I was at a nearby event at one small, woman-owned business, when I was also encouraged to check out…read moreCherry Blossom. I'm glad I did. It's not a big store, but it is packed with journaling supplies, self-restoration tools (e.g., career exploration cards), cars, and items that would make really excellent gifts for family members and work colleagues. I found the perfect card for a friend about to have a baby with the kind of funny note on the front that let's both of us know, I know her. For the BuJo fans out there, the store has a wall of colorful pens and a large basket of different washi tapes plus several kinds of notebooks and journals.

Bought a neighborhood map of Seattle from their shop in the downtown DC Christmas market and it's…read morenow happily hanging in our kitchen. Given how picky we are about art and how long it takes us to get art up, that's saying a lot. The style and colors are perfect and it's a great way to remember other parts of our lives. My only complaint is that they don't have more maps to buy. As somebody who lives in the burbs of DC (I know, judge all you want), I had to pick between DC proper or past cities I'd lived in. It would be really cool to have maps of some of the closer in burbs.

Its all about the Monet, Monet, Monet…read more... I've always enjoyed the works of Impressionist Claude Monet, and here you get to experience his works projected on floor to ceiling screens. There's a short section with informational panels about his life and his process (TL:DR- LOL). Unexpectedly, there is also a section that recreates his studio and his garden at Giverny. (Note: I visited his house several years ago and obvs they have taken liberties here). Enough about this, what about the immersive experience? If you've attended the Van Gogh experience, I think that was superior. Maybe it's Monet's artwork, but projected like this, it's not as interesting. Maybe it has to do with the proportions, but it's a lot more impressive when there are just a few large paintings than several. And the music quite frankly was putting us to sleep. However, it is quite interesting when he revisits the same location and repaints it over the years. And of course the water lilies are gorgeous. The abrupt ending with caricatures of (famous?) people was a strange choice to end this experience. The projection area is set up nicely with chairs, benches and bean bags and everywhere you sit is a good spot for viewing. Just settle in and get comfortable. Optionsl to purchase a VR experience. The gift shop is tasteful and has lots to choose from. When is the Klimt show, I'm still waiting.

If you went to the Van Gogh exhibit, you should know what to expect: A room with information on the…read moreartist's life, information on his painting style, and lots of reproductions of his art. This exhibit was different from the Van Gogh in some respects. The first room we entered a Victorian-like parlor with furniture and artwork. From there, you go into a garden with hanging flowers and blue and green lights. From there, you go into the main room with the artist's works animated in a half-hour loop. There are bean bag cushions on the floor and numerous sling chairs on which to sit. From there you go into the last area, where you can select a drawing based on the artist's paintings and color it in. (The crayons were clearly left over from the Van Gogh exhibit and needed something to make the points finer.) Unlike the prior exhibit, there was as scanner we used to take a picture and display it on a screen. You can also pay extra to do a VR experience, but as my boyfriend and I didn't care for it the last time we went, we skipped it for this exhibit. Feel free to take as many pictures as you want; just don't use your flash or disturb other people at the exhibit. Although I didn't like the Monet exhibit as much as Van Gogh (maybe because I like Van Gogh's oeuvre better), it's still worth a visit and a nice experience. I hope to see this type of exhibit with more artists.

Since moving to DC seven years ago, Kuzeh has been my favorite place to pick up gifts of pottery -…read morefor myself and for others. Their pottery is lovely and they will do special orders (they'll just need little time to complete an order since it's all handmade and glazed). My friends now ask to stop by when they're in town so they can add to their collection after I started them off with a few pieces.

Kuzeh Pottery is my go-to place whenever I need or want to buy a gift for someone. I have also…read more(more than once) asked Kuzeh Pottery to create something special for people in my gift circle or any person I want to honor with a handmade, beautiful gift. It is, by the way, a place I frequent myself to buy things for my own house. I love this place!

Appointed is a woman-owned local business out of Ivy City. Out of an old factory, they make their…read morenotebooks from the space and maintain a small shop where you can buy notebooks, journals, calendars, etc. They even have a notebook bar where you can custom make a notebook. The paper and books are quality!

I've been an Appointed customer for a while, but I usually buy their products online or at other…read morelocal gift shops/stationery stores. They have now opened up their own storefront next to their office, complete with a "Notebook Bar," but there is little reason to buy the products here instead of another store, unless you are in immediate need of a notebook while in Ivy City (but at that point, just go to Target, unless you are really want something fancy). They do have a small selection of items from other companies, but none of it is must have, unless you must have $20 paper clips. A selection of items at different price points would be nice. I booked an appointment at the Notebook Bar (with a giftcard that covered most of it). I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was pretty underwhelming. You just fill out a form and watch someone build it for you. I guess I would have liked to have been a part of the building process somehow. I have more fun buying their products off the shelf from cooler stationery stores. I did build a "half and half" notebook, which maybe is supposed to be something special. It was just lined paper in the front, then dotted grid paper in the back, which is essentially two different notebooks, so I might as well buy them separately elsewhere. My favorite part of the whole experience was the plastic button envelope that protected my notebook. In short, products are great and the staff is nice, I am just unlikely to visit this specific store in the future. It's skippable, especially if you don't live in the area.

Pretty interesting exhibit to learn all about Van Gogh but it can be a little pricey. The best part…read morewas the immersive room with the live art. I could sit there for hours to watch all the paintings come to life. I recommend waiting until you get to the exhibit to pay for parking since it's cheaper than booking ahead. Overall, this is a good rainy day activity. It probably traits 90 minutes tops.

I came here this past Saturday with my Bonus Dad and had a great time! We had a reservation for 4pm…read moreand parking was only $6 for 2 hours which is excellent for DC. When you walk in the exhibit, it is an open space with a large sunflower backdrop for pictures. After you check in, you can take a more professionalized photo, chose your background and purchase it at the gift shop for $10. It was not crowded at all which is great because it gives you time (and space) to read about the artist Vincent Van Gogh. I learned a lot and saw more replicas of his artwork. Only reason why I had to deduct a star is because there were some evident errors in years posted of his work. One piece said he created a masterpiece in the 1900s and another said he did artwork in 1837 when he wasn't even born yet lol. The best parts of the immersive experience were the 360 room of theatrical lights, the 10 minute Virtual Reality ($5 p/p) and the staff I met along the way. My bonus dad and I spent about 30-40 mins in the room watching the story of Van Gogh's background. I was amazed at the different screens displaying so much I didn't know where to look because every screen was covered. The strobe lights on the floor were emulating birds and rain. The VR was well explained and made comfortable by Perry. At the end of the VR, you then walk into the gift shop and explore a few souvenirs. We met Donnie and Paige there who had wonderful, vibrant personalities. I purchased our pics from the booth earlier and he bought a flask with shot glasses. This was my 1st time at this exhibit and in this area that I saw many cool places to check out later like Metro Bar, a movies theater next door, & an indoor pickle-ball/rollerskate place. The dinosaur exhibit was right next door so don't be frightened if you hear a tyrannosaurus while checking out Van Gogh's work :D

Frida and Diego together again in Washington, DC…read more You are greeted by people beautifully dressed, some in flower crowns and traditional peasant Mexican dress. Walk through a lovely curtain adored with the faces of the famed couple, Frida and Diego. This is made with one of Frida's paintings. The space is decorated like Frida's home which is now a museum, La Casa Azul in Mexico. It has blue walls, with candles, skulls, Mexican tapestry, and aesthetics. Certain areas are devoted to Diego's murals. In life Diego was more famous but in death Frida May have surpassed him in fame. One of the rooms is a recreation of a traditional Mexican kitchen, with the sounds, pot and pans of such a place. You enjoy all these various rooms to finally arrive at the Main Hall, filled with projections of the life's work of Diego and Frida and comfortable seating. It takes about 30 or more minutes to enjoy this artistic show of their work. Afterwards, you enter a room with a recreation of one of Frida's big work of art, you get to color it in with markers, as it is one a white board. Also you can take pictures with a Frida and Diego cut-out. Next, you enter the "Cantina" filled with lovely Mexican paper decorations. If you pay for the VIP experience, you get to enjoy an interactive experience with Frida and Diego. Then you get to enjoy the shop where you can buy books, flower crowns and other items Frida and Diego related. It was a great experience and I'm glad it finally opened.

We enjoyed our visit very much. We went to the immersive Van Gogh exhibition & were hoping this one…read morewould be as good. It was! I think what I liked the most was that we first went through several rooms that contained information about Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera. I felt like I already knew quite a bit about them, but I definitely learned more. I never really thought about the fact, for example, that their approach to art was dramatically different. Rivera is known for works that are huge in scale, such as murals about major issues; Kahlo created highly personal works that were very personal, such as small self-portraits. Only after going through these rooms did we get to the immersive area. It was large & engaging. The music & sound added a lot to the experience.

Oscar's Flowers and Gifts sent a most beautiful flower arrangement to my son and daughter in law's…read more Happy Anniversary. The gentleman who helped me was so patient and helpful and on very short notice. The arrangement was huge and gorgeous. Thank you soo much.

My mom comes in here weekly to purchase flowers to take to the cemetery for my dad who passed in…read more2019. Oscar always makes my mom a special bouquet on a weekly basis and helps her pick out flowers and the colors she wants. Thank you Oscar for being so kind to my mom. He also is very nice to me when I come in to buy flowers for my wife. A very special little shop in Mount Rainier

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Cute little gift shop…read more Located next to the restrooms. Buy a souvenir tshirt, magnets, bottled water, snacks or a garden book.

I live in the Midwest and prefer to support local businesses. We found Crystals Flower & Gift Shop…read moreon yelp. My daughter was celebrating a milestone birthday and we wanted her to feel loved and special. I included her phone number in my online order and asked if she be could contacted in advance by the driver so she wouldn't miss the delivery. Well, Crystal called me first to discuss the order and also reached out to my daughter, who loved the floral arrangement as well as the friendly service. Terrific value too! So affordable!

My experience with Crystal Flowers was outstanding! They far exceeded my expectations in every way…read more I will be using Crystal Flowers as my new go to florist moving forward and will be HIGHLY recommending them! Thank you Crystal Flowers!