Blogging From A to Z - 2018 - M is for

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.)