A 3 star experience with my silver ring workshop here…read more Let's first start off with the booking. You can only make a booking on by sending them an IG DM. We opted for their silver ring workshop for 4 people. Upon arriving we were greeted by the worker that showed us to our working stations. There was a bunch of tools on the table that looked a tad intimidating (but barely used any of them). The workshop started with the worker showing us how to stamp our rings on some test strips. They have a variety of stamps you can choose from like stars, letters, cartoons to stamp onto your piece of silver strip. This unfortunately was the extent of our workshop I felt. The person teaching us the workshop was in and out all the time tending to other classes that they had like the glass workshops. By the time we got enough practice, he came back to take our ring sizes, and cut us a new strip of silver to actually work on. You can choose to just stamp or add texture to your ring. Overall, I felt like there was little to no instructions for this workshop and our "teacher" was no where to be found most of the time since he just left us to do our own thing. We found ourselves sitting there once in a while not doing anything at all. Even when our rings were stamped and ready to weld together, he would just take our rings and weld it together elsewhere - did not ask us to come watch or teach us this step at all. It would've been more interactive if he would have asked us to even spectate this step. Last step was just to polish the rings, and I didn't particularly love that it's not a shiny silver. It looks more like a matte finish. I think there's a lot of kinks that they need to work out especially in the workshop experience as a customer. I get that they're trying to maximize their workshops, but we just felt abandoned a lot of times when there as no teacher around us. There's not much to do for the ring workshop imo other than stamping and hammaring textures. Perhaps can check out their other workshops like glass making.

I went with a friend to make our medium custom carpet at 10:30am and we finished around 1:30pm. The…read moreprocess is fun and it requires a bit of muscle work into it as you do need to push while you use the tuffing gun. We started with a quick demo and safety training for using the tuffing gun. Long hair are to be tied up to prevent accidents and off we go. For beginners I would choose something with less than 5 colours and less circular edges. I made a Kuromi and my friend did the cat from Kiki's delivery service. The staff were super friendly and helpful. The studio was full and busy but was not crowded. After you finish, the staff will help you to prepare the carpet then you would need to trim the yarn to finish the job. I would recommend this for a fun workshop but do allow 3+ hours to complete your carpet!

My friends surprised me with this small rug tufting experience, and we had so much fun as a group…read moreof five! We first picked our design, and the staff drew it out and demonstrated how to tuft before we started. The staff were very helpful and offered great suggestions. We stayed for about four hours and brought snacks and Starbucks drinks. The front of the store is also a pop-up. Accessibility: the entrance does not have an automatic door opener, but easy to pull open. One gender-neutral washroom in the back. Wide area to maneuver around.

Graven Feather is a relatively new addition to Queen St W. I happened upon it by chance when a…read moremodest sandwich board stopped me in my tracks. Graven... feather? Following a short flight of stairs I was led down into a wee little basement gallery. This brightly lit and warm space is serves double-duty as a gallery and studio space. The lovely lasses working there told me they are planning on hosting workshops on screenprinting and lithography. Sounds neat. The gallery, though small, was full of oil paintings. They are presently showcasing the work of Kari Minchin, though they change up the artist frequently. There were also some cool gift-ables, like handmade notebooks, greeting cards, and these truly brilliant screen-printed calendars. When I was there they had just put out a limited edition of the calendars which featured artistic embellishment and accents on each month. Those will probably get snapped up pretty quickly. A very pretty shop. I need to bring my kid sister here. Obligatory Title Pun: CARVE out some time and get DOWN here. Menu Readability: Their guestbook in a graph-paper notebook was a nice touch. Need to mention: Check the calendar on their website for events and workshops. What this place teaches me about myself: Is there an Association of Twee? I'd like to be the treasurer.

My first CMYE! (Stands for "Community Manager Yelp Event"!)…read more This event transported me back to the days of art class! ... and printing presses! I haven't done any "crafty" hands-on artwork since high school! So this was exciting! The studio is this cute quaint haven tucked downstairs at one of the tiny shops along Queen St. West. The venue is an extension of Artscape. We were immediately greeted with warmth and enthusiasm by the instructors, who happen to be local artists; Jessica Bromley Bartram, Pam Lobb, and Erin Candela. The instructors were extremely sweet, friendly and informative about the process, and the use of the presses. Every student there learned quickly, and used the machines it like a pro! Provided for us were textured paper, ribbon, lace, q-tips, popsicle sticks, and paints in the colors of blue, red, and green. I'm sure other colors are available upon request. Then it was time to get dirty! (Oh behave! You know what I mean!) Lessons today were Letter Presses and Monoprints! I was so delighted to see the vintage press machines! We commented on how ODD it felt to create anything hands-on these days! Sigh ... The Letter Press is the use of block letters and characters (think large metal block stencils) to create type on paper. Monoprinting meant creating positive & negative shadows & color to create a pattern. We used fabrics & paints & other scrap materials to etch patterns on an ink medium. I thoroughly enjoyed the light music playing in the background! Nice soothing touch to add to the ambiance! Given the small space, it felt spacious with it's open concept, all-white minimal decor and bright lighting! For such a small space, the maximum group size is 8 people. Any more and there wouldn't be enough room, or time, for everyone to enjoy every station! Cost is typically $25 for a class, materials is extra. Our class tonite was $35 per person, including material. Yay! (NOTE: CASH ONLY) I felt I didn't have enough time, but that just means I was having TOO much fun! I highly recommend letting your inner artist loose here! It's a fabulous way to spend a relaxed and inspired afternoon with the boyfriend, (or in my case, husband), mom, sister, or catching up with an old friend! I'm so happy Toronto has this hidden gem! Awesome job, Vivek S.!!! Now I'm feeling the yelptitude!

Stopped in because we happened to walk past. Larger shop than expected and has a nice variety of…read morehandmade things, art, and other fun items. The greeting cards and the crystal bracelets were some of my favorites to look at. The prices seemed reasonable, I assume they are partially each set by the respective creator/seller. I didn't end up buying anything because I was leaving town that day and had already shopped and gotten souvenirs during my trip. Shop local!

The Arts Market is an organized store showcasing local artists products…read more The experience of walking around to find a unique one-of-a-kind gift made me feel like I was walking inside a trendy museum. I will definitely return to check out new items.

I recently came across fluid bears on social media, and it looked like such a fun and unique…read moreactivity. My friend and I booked through an Instagram direct message and went during their "buy one, get one free" promotion for the fluid bear. The bears come in many sizes, and prices increase accordingly (keychain $22, 7" $58, 9" $68, 13" $108, 21" $168, 1 mini bear and canvas $38, and 2 mini bears and canvas $48). On the website, it also lists how long each project is expected to take. They also have pom-pom canvases and bags. The pom-pom canvases are: 8 x 8" $58, 12 x 12" $68, 18" x 18" $88, 18" x 23" $108, 23" x 23" $168, and 40" x 40" $328. The pom-pom bags are: A4 $88, A3 $108, and B5 $68. When we arrived and checked in for our reservation, an employee showed us the different-sized bears, and there were even some that were sitting or leaning back in addition to the standing ones. He gave us some time to decide, and then we also chose paint colours. We weren't sure what colours we wanted, so he showed us photos of previous customers' projects. We were set up at a table with aprons, our chosen paint colours, our bear on a tray, and even given a hair tie if we didn't have one with us to keep our hair out of the way. The employee showed us how to pour and mix our different paint colours and then pour them on our bears. The first pour was definitely the best one for me. The colours and patterns were astounding. Sometimes the paint doesn't completely cover the bear as it drips down, so they provide a plastic spoon to fill in those spots. The last thing before paying was deciding whether or not we wanted the bears to have a matte or gloss finish. Also, there's no tax if you pay in cash. We were informed that our bears would be ready for pickup in two to three days, and I did get a text informing me that our bears were ready within two days. I wasn't sure how to transport my finished bear home. It turns out that they put them in a case for you.   Overall, my friend and I really enjoyed our fluid bear experience. instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitebear_trt/ website: https://www.whitebeardiy.com/

A really creative, cute and cool experience in Markham. Mixing your favorite colours in your little…read morepaint cup and pouring it over your chosen white bear. Sarah had a tablet to help you with your design ideas filled with past customer's creations if you needed a kick start in design. I felt like a kid again creating something with my hands. We had a great time! As the only ones in the shop our session was about 30mins. Check them out!

If you are a stationary girly, then this is the place for you! I fell in love with The Paper Place…read morewhen I first moved downtown. It is conveniently located across from Trinity Bellwoods, with lots of lovely coffee shops nearby. The space inside is very inviting and organized. I love the origami paper section; the papers have so many beautiful designs and patterns. I don't think they sell any regular ball ink pens here but you will find lots of colourful, thin, marker-type pens and black drawing pens.

I always have grand ideas of being someone that sends letters, writes in journals, sketches in…read morenotebooks. I buy the supplies and then....nothing. Maybe a thank you card here and there. Holiday cards. But that's it. Yet, I still yearn for and cherish all things papier. So yeah, The Paper Place? Very VERY for me. They've got beautiful decorative papers, weights for different projects and needs, origami paper, notebooks, gifts, cards, calendars, etc etc. It's my dream come true! Even if you're not into such things, it's a beautiful place to browse. But I dare you to not want to start your own collection once you step inside!

A surprisingly-overlooked gallery in the heart of the city…read more Beaux Arts was a place I'd walked by frequently over the last, but (as with most things in my life) it was only when I was tasked with covering an event there that I finally had a chance to appreciate the beauty of the space. Often featuring the work of Brampton artists, this visit was motivated by a then-upcoming festival that was being advertised at the space and being held elsewhere. I was both impressed by the quality of the art and the demeanor of the curators, who took time out of their preparations for said event to show me around the space and point some of the pieces, which ranged from pop art to beautiful surrealistic and abstract paintings. There's a real sense of inclusion and promotion for local artists, and I was glad to see the support of the community in that respect. Far too often, the biggest art gallery in Mississauga (the self-titled AGM) has trouble bringing in the crowds for some of their marquee exhibits, but I saw no signs of weak attendance at Beaux Arts, as the crowd assembled for the event (the launch of the South Asian Arts Festival) were having a great time and enjoying the free refreshments and literature on offer. As another review on the business page mentioned, there is a definite need for these types of smaller art galleries, as they provide a lot of character to a village and can provide massive boosts for event space and local initiatives. I'm aware that funding is a challenge for Beaux Arts, but it's a great space and deserves a lot more exposure. This gallery is well worth a look, and a fantastic spot to hang out at in the middle of the city! Recommended.

This place is a comfortable, intimate gallery with great work spaces, too. This community…read moreinstitution needs lots of love, and I hope people will make themselves familiar with Beaux-Arts's events and shows, because they have music events as well as visual arts. This spot is also home to the Brampton Comic Jam, where every month (typically the last Thursday of the month) a number of writers and artists come together to work on creating instant comics together. This itself is sponsored by Arrow & Vine, a Brampton graphic arts company whose studio is within Beaux-Arts. The Comic Jam (affectionately called BramJam) takes place in the back work area, which has bright lighting, lots of table space, and feels like a perfect place to create art. The studio spaces are also nice. They're small but well-lighted and functional. I don't think they have a vacancy right now, but an artist would do well to keep an eye out for when they do. Again, I encourage Brampton citizens to get involved with Beaux-Arts and keep it going strong. It gets less funding than most other artist-run centres!

I recently started a Etsy shop (Reverie Designs Canada) and taking orders online for wedding…read moreinvites, banners, menus, etc. I picked Paperland to outsource my printing as the location, quality & service is excellent. I had to get something printed in black ink and they were actually able to do it on the spot as they had the paper in stock and they were not too busy at the time. After 20 mins I was able to get my printed material. Sweet! I love not having to come back. It was nice of them to offer to print it on the spot for me. I dealt with Eva (the owner) and Margaret who was very nice and got it all done very efficiently. I really love their Stardream/Curious papers. It's a shimmer metallic and looks amazing on everything. Hope to upload a photo of the finished product soon.

I love this stationary store! They have such lovely paper products and beautiful designs!! I got my…read morewedding invitations made here after a long search. They turned out so much nicer than those standard ones on wedding websites. It's one of my favourite items from my wedding. Designing and ordering is quick and easy. I recommend you go to the shop and they can help you and also calculate all the costs for you. It's not cheap but it's very affordable and a better deal than anywhere else. My product turned out elegant and luxurious.