Doing Dishes, A Paint Your Own Pottery Studio

Open on Mondays

2011-04-25T07:39:00.001-07:00

Yes, there are a few Mondays that we will be open through out the year and TODAY IS ONE OF THEM.

Nothing better than getting out of the house and burning some of that Easter candy off by painting pottery.

Join us today, Monday the 25th, from 10am-7pm. For a list of all the Mondays we will be open, check out our website at www.doingdishes.com.

Where have we been?

2011-04-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

It was recently called to my attention that I have been a complete slacker in updating this blog. I apologize and promise to make more of an effort to tell you all about the great things that are happening at the studios. For starters, we just finished the public school spring break week and it was great to see so many familiar faces, as well as new faces. Thanks for spending your break with us.

As we head into April, we have some fun events planned. Our monthly Wine and Design is April 20th and is sure to be a sell out. Check out our website for pictures (since I can't seem to find it on my camera at the moment). We also have our summer camp brochure printed and we are ready to start signing up the kiddos. We are doing this year a little different, Monday - Friday 10am-1pm. You can come for the day or come for 2 or even the week. All classes are $40 and campers will need to bring a bag lunch. This fused glass cupcake plate is just an example of some of the fun pieces we are going to create this summer!

Mother's Day will be here before we know it. Take advantage of our new "Hands, Fingers, Feet and Toes" custom work. You bring us the child, we get the print for you and then custom paint the piece. Cost is only $15 plus the price of the pottery. It's a great deal for dad's who are less than creative.

Spooky Savings from Doing Dishes via #constantcontact

2010-09-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Spooky Savings from Doing Dishes via #constantcontact

"Been a long time"

2010-09-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

As a child, music was a major part of my life. My Dad was a huge fan of any music and could hold a conversation with anyone about any style of music. He knew all the newest artists but always kept up with his old favorites. I remember as a teenager I went through a Led Zeppelin phase and we would turn up the radio and sing as loud as we wanted. He also played a game with us called "who sings this?" yet he always seemed to know the answer. I mention my Dad and our love of music because 6 years ago today, he was taken from us. When I sat down to finally update this blog, I heard Led Zeppelin singing in my ear "been a long time" because it truly has been a long time. It's been a long time since I updated this blog, but sadly, even longer since I heard my Dad sing. Maybe this week, now that the weather isn't SO hot, you'll roll down your windows and sing out loud. It's a great feeling and I know it will make you smile.

We have a lot of fun things happening at the studios this fall. We are finally moved-in and almost settled at our new Avondale location. San Jose has been busy with people doing glass and we have our first glass Wine and Design class this Wednesday night. We have a pumpkin candy dish class coming up in October. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. We will be donating a percentage of the sales of our Cancer Ribbons to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.

If you haven't been in before, what are you waiting for? Fall is on it's way and that means the holidays are not far behind. We hope to see you soon.

Man, it is HOT outside

2010-07-08T09:04:00.001-07:00

....but it is nice at cool at Doing Dishes. It sure is fun painting indoors when it is SOOO hot outside. Come paint with us, or try fused glass. We just got a huge shipment of new glass and we can't wait to see what you'll make with it. We also have a new paint station and more changes coming to the look of the studio in the near future. Check it out.

We have a lot of fun events coming up:

Cosmic Painting Night

July 16th, 6pn

Join us for our first cosmic painting night

We'll teach you some groovy paitning techniques on the piece of your choice.

Psychedelic lights and funky music will enhance the mood.

Cost of the event is the price of your piece, plus a $8 studio fee.

Drop-offs are allowed for children over 10 years old

Reservations are suggested.

Fancy Nancy Tea Party

Join us for a tea-lightful evening. Pull out your hats and boas and

come dressed to the nines for a glamorous time with Fancy Nancy and

the Doing Dishes Staff. We will have refreshments (that's fancy for dinner)

and lots of fun! Cost is $55 per twosome and includes 1 teacup and saucer,

1 teapot and a light dinner. Reservations are required along with a $15 deposit.

Sidewalk Sale!!

2010-04-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, we are having a sidewalk sale on Saturday, May 1st. I have cleaned out the shelves, cleaned out the kiln room, cleaned of "my table" and weeded through some samples that we don't use/want. We are ready to rid ourselves of some extra pottery to make way for new stuff and BIG changes.

Let me take a second to explain "my table" or as my staff call it "Katie's table." It is a table full of stuff that I am going to paint. I may have put on a background color, or thought it would be a good gift, or thought Reagan would want to paint it. Or, I could have just put something on this table for a minute and then we lost it and now it's five months later. My table has a way of doing that. SO, it is now more of less cleared of the clutter. I'm not saying it's empty, because that would be too crazy. But it is full of things that I really will paint (insert cough) in the near future.

What are these BIG changes I speak of? Well, you'll just have to keep checking back on here or on our facebook or twitter pages. When the news is fit to print, you'll be the first to hear about it.

Thanks for being our customers for these 6 years. I love my job and I love my stores and I couldn't do that without all of you. So, thank you!

All you need is LOVE

2010-04-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Wednesday is Dish, Dine, Paint & Wine night. Join us for a fun evening and paint this groovy plate. We only have a few spots left at each studio, so please call to reserve your space. Check out our website www.doingdishes.com for more information. Hope to see you Wednesday.

Easter Hours

2010-04-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

We will be closing early on Saturday the 3rd and we will be closed all day on Easter Sunday.

We will re-open on Tuesday at 10am.

Ladies, call your girlfriends

2010-03-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

It's time for our monthly Dish, Dine, Paint and Wine night. We will be painting this awesome Jacksonville Skyline platter for only $30! If you don't think you can do it, please come and let us show you just how easy it really is. We will walk you through it, step-by-step.

Bring your friends, food and a beverage and join us for a fun night of painting.

This Wednesday, March 24th, 7pm-9pm

Breakfast with Bun-Bun

2010-03-17T12:53:00.001-07:00

It is that time of year again. Please join us for our 2nd annual Breakfast with Bun-Bun. At this moment, we have 5 spots left. Call today to sign up your little one.

March 27th, 10-11am

$18 includes the large egg, studio fee, breakfast and a picture with Bun-Bun.

Sign up for our emails

2010-03-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

Since I can't add this to our website, I am putting a link on this blog where you can sign up to receive our awesome (but not too often) emails.

We are also now on twitter (doingdishesjax)

It's Up, It's Up!

2010-03-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

The new site is up!

Check it out www.doingdishes.com

While we wait

2010-03-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

We have an awesome new webiste coming, but while we wait for it to go live, here is a sneak peek. It gives you all the information that you need to find out what we do, who we are and how much fun we have over at Doing Dishes Pottery Studios.

http://www.wix.com/doingdishes/Doing-Dishes-Pottery-Studios?gu%5Fid=d1e7c4ad%2D8765%2D4309%2D8ad7%2D0ece96c96d3f&wixComputerID=Bgoz5YWjPqOG70FBd3YkIxmNuY%2B6GOh0Qc6vbm8LW48gf9FTAKRnMRrvXXJqYZQYPEbhroH9vHhsbJXmt%2FiyCw%3D%3D&experiment%5Fid=empty&partner%5Fid=WMGs4POB1ko%2Da&orgDocID=JRSVP84Vmc0%2Da&wsess=vSG5xseDQw%252BLK%252B6UcGYqrae6VyihG%252FfgDzleSTc8v1TIGT1kJ7sQa6h9Ulo4smVMh%252Fy1zlQ1JcNVKeb5a7pfnQ%253D%253D

Dish, Dine, Paint & Wine Night

2010-03-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

We have a fun Dish, Dine, Paint and Wine night coming up. For those of you Jacksonville natives, you will love our next class. Join us March 24th, 7pm-9pm for our Jacksonville Skyline Platter class.

Class is $30 and reservations are required, so call today.

New Hours

2010-01-02T08:00:00.001-08:00

We have decided that the Edgewood studio needs a new set of hours. I was reluctant to change because it was so easy to keep the same for both studios, but it must be done. The new hours for the Edgewood studio only are:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday - Friday 11am-6pm

Saturday: 10am-6pm

Sunday: 1pm-6pm

We will be happy to stay open late for any large party or group (minimum number of people required). Please make reservations and let us know at least a week before your event.

Disney is here!!

2009-12-30T07:10:00.001-08:00

We are so lucky to have Disney ceramic pieces in the studios. Stop by and check out our new shipment. I can't wait to start some samples.

Holiday Hours

2009-12-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

We will be closing at 2pm on Christmas Eve and we will re-open at 10 am Saturday at the San Jose studio and at 12pm Saturday at the Edgewood studio.

Thank you for spending your time with us this year and we can't wait to show you what we have planned for 2010.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Katie and the Doing Dishes staff

Gift Certificates

2009-12-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

Still need to get that special someone something special? Painting pottery is relaxing, fun and you create a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork. Buy your special someone a gift certificate to Doing Dishes Pottery studio. This New Year, come and create with us.

Gift Certificate Special:
Buy a $25 Gift Certificate (or more) and you will receive a $5 certificate for yourself. Just our way of saying Happy Holidays.

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-03T11:14:00.001-08:00

Want to make this plate and meet Santa Claus?

Join us for our 2nd Annual Breakfast with Santa. We are so blessed to have the big guy joining us for a second year. Santa will arrive at 10am and we will have breakfast. Then, he and your child will paint a handprint plate. Don't worry, there will be time to tell Santa what you want for Christmas, so bring your list. Reservations are required as we only have a limited number of spots and a limited amount of time with Santa.

These are some of the plates that we made last year. We had so much fun, please join us this year. You are not going to want to miss this.

Dates: December 12th, 10am at the Edgewood location

December 19th, 10am at the San Jose location

Cost: $35 per platter (includes platter, studio fee and breakfast)

New Moon Night

2009-11-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

Don't you love these books!!???! Well, if you didn't know, the New Moon movies comes out on November 20th and we are throwing a party. Join us that night, from 6-8pm, and paint New Moon related items. We will have trucks (think Bella's), apples, motorcycles, wolves, moon boxes and lots of samples. Along with pottery, we will have New Moon trivia and snacks. At the end of the night we will raffle off our samples and then I am heading to see the movie. Join us and it's sure to be a good time.

Fall technique class

2009-11-03T13:54:00.001-08:00

Join Melissa this Friday night at the Edgewood studio and learn how to make this fabulous fall serving plate. Class includes the plate, studio fee, stroke by stroke instructions and 3 new techniques.

Please call and reserve your space as we only have a limited amount of plates. Cost is only $30.

We have been BUSY!

2009-10-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Busy changing up the studio, the party selections, the front windows, the classes, the calendar... the list goes on and on!

Here are our new front windows

Edgewood looks great, thanks Melissa! ..................and San Jose looks great too!

We are proud to support the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. In support of the foundation, we are holding a "Pick Your Pink" contest for the entire month of October. Stop in and vote for your favorite new pink. I have ordered all they make, so you, the customer gets to choose which one will hang on our color wall. We will be drawing names to win prizes, so vote today. We are also selling breast cancer ribbons that you can paint and we will fire. For every ribbon we sell, we will donate $1 to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.

As many of you are aware, Doing Dishes belongs to the CCSA (Contemporary Ceramics Studio Association) and every year I attend our annual convention and we hold an auction to donate money to the Vera Bradley Foundation. This year, we raised over $30,000 in just one night. It was amazing. Heidi Floyd is the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer’s Development Ambassador mentions the CCSA in her blog (which I encourage all of you to follow). There are so many great people out there raising money and making a difference. We are proud to help and to try and find a cure.

I'm back and full of ideas

2009-09-15T12:52:00.001-07:00

I got back late last night from our annual CCSA Pottery Convention. I am exhausted, but super excited about all the new things that I learned and all the new ideas I have in my head. Here are just a few new things that will be coming shortly:

Pumpkin candy bowl workshop (early October)
New party packages
New pieces coming as soon as they process my orders
New Disney pottery, coming in November
New design area with my Cricut, a computer and tons of new ideas
Pick Your Pink (new pink paints to choose from) in October
Adopt a puppy in November
Breakfast with Santa in December
Holiday workshops for kids, during winter break

I'll keep you posted. But, check back often or sign up for our emails and you will be the first to know.

Where did the summer go?

2009-09-07T07:12:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that the summer is over and the kids are back to school. Here are some shots of our summer campers from our Summer Workshops. I think everyone had a blast, most of all the kids at the watermelon bowl painting. They got to spit seeds and we had a contest. It was hilarious.

Here are a few of our campers for Clay Day. It's always fun to play in the mud and make something out of a ball of clay.

I had to throw a few samples in to show you what people have been up to. I love this plate, so simple, but so stinking cute.

I made this with my new Cricut. I seriously think the thing could change the world. Everyday I am finding more and more uses for this thing. Come in and see what it can do, you'll be AMAZED.

What a cute sentiment. I just had to take a picture of it. One of our gentlemen customers made this for his wife. How sweet is that?

What a beautiful wedding platter. So simple, but so cute that any bride would love it.

This is a honey and apple set made by one of our customers for Rosh Hashanah.

Another reason why I love the glass fusing. The customer came in and needed something for the next day. She did the glass hand print of her daughter, we fired it that night and she picked it up the next day. Glass is perfect if you are in a time crunch and can't wait to get pottery back. we love glass!

Triangle plates are hot right now. These are a few examples of what our customers have been doing with them.

Now that school is back in, we are closed on Mondays.

Check out our website for a new calendar feature. You can still click the link and download or print out the pretty colorful one, but in a pinch you can just glance at the one on the site.

Katie and Melissa leave for our annual CCSA pottery convention on Friday the 11th. We are super excited to see all the new things that the suppliers have for us and we are equally excited to meet with our peers and get all excited about what the industry as a whole has for us. Check back soon for lots of new goodies and exciting fun stuff.

New Items just arrived!!!

2009-08-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

I love the new funky line, so I had to get the whole set. It is here and on the shelves, but beware...They won't last for long.

This canister is just calling out to me to be painted like the Flintstones!

We got new ice cream boxes, cupcake boxes, ice cream cone bowls, ice cream dishes and more.

I love the shapes and heights of these vases....I'm thinking back to school teacher gifts.

Ladies Night is tomorrow.

2009-07-15T13:45:00.001-07:00

Ladies Night is tomorrow, Thursday, evening. There are about 10 spots left, so call and reserve yours today. Call a few of your girlfriends and see if they want to come along. By this time of the summer, everyone needs to get out and spend some time away from the kids (including me).

Custom tile job

2009-07-10T07:08:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of a custom tile job that was painted by Cliff Duch of the architecture firm of Cronk and Duch. I think it turned out awesome. He spent a lot of time and artistic skills on this project.

New paint on the walls at Edgewood

2009-06-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

So, my daugther, Reagan, has been with her Grandmother and cousin all week and I just knew I was going to get a ton of stuff done. But, this is all I managed to acomplish this week (well, besides paying the bills, paychecks, helping customers, ordering new and fun stuff, unboxing the new and fun stuff, organizing the San Jose studio a little and summer camp)

New on Facebook

2009-06-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

We are now on facebook, so click on our link to the right and become our fan.

Blast from the past

2009-06-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

To all of you who were born in the late 70's and 80's, you will appreciate how cool painting pottery is, now that the My Little Ponies are painting pottery!

Father's Day pieces

2009-06-06T10:01:00.001-07:00

I wanted to post some pictures of what people have been painting for Father's Day, so here are a few.

This one is not a gift for my husband, but it has been copied a bunch for the Dad's out there.

One of our tween customers painted this for her dad, so sweet!

" Just let them paint it the way they want, then smack a handprint on it to finish it off" That's what I always say and also what I do with my daughter.

This is actually one of the gifts that my Reagan made for her dadda for Father's Day, but shhhh, don't tell him.

More Summer Samples

2009-06-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some more samples of our Summer Workshop projects. We are so excited for camp to start on June 15th, hope to see you there!

This is our Summer Fun bowl, painted to look like a watermellon. We will paint it, then eat watermellon and have a seed spitting contest outside. Should be fun and messy at the same time.

This is our Pizza Party plate that we will be painting. This plate is only available during summer, so paint it while you can. After painting, we will travel next door to Leo's Pizza place for make-your-own-pizza, breadsticks and drinks. (Price of food is included in the summer camp fee)

This is an example of our princess mirror plate, you could also do a pirate, cowboy/girl or an astronaut.

Check out our Webkinz food bowl class and make 2 bowls for your favorite furry friends.

Feed the birds and make this hanging bird feeder or bird bath.

Summer Camp Samples

2009-06-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

We have been working our tails off trying to get the summer workshop samples completed. They are turning out so great, even adults are asking if they can come to camp. I think we'll have to have a special adult camp day!

This little gnome is for our Roaming Gnome Day

You paint him and then take him with you on trips

and send pictures back to us at the studio. We will

post your pictures on your Roaming Gnome wall

and at the end of summer we will announce a winner.

This is our Goodie Goodie Gumball project. The kids will be a little smaller than our sample. Yours will also be filled up with yummy gumballs.

Who doesn't love Hanna Montana? Join us

for our Best of Both Worlds workshop. We

will be listening to her music, dressing up like

Hannah or Miley and eating lots of popcorn as

we make our super cute popcorn bowl.

This is sure to be our biggest hit this year. It is our Polka Dot Junk Tray. If you are like me, you have tons of stuff just sitting on you dresser or bathroom counter. This set will help you clean up your clutter.

We will be doing a birthday plate similar to this example in honor of our 5th birthday at Doing Dishes. The plate we paint will just say Happy Birthday and have everyone's birth date on it. Our birthday workshop will be a mini birthday party for the studio, complete with balloons, cake, favors and gifts. Join us to celebrate the start of our 6th year!

I will post more pictures a little later today. Check out our website to find out summer camp flyer and registration form.

Ladies Night is BACK!

2009-06-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

Ladies Night is back and new and improved. We will now offer snacks, sodas, pottery discounts, all female music and a chance to spin the DIVA Wheel. The DIVA Wheel is like spinning the Price is Right Wheel, you never know what you are going to get. Please join us June 18th or July 16th. Ladies night starts at 6:30pm, but if you can't get here by then, that's fine. Just try and be here by 7:30 so you have enough time to finish your project.

We will have snacks and soda, but feel free to bring your own (adult) beverage if you so choose. We have wine glasses for you to use if you would like.

All you pay on Ladies Night is the cost of your pottery and an $8 studio fee. Studio fee is required to reserve your space, so call today. Ladies Night is at both studios on the same night. Call 904-730-3729 for San Jose and 904-388-7088 for Edgewood.

See you soon.

I'm sad to see it go

2009-05-28T14:08:00.001-07:00

I got this mural painted in November 2004 and I get so many compliments and I love it so....but, after 5 years, I think I need some new art to look at. Amy Donaldson, painted it and I am so greatful because it really did brighten up the plain party room. Since I won't even try to compete with this detail and beauty, our new mural is going to be fun, plain and functional.

It's always good to have a "little" help. She acutally ended up covering all of the flowers that you see there. And, I have to say, she did a pretty good job. She even got more paint on the wall than on her and floor, which was a shock to her mother!

I will post more pictures tomorrow so you can see the progress. I think people are really going to like it, I just hope I can get the majority done before our 2 parties on Sunday.

Summer Camp and Calendar

2009-05-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that our summer workshop schedule is posted on our website, along with our calendar for May and June.

Shameless plug

2009-04-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Warning!!! NOT POTTERY RELATED!!! hahaha

I just got this picture from Shannon at Shannon Curry Photography. She borrowed our Bun-Bun for a weekend long Easter photo shoot and she sent me this adorable picture of my Reagan. I just love this face. If you know Reagan, you know this face says it all. It is who she is. My crazy, happy girl.

Eggs-tra cute!

2009-03-31T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a sample of how stinking cute all the kids were this weekend at "Breakfast with Bun-Bun." This is also an awesome example of the great photography of Shannon Curry Photography

What have people been painting?

2009-03-30T17:10:00.001-07:00

Well, since you asked.....Here are some of our talented customers awesome creations.

This cake plate was painted by a class of students for their annual auction. I just love how they painted it, but then the teacher went over everything with the black to really make it stand out. So neat, I hope it made them a bunch of money.

Easter is right around the corner! Doesn't this plate just make you want to decorate some eggs?

You can't miss us now!

2009-03-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Here is our new sign at the Edgewood studio. I pink puffy heart LOVE it!!!!!!! I just have to get some paint and touch up the building so you can't see all those white spots.

Here is a close up of the super cute Easter display that Melissa set up. She really has a knack for this stuff.

Breakfast with Bun-Bun

2009-03-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny!

Start making plans now to join us for breakfast and painting with our “in house” Easter Bunny, Bun-Bun.

Come have breakfast with us, paint a large ceramic egg and get pictures with you and Bun-Bun.
We are taking sign-ups right now for this very special event. Don’t delay as we have a limited amout of spaces.

Date: March 28th 10:00-11:00am
Cost: $18/painter, includes large ceramic egg to paint which will be glazed and fired, a professional 4x6 photograph of you and Bun-Bun and breakfast goodies.

Due to the popularity of past events, we kindly ask that you reserve your space as soon as possible.

Each painter will receive 1 free 4x6 picture of them with the bunny. Photographs will be taken by Shannon Curry Photography and will be available on-line for viewing and ordering other sizes and poses.

Finally, a calendar

2009-03-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

You have asked, begged and pleaded and we have finally gotten it together and here it is. Check it out because there are lots of new specials, deals and exciting stuff.

Just visit our website and you will find a link to the PDF.

Spirit Week

2009-03-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

What is Spirit Week?

For the week of March 9th-15th, mention that you or your child attend South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church and/or Preschool and Doing Dishes Pottery Studio will donate 15% of you purchase directly back to the Preschool. This is one way of helping out our preschool, while doing something everyone loves, PAINTING POTTERY! Just make sure that you say "I'm helping out the preschool" when you buy your pottery. Have fun and thank you for helping SJPP.

If you would like information or to schedule a spirit week for your school, daycare or church, please call Katie at the San Jose Studio.

Learn a little about me

2009-02-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a podcast tv show that we did last month. It just explains a little bit more about me, how I got here and why I do what I do. Tell me what you think.

http://www.wjct.org/tv_podcasts.html

Just in case you didn't realize, we also updated the website, so check it out. We will soon post our March calendar, keep an eye out for some fun stuff.

Cupids Corner

2009-01-23T10:34:00.001-08:00

You do not want to miss this one!

On Valentine's Day, bring us your child(ren), so you and your special valentine can have a fun night out or a quiet evening at home. We will eat pizza, watch a movie, do a craft and of course, paint pottery. Drop off time is 5:30 and the cost is $30 per child. Cost includes pottery, pizza, a craft and watching a movie. Event available at both studios. Join Katie at the San Jose studio or Melissa at the Edgewood store. Reservations are required so call today.

Come play in clay

2009-01-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

Starting February 17th we will be offering 3 classes for you to get your hands dirty and play with clay.

Kids Clay Day (ages 4-18)
Where: San Jose Studio
When: February 17th,19th, 24th and 26th
What time: 4pm-5pm
Who: Taught by Katie
Cost: $80
This is a very basic, yet fun class. These projects are great for young children, but older kids can also have a great time creating one of a kind pieces. We will complete at least 2 clay projects a day.

Handbuilding 101 (adults)
Where: Edgewood Studio
When: February 19th, 26th, March 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th
What time: 10am-12pm
Who: Taught by artist Edwina Richards
Cost: $130
This is a more detailed, structured class for adults who are interested in learning how to make unique clay projects. Taught by local artist Edwina Richards, you are guaranteed to make artistic, fun and functional pieces. Cost of class includes clay, open studio time and 6 artist taught classes.

Handbuilding 101 (ages 7-18)
Where: Edgewood Studio
When: February 18th, 25th, March 4th, 11th
What time: 4pm-6pm
Who: Taught by artist Edwina Richards
Cost: $120
This is a more detailed, structured class for students who would like to learn how to work with clay. Students will learn the basics of handbuilding, including pinch pots, coil bowl, and slab pieces. Students will create pieces that incorporate the basics, but also build onto what they have learned. Cost of class includes clay, open studio time and 4 artist taught classes.

Each class requires a deposit to reserve your space. Space is limited to 8 people and we will may cancel the class if there are less than 3 people signed up. Call today for more information or email Katie. 904-730-3729 or 904-388-7088

Get your hands a little dirty

2009-01-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

but don't worry, it will wash right off!

Starting February 1st, we will be offering quality clay hand and foot impressions for all ages. Drop by the studio any Tuesday or Thursday between 11am-12pm or 4pm-5pm and we will gently take a clay imprint of yours, your child’s or your or pets handprint, pawprint or footprint. Choose from various different sizes and shapes. Pieces will be fired and then ready to paint in about a week. Price of piece includes the clay, firing, painting, glazing and firing again. Prices vary from $12-$40. Prints can also be done by appointment.

Ladies Night is 1 week away

2009-01-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Ladies, don't forget about our famous and much needed Ladies Night. Next Thursday, the 22nd, at the San Jose store, please join us for a fun filled evening of food, friendship and pottery. Make sure you get a spot, so call 904-730-3729 and we'll put you down in our book.

See you Thursday.

Time to choose

2009-01-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

The slogans have been submitted, the staff have voted, now it is all up to you.

Here are the top 4 slogans:

1. Doing Dishes...it's not just a "chore" anymore!
2. Doing Dishes Pottery Studio - painting memories and firing up friendships since 2004.
3. Painting your world one piece at a time.
4. So fun a grown-up can do it.

Send Katie an email with your vote. Please, only 1 vote per person.

Remember, the slogan winner will receive 4 free t-shirts and a gift certificate to the studio. We will also give a t-shirt and gift certificate to one lucky customer who voted for the winning slogan.

Thank you to all who submitted an entry. This was way more fun than I expected. I must have checked my email 100 times a day, just to see what you came up with.

Katie

We are losing our shirts!

2009-01-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

After 5 years, our t-shirts have seen plenty of washings, paint and pottery and have finally come to their end.

Now with 2 stores and lots more employees it has come to my attention that we need to replace our Doing Dishes t-shirts.

Here's where you come in......

T-shirt slogan contest

We are asking our customers and friends to send in a slogan for the back of our new shirts. Our current slogan reads "Cheaper than therapy, and way more fun". My staff and I will pick the top four slogans from those submitted. We will then send out an email and you can vote on which slogan you think should go on our new shirts. The slogan winner will receive 4 free t-shirts and a gift certificate to the studio. We will also give a t-shirt and gift certificate to one lucky customer who voted for the winning slogan.

The deadline to submit your slogans is this Sunday at 7pm. Any slogans are acceptable (funny, quirky, puns, whatever), lets just try and keep them G rated.

Send us an email at doingdishesinc@bellsouth.net with your slogan suggestions. You can send as many as you want.

Back to work

2009-01-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

After the holidays, I always find myself so exhausted and it is nice to take a few days off and re-group before going back to work. This year, there wasn't so much re-grouping now that we have 2 stores. I still have my Christmas tree up, there are presents on the floor, my New Year/Holiday cards still haven't been sent out and I think the laundry might overtake our family. All that said, it is back to work for us and we are excited about 2009. We start inventory tomorrow (Monday) since we will be closed and then I will place our spring order and wait for more pottery to rain into the studio. Keep an eye out on our front windows. I took a class on window display and I am really excited for what I have planned for Valentine's Day. I just hope I can get it out of my head and into the front window in a timely manner.

Events coming up in January include Ladies Night on January 22 and Marley and Me on January 24th. Marley and Me will be a "paint your own Marley" night. We will read the story Bad Dog Marley then the kids (and adults if you'd like) will paint their very own Marley dog. We will have pizza and sodas. Check your email for more information.

In February we have a great event planned on Valentine's Day, Cupids Corner. Bring us your child/children for the evening. They will watch a movie, eat and of course, paint pottery. While we have them, please enjoy a night out with your special Valentine. More information to follow.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T11:52:00.000-08:00

We will be closing at 5pm, today, December 31st and we will reopen at 10am on Friday the 2nd.

Starting Monday the 5th, we will again be closed on Mondays.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and that Santa brought you lots of goodies. I know there were tons of helper elves painting like mad to make wonderful gifts.

See you in 2009!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-23T19:23:00.001-08:00

We will be open from 10-1 on Christmas Eve. Then we will close for Christmas Day and reopen at 10am on Friday the 26th. We will resume our normal hours Friday through and then close early on Wednesday the 31st, New Year's eve. We will be closed on the 1st and reopen at 10am on the 2nd.

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Christmas and Hanukkah. I hope you all enjoy your pottery presents and your gift recipients enjoy their gifts. Thank you for another wonderful year, see you in 2009.

Now open on Mondays

2008-12-01T06:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wanted to paint pottery or pick up your pottery, but we were closed because it was a Monday? Well, for the month of December, you will be able to access your pottery needs 7 days a week. Starting today, we will be open 10am-7pm on Mondays. See you soon.

Don't forget about our Elf on a Shelf, this Friday evening, see below posting.

Happy THANKSgiving

2008-11-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

Happy THANKSgiving. This year I have so much to be thankful for....My family (especially my Reagan), my friends, my studios, and all of my wonderful customers. I am also thankful for the fact that we have been doing this for 5 years and we just keep getting bigger and better! Thank you for your support, friendship, challenges and patronage.

Holiday Hours

2008-11-21T12:11:00.001-08:00

We will be closing early on Wednesday so we can go home and bake some pies and get our turkey ready for the oven.

We will be closed all day on Thanksgiving Day.

We will open at 12:00pm on Black Friday and we will stay till the last painter goes home. Typically, we stay pretty late (at least 9:00pm), so give us a call to see if we are open, you never know! We will be passing out grab bags with a free ornament to the first 30 customers at both studios, so don't wait too late or you'll miss out.

Starting December 1st, we will be open on Mondays from 10:00am-7:00pm. Just one more day for you to paint with us and work on those gifts.

Happenings at Doing Dishes

2008-11-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

We have so much going on that we just have to share. We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and we will reopen at 12pm on Friday the 28th. We will be having door prizes all day at both locations on Black Friday, so stop by whenever you can and paint a piece. We are the perfect place to stop and relax and make a few Christmas gifts. With this economy, who wants to spend a fortune? This year, make your own gifts. Everyone loves a handmade gift and Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc. just love handprint gifts from their little ones.

Spend $25 now, get $10 to use in the New Year

We wll be starting a special on Friday the 28th, spend $25 in pottery and you will recieve a $10 coupon to use in the New Year. We will be handing out these coupons at both stores through December until we run out.

Elf on a Shelf Night

I learned about Elf on a Shelf from a few of my customers and I just thought it would be a cute project to do during the holidays. The story is that Santa Claus sends out some of his favorite elves to children's homes and every night the elves fly home to the North Pole and give Santa a naughty or nice report. Then, your elf flies back to his child's home, but he always lands on a new shelf. The fun part is to wake up in the morning and try to find which shelf he landed on. We are having a paint your own elf night. Each child will paint an elf, give it a name and decorate some cookies. We will print out a birth certificate and poem of Elf on a Shelf for you to take home with your elf.

When: December 5th 6:00-8:00pm at both locations

Cost: $25 per elf

Reservations are required as space is limited as we only have 20 elves.

Breakfast with Santa

We are so lucky that the big guy (Santa Claus) had a few hours to come hang out with us. He will be here on December 13th at 10am to have breakfast with your child and paint a cookie plate. We will provide juice, coffee, muffins, bagels and fruit. Please join us and make a plate your child will cherish forever.

Blood, Sweat and Tears

2008-11-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

-have all been shed, but we are open for business at the Edgewood studio. We had a great grand opening. Thank you to all our wonderful customers who came out to support us. We still have plenty of tiles that need to be painted, so stop by today and paint a tile for our cash counter. More changes are still to come, like new floors and LOTS of new pottery. Check back in often, I will post pictures on a regular basis.

Progess is being made

2008-10-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that we only have 5 days left before we open. We still have a lot to do, but as you can see, we have made HUGE progess.

Go Gators!!!

2008-10-28T08:42:00.001-07:00

I thought I would post some Georgia/Florida pieces since this weekend is the big game, but for some reason we don't get too many Georgia pieces. This is a great Gator plate! I love when people draw their own designs, it makes it look so much more personalized.

Getting into the spirit

2008-10-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

These are some great holiday pieces that people have done in the last few weeks. I love the holidays and love when people start to get in the spirit, it makes me more motivated!

and the walls came down

2008-10-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

Now we have some paint on the walls, what is left of them, and things are really starting to come along. I will post more pictures tomorrow.

Work in progress

2008-10-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

What a great husband I have. Brian came straight from work and started tearing down walls. It sure has opened up the place.

Ladies Night is this Thursday

2008-10-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Please join us for our famous Ladies Night. It is this Thursday, Oct. 23rd, and we still have spots available. The event starts at 7pm and we usually roll out of there about 9ish. We will have snacks, door prizes and a very special suprise for those who attend. Please call the studio if you would like to reserve your space. 730-3729

Yep, I have lost my mind!

2008-10-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's true, I have lost my mind, but in a good way. I haven't had time to post lately, because I was in the process of buying another studio. We are now officially a chain! Two weeks ago, I learned that Achy Breaky Ceramics was closing and I approached them regarding selling their assetts to me and reopening it as Doing Dishes. Well, a few weeks later, a lot of sleepless nights and a wing and a prayer, we are now the proud owners of 2 pottery studios. The new studio will reopen as Doing Dishes on November 4th. We will be having a Grand Opening and I hope you can all come. Our 1st 100 customers will be given a 4 inch tile to paint for our front counter. I am so excited about this new challenge and I hope you all contiune to grow and learn with us. Here are some pictures of the studio "before" and I will post pictures of our progess as we make some.

Check out the before pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21300539@N03/?saved=1

Piece of the week

2008-10-03T11:48:00.001-07:00

Here is the piece of the week from last week, an awesome footprint and handprint piece. The small grapes around the edges are the older children and the footprint was taken soon after the family adopted their newest addition. What a great way to celebrate the addition to the family.

This piece is from this week and was painted by Danielle, who was one of our summer campers from a few years ago. She painted this for her big sister, Brooke. She used our new pink foundations glaze and also a plate from our new Circles Dinnerware line. I love the look of this plate!

Happy Hour all week

2008-10-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

We are having a Happy Hour Special. Don't worry, kids are allowed!!!!

This week only, Tuesday - Friday, from 4pm - 6pm. Come paint with us and receive 1/2 off your studio fee. As long as you get here between 4-6, you will get our Happy Hour special rate. Grab dinner at one of our awesome restaurants in the shopping center, then sit down and paint a piece.

Sill, this is only half of it

2008-09-24T18:13:00.001-07:00

This is still just half of what we got almost 2 weeks ago. We just can't unbox it fast enough and we are running out of shelf space. Come in and see our new stuff, there are so many new styles to spark your creativity.

Piece of the week (Last week)

2008-09-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is the piece of the week from last week. I couldn't find my camera until this morning. This is a snowman piece done by Kathy Rohm. Isn't it awesome!!!

This is only half of it!

2008-09-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

We got 3 truck loads of new pottery yesterday. I think the girls about passed out when they saw how much I bought. Check in soon, hopefully this weekend will will have the majority of it unboxed.

UPS must love me

2008-09-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

The pottery has started pouring in and I think our new UPS girl and I are going to become very good friends. This is only 1/2 of what we got yesterday. Stephanie was here all night putting stuff away and I have been at it for an hour this morning. It will be coming in streams for the next few months. Come by the studio and see what new stuff we have on the shelves.

Wednesday is free slumping day

2008-09-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

From now on, hump day will be free slump day. Make a piece of glass on Wednesday and we will slump it for free. What is slumping you ask? Slumping is taking a piece of flat fused glass and placing it in a mold and firing it again. When we re-fire it, it slumps over the mold to make the glass take shape. We can slump things into different shape plates, bowls, vases and candle holders.

We made national news

2008-09-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is the blog by Heidi Floyd from the Vera Bradley Foundation:

http://verabradleyfoundation.blogspot.com/

What great publicity for all pottery studios. You will be hearing a lot about pottery and Vera Bradley doing great things for this cause.

"It's been a long days night"

2008-09-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Some of the great new glass pieces that I found, I can't wait to get to the studio and start making some more samples.
I won this piece at the auction. It is supposed to be an ice cream topping server, but I think I am going to use it in the studio for something else, I just don't know what.
This clock sold for $8,000 at the auction. This year we changed our charity from Susan G. Koman to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. There was a rep from Vera Bradley and she was crying when this piece sold for so much. It was so great to see so many people donate so much of their hard earned money. This year, we raised approximately $33,000. Isn't that amazing?!
This is our future pottery studio owner, just contemplating on what pieces she should buy for Doing Dishes.

We just arrived home from the 2008 CCSA Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. As a few of you may remember from years past, this convention is AWESOME!!! Last year I decided to stay home since I was busy nursing Reagan, but I really missed going and getting new ideas and feeling a rejuvenated. This year, we were lucky because Brian's parents have an apartment in Phoenix, so we (Brian, Reagan and I) all flew out last Thursday. Convention started Saturday and I have to say, I think this was my favorite out of the 5 I have attended. It was held at the Arizona Biltmore and both Brian and I were sad that we didn't stay there. It is a beautiful resort and the convention areas were so nice and the people there were wonderful. I spent plenty of time walking around all the suppliers booths and getting all the newest catalogs and samples. I took lots of business classes and a few painting classes. I learned a lot and I can't wait to go to the studio tomorrow and start implementing some of my new ideas.