Recently, I went on my first "Quilt Hop." This is where one buys a "passport" with a list of quilt…read morestores and then on a certain date, one rushes to each store collecting stamps, free merchandise, snacks and entering drawings. Anyway, Common Threads was my first stop on a list of eight stores. Although, I had never been here before, It was easily found and had plenty of parking. They have a great variety of quality fabrics and patterns. It was hard for me to choose but I came away with yardage to begin a new project. I would have bought more, but I still had more stores to visit. Everything is nicely organized and displayed. I will definitely return here for more project supplies. Staff was friendly and very helpful to customers.

I took my niece to their Kid+Me Disney Princess Meet & Greet: Painting with Belle event. My niece…read moreloves princesses and this is one thing we do together so I loved having this experience with her. She got to color and paint the enchanted rose from beauty and the beast. There were also cookies and tea (apple juice) and then Belle arrived to read a story and we had a photo opportunity with her! If your little one loves art this is a must!

What a great art studio for the kids! We have been here several times for art themed birthdays with…read moreour kids, and decided to look into art classes for our budding Warhol. They offer several different classes throughout the year, so there's something for every age and every interest. Art supplies come with the tuition, and we have been very pleased with the courteous staff, knowledgeable teachers, and overall experience for our kids, who just love this place! It's great to see the kids learn new techniques as they attend the weekly after school sessions, and will most definitely continue having them enjoy this experience for years to come. Honestly, the only downside to this place is its popularity, which leads to occasional difficulties with leaving the parking lot, but it's a small price to pay for a very happy child who is encouraged to learn and create.

If you're looking for a fun and messy time at a splatter paint room then you should check out…read morePrimal Pigment! We had reservations for Sunday afternoon at 1pm. After choosing what paint colors we wanted, we put on protective gear, picked out our high energy playlist, watched a safety video, and went into the black-light-illuminated room. We got a bunch of paint and fun things like paint filled ballons and paint guns to splatter. We had such a BLAST throwing paint on our canvases (and ourselves)! It was such a unique and creative experience and I highly recommend it. And if you're worried about getting your painting home in one piece, no need to worry because they provide painting sized boxes for easy transportation! Some tips from me to make your experience easier: 1) There are protective glasses and face shields available. I recommend wearing contacts and then going for the glasses. 2) There's protective cases for your phone so you can bring it in and not get paint all over it which I recommend doing! At some point I sent my phone down and just recorded us for 10+ minutes and it was so funny. 3) While do you have disposable protective gear on, be warned that any excessive amounts of paint will eventually seep though (I opted to wear just socks inside the suit and the bottom of my socks had paint all over them at the very end). I highly recommend wearing lots of black underneath your suit!

Had a lot of fun here! I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into and the experience turned out…read moreto be a blast. The "paint masters" made the process simple, and showed us how to get the protective gear ready (and yes you can cover up your phone while still being able to use it in the room). We got to take home our canvases and I would totally come back with a bigger group of friends. Be sure to make a resy!

Met with Gingerly Press this past weekend at American Craft Made Baltimore show on Feb 21st. I…read morelearned a lot about their process and loved several prints. I'm still considering buying several for new wall space in kitchen. The earth-valued themes are depicted so simply but their design and colors are very appealing.

Lindsay provided my partner and me with an exceptional tour during an open house, showcasing her…read moreremarkable artistic process and sharing a wonderful story. I absolutely love her work and have decided to frame it on my wall.

My girlfriend has attended 3 different painting classes here and has had a blast each time. She…read moreenjoys the painting portion of it but you don't have to be artistic to go. There is a BYOB option and if you plan to drink you are required to sign a form that says they didn't give you the alcohol. Most people bring wine, however you can bring beer, mixed drinks, or non-alcoholic beverages. They provide cork screws and plastic cups in addition to everything that you need to paint. Food is also allowed, however space is limited and there is not a lot of table space after canvases, paint brushes, and paint are all laid out. The reason that they received a 4 out of 5 rather than a 5 is because the instructors are really a hit or miss. While all of them do display artistic abilities, some are just better teachers than others are. If you find an instructor that you like, try to stick with them when you sign up for classes online.

I want to first note that Corks and Canvases has two locations, one in Murrysville and one on Main…read moreStreet in Irwin. This review is of the Irwin location....and is long past due! My sister-in-law has been wanting to try one of these painting classes and I saw that they had just opened a new place in Irwin. So, we decided to check it out. The class was on a Friday night in June and was supposed to be from 7-9pm. The class was nearly full....since there were several small groups of ladies, as well as a bridal party of about 10. Luckily, we got there before most people and were able to get seats up front. This is a BYOB event, and it appeared mostly everyone (including us) brought a bottle of wine (or several) and snacks. The instructor was very nice. At the beginning, she gave us her credentials so we knew she was an actual painter with experience and not just someone they pulled off the street. She reviewed what we were going to paint and went at a nice pace. Actually, probably a little slow for me but it's better than her rushing through. She also gave us free reign and "artistic liberties", so the paintings didn't all have to look exactly alike. It was a fun event and I would love to go again. Biggest pro...the class was only $20! And I've seen other places as high as $35 or $40. The only reason I didn't give this event 5 stars is the following: It was waaayyy too long. Supposed to be over at 9pm; we didn't leave until well after 10:30. The biggest cause for this was when we got there at around ten minutes til seven, the instructor was just starting to set up. She did state that she had everything set up, but then a last-minute birthday party booked, so they had torn all of her things down, and she had to get them all back out. Not very professional of the company. We didn't really get started until about 7:35-ish. Plus, with a big class and people asking her questions, I think it just took longer than anticipated. Also, it was a bit unorganized, which I do give leniency to since it's a new gig. I signed the two of us up online and also paid online. But, really, how was the instructor to know? We could have just strolled in from the street and said we paid. The site offered no receipt or confirmation number to take with you to the event. I asked the instructor if she received our payment, and she stated that she gets paid from the company, and frankly has no idea who paid and who didn't. Overall, a fun night out. Would go again!

This was unique and cool experience!…read more For Xmas - my sister gave us a day out including time at Rugs N Stuff to create our own little piece of artwork... and while I was a little intimidated at first- we had a great time! We sent our ideas in - the draw them in the canvas - pick your yarn - give you a tutorial on how to use the gun and let you loose! Thankfully they are never far away when you need them! :) Thank you to Nicole and her family for making this such a great experience and for all the help to get our projects complete!

From the owner: We are Pittsburgh’s first tufting workshop, a family-owned establishment dedicated to the art of…read moretufting. With over four years of experience in the craft and two years of teaching, we’ve proudly shared our passion with over 300 students. At our workshops, creativity knows no bounds, as we welcome individuals aged 12 and older to make their very own rug! Join us for a truly unique experience!