will appear so that you can scan the item and find the price.

You can also just shop by category.  Say you are looking for some baking supplies.  You would click on that and it would take you to the things available in the baking section.  Say you wanted to bake 48 muffins.  We have a pan for that!

There are also Holiday and Seasonal crafts to choose from.

You know I am a paper crafter so I chose that category.  From that I saw that there was a craft using Washi Tape.  I am in love with Washi tape so if I choose that, it shows me this craft to make, the  Washi-Embellished Round Box.  Scrolling down shows me what I need to make the project, where to find it in the store and the instructions:

Isn’t that cool?  You can literally spend hours just on the app before you even head for the store.  You can add the things to “your list” and then when you get to the store you can go right to where you need to go.  Also, if you would rather order things online and save yourself a trip, it is possible to order through the app.  It takes you to Michaels website and if the products are available there, you can order them and save yourself a trip.  Be aware though, that some things that are sold in the store may not be online and vice versa.

And so begins the A to Z of Michaels Arts and Crafts.  I hope you have enjoyed the lesson on the App and how valuable it can be as a tool to navigate the store and find the best deals.  If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I’ll try to answer them.  Come with me tomorrow where we will discover what B has in store! 

Make sure to stop by the A to Z Challenge list and see what other participants are offering.  There is always something new and unique going on!

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Here we are at the end of March.  Before we get to the April A to Z I just have a little more meandering to do.

I finished the book “Boys Will Be Boys” about the Dallas Cowboy glory years.  Unbelievable how much goes on that you don’t know about, even when you think you know it all! 

My next book is The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie.  She is my favorite mystery author and when my blogging friend Jay Cudney said he was going to do an Agatha read-a-thon I had to join in.  You can too since we are starting the challenge tomorrow and reading four books through the month of April.  I am hoping I’ll be able to finish them in that amount of time!  You can get all the details here.   

 Talk about zoom huh?

I love getting the shots through the trees.  Almost makes me think they are hands, playing with a ball.

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It is time for the big A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal!

For the last two years I’ve been participating in the A to Z Challenge with several hundred others and I’ve posted about that a few days ago. 

Jacqui Murray of WordDreams actually gave me the idea for this theme when I first started working at Michaels in September last year.  Thanks, Jacqui!

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