Great staff, great atmosphere, great times to be had..... for such a low price! My granddaughter…read moreinsists it's a must do when visiting for the summer! We actually went 3 times in a month!

My youngest niece had her 9th Birthday party here yesterday, it was an emoji painting theme, and it…read morewas a blast for the kids and the adults who attended. The shop is very clean, well organized, and appointed with all supplies necessary to unleash your inner Picasso. The staff was helpful, making sure each little artist created their masterpiece to their liking. The Sparkle Factory will delight princesses and princes of all ages, and is a great photo op. The children had a super time during their "parade" of paintings, eating cupcakes, singing "Happy Birthday," playing staff-led games while their canvases dried, and celebrating her last single digit (sniff sniff) Birthday. They also offer adult parties - BYOB, if you choose - and have a variety of mediums you can choose to paint. I'm thinking a GNO wine glass painting party is in our very near future. They have Comedy nights, and other special events, too. We've been to different venues for her past three birthdays, and this is by far my favorite. Locally owned, obviously a labor of love: a perfect afternoon for my sweetie, her posse, and all guests.

Fun place to go with my creative daughter who already done everything else available…read more Parking was a little bit of a hassle & projects can be expensive. Employees seemed a little understaffed so don't take a group of Littles that are gonna need a lot of extra help. My daughter was young, but she did fine. I would say older kids and adults will have the best experience.. This place is worth at least one visit for any makers out there.

Tufting is not for the weak! But it is a rewarding experience once the project is finished. This…read morewas a medium project which took 3 hours to complete. My right shoulder feels strong like that one big arm Popeye had. https://tutugetheraz.com

This super cute gift store looks so fun from the outside, my friends and I HAD to stop in for a…read morequick look around. This place has so much to offer!!! So many fun and unique gifts!!! They also offer some really awesome sounding classes each month, including: sour dough bread making, candle or soap making , cookie decorating and many many more! The woman we talked to for a bit was very nice! The classes weren't cheap, but I'm sure the quality of the products made are high and I'm always looking to support local. I cannot wait to go take classes there and buy some fun gifts for my friends and family. This place is a must if you're in downtown Gilbert.

Love studio 223! Tori is wonderful, I have taken several classes of hers. Her classes are fun and…read moreeasy to follow and she is always willing to provide extra help for those who need it. She always has super cute finds in her storefront from other local vendors. I always look forward to when she posts her classes schedule for the month. Highly recommend taking a class and enjoying a nice lunch/dinner at one of the many places in downtown Gilbert.

Got a cake and need decorations? Maybe a candle? Maybe some extra fun? This is it! Everything you…read moreneed for wayyyy cheaper and better quality items. I love the variety, the accessibility to everything needed to make your dessert or cake look incredible. They have equipment for sale, rent. They sell premade material, and material to package your goods with love. I love how there is sales, and access to so much creativity without breaking the bank. It really was so fun shopping!

Drove here from Peoria, I was very pleased with this store! The amount of cake/cupcake toppers is…read moreinsane. For any occasion they will have it! Very organized & clean. Loved my experience here

Sadly Etcetera has closed. The five talented ladies have found other outlets to sell their…read morehandmade items. It was the cutest booth in this Painted Tree location. Best of luck to the vendors!

The Paper Place is such a cute stop in Old Town Scottsdale. I was on the hunt for specialty paper…read moreand as it's name hints, The Paper Place popped up on my Yelp search! It's a great stop for gifts. They offer lots of cute trinkets, stationary, specialty paper and everything in between! It's not huge by any means, but they pack in full and have a great counter space for consultations for custom stationary. I really enjoyed visiting and found some fun paper to work for my projects, which was all reasonably priced, but they specialize more with invitations, verse having an extensive amount of paper for home projects or crafting. I still really enjoyed my visit and would absolutely pop in whenever I am in the area or if I needed custom invitation! The examples they had out were beautiful!

What a fun store for stationary, pens, paper, envelopes, gift wrap, ribbons and gifts. Many…read moreunusual and unique items to purchase. Friendly staff will help you with your decisions should you need it. Free street parking.

My friend always talks about this little stationery shop in Tempe, Kinkan Gifts, and I am so happy…read moreI got to finally check it out. Everything in the shop was curated to perfection and anyone/ everyone can definitely find something they may like. The owner and their staff seem to really love what they do and want to bring joy to the community. Everything seemed to be priced appropriately, especially since I know they get some of their items imported from Asia/ Japan. If you love cute stuff and getting into your crafty/ journaling era, definitely check out Kinkan.

Saw this place on TikTok and had to go check it out. The shop owner had stepped away for a bit but…read morehad put a sign in the window that she'd be back shortly. There are a couple of chairs out front and so we sat down to wait for her return. It was a good reminder to slow down and not be in a rush all the time. Such a cute shop! Found a fun selection of washi tape, some cool pens, was tempted by a journal or two (I have sooooo many blank ones at home that I had to pass on another one today), and some super cute stickers. It was a bit of a drive for us to get there, but we overall enjoyed the experience and were happy to be supporting a unique local business.

I attended their 20th anniversary Mesa show for the first time last Saturday at noon, at the Mesa…read moreConvention Center. They have their shows every March and November on Saturday (from 9:30-5) and Sunday (11-4) at this location. They chose the Center because it's cheaper for the vendors and also for the large free parking. Admission was $7 at the door and $5 pre-paid (via online on their official website or from local scrapbooking stores) that covered the 2 days. Early birdies got in at 9, a half-hour before opening and were offered coffee or iced tea while in line. They do a drawing of first names and if your name was chosen, you got in for free with proof of your photo ID; for this show, the name drawn was "Janis" or "Janice". Interestingly, admission was free that day- thanks to the generosity who paid for our admission(!) So, that means I got in for free ;) I wonder about those who paid the $5 advance? Did they get their money back? Probably not ;) I'll just say here: "thank-you" :) They had 21 booths (which the organizer closed off afterwards to allow room for attendees to move around, plus the Center is not large enough to accompany that many vendors: fire rules set by the marshal) from all over the U.S. primarily selling their rubber/clear/vinyl cling stamps, as well as dies and other scrapbooking items- focusing on holiday/seasonal, animals, and fashion. There were demos, videos, and makes-n-takes. They had door prizes hourly throughout the day and 2 large gift baskets (worth over $350) at the end of the day for the lucky winners (I viewed the baskets and the winners would need a helping hand carrying the prizes to the vehicles ;) ). They also gave prize money for 2 winning cards made by using stamps. The ambiance was festive and warm, so a nice time was had. The Center's air conditioner was a bit too chill for some who ended up wearing a sweater walking around. I simply had long sleeves and shorts that suited me just fine ;) They also had a concession area on-site for a light lunch / snack and drink, with a big open room nearby with plenty of tables & chairs. I didn't eat/drink there so I won't be reviewing it. And, some of the vendors had a pail of free candies on their tables to give out ;) Barbara, the show's organizer since the beginning, was very professional in putting the show together and managing to get as many vendors to sign up; she sends postcards in the mail if you're on the mailing list. I appreciate all the efforts made to make that day happen, as I am a stamper myself and traveled down to downtown Mesa all the way from north central Phoenix area to support the industry. The Center was neat and clean and kept well-maintained throughout the day... As a stamp enthusiast or collector would know, purchasing stamps as a favorite hobby can get pricey, especially since the good stuff are online. So, it's nice to meet up with your favorite manufacturers at the Center and save some money on shipping, plus some offer early-bird and bulk discounts via their promo coupons on the show's official catalog. I appreciate that they stocked current and new lines, rather than using the show to unload old inventory and 'unwants'. Therefore, I arrived home a happy camper :)

I love these biannual events....so many new idea so much to see and to buy......so many new…read moreideas....and the joy of meeting old friends...and finding favorite vendors back again....but I had one big problem this year....I MISSED IT! ( I almost cried when i heard it was over) For some reason I didn't get a postcard this time, and traveling between Wisconsin and Arizona in fall was not an asset as I saw no ads for it. Now I need to wait until March... and Nov. to Mar. is a long time to wait when one is 82 yrs old...and time is at a limit. Pat M.W.