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Colonial Folk Art offers one-on-one potter’s wheel lessons.
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Follow along at a painting class at Artfully Yours.
For a unique and thoughtful gift this holiday season, why not create something of your very own?
Williamsburg has a number of places where you can make your own gifts, and here are a few local businesses that give you a chance to get your creative juices flowing.
The charming gift store Lazy Daisy opened its fourth Virginia location in Williamsburg this past summer and sells a wide assortment of shabby chic, up-cycled and farmhouse-style décor and furniture for the home. In addition, the shop offers workshops in its second-floor classroom, where participants can create their own custom artwork or learn furniture-finishing techniques such as chalk painting.
New workshops are posted at thebeginning of each month, with prices for projects ranging from $45 to $75. The classes are kept small to maintain the intimate, homey setting of the store.
“You just have to bring yourself,” says employee Nadine Dunn. “The stuff we’re doing, we tell people it’s okay to be perfectly flawed.”
Artfully Yours offers popular painting classes where you follow along with an instructor as you create your own canvas painting. Workshops give participants a chance to paint seasonal designs on canvas or wood. Past classes have also given instruction on building your own dollhouses, or provided the materials for the popular rock-painting craze.
Paint on Pottery offers up dozens of different kinds of bisque pottery that’s ready-to-paint, but also gives would-be artists the opportunity to create clay items from scratch. Some of the clay-based classes help you press a baby or child’s handprint or footprint into clay to preserve memories for a lifetime.
Popular during the holidays are fused glass ornaments, which involves layering pieces of colored glass before firing, and the shop expects to hold an ornament-making class during the fall season.
Children who come in to paint are always encouraged to leave a fingerprint on the back of their work for a special touch.
“For gifts for a grandparent in particular, it doesn’t matter if it’s perfectly painted,” says Judith Pysher, the shop’s clay expert. “It’s the idea that counts.”
Located in Williamsburg’s Arts District, Colonial Folk Art boasts an art gallery from artists near and far (but mostly near) and offers a wide selection of classes for artists of all levels. Artist-in-residence Beverly Maybank Burgdorf is among the instructors and also is available to help other artists. The shop holds classes on ceramics and mixed media to individuals and groups and also offers one-on-one potter’s wheel lessons.
In addition, artists can take advantage of the open studio, which is designed for artists of different skill levels who need a place to work. The open studio has hourly, daily and monthly rates, and has everything from easels and kilns to die-cutting and embroidery machines.
Most studios and workshops offer private parties or classes if you want to make an event of it—just ask!
Artfully Yours Studio · 1303 Jamestown Road #117 · 757-253-6932 · artfullyyoursva.comColonial
Folk Art Studio & Gallery · 110 Bacon Ave · 757-941-8926 · colonialfolkart.com
Lazy Daisy · 3032 Richmond Road · 757-903-2928 · facebook.com/lazydaisygiftstore
Paint on Pottery · The Shops at High Street · 1430 High Street, Suite 709-A · 757-565-3500 · paintonpotterytoo.com
