Frequently Asked Questions.....
Q.What is The Glaze Craze?A. We are a do it yourself studio, where you can walk-in and paint your own pottery, make some glass fused jewelry, learn how to use the pottery wheel/work with clay or schedule a clay class, party or special event.
Q. Do I have to make an appointment to come in and paint a piece?
A. Nope, Just come on in when ever we are open. We suggest giving yourself at least an hour before we close, since we have been known to close up early if no one is there (and you will need a minimum of a full hour generally to paint). The time we listed on the contact/hours page shows the time we close at if we don't have painters, we will stay open an hour after that time if you arrive in advance. You can pick from any of our hundreds of pieces and paint on the spot, no reservation needed. You can also try glass fusing without an appointment.
Q. Do I need to be an artist to do anything in your shop?
A. Nope, There is no experience required. We have lots of stencils, stamps, idea books and very helpful staff that will show you all the short cuts to make a beautiful piece that you can show off to others!
Q. Can I eat out of my pottery and glass or put it in the dishwasher or microwave?
A. Yes, you can eat out of our pottery and glass, we are a lead free studio and all our products are non-toxic. We do have certain paints that are purely decorative but they are well labeled and are still non-toxic, just not food safe. As for the microwave and dishwasher...the manufacturers would say that you should not put your pottery in the microwave or dishwasher. Mostly, this is because it can cause stress on the pieces causing them to get cracked or chipped. We do tend to live on the edge, and have been known to put pottery in both appliances, but hey, we own a pottery shop and can make new ones any time we want. If you want to keep your pottery in pristine shape, we would say, skip the appliances.
Q. Is this a good activity for kids?
A. Definitely! Children of all ages, including infants are welcome and can participate as much as anyone else! You can put your baby's feet, or your children's hand prints on a platter, a vase or a coffee mug. Even the youngest child likes to play with brushes, sponges and paints. Finger painting on pieces (but not on employees) is allowed and encouraged :)
The paints will rinse off the kids and their clothes and all surfaces in store with water no matter how long its been dry for. And if a paint brush gets sucked on, while it may not be a pleasant experience and we wouldn't recommend it, there won't be any harm in it.
Q.How much does it cost?
A. We have smaller items such as Magnets/Jewellery that range from $2-$6, however our kids figurines start around $15 currently. Mugs for example however range from $19-30 depending on the size and style. Our most expensive item is our wedding signature platters at around $110. For our loyal customers who have been coming to us for years, there may be an initial sticker shock as we have eliminated our studio fees as of June 2011. However we promise that while it may look like prices have increased, they have actually gotten cheaper!! Most pieces have increased by $0-$6 since we lost our studio fees (which were $6-$10).
Q. Can I bring my friends, co-workers?
A. Of course! The more the merrier. However larger groups of 8 or more may want to call to make a reservation just to ensure we have space, but small groups are welcomed any time. We also encourage bringing friends to our classes! Bring 1 friend with you to any of our workshops and get your class half price! Bring 2 friends and your class fee is FREE!
Q. Where do you send our pottery to be baked/fired?
A. We send it all the way to the back room! We have 2 kilns that fire almost every day.
Q. Umm..if it only goes to the back room, why does it take 1 week to get it back??
A. Well, after you leave your pottery or glass with us, we let it dry overnight. Then, we dip each piece in a clear glaze (this makes it shiny and food safe) and let it dry overnight again. Moisture is not a friend to the kiln so we need to make sure everything is dry to the bone. Next it waits its turn to go into the kiln.The kiln is like a big oven and it takes around 13 hours or so to heat up to 1826 degrees. Then the kiln slowly cools down... between 10-12 hours depending on how tightly we have packed it. Next we unload the kiln and each piece has to be dremeled on the bottom. Pieces sit on 3 metal points in the kiln to prevent it from gluing itself to the shelf, and they leave sharp marks that must be removed. Then, voila, you get to pick it up!
Q. Can I bring food or drinks with me?
A. Yes, Feel free to bring some snacks with you, although we have a limited snack bar on site, if you need something there is a Tim Hortons and McDonalds next door to us. We ask that you don't bring any peanut or tree nut products into the store though as we are a nut free facility and greasy foods such as pizza and chips are only permitted in our party rooms as greasy fingers will cause problems with our paint on our pottery.
Q. Do you plan birthdays and other parties?
A. Absolutely. We have the most creative parties around. We can accommodate parties large and small. You bring the the guests and we provide the fun. You get the use of our private party room, our wonderful staff and everything you'll need to create your own masterpiece. We can even arrange the food, drinks and cupcakes for you! See our parties page for more information. We can accommodate your group for whatever reason you have to gather, and for all ages as well! Have a HUGE group that won't fit in the store, no problem! We can always come to any place you need us, for any size group. We have worked with hundreds of kids with school and non profits groups we have worked with
Q. Can you come to me at my school/office/party?
A. Yes! We go to schools, restaurants, hospitals, businesses, parks. Plan it indoors or out...we love to party, and any excuse to get out and about! Contact us for our to-go parties. For longer parties at your place, we have To-Go Baskets available. One of our staff members can come and run a party wherever you are. We do lessons off-site if you want too!
Q. Do you have any fundraising opportunities available for school groups or any other organization looking for a creative new way to raise funds?
A. Yes! We have several options available. Whether you just want to hold a raffle or would like to set up your own paint it yourself pottery booth on-site at an event, we can help. Ask Our staff for details!
Q. What about teaching clay in school?
A. We have several options for schools to suit all budgets. Whether you want us to provide the instruction, or teach your staff for on going clay classes or kiln use. We also have all the supplies you need at discounted school rates.
Q. My hand writing stinks... will you paint words on my pottery for me?
A. Yes, we would be happy to help. Karin paints words for $1.00 each and all the money goes to the charity we are currently supporting.
Q. I'm not creative, will you paint a piece for me?
A. Depending on the style your looking for, yes would love to help you out. Pieces start at $52 and will take a minimum of 2-3 weeks for Karin (the owner and in store artist) to paint.
Q. I have this antique piece I got somewhere else and it needs to be repaired, can you do it?
A. We are a busy studio and we don't like taking anything that could be described as antique or irreplaceable. We do have kids that run around the studio at parties after all. We can glue pieces back together for you if needed, but we cannot usually bake it since there are so many different types of pottery out there that bake at different temperatures (we don't want yours to turn into a pool of pottery on our kiln shelf). We use Weldbond glue for pottery and E6000 for glass repairs (both are available at most craft stores like Michaels or even Home Depot). We highly recommend using an enamel paint to touch up the paint/finish after gluing such as nail polish, car paint or hobby enamels. E6000 glue is NOT FOOD SAFE.
Q. Do staff get to paint all the time??
A. Sadly, no. Karin does most of the samples for the store and workshops but the rest of the us work on keeping the business running and painting is a rare occasion. Its a really fun job without the painting though, so we love it for other reasons!
Have a question that isn't listed here? Ask us!