Every Tuesday I receive a gift, and many Tuesdays that gift comes cloaked in insights and sparkles…read morewith such creative brightness it nearly short circuits my screen. In less figurative language, it means that Tiny Showcase's blast announcing the artist and limited-edition print of the week has softly landed in our electronic domains, poised at the ready to coax feeling from the world. And the price for the art? Rarely more than twenty-five dollars. The founding duo handpicks each diminutive composition (for they really are quite tiny in proportions), limning their impressions in ways that give the pieces flesh and dimension. The artist chooses a charity with which to share profits, and I've learned of so many phenomenal artists and interesting partnering organizations. When that envelope reaches your physical domain, you'll grip the Hahnemühle paper, drown in the bold colors, and think not only about the sheer beauty that it adds to your space but that you're not alone in your desire to grow and learn and improve. This relishing of unveiling hasn't lessened, either. Particular thanks for their welcome to 2010 which I resonated with on so many levels: "Imaginary or not, a symbolic fresh start is something precious and should never go underutilized. Each year the resolutions fade but battle cries linger. Even now, five days in, last year's "Feel More, Care Less" mantra remains tough to let go of, but I've been internalizing that promise like the Pilgrim on His Way, so there's room in my hyperbolic heart to move forward to "The Utmost" in 2010. The utmost sincerity, the utmost everything. Andrew said he didn't need my optimism, he already has that for 2010. Well, I don't think I'm remarking on anything that isn't obvious when I say: it seems to me that my nearests are close to recovery from a year that tried to crush them; they are brimming; they are remembering the feeling of mischief; they are up late cold fingers turning dry pages; they are in their studios with their headphones on letting the schemes creep back up on them. This year will welcome back our adventures, our over-ambitions, our grand conspiracy. I'm psyched. I missed you, and I missed the reckless light you once harnessed for energy. If there is a gate, it is splintering; and I'm just psyched to be on the team I believe in when the greatness breaks the horizon." Here's to sharing the Utmost, Showcase.

every week, on every tuesday, tinyshowcase.com has a new limited edition print by a different…read moreartist up for sale. one of the things i like the most about this business is that they donate a portion the proceeds to a charity picked out by that week's artist. the prints can sometimes sell out within an hour or two of them being posted online, so if you like something, you have to jump on it quick. i think people can be a little secretive about this site, maybe to ensure just a little more availability of prints by certain artists. in the past year or two i've picked up a few prints, and have found out about a couple of artists that i may not have learned about otherwise from this site. i always look forward to the e-mail i get from them announcing that week's artist, hoping it's someone i like.

Amy does a fantastic job framing anything and everything. You won't be disappointed. Personable and…read moreprofessional. :)

Recently went to a murder mystery event here and had a blast. It was so much fun walking through…read morethe museum, which I never knew existed. Seeing the historic importance, the displays and fascinating information. I really loved just looking at the displays, absorbing the culture and history and seeing the varied rooms (loved the church!!!) So thrilled they held this event here so I could see this lovely museum!

Coming from Pawtucket, the home of the American Industrial Revolution, I'd never made the trek all…read morethe way out to Woonsocket to check the museum out. But my now LA-based daughter was visiting, and wanted to see the Welcome blanket exhibit since her friend had one on display. (I'm not certain how a museum here is the recipient of 330 handmade quilts and blankets - 99 of which are on display - that will be distributed by Dorcas House to new immigrants, but it's pretty cool right? Maybe because southern New England was the center of US cloth manufacture through the early-mid 20th century?) Ad for the Museum itself: the cultural component of this mill community is front and center. The space is set up in a number of immersive dioramas - rooms and areas visitors walk through to get an experience of those who lived there. The first stop is a farm cabin in Quebec in snowy winter where (push the doorbell) a family decides to move south in the hope of a better life working in the mills. In the replica of a French Canadian Catholic Church we read about religious life in America, and sit in pews near the actual mosaic altar boys to learn a bit about the wave of immigration and the mill worker experience, there's a credit union (kind of explains the Bailey Savings & Loan in It's a Wonderful Life). There's a school room, complete with a teacher/priest and books in the desks in French and English. On the stairs to the second floor, pass posters and stories about others groups of immigrants to the area, along with the rooms upstairs: Woonsocket baseball players, tenement houses, mill and factory memorabilia, and a room set up with the equipment workers toiled at. Oh - dint miss the display of a union hall! My daughter buzzes through art museums. We were here for about 2 hours. And then we got to the room with the blankets. Quite a relevant history lesson here!

Great little art gallery. I fell in love with the pieces from Gusmaroli and Picca. The man and…read morewoman who run the place were fantastic, friendly and pulled out a few pieces from the back to show us. We'll be back for some of their future art shows.

I stopped by yesterday and bought a couple of books…read more The staff are nice and they have lots of books to choose from in different genres as well as children's and young adult books. The books can be quite a bit expensive to sell but at least there is a variety of everything to sell at some reasonable prices. The discounts will be available soon for books. Can be worth a visit as there are books here that you won't find anywhere else or online at reasonable prices. I encourage you to stop in someday and support the new indie bookstore which specializes in used books. Find a book you want in downtown Willimantic and the boss will take care of it. Open Tuesdays thru Saturdays. Closed Sundays and Mondays

We came here tonight to check out an new exhibit featuring local artists Jeremey Schilling and…read moreMichaela Clift. It was our first time checking out this space in the Lorraine Mills Complex. The space is rather large with lots of room for artists to display on the walls and folks to enjoy the art. See photos. Unfortunately, a lot of the other businesses in the complex such as White Dog Distillery and Crooked Current were closed on a Tuesday evening but we stopped for a beer at Foolproof which is just down the street a bit. Nice space for local artists and we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the pieces. Most pieces were for sale so for someone looking to build an art collection for reasonable prices, this would be a great place to start. Some pieces we saw were as low as $35 with pricier ones in the 1K-5K range. Note they also have classes in drawing and painting.

Just had my daughters baby shower on June 29 th. At a touch of Vermont. I would recommend 100% the…read moreplace is beautiful, we did brunch the food was delicious. They were there to help if I needed anything. If I ever need a little place to have a party I would definitely go back. Thank you for making my daughter's day so special.

This flower shop does the most amazing displays I've seen, the service is on point ..read more

To be honest it's been years 2013) since I was at the Cosmic Cat but I saw they didn't have any…read morereviews (sad face). It's was very small shop. Quiet. Huge aloe plants. Neat decorations. Knowledgeable. My kiddo wanted a mystic crystal and the Cosmic Cat had a nice selection. I'm not that "into" the life style and probably wouldn't know "real" from "fake" but in my opinion it was a nice shop and I may go again if I was in the market for that sort of thing again. The downtown area the shop is located is nice. Lots of food options and antiques.

All through the years, I have never come across anyone like Nadine at The Cosmic Cat. What a store!…read moreI love it. Her readings are fabulous. And, such a friendly atmosphere. Nadine is a super person, and if you haven't been to the Cosmic Cat in Putnam my friend, you are truly missing out.