This is my 9 year old daughter's dream. The owner is so kind and the employees are so patient with…read moreall the sticker sparkly glue and the kids' whose eyes are bigger than their crafts. They all deserve sainthood - especially because it's not happening in MY house.

Had my daughter's birthday party here, all the kids were extremely happy and had a blast! We made…read morecream art and painting, and all the kids made fun and exciting items they can take home with them. It was great to have something unique to do that was fun and the kids could bring home. Overall highly recommend not only for kids, but for anyone who likes arts and craft, and even for corporate team building events!

MadeBy has quickly become one of my daughter's favorite places. She's 10 and very into arts,…read morecrafts, and hands-on projects, so this studio is right up her alley. We first checked it out during the grand opening and were impressed by how open, bright, and thoughtfully set up the space was. It feels much more spacious and creative than other DIY spots we've visited. We've since gone back for camps and casual weekend visits, and she always finds something new she wants to make. The custom comic book and stuffie stations are especially fun and unique. The staff has also been consistently kind, patient, and helpful every time we've been there. Such a fun place for creative kids.

This is a perfect place to bring your kids for fun activity that won't stress out their parents. My…read morefive-year-old was able to design her own customized Paw Patrol hat (with some help from Mommy and the staff). It might be a little too difficult for young kids to use Canva on the computers on their own, but my daughter enjoyed working on it together. The hat design was ironed on in less than 15 minutes, and so far the design has held up well. It's in a really large, open space in downtown Mountain View. I could see it being perfect for a kids birthday party in the future. We stopped by after having lunch down the street, so it's a great location for family day out.

Needlepoint/embroidery-thread shops in Saratoga, Los Gatos and Santa Clara have all gone out of…read morebusiness. Old World Designs on Santa Cruz Ave.in Menlo Park is a bit of a drive for me, but I feel grateful they are here to offer high-end threads of silk and wool, shiny Krenik and blends. These threads are not available in hobby-type stores or fabric stores. The showcase of designs here is outstanding and artfully displayed. You can expect to see seasonal designs so it is worthwhile to stop in frequently. You can also expect thoughtful and professional advice. Classes are offered and you can join the email list to be informed of upcoming classes and trunk shows. The shop is conveniently located, fronting on Santa Cruz Avenue. There is ample street parking, but i suppose it is best to time your visits.The neighborhood becomes quite busy at lunch time. I am thankful to have found Old World Designs. My experience here was rewarding and the environment is inviting.

I visited this shop yesterday after seeing a canvas listed as "in stock" on their website. I'm…read morenewer to needlepoint and was excited to browse in person, especially since there are only a couple stores in the South Bay/Peninsula. When I asked about a specific canvas, I was told it was not available. I mentioned that the website showed it in stock and had an active add-to-cart option. The response I received was unexpectedly dismissive and in a condescending tone. The woman behind the counter said: "Amazon has trained you to expect things you see online to be in stock," followed by an explanation that their website does not really support online orders, at least not yet. I completely understand that inventory systems and websites don't always match. Had this simply been explained in a straightforward way, I would likely have purchased a different design/kit while I was there. Instead, the interaction felt condescending and uncomfortable enough that I chose not to continue shopping. For a hobby that relies on welcoming and guiding newcomers, tone matters. This was not my first experience with needlepoint, but I can easily see how it could discourage someone just getting started. Because of this experience, I won't be returning. I'd recommend new stitchers seek out another local store where questions are encouraged and customers feel comfortable spending time (and money).

I come to Michaels a couple of times a year for projects, gift wrapping, framing, decoration, or…read morecostume needs. If I did more arts and crafts, I would visit more often! I am so glad to have a store that's open on weeknights until 9PM and opens early (9AM or 10AM) on weekends for us working folk! Also appreciate the ample space in the parking lot, and its neighboring Ross, UPS, and sushi joint in case you need to run multiple errands. My recent visit was to pickup an online order, which was fulfilled very quickly. They have a self-checkout and pickup rack to the right as you enter. It's very efficient. The staff were busy restocking and they make great use of their floorspace. The holiday decor is so tempting -- I shall return!!

Drowning. These employees are drowning. I've been coming to this location for years and it's…read morepathetic at this point. There will be customers needing assistants everywhere, broken items in the shelves, and the employees are stuck with a line pilling up. Eva was not only incredible but was doing everything they could. Management is a joke, whoever is suppose to be leading this store is failing. Hire more people, seeing only 3 employees is embarrassing for Michaels as a company. Michael's stores have started receiving more specific supplies that requires employees assistance. And there is none. There should be 5 employees at all times in a craft store that holds so many different unique categories. Disappointing.

Great selection of cards for special occasions and special people where you know the card is the…read morevalued gift.

This is a unique store for cards and gifts. It has many different types of paper and paper…read moreproducts. You can find special design to print your wedding invitation cards , programs , or any brochures you need . It has many unique gifts and collections of particular brands . It is more costly than an ordinary office supply . Quite enjoyable to browse around . They do have sales from time to time and can find the special gifts that you need .

Great Art Center in the city of Palo Alto, CA. Came here…read morefor a free family event night. A lot of fun activities for kids such as clay sculpting, coloring, origami, and art viewing. There was also a dance performance towards the end. It is located in a nice area near the local library, park, and community garden. They offer various classes for all ages on all forms of art. Wonderful event space and art education.

This place is worth going to on a regular basis since you get to see different revolving artists,…read morealways interesting art. The best things are their special events such as the glass pumpkins sale once a year, huge selection of glass pumpkins n other fall items n the art show once a year, some very talented artists. They also have special Friday activities. You can spend all day admiring the art or just a few hours. The other great aspect are the classes they offer, such as ceramics, kids art classes, drawing, painting etc. It's a great community space, plus it's across from the library. This location is also next to a community garden. Parking is plenty too n free. What a great space to spend your time.

Great experience first time tufting with my friend group! We chose the 2 hour mini tufting workshop…read more- booking process is online and you send them your desired design beforehand (you can choose your own design as long as it's simple enough!) Very helpful and sweet instructor Julie walked us through the steps and assisted us at the right times, we went a little overtime but she was flexible in letting us finish:) would come and again and highly recommend for a cute bonding activity with friends!

My team came here for an offsite and we had a really great time. We did the mini tufting workshop,…read moreit's $85 per person and ended up lasting around 2.5 hours for our group of 9. Group discounts are available for groups larger than 12. Before the workshop everybody got to pick the design they wanted to do as well as the type of backing/framing (coaster, wall hanging, or mirror) they wanted. The person leading the workshop was amazing, very patient and friendly. The workshop was roughly 20 minutes of tutorial, 1 hour of tufting with the gun (varied widely person to person), and then 1 hour for everyone to glue and trim and clean their rugs. I was surprised at how well our final pieces turned out considering none of us had ever rug tufted before. At the end we also each got a cute free tote bag to hold our creations. This was a really fun unique activity, I would highly recommend!

I need some alcohol markers. That means I need to go to a stationery store or an art store. I am…read morein Redwood City, so let's try University Art on El Camino Real. Before you walk in, there's Covid-19 rules posted. Sanitizer provided at the door. Capacity limit is 25. This place is packed with merchandise. For a first time customer, it's overwhelming. So i ask for help, and I get directed to the alcohol pens. Big selection and color variety. Prices are reasonable. Nice store, helpful staff, free parking.

They are closed!!! But they had been a terrific…read moreneighborhood art supply store. I am hoping that Blick, who moved to Santa Clara, had what we artists need.

Had the pleasure working with Jackie to host my team holiday event making candles. From selecting…read moreour own based & learning the difference between why candles are expensive to how to light them & not ruin the wax itself. We got to play & test scents to build our candle & also decorate the tops as well. As a team we enjoyed it & it was nice and personal. But utmost Jackie made us feel at ease, comfortable & just allowed us to have fun in her space! I love my candle and lighting it up every chance I get:)

Such a cute activity to do with your friends, significant other, or family! Book a reservation in…read moreadvance because it can get busy, especially on weekends. When you arrive, the staff are super welcoming and walk you through the candle-making process step by step. It's beginner-friendly, so even if you've never done anything like this before, it's easy to follow along. There are tons of scents to choose from and you can mix and match a few to make something unique, or pick one signature scent you love. You also get to control how strong or subtle the fragrance is, which is a nice personal touch. The space itself is clean, well-organized, and smells amazing! Plan for about two hours total: the first hour is for scent choosing, instructions, and pouring your candle, and the second is for drying time. During that time, you can explore nearby shops or grab coffee in downtown Mountain View. When you come back, you can decorate your candle with labels or small touches to make it gift-ready or keep for yourself. Overall, it's a relaxing, creative experience that's perfect for date nights, small group outings, or even solo time if you want to unwind and make something special. Highly recommend checking it out if you're looking for a fun, hands-on local activity!

I have been wanting to take my kiddo to a caregiver and me cooking class for a while now. She is…read morefinally old enough and I felt like she was ready. I booked a Tuesday evening class during winter break. You get a confirmation email and that's it. I was worried about prep but they prepare everything for you and thought up everything as well. Small parking lot. They had us wash our hands when we arrived and then each kiddo had a color sheet with crayons. Nice touch but defeats the purpose of washing our hands first. The two of us shared a table with another mom with their toddler. Each toddler had their own set up to make 6 cookies. Everything was pre measured and it wasn't too messy. We were able to bake 6 cookies and use whatever toppings - she got to choose between chocolate chips, m&ms, white chocolate chips and these dried fruits. They read a book to the kids and then made milk shakes as a group. Each kid got a small cup and to place chocolate chips/m&Ms in. The cookies were really delicious and my child loved the milk shake. One thing is that you can't stop other kiddos from touching your items/food. Would return.

Great experience for people watching/interacting, and cooking without having to prep or clean!…read more Booked a shared table for 2 (4 people at a table) for an adult cooking class on a Saturday night. Pros: The shared table experience was great for meeting new people and having extra sets of brains for multitasking. Cons: Seating is random and the experience is shared; ie: one burner for 4, and the end products are shared. Our dish ended up being over-salted, and our experience was halved in interactive-ness due to the luck of the draw of seating. Never have I had a spoon or spatula taken away from my hands so fast before. And most certainly never have I had someone critique the knives and actively give the duller knife to us. This shared table experience was essentially a fight for all (for us). BUT this is just dependent on the attendees and who you're seated with. The other shared tables didn't seem to have such issues. For a more interactive learning experience, I recommend the private table to avoid the risk of randomization. On the bright side, we got to see how other couples interact, whether it was actively taking items from their partner's hands because they were doing the task wrong (ie: mixing eggs wrong??) or the couple next to us taking cute photos of each other and sharing drinks while enjoying their time together. The structure of the class was decent, organized, and well-paced. All ingredients were measured and prepared. Baking, cleaning, and chilling items were taken care of by staff. Prepping the dish (ie: battering items, mixing ingredients) and active cooking were the only things needed to be done. The instructor would explain the ingredients provided and the instructions during the instruction period for the dish at hand. Following the instructions, prep/cooking occurs while the instructor supervises and provides aid or guidance as needed. All in all, I had a great experience. The staff was nice, especially the instructor, and I felt taken care of during my cooking class experience. Would return for pasta night-- most definitely for the private table experience.