Stopped here to pick up some materials because I did a hand lettering virtual workshop and wanted…read moreto give it a shot. They have a ton of stuff in this shop and though I'm not an artist myself, they have a little of everything so you may find what you need. The guy working the store greeted me and let me know to holler for him if I needed help, but otherwise let me alone to wander. They also have a lot of framing options, so if you're looking for a framing job then you could try them out. Parking is street only, and metered. I didn't have any problem finding a parking spot, so hopefully that's the norm around here.

Friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful owner. The selection of supplies is also excellent. A…read morewonderful small business that is very useful to have close by.

We had a great day here today! We wanted to do something crafty, but we've done ceramic/pottery…read morepainting too many times. Icraft was such a special find with truly unique offerings for a creative day. Our group was able to choose different crafts from each other as well. We did cream glue art and liquid bears, and Jamie was beyond helpful and SO patient. We can't wait to come back and try tufting!

I popped in here at the last minute to buy a stick for my new Tibetan singing bowl. I had no idea…read morewhere to buy one individually as the bowl was a gift. The staff at Amadara was really helpful, and the prices were reasonable. I only paid $6 for my little instrument accessory :). There are so many beautiful stones and handmade goods here, I'll definitely be making a return trip!

Whoa! Look at all these 5 star reviews for this colorful and playful gift shop! I just finished a…read moretiny shopping spree here earlier this afternoon and I'd love to share my experience here on this platform because I'm extremely impressed with everything I found here today from aromatherapy oils to healing chakra crystals and instruments. Today was my first time exploring this extremely adorable and unique crystal boutique shop! There is a large selection of raw and polished crystals, fabrics, clothes, chimes, bells, Tibetan singing bowls incense, massage and essential oils here. I found myself drawn to a variety of beautiful sacred geometry stones and picked out a complete set for myself in a variety of colors. Each stone of course is for a different chakra so if you appreciate raw and polished crystals you will enjoy wandering around this store and find many beautiful objects whether it's essential oils, clothes or sound healing instruments. I was extremely tempted to keep buying more and more; but I limited my shopping by buying three tiny perfume oils (myrrh, lavender, vanilla) one bottle of Champaka massage oil, a gorgeous clear quartz crystal a sacred geometry set, and a tiny cymbal. The owner is from Nepal and he's extremely friendly and helpful. I will most definitely return here as my budget allows and I highly recommend this gift shop if you're a healer or you just appreciate crystals and alternative healing. There's also an ample selection of incense here to choose from. I really love everything I purchased today

This place is great. Very liberal, very tongue in cheek, and fun type random gifts. Socks with…read moreswear words phrases. Politician action figures. Decent prices for a range of collectibles. Cool flags for waving beliefs boldly. Excellent gift spot. Friendly service. Everyone just seemed to be enjoying the fun inventory just like the name. I'm definitely going back for gifts.

An eclectic mix of items can be found here, which makes it an interesting place to stop. You may…read morehave fun finding a gift here too. I didn't really expect to find anything here but I've been curious about it for about a decade. There's apparel, mostly with a Chicago bent to it; some children's clothing; cards; snarky socks; and even a large wall of tarot cards, which surprised me. The shopkeeper was friendly as well.

My teen daughter wanted to paint some pottery and I so i went online and found this place! Great…read morespace in a great neighborhood, with LOTS of options. The staff was super helpful and nice. We both enjoyed ourselves and will definitely come back again! I would recommend this place to anyone! We were able to pick up our pieces in less than a week and were both happy with the results!

Visited Color Me Mime for a birthday party activity and had a great time! There's a great selection…read moreof pottery to choose from, like plant pots, plates, jewelry holders, and decor pieces. They provide everything you need: paints, sponges, brushes, and pencils. It's nice that you can bring your own drinks and snacks (just be careful with oily fingers!). The place was bustling when we arrived on a late Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, we had a reservation. Everyone in our group, including some first-time painters, enjoyed the experience. Two hours was the perfect amount of time. The staff was super attentive, always checking in to see if we needed more paint or assistance. I highly recommend Color Me Mime for people of all ages - it's a fun way to get creative. I'm excited to see how our finished pieces turn out; I believe it takes a few days. Definitely worth a visit!

I walked in for a pen. I left with an experience. Parchment. Ink. The soft rustle of paper. Unique…read morewriting instruments in neatly arranged rows. Bari arranged a few things while showing me a selection of pens "they're in the wrong order." I blinked. Nothing appears out of order in this store, but I'm sure this level of attention to detail is why. The Expert (??? I don't know - I just met this person, but it was a vibe) Bari very kindly introduced themselves to me and allowed me to try a variety of pens. This was a kindness as I blustered through my terrible handwriting until I finally met my perfect match - Cinderella & the Ballpoint Pen. Since I was getting a pen for writing, Bari suggested I get a felt tip pen. Thus I am the proud owner of an extra fine brush pen I have been using religiously since purchasing it there for the fine price of five dollars. Honestly - I think I'm starting to write like I own a good pen . Jokes aside, I had a really lovely and unexpected experience at this store. If you love beautiful things, custom stationary, and the art of making an impression, check it out.

Another cute shop with pens and paper, pencils and tape all wonderfully displayed. And Bari…read morepackaged up your purchases adorably like in Japan.

The Ainslie Arts Plaza is a new addition to the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood neighborhood. When they…read moreknocked down the McDonald's and rebuilt it in 2020/2021, they made this strip of parking an arts plaza. It's been fun to see it come to life with the green planters, twinkle lights, murals on the boxes, and now events like movies in the plaza. Excited to see what else they'll think of to utilize this lovely space. The only downside? You're right off the street so you hear all the honking, all the yelling, and all the screeching that comes along with Chicago drivers. Plus, McD's is the only food option (but at least there's something!).

Great selection of stationary goods, both local and otherwise, packed carefully into a wee little…read morestore. I was looking for a very specific size and type of planner for the new year, and an employee was very kind and assisted me in finding it. For an imported product, it was very reasonably priced! Paper and Pencil also sponsored (hosted? co-hosted?) the Chicago Stationary Fest, a lovely hobbyist event that brought together a bunch of stationary artists/brands. As a stationary fan, I was thrilled. I love a store that supports community events like that! Definitely check them out if you like stationary, notebooks, pens, stickers, etc.!

Super cute stationery store!! Queer owned and very active on social media and keeps ya updated on…read morewhat new stock they! They are super kind in the store. Very helpful and they make conversation with you about your purchase. Honestly I love it because I'm a huge paper fan so I'll talk about it for hours! It is a small shop so it gets full fast! It's kinda steamy inside, too. It's a small but mighty shop. I've been a few times. I went for my first traveler's notebook and some inserts. Also when they had the traveler's notebook stamp caravan. I got a pipsticks sticker book, some tombow glue tape refills, washi, and sticker sheets and a die cut sticker. So many goodies! Great addition to the neighborhood and I hope they can branch out to be a bigger shop because I see so much foot traffic that it would be nice and honestly want to see businesses I like expand.

No strings attached, no questions asked. Come in, pay 15 bucks and you get 3 hours with a…read moreprofessional model, good light and very nice atmosphere. You can bring any type of tools you want, have any skill level and do whatever you want; as far as unstructured figure drawing sessions it doesn't get better than this. The place provides benches but no tools so make sure you bring your own. Also be ready to be impressed by the very good artists that practice here. If you want you can also take a lesson but those cost more and are on tuesday and thursday I believe.

This is the best drawing class I've ever attended. The instructor is extremely thorough and…read morehelpful. If you want to improve your artistic abilities you need to take classes here.