It’s that time of year when parents are looking for teacher gifts. Thanking someone who is an integral part of your child’s life is important. A little appreciation goes a long way. While you could give them a gift certificate to a store or restaurant or perhaps something apple- or teacher-related, why not give them a handmade, personalized gift from Clay Café Studios?

Fingerprint/Handprint Pottery

We have tons of cute ideas using fingerprints and handprints at Clay Café Studios. Kids of any age can paint their prints on a plate or mug and make them into animals, insects, people or other cute figures. Personalize the pottery with the teacher’s name, school and year. It’s easy and fun to do and produces beautiful results.

Message Pottery

Another great way to thank a teacher is to make message pottery. Paint a quote from your child or a heartfelt thank you message. Nice sayings like “Thanks for helping us grow” and “Thank you for teaching me” are sweet touches. You could also paint a mug saying “Mrs. _____, World’s Greatest Teacher” or “We Love You, Mrs. _____.” At Clay Café Studios, we have tools that make lettering easy when creating that special gift.

Gift Certificate to Clay Café Studios

Instead of giving a gift certificate to a restaurant or the mall, how about one for a fun activity? Painting pottery gives the painter a creative outlet which helps them relieve stress and relax. What a nice thing to do for a teacher as a thank you for the endless hours they spend with our children.

Any of these ideas are easy to make. Give us a call (703/646-6007) or stop by Clay Café Studios anytime and we will show you how to make gifts that are both unique and practical

When we talk about community engagement, what do we mean? Is it donating to local school auctions ( we do that ), participating in fundraisers by giving a portion to a specific group ( we do that ), or giving military discounts ( and we do that too ).

While we believe it is all those things, we also think it is something else. Let me illustrate by telling you a story.

A couple, newly dating, came in to paint pottery one day. They were very sweet, friendly and had a great time together. They visited Clay Café Studios regularly over the next few months. One day, the guy contacted us to see if he could set up a dinner and painting night to propose to his girl. Of course, we said yes! Cut to a couple of years later. The couple comes in to paint—with their new baby! They painted their baby’s handprints on a plate for a fun memory.

Families graciously let us into their lives and share their special moments with us. Being a part of the community for over 18 years, we see children grow up, starting as young campers or having their birthday parties at Clay Café Studios. They go off to college and come back to visit us as adults, bringing their own families with them. Since we are fortunate enough to be a business that has been in the same place for so long, our connection to families spans generations.

Now, that’s what we call community engagement! Aren’t we lucky?

Please call Gayla at Clay Cafe (703-646-6007) if you have any questions or visit our website.

This time every spring, we have the privilege of custom painting some really cool awards for a traditional mystery writers’ association, Malice Domestic, based in Bethesda.

Malice Domestic’s tag line is “If Traditional Mysteries are your cup of tea …” They have an annual “fun fan” convention, saluting the traditional mystery, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. In fact, their awards are called the “Agathas.”

The award design is a ceramic teapot, with their logo, a teabag with a skull tag. In addition, they award some ceramic teacups and saucers with the same design. They are so much fun to paint!

It is a pleasure working with this organization and we encourage you to check them out.

Website: www.malicedomestic.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/113613662353190/
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/malice_domestic

Do you have an award or special presentation that needs something creative and unique to mark the occasion? Come in to the studio and check out the possibilities! For more information, call Gayla at Clay Cafe Studios at (703) 646-6007 or visit our website and fill out a contact request .

Customers often say to me “This must be a fun place to work” or “You seem like you really like your job.” I always reply “yes” to both of those statements. As I reflect on my 18 years at Clay Café Studios, let me share with you 3 of my favorite things about our studio.

Creating Memories

I absolutely love when a mom or dad brings a baby or toddler to the studio to do hand or foot prints. They often want to make a gift for a new grandparent, aunt/uncle or for themselves to mark that moment in time with their child. It’s making a memory that they will have for years. That honestly makes my heart smile. It is doesn’t hurt that I LOVE babies!

Stress-Reliever

Many people visit our studio and say they come to “relieve stress.” Often they come on their lunch hour or on their way home from work. I am honored that we can provide a respite from their jam-packed, stressful lives and a place where they feel comfortable, relaxed and can create art.

New Pottery and New Creations

One of my favorite tasks is unpacking a shipment of new pottery. I get so excited when the boxes come. Unwrapping carefully-chosen pieces that we hope our customers will love is like opening presents at Christmas. Truly, it feels like that! Sometimes, we even “fight” over who gets to paint a sample of a new animal or kitchenware. It’s the same feeling I get when I open the kiln and see someone’s masterpiece.

This is just a small look behind-the-scenes at Clay Café. So next time you come in, don’t be surprised when I brag about all our new pottery. I might even try to paint your child’s hand or foot on a plate!

Come in to the studio and see what all the fun is about! For more information about the latest products at Clay Cafe Studios visit our website or give us a call at (703) 646-6007.

What Better Way to Celebrate with Friends, Family, or Co-Workers?

Having an art-inspired party is a great idea for all ages. In addition to birthday parties for both children and adults, art-themed parties are also ideal for bridal showers and engagement parties. The bride and groom can pick out a color palette or specific pottery they would like the guests to paint for them. In addition to bridal parties, corporate groups can incorporate painting into a team-building exercise. Another option for parties are baby showers, where guests can paint baby-themed pottery for the parents-to-be and new baby.

An art-inspired party is an enriching way to entertain your guests and to have fun, too. Just thinking about art gets the creative juices flowing and what better way to promote budding artists than to have an art-themed party. The best part is that the party guests (or honorees) will have a permanent memento of the fun time they had.

Clay Cafe Studios’ 1 1/2-hour Party

In our 1 1/2-hour party, guests paint about an hour and then have time for cake or other snacks. Guests choose a pottery piece to paint from hundreds of choices. We provide a party host/hostess, instruction and materials, and glazing and firing of the masterpieces once complete.

Clay Cafe Studios’ 2-hour Party

Do you want to eat more than just cake or snacks? Then the 2-hour party is for you. This additional 30 minutes gives you time to also have pizza.

Catered Clay (mobile party)

Do you want us to come to you? Would you rather have the convenience of having the party in your home? We bring everything to you (paint, pottery and brushes) and provide a party host/hostess to guide your group through the activity. This works especially well with large groups or if painting pottery is one activity in a larger event you have planned.

Please call Gayla at (703)-646-6007 with questions or visit our website if you have my questions or would like to book a party with Clay Cafe Studios.

Want to give your home a fresh face without breaking the bank? Here are some ideas to illuminate your space without having to do a complete overhaul.

Serenity and Calm

Start by focusing on your style and the color scheme that appeals to you. If you like a monochrome palette you can add a few essential pieces in a contemporary gray and white color scheme to give your space a serene and polished feel. At Clay Cafe Studios, you can create some stunning pieces in black and white using our new pottery silkscreens in a variety of styles. A few well-placed accents such as hand-painted picture frames, vases, or table centerpieces are easy to create and can help you achieve that simple style.

Reimagine a Room with Vibrant Colors

Colorful accents can give your home a bold pick-me-up by using vibrant colors like tangerine or modern prints like chevron or eye-popping florals. Studio assistants at Clay Cafe Studios can help you create a few pottery items using our stamps, specialty masks, and stencils to achieve that look you are going for.

Create a Unique Dining Experience

Clay Cafe Studios has many unique dining pieces to paint that will help you create a dining experience that is unique and unexpected. Setting your table with some hand-decorated place settings and serving pieces can help you to create an intimate setting for entertaining and dining. A few table accents such as unusual salt and pepper shakers or a whimsical sugar bowl can help dress up a table and make ordinary dining into a new experience.

Seaside or Island Style

Creating your own tabletop decor following a seaside or island theme is easy at Clay Cafe Studios. This is a budget-friendly way to add a few decorative elements to your dining space and make your table explode with fresh appeal. Keep within your color scheme and add some style with personality and colorful flair. Colorful accents on the table will keep your table lively along with the dinner conversation.

Don’t be afraid to accessorize with splashes of colorful accents in your home to freshen up your living space. Clay Cafe Studios has lots of new items and stocks the latest home-decor colors to help you liven up your home while having some fun creating unique accents.

For more information about the latest products at Clay Cafe Studios visit our website or give us a call at
(703) 646-6007.

Ladies’ Night Out, Girls’ Night Out or Moms’ Night Out. Whatever you call it, it’s a great idea.

Female Bonding

Getting together with your female friends is important. Face time, not texting or emailing, builds friendships and forges connections that technology can’t match.

Stress-Reliever

When you meet with friends, you shares stories, opinions and laughter. Having dinner together, crafting together or just chatting takes you out of your usual day-to-day stress and allows you to do something fun and relaxing.

Time for Yourself is Important

Being able to devote an evening to yourself, not your kids, spouse, boss or parents helps you blow off steam and decompress. Taking time for you can help make you better equipped to meet the demands you face every day.

A great idea for a Ladies’ Night Out is to come to Clay Cafe for a fun time of painting and connecting with friends. With 10 or more people, you can come at 7 pm Monday -Thursday and have the studio to yourself. The only rule is no kids! Bring food and drink, paint some pottery (or do some glass fusing) and have a great evening. Call Gayla at Clay Cafe (703-646-6007) if you have any questions or visit our website .

We all agree that attending a summer camp is a good activity for kids, right? There are all kinds of camps available these days: sports, science, computer, sleep-away and our favorite — art. We are developing our summer art curriculum for our 19th season of Claymagination Art Camp at Clay Cafe Studios.

Most kids love art. All types. Painting, drawing, molding and crafting. We have always had a “reach for the stars” mentality at our Clay Cafe summer art camp. Kids are capable of so much more than we often give them credit for. They have an unending curiosity about the world around them and will try most anything. We like to give them the opportunity to exercise their creativity and try new things at Clay Cafe Studios’ Claymagination Art Camp.

We foster creativity by teaching kids to explore the possibilities in many different mediums. We want our students to really stretch themselves. Instead of just painting a piece of pottery, we teach them to use stamps, stencils, tape and other tools to take their creations to the next level. Only pottery painting? Why not form their piece out of clay first?

Kids Enjoy other Fired Arts like Glass Fusing

We believe kids as young as 6 have the ability to design glass and make beautiful works of art. Kids experience the fun of creating something unique using some kid-friendly techniques developed by the art camp teachers at Clay Cafe Studios.

Kids Explore Mosaics, Canvas, and Watercolor

We teach all of these art forms, and encourage kids to hone their skills and to have fun while doing it. We want kids to develop a lifetime love of art and to feel empowered to make more art after they attend our camp.

Yes, we want them to reach for the stars.

For more information about the summer art camp program at Clay Cafe Studios and to learn more about other creative opportunities for your child, visit our website or give us a call at (703) 646-6007.

You might wonder what your son or daughter is up to in after school care. Chances are he or she is snacking, completing homework, and playing games—Monday through Friday, without much variety. You may not be able to do much about it—but your child’s school can. Our staff at Clay Café Studios is ready to provide kids in after-school care a memorable creative experience. We bring all materials, including pottery, paint, and brushes, and we also set up and clean up. Our program fits seamlessly into the after-school programs of Washington area public and private schools, so all will run business as usual for both school staff and parents. Since kids will paint pottery during their after-school care, they’ll feel fulfilled and inspired without you having to drive them to other creative activities after long days of work and school.

For more information about this program, and to learn more about other creative opportunities for your child, visit our website or give us a call at (703) 646-6007.