Did you know that #ClayCafeStudios is on Pinterest? Pinterest is considered the go to destination for inspiration and ideas about what you care about. Clay Cafe has added some fun and inspiring Pinterest boards for your future projects on this widely popular image collecting site. Check out our boards at https://www.pinterest.com/clay_cafe_FC/

Looking for Valentine’s Day gifts? We have great hand and footprint ideas, as well as other cute projects to create your own #handmadevalentine

School Auction Ideas—It’s that time of year again and we’ve got lots of great projects that will earn your school tons of money.

Have you tried glass fusing yet? Here are some simple, fun projects to try #glassfusing

Don’t forget to check out our new items . We post our new additions every week so visit our Pinterest page regularly to see what’s happening at Clay Cafe Falls Church.

We love to post our Staff Pick-of-the-Week. We have some very talented customers who deserve to be recognized!

Visit Clay Cafe Studios Falls Church on Pinterest – the world’s catalog of ideas. We update our Pinterest boards daily, so be sure to bookmark us to visit frequently to get all the latest ideas and inspiration!

A hobby is an activity you enjoy, something that can enhance your well-being and give more meaning to your life. Just as physical exercise is important for the body, relaxation of the mind is also essential.

Our friends at ThinkLink.com listed 8 reasons why having a hobby is important:

1. As a remedy for fatigue

2. As a chance to connect with yourself

3. As a alternative career option

4. As a life-long pleasure

5. As a independent and intrinsic source of pleasure

6. As a means to discover and re-discover your talents

7. As a chance to meet people of similar taste

8. As a chance to share

Come into #ClayCafeStudios, and relax your afternoon away. You’ll find that #potterypainting and #glassfusing make great hobbies!

January is #NationalHobbyMonth and we’ve got lots to choose from! Hobbies sometimes get pushed to the side in our busy schedules, but experts say that hobbies are more important than we might think. Hobbies help you have a more positive outlook, enhance your creativity and boost your confidence.

It’s a great time to engage in your hobby! And if you don’t have a hobby or are looking for a new one, we can help you find one. #ClayCafeStudios has art projects for kids, adults, families, seniors, group and much, much more. Our staff can help you refine your skills or find skill you didn’t even know you had. Our studio features #potterypainting and #glassfusing. Come celebrate with us!

Have you ever needed a gift but didn’t know what to buy? Ever decided to give pottery you painted but couldn’t think of a design? When starting with a plain white piece of pottery, it’s hard to imagine what the finished product will look like. Check out these customer pieces that went from white to WOW.

Geometric shapes always work. Add some pops of color and you’ve got yourself a funky bowl:

Painting this tree trunk vase realistically results in a striking final product:

This customer turned a plain white plate into a cute holiday cookie platter with an simple design:

#ClayCafeStudios has tons of ideas and tools to help you create a masterpiece you’ll be proud to give!

For many years, #ClayCafeStudios has been teaching after-school art enrichment classes in the local schools. Two schools where we currently teach are Kent Gardens Elementary and Haycock Elementary, both in #FairfaxCounty.

At Kent Gardens, our current class is Play with Clay. Each week, students make a project by hand-building with clay. The following week, they paint their clay creation.

Here is one of the fun projects students are painting after sculpting and molding their clay:

At Haycock, students have been learning various #potterypainting techniques in our Wild and Crazy Pottery class. At the end of the 8-week session, each child will have 8 pieces of pottery to take home and use.

Check out the artists in action:

If you are interested in our after-school art enrichment classes at your school, please contact Gayla at 703-646-6007 or ghassett@cox.net.

Depending on where you live, #pottery is the traditional gift for either your 8th or 9th anniversary. Why pottery? The history behind the gift is that pottery is a source of continuing sustenance. The pot carrying the water of life symbolizes the future of the couple.

The historic origins of wedding anniversaries date back to the Holy Roman Empire, when husbands crowned their wives with a silver wreath on their 25th anniversary and a gold wreath on their 50th. In the 20th century, commercialism led to anniversaries being represented by a named gift. Not necessarily a gold or silver tiara, but something more practical.

Which brings us to pottery. Even though it’s a traditional gift, why not put a modern spin on it and make your own? Come to #ClayCafeStudios and paint something together for your home. As a surprise, why not give a gift certificate to your spouse for a pottery date? You and your husband or wife could even paint something for each other to commemorate the day.

Whether you stick to the tradition of giving a specific gift on a special anniversary or you just want to have fun, come to #ClayCafeStudios and we promise you will have a memorable day!

It’s time to gobble, gobble ‘til you wobble. Thanksgiving is a great time to connect with friends and family. In the spirit of the holiday, here are some things you can do together.

Pottery

Come paint a platter for your turkey or a special plate or plaque about being grateful. Painting is a great activity you can do together to create lasting family memories. We have lots of plates, platters and bowls that would be perfect for serving your Thanksgiving favorites. Cookie plates, platters and message plaques also make great hostess gifts.

Food

Kids love to cook, so why not get them involved in the process? If they help with the preparation, they will be more likely to eat what they make. Here is a delicious and easy recipe for pumpkin cups you can make with your kids. Dessert is the best part of thanksgiving, right?

Kids Thanksgiving Recipes

DIY Craft

To help you and your family and friends count their blessings and express how thankful they are for all they have, here is a sweet “I am thankful” pumpkin craft. These would also be great for place cards at your Thanksgiving table.

“I am thankful” Pumpkin Craft

If you have an idea for something fun to make for the holiday or need some inspiration, come by the studio or contact Gayla at 703/646-6007. We hope your holiday is full of friends and family, good food and lots of fun!

Get in the Halloween spirit with our pottery, food/drink and DIY ideas.

Pottery

Do you dread pulling out your old decorations from last year (and the year before…)? Why not punch up your Halloween décor with some hand-painted pottery?

We have jack o’lanterns that look great with a candle burning inside or a personalized pumpkin with your family name. For your favorite fall drink, we have Frankenstein, witch and skull mugs. We also have a crazy Frankenstein head where the mouth is the candy bowl for your trick-or-treaters.

Food/Drink Recipes

Are you having a Halloween party? We found some great snacks and appetizers you can serve that will be a big hit. Our favorite is the mummy dog!
Halloween Party Appetizers

How about some non-alcoholic dragon’s punch to quench your guests thirst!
Dragons Blood Punch

DIY With Your Kids

Fall is the perfect time to do some DIYing with your kids. Why not start with Halloween and paint this funky Frankenstein pumpkin?

Frankenstein Pumpkin

For more information, call Gayla at 703-646-6007 or drop by and “get your spook on!”

Clay Cafe Studios presents a step-by-step DIY kitchen backsplash project for your inspiration.