Last Saturday the kids and I headed out to Kerrisdale for a ceramics painting workshop at Cowboys and Angels! Since Tara is such a sentimental momma, we took Livvy along to join in the fun! One mom, two 3 year olds, and a 9 year old girl. And paint. Remembering our splatter paint fun I knew I was ambitious to do it alone, but I also knew the three of them would not only have a blast but get to keep their hand painted treasure. It was a bit of a special trip for my kids whose grandma runs Northern Visions Art Studio in White River, ON where ceramics can also be painted and fired.
With children in tow, we entered Cowboys and Angels, unsure of what we would find. Not only is Cowboys and Angels a ceramic studio, but they are a toy store and portrait studio as well! They first thing the littles noticed was the abundance of toys, and so many of them were out to be played with. My daughter instantly gravitated to the Rainbow Loom elastics. She is an avid loomer making all kinds of charms and figures and always in need of new colours and more elastics. The first thing *I* noticed was kids set loose in a toy store and a wall of ceramics ready to paint to my right behind a small fence. Hmm. Had I bitten off more than I could chew? Could I tear them away from playing dino store and Sands Alive? What if they broke something?!
Not only were the kids great, but the staff were too as they reassured me that they encouraged play in their store, considering most things to be durable. As we had a private workshop, we were escorted to the back room where tables were prepped with materials and a shelf of ceramics stood with all sorts of items begging to be personalized. We were given the choice of a mug, bowl, vase, plate or piggy bank. The oldest chose to personalize a mug for herself, and once fired it will be ready to drink from. The youngest two chose piggy banks, but these were not standard log shaped ones. Breton chose a donut and Livvy a cupcake, but there were others to choose from as well like cats and gnomes.
After selecting their pieces, all the kids sat down and began choosing colours, brushes and sponges. It was great to see all the kids so concentrated in their work, and how unique their painting styles were. Breton, despite having a donut, used mostly green, several shades, several coats. I’m pretty sure they will have to fire his twice. Amelia was very precise, adding her name and music notes as a personal touch to her hot chocolate mug. Livvy was very delicate with her painting, preferring to dab lightly with her brush and sponge. Once finished, they were led to the sink for clean up and then off to play again and discover new toys, ride unicorns and build sand castles. In another week or so, their ceramic creations will be ready for pick up and I can’t wait to see how they turned out and share them with you!
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With pieces starting at just $15 and drop in painting available any time during business hours, this is a great rainy day spot to take the kids, and the one-of-a-kind finished pieces make great gifts. Cowboys and Angels also does birthday parties and daycamps during the spring and summer breaks. Ceramics painting is an activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels and Cowboys and Angels has a wide variety of functional pieces to choose from.
