I went to ARTlicious using a Groupon a few months ago, and I was very happy. I got a 2-hour…read moreone-on-one crochet instruction session with a friendly knowledgeable instructor, and I am booked for a 2-hour photography workshop next week. ARTlicious offers a wide variety of artistic workshops and the scheduling is flexible. The owner Evelyn clearly loves what she does and is very accommodating. There is plenty of free parking in the underground lot and you can also do some other shopping while you're at the mall. Sign-up and learn something new! Art can be very cathartic; it is meditative and can help improve your mental health and overall quality of life. Especially during the long, dark winter months we could all use a creative outlet for our energy.

When my girlfriend told me that she had signed us up for a sewing workshop at a local studio in the…read moreJunction, I was a little hesitant at first. I mean I build things, with metal and iron and wood in my spare time, how could I ever do something as detailed and delicate as sewing fabrics together? I had visions of what my contraptions might be, oddly shaped indistinguishable fabric pieces held loosely together with thread and a prayer. As a self proclaimed perfectionist, this venture into the unknown scared the bejesus out of me. All this self doubt and fear went away the moment I entered into The Sewing Junction this past Sunday morning and met with shop owner and instructor Clara whose gentle approach and kind smile put my fears to rest immediately. We were there for her special holiday workshop where the project of the day would be to design our very own custom Christmas Stocking! I was excited about this workshop since the only stocking I've ever had is a 4 foot long one complete with Teddy Bear head atop it that I've had since I was 5. Say what you want about a nearly 30 year old guy rocking a teddy bear stocking but that thing holds a TON of presents. But we all need to grow up at some point, so I was thrilled to make a proper (and properly sized) new stocking. The workshop was amazing, start to finish. Clara's lesson plan was meticulously planned out, providing enough time for sufficient explanation, demonstration and skill practice before each step of the process to ensure we knew what we were doing before working on our project. All supplies and tool usage were included in the class fee, and for the stocking we were allowed to choose between three fabric options (I went with a wonderful brown chocolate suede). Overall, my experience was exceptional, my stocking looks professionally made from a specialty shop, and is better quality than anything you'll find in a store. Best of all, I've discovered that I really enjoy sewing. Thanks to Clara for a wonderful afternoon and I'm looking forward to taking another class in the future!

I just finished my first course at the Sewing Junction and I highly recommend this studio…read more Clara is an exemplary teacher, and since she teaches each class personally, I felt I learned a lot. The space is also very clean and organized. Each class has specific skills which are taught, and so I never felt like I was running around not knowing what was happening. I also really appreciated the condition of the machines there. I also really appreciate that the classes were not over crowded. After finishing my first course, I have a decent amount of confidence in my abilities, and am excited about what is next!

Had an amazing afternoon at Petite Workshop! I went with a friend and we both created a terrarium…read moreeach, one big Totoro and one small Totoro. Lily, the owner, was able to provide us with instructions, tools, and demonstrations to help us through the creation of our terrariums. She was very nice and patient with us as we were trying to learn the different techniques to create our model. Cool tip that I learned was to not worry if your clay starts to crack as a little water can help soften your clay and makes it easier to smooth out the cracks! The establishment was also very clean and welcoming, also filled with a lot of miniature models created by the owner. We had two hours booked to complete the project and never felt rushed. I highly recommend coming to Petite Workshop! Be sure to make a reservation on their website at least a couple days in advance as the Petite Workshop was popping nearing the end of our session. Thanks Lily for the amazing time and we hope to come back again!

The instructor provided clear instructions and great attention to detail. The steps were simple…read moreenough to follow. We were very happy with how our pieces turned out. This is a great small business to support.

Wow!! So much fun. There are even pottery classes here…read more Brings out the artist in you. Painting pottery is a nice little activity that you can do with your family. I love glaze craze.

Great place to go to craft as a family! Lots of ceramics to select from. We went on a weekend…read moremorning and it wasn't too busy. Would definitely recommend and we will be going back!

I've taken several classes at this location and they have a fantastic team!…read more I took 2 pottery courses and 1 sewing class and plan on going back and getting a membership for pottery. The class environment is great and the instructors are amazing! Thomas who taught my first course is so much fun and he clearly loves what he does. It's a bright and open space with lots of light, they provide everything required during the course and can help you create something specific if you had that in mind while taking the class. They also run many classes for children and the place is usually brimming with kids and laughter. It truly has a very positive vibe. They have new instructors who have recently joined for pottery and they too are equally supportive and great to learn from.

The Cold Process Soap Making class was super fun, informative, and educational. It felt like being…read morein a chemistry class all over again, with products that you actually get to take home and use. The space was small and cozy, with a parking lot right across the street and bus stop just steps away. There were 12 people in our class, and it started promptly. Our instructor was very knowledgeable and emphasized safety first (had to wear safety goggles, rubber gloves, and mask as the mixture of some of the ingredients produced toxic fume temporarily). The class was divided into 3 phases. The first phase, mixing the distilled water with lye (sodium hydroxide), was done outside for 1 minute to let the toxic fume evaporate. The other 2 phases were done inside - measuring and mixing the different ingredients together. In the last phase, we got to smell the different scents available for us to use that day (neroli, bergamot, lemongrass, peppermint, lavender, orange, frankincense, eucalyptus, etc.) so we could decide whch scent(s) to use for our soap. We could mix different scents together, or use just one. After all the ingredients were mixed and ready, the mixture was poured into a mould to let sit and solidify. The instructor provided information on what to do after taking it home, when to take it out of the mould and cut the bar soap (after 1-3 days), when it's ready to use (after ~4 weeks to complete the 'cure' / hardening process), and precautions needed in the first few days (to use gloves as it could still be toxic and corrosive in the first 48 hours). It was a great DIY experience - learned a lot about soap making!

We went as a group of 12. There was no problem booking the class online. We chose the Candle…read moreMaking & Fragrance Mist class. We sat in a large room and the staff brought out all the fragrances they had. There were perhaps 16 in total? They passed out some papers and pens so we could "test" the smell - place a drop of the oil on the paper and write down the scent. We were told you need to have 20 ml of scent. It could be one or it could be a combo, but no more than 20 ml. There was no lecture on how to choose or suggestions of "good combos". Just go ahead and choose. I was hoping for a little guidance and perhaps a little lesson on the scents and what they mean or do for you physically. Once our scents were chosen and poured in the candle cups were were given - 2 candles per person - the staff walked around and poured the soy candle wax into our cups. Then, you wait for them to harden. While the candles are hardening, we selected from the same oils, a scent we would like to have in our fragrance. The fragrance is an alcohol-based liquid that you can use on skin or perhaps spray in your car or bathroom. For this, all we had to do was select the spray and pour it in the little bottle of alcohol using the funnel provided. Labels were handed out at the end so we could label the scents we chose. Labels were given for the 2 candles and the spray. Overall, it was fun. However, I was hoping for a little education that didn't happen. Also, clearly some of the scents are the "popular ones" as they smell really good. They ran out of one and had no more so some of our group were not too happy with that.

The Taster Class is a ~2.5h experience. There was a live demo to get us familiarized with the…read moreequipment and basics. Then the rest of the time was free to explore, we were allowed to use as much clay as we wanted to create a number of pieces. The staff was great, very attentive and happy to help make your vision come to life. The package includes 2 creations to be fired and glazed for you to take home, you get to choose the glaze, and the staff takes care of this for you. You get an email about 3 weeks later to pick up your creations. 10/10 recommend!

I really love this place! I've taken a few wheel throwing classes here for a while and had an…read moreabsolute blast! The teacher, Pippa, is so talented and patient. They have short workshops or longer depending on what you're interested in. If you just wanna give it a try, take a class or two. You won't regret it, I t's a lot of fun.

Crackpot is a great place to relax and tap into your inner creativity for some serious pottery…read moremaking. Good for all ages and any aspiring artist. The studio is spacious, clean, and large enough for team building events, or kid's birthday parties. They offer various options such as ceramic painting, hand building and potter's wheel. My plus one and I choose to use our hands and make our own bowl and cup. The staff were friendly and gave us a short tutorial and provided us various tips on placement and design. Not only were they friendly, they were patient as I had to make the same cup 3 times and smooth it out. In the end we left pretty late leaving the venue. Thank you Crackpot for not kicking us out!! Some tips before going, clip your nails, especially if you plan to get down and dirty with any clay. Not feeling the clay? no worries, they have plenty of premade ceramics and paint. You don't even need to be extra creative as we watched others around us make lily pads and clay hands. Keep in mind that once you finish your creation you can't take it home, it takes a couple of weeks for them to dry and give it a glaze finish before you can pick it up. Overall this is a relaxing place with friendly staff and a fun environment to try something creative. I would highly recommend giving crackpot a try. JimStar Out!!