By: Danielle Kearns
   It's May, summer is just around the corner (we hope!), which can only mean one thing... it's wedding season! Once you're in my age bracket, it seems like it's standard to have five weddings a year. (Sometimes I even do.) Registries are more and more the "standard" when it comes to showers and bridal party gifts, but why not take it up a notch and have something made with us for a truly personalized touch. 
     We have very talented artists on staff who can make a gorgeous gift unique to your favorite couple. These pieces can be functional in someone's house, but they can also just be show stoppers for presentation and household decor. Here are a few of our favorite ideas for wedding gifts: 

1. the wedding invitation 
My favorite version of this over the top thoughtful gift is replicating the wedding invitation itself. If the happy couple spent weeks mulling over which floral decor and color palette they were most into, then you have an example of their taste and style right there. Most people now frame their wedding invitation or slap it in a photo album, but a round presentation platter with a stand that can be placed in a hutch, on a fireplace, or a built-in that is a direct replica of the invitation itself is an above and beyond gift. Not to mention, it's a huge conversation starter! People will be begging to know where and how you got it done.

2. the guestbook
If you're short on time or trying to stay on budget, you can pick a large platter with us that can have the couple's names and wedding date painted on. We will fire it here and have it ready in one week's time. (We can wrap it in a beautiful box too.) You can purchase a porcelain pen with us that can be used for guests to sign upon arrival to the nuptials. To make those signatures permanent, you just re-bake the dish at home in your own oven. Pair it with a plate stand and you've got the ultimate wedding keepsake.

3. their house, home, + heart
Our custom artists are amaaaaazing. No, really. We have a few samples around the studio of house front paintings. They are gorgeous painted representations of people's homes from the curbside perspective. They are such a lovely touch for any couple's "first home," or a keepsake after a major move to remember their roots. They are vibrant, warm, and stunning.

4. photo frame
Really simple one here. You can have the artists add the names and wedding date to any frame to make it customizable. Perfect for your favorite picture from the big day. This is a great idea for those who couldn't be in attendance or a gift sent in the mail upon their one month anniversary to say "We're still thinking and celebrating you!" ... and yes, we ship! 

5. monogrammed dinnerware set
Forget the "Mrs. & Mrs." mugs. (Hello, people, that's not every couple's makeup. Get with the program.) Add a calligraphy-style brush letter monogram to any mug, bowl, or plate. Start with a mug for that morning cup of coffee, or bump up the personalization game and make it a set! Get a mug, bowl, and plate for a table of four to really push it over the edge. (You can even add a Christmas ornament to match!)

studio tip: 
May we also suggest the claypen as a stop during your next bachelorette party. We are the perfect place to start popping bottles, loosen up, get silly, and travel onto dinner. We have a relaxed and fun vibe that can help to get the party started! 

By: Danielle Kearns
​     We love a good fake-out at the claypen. We have customers ask us all the time, "I'm not very artistic. What can I do that's easy?" Not only are these customers looking for guidance, they're looking for something that won't be difficult, time-consuming, pressure-packed, and come out looking awesome! We love taking the guess work out and giving you easy tips and tricks to make just that happen. Here are our top 10 suggested painting techniques to try out upon your next visit! 

1. specialty glazes 
The typical glazes people tend to pick are called undercoat glaze. They are a specific color that, when applied 3 times, will be bright, shiny, and vibrant. What we call "specialty glazes" are what other studios might call pottery glazes. They are a form of undercoat that will change naturally in the kiln because of the extreme temperatures and create a variance of color. They come in both shiny and matte finishes and can completely transform your piece. Even crazier, they usually start as some wackadoo color in the bottle. For instance, our very popular vintage Christmas tree workshops were done with a color called "glass green," which starts off brown in the bottle!

2. lace
Here's a fun one. You paint your pottery whatever color you like. While it's wet, lay a piece of lace over the piece in whatever coverage and pattern you like. Then, paint over that! Peel and, voila, it's as simple as that! 

3. bubbles
You read that right! Throw some paint, water, and dish detergent in a cup and mix it up. Using a straw, blow into the cup like you did when you were little to create rising bubbles. Once they've reached the top of your cup, tilt the cup over your piece of choice and allow the bubbles to fall where they may. They will begin to settle on top of the pottery and pop, leaving a color stain behind. Do the same with another few colors to give the piece a really impressive finish. 

4. mandala 
Every time we put out a mandala sample, people ask how we did it. It is currently one of our top replicated ideas, and it's so stinking easy to do yourself! We have a bucket of polka-dotters on the wall. Essentially, that is all a mandala piece is... polka-dots. The hardest part is finding your symmetry. The best way of determining that is to give yourself guidelines on the piece itself using a regular No. 2 pencil and sketching a design or lines to give yourself an image to work off of. No. 2 pencil burns away in the kiln, so people will be none the wiser. 

5. fluid art 
Take some paint colors of your choice. (We normally recommend between 3-4 colors.) Mix water into each container, about a 1:1 ratio, aka equal parts. Give those a stir and pour one on top of another into a larger cup (or bowl, if you're doing a massive piece). Don't even mix it. Just pour the contents onto the pottery in whatever motion your prefer. (I normally do a figure-eight or spiral.) Then start to tip your piece in all different directions and watch the paint start to move and swirl together and create colored layers. Once the entire surface is covered, allow the excess to drip off, hopefully in the sink or over a tray. If the sides or bottom of your piece got a little dirty, just wipe it off with a wet sponge and you've got another awesome (and easy) work of art! 

6. splatter effect
Woah, here's a hard one. Pour paint. Take toothbrush or paint brush and flick paint at pottery. Done. You can also tape off areas (like our very popular canisters) to give the piece a more modern and refined look.

7. silk screens
Silk screens are just a more mature version of a stencil. It takes the same approach as screen printing on a t-shirt. We mix the regular paint (we find black works best) with a powder solvent that thickens to the paint for application. (It's kind of like adding flour to create a roux.) You dunk your finger in the mixture and spread the mixture all across the surface of the silk screen until the entire image is covered. Peel it off, and you've got a (hopefully) perfect replica of the original image. We have an entire binder of silk screen options available on a walk-in basis. We also have some that are reserved and only available for workshops and theme nights.

8. masking tape
Yup, just tape. Think of it like prepping to paint a room of your house and sectioning off the molding. Put tape wherever you wish to have white or a nice clean line. Paint each with your personal color palette. Peel the tape off and you've got a beautiful, clean, and modern design.

9. tracing + transfer paper 
Have a symbol you absolutely love or an image you'd like to recreate? The answer is our transfer paper. Images can be traced and then transferred onto the pottery. Then, you treat it like a coloring book page and fill in the sketched images with paint. Transfer paper is available on a walk-in basis for an additional fee, but built in to some classes and workshops.

10. sponging 
Over the winter, people went crazy for our cozy sweater mug. It is absolutely adorable and absolutely one of the easiest things to recreate on your own. This works best with pieces that have dimension or ridges. (The sweater worked perfectly for this.) All we did was paint the entirety of the mug our desired color... in this case that was pale blue. After painting the 3 coats on the mug, we took a synthetic sponge (we have plenty of them here) and wipes away the paint from the sweater's "threads," leaving the paint only in the nooks and crannies. I know, I'm giving away all our secrets! 

You can also just dab the sponge all around the piece and layer your colors. (We have sponges of different shapes and textures.) This effect always reminds me of the galaxy.

Did you know that we have drawers and drawers of supplies that you are free to use free of charge? This even includes laminated technique cards that you can access and teach yourself how to do right at your table! Ask a Studio Associate where our technique cards are to try something new at your next visit!