My roommate and I love this place! The owner and staff is so nice, they have great prices and they…read morehave everything we need. They gave me a box of crayons to try the other day and my son will be so happy. They are just a great neighborhood art store!

I stopped here yesterday afternoon and the lady at the counter was wonderful. She introduced me to…read morethe no. 63 line of Pre de Provence fragrance, a beautiful, woodsy, spicy, masculine scent - with notes of tobacco, cedar and some other notes I forgot. It's masculine but women can wear it too and I love it. The store has a wonderful collection of jacquard French linens, olive oil soaps, lavender, French dishware - so much for a Francophile to choose from. Wonderful selection and cute store!

Incredibly cute little boutique with a very tight focus: French country styling. I went in today…read moreand it was really nice to go into such a bright and fresh place on such a dreary and cold day. Pretty much all items are imported from France or Italy and appear to be high quality. La Prov has a lovely selection of brocade linens for the table, and some gorgeous clear glassware and serving dishes decorated with raised bees and dragonflies I've been admiring. They also have an extensive selection of fine soaps from France, and candles. Much in the way of home decor with a vintage flair, including reproduction advertising posters (last year, I gave one to a friend that featured seven saucy topless redheaded mermaids swimming around a bottle of seltzer water). Great for gift items, she's got a small group of music CDs featuring Edith Piaf, assortments of French or Italian music from the 40s and 50s, as well as some servingware and kitchen staples such as Fleur de Sel and Herbes de Provence. The owner is very sweet as well! Worth a stop if you are in the area.

This is a great little shop! The merchandise is always displayed in the most enticing manner and…read morehas obviously been chosen carefully. Half of the shop is full of paper goods and other gift-type things: cool totes, pretty calendars and journals, letterpressed greeting cards. If you're in town for the day and forgot your Moleskine, you can grab yet another here. The other half of the shop is full of really cool, non mass-market toys. Small producers and European makers offer a really unique selection of toys of all sizes for babies and kids. The shop is well-thought out and comfortable to visit and completely dangerous if you happen to have a thing for paper goods, like me!

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to take a piece of Rockport back with you, check out The…read morePaper Mermaid. In addition to childrens toys and upscale stationary they have some cards by local artists have painted of the Rockport sights, and they are inexpensive and lovely. Put them in some frames from Michaels, and they'd be awesome art. The shop itself is very light and airy and fun to look around in- lots of pretty girly things everywhere. They had some really neat calendars as well, of vintage stamps, etc. Worth checking out if you are visiting Rockport.

I came to Artsy because I had won a gift card in a silent auction -- and I'm so glad I did! I went…read morethere for a lesson on how to use my sewing machine that I'd never really tried before and left after a great session. She gave me a full lesson on how the machine worked and gave me plenty of tips and a project to work on on my own. I highly recommend this place and plan to go back!

From the owner: Open Studio Hours Tuesdays 10am-12pm After School Sewing…read moreClasses for Kids Adult Sewing Classes daytime and evenings Crafty Workshops Birthday Parties Girl Scout Events Crochet and Knitting Classes Babylock Sewing Machine sales Sewing Machine Reparis Small amount of quilt shop quality fabric available for sale by appointment

Wonderful people and wonderful teacher. Just signed up after wanting to do stained glass for a…read morewhile. Tracey makes it easy for beginners and the other students are very welcoming. highly recommend giving yourself a chance to try something new and signing up for a class here! You get set up with a kit, a tutorial on how to cut glass, and help along the way.

I have taken many classes from The Glass Bar and all of them have been superb. Jordan and Debbie…read moreare excellent instructors. They are patient and very encouraging of beginners. I also like that they are eager to see the results of experiments. While I like all the classes, I have most enjoyed the mosaic classes and the fused glass classes.

Such a fun afternoon creating!! I highly recommend Create & Escape! We attended the studio to…read morecelebrate Administrative Professionals Day!! Each of us created a different item it was such a wonderful afternoon!!! The staff is so helpful and accommodating. I had changed my design when I arrived and they didn't even bat an eye... So many different designs and items to choose or you can create your own! Everything is covered in the pricing no hidden fees etc a great value for this activity!

Wendy led a mobile candle-making workshop for my sister's bachelorette and we had so much fun!…read moreSuccessful workshop and very satisfied Bride & Squad! Some things I loved in no particular order: 1. Wendy was helpful and responsive during the planning/booking process. 2. She was professional, prepared, and on time. 3. The lesson and materials were of high quality. Wendy demonstrated value with her advice and recommendations, offering us insights into how we could make our own candles without the professional equipment, on a lower budget, or just getting creative with different vessels etc. All the scents she brought with her (there were soooo many and she'd have even more if we went into the studio!) smelled AMAZING and true to what they were supposed to smell like. 4. The display and attention to detail were just phenomenal. Check out the pictures! We decorated the space for the party of course and the setup really enhanced the vibe we were going for! So beautiful and classy! 5. Wendy is just a really cool person! It was a pleasure working with her as well as just chatting and laughing with her during the craft. The whole group (8 of us) had nothing but praise afterwards. The highest recommendations for this wonderful local business! I definitely want to visit the studio and will be using Create & Escape again for future events, and you should too!

We're in the area for the summer so we've been looking for things to do. We were so glad we found…read morethis place! Everyone was very friendly. The woman that assisted us was super thorough and helpful. She gave us tips and recommendations and explained everything perfectly, she even saved my daughter's piece when she "ruined" it (she needs a promotion lol). We tried the clay painting & there was a wide variety of ready made pottery pieces to choose from. I chose a mermaid mug, my daughter chose a cute character mug and my son chose a cute trophy vase/mug? There were tons of paint colors to choose from as well as all the painting accessories (brushes, stencils, sponges, etc). We were reminded that we can't take the pieces home right away since they'll have to go in the kiln but they'll call/text in 7-10 days for pickup. The studio was very clean, organized and spacious. It was also very affordable, they charge $5 per person for the first hour and then $2.50 each additional hour per person and you just buy the ceramic pieces that range from $20 and up. Highly recommend for a fun time with family and friends.

My daughter, myself and my two nieces went on a Friday evening. We had so much fun ! You can bring…read morealcohol if you would like to. We brought wine, next time we will bring some snacks also. Staff was friendly and explained the process to us. We picked out our project and proceeded to paint laugh and enjoy each other's company. Highly recommend ! The only negative I have is the pottery pieces to choose from was not that extensive and the prices of said items I feel were a bit pricey. We had a blast ! Definitely going back !

All craft roads lead to Playtime--an unassuming yet remarkable arts and crafts supply store in…read moreArlington Center. As a gifter, I don't fully understand how I didn't know about this place before, but I'm so glad I do now. I went for a family project recently when closer craft shops didn't have what we needed. There's an abundance of arts and crafts supplies here, housed in two interconnected basement rooms, along with an impressive paper and picture frame selection (among other items) on the first floor. The atmosphere is one of a kind--more like an arts-and-crafts boutique curated by the owner, with items you won't easily find together elsewhere. Because of the sheer breadth, some categories (like fabrics, for example) have a smaller variety, which is just an observation, not a critique. Ribbons are unrivaled. If you don't have time to wander, ask--the best part of our experience was the owner, Carol, and the staff (thank you, Lilly). They are wonderfully kind, patient, and creative, offering thoughtful, gentle advice for your projects and genuinely care about their customers. Tip: There's a parking lot in the back or bus 87 drops you off right in front, literally. Highly recommended local business.

How in the WORLD have I lived in Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge for decades and not known about…read morethis place. A friend recommended coming here w/ my mom to look for yarn for her knitting projects and my friend prefaced that this place was the BEST for any type of arts, crafts, decor, etc. Well, WOW!! And funny enough, my mom used to go to this store when she was a little girl in the late 50s-60s to get Nancy Drew books. She said it was EXACTLY how she remembered as a kid. I was awe struck by everything this store had. I will definitely be making this place a regular stop for gifts for people and for fun. Forget going to places like Michaels. Come to this local, family-owned business which I guarantee will have whatever you are looking for. It's an incredible place.