Micheal's is a great source for base making materials. I always get my general purpose hobby supplies from there. You are right about the pre-cut bases. They are all over the store. The last one I bought from there was meant to be a base to make your own clock. It worked perfect for my needs. The only thing that irritates me about the Micheal's in my town is that it is always really busy/crowded. This place gets packed out every weekend which is the only time I can go.