Recently I ordered a party kit to go for my daughters birthday party. The staff at Alpaca Art made…read morethe process so easy! I was able to pick out the pieces for painting and in the kit they gave directions and samples to show the kids. Once we brought it back it only took a week to get the fired pieces back! They even separated them and packaged them per child so I didn't have to look through and try to do that myself! They did all of the work for me! It was also a lot of fun for the kids, I will definitely be giving business to them in the future!

This is a review Aplaca Art's birthday party event. I booked my 7 year old's party here after…read morepreviously stopping by to paint pottery. I can't compliment them enough. It should be noted that this review takes place at the location on 7th street and they have since moved but I feel confident in saying the overall atmosphere and experience will remain the same. I regret I do not have any pictures of the new location on 6th Street but it also is very nice. They went out of their way to make the party area special (which they decorate nicely for an small extra fee) and were helpful in instructing the kids (and adults). They stood by ready to help without being obtrusive or overbearing and were relaxed and fun to talk to. There are different prices of party packages but all include different options of pottery to paint. This party package includes the painting. If you wish to have food you can bring pizza and they have a neat deal with Kaiser's pizza (I'll also review) who will deliver and give you a discount if you're having a party at Alpaca. This is a very cool option if you're looking for something interesting and fun that is outside of standard birthday party venue. You will be able to pick up the pottery prices in one week and they come nicely wrapped. Everyone had a great time, we'll be going back again. Thank

I brought my 5 year old grandson, and he loved being able to create his own dinosaur. it was…read moreexplained fully, and there was a wonderful selection of items and paints. very reasonably priced.

Cutest place to paint ceramics. They were so helpful with my kids and the turned out greatread more

Visited again today with a friend. They have expanded to have a party room now which is very cool!…read more The place filled up quickly with an assortment of kids and adults. Staff was great helping us to get paints and cheering us on while answering questions. We had a great time and can't wait to see our finished projects!

We had my daughter's 6th birthday party here last week. It…read morewas easy to book online. I also phoned them many times with different questions and they were patient and helpful. It was nice that we could bring any food and drinks we wanted, even some Champagne and hard seltzer for parents. Cheers to that :) Also, it was nice to have the party at a room separated from the main store. Besides the pottery painting I added cupcakes decorating activity and it was a success. All kids loved it of course! A week after the party, I received a text message that all our pottery was ready and thats so nice too, much quicker than expected. I definitely recommend this place! We'll be back for sure.

More of a passion project for owner. Studio keeps erratic hours. Owner makes appointments she…read moredoesn't keep. Non responsive afterwards. I drove 30 minutes one way for a confirmed appointment only to find she cancelled via email at 11:30pm the night before. She owes me gas money as far as I'm concerned. When you read other reviews, you'll find its a pattern.

This place is huge and stocked with every imaginable pottery/crafting/painting accoutrement. I'm…read morenot really into all these activities (I'm friends with the owner, who's also a licensed massage therapist - a Jane of all trades) but if I were, I can't imagine any request she can't cover. There's shelf after shelf of pots and figurines and whatnot at various stages of completion. There's a bevy of workstations where you can come in and choose a piece and glaze it and then they fire it and voila! You got yerself a new yard gnome or a spittoon or whatevz!! They'll do parties and tutorials and all other kinds of stuff... other arts and crafts as well: scrapbooking and weaving and stained glass and furniture refinishing and all that groovy stuff! I'll be back (for the deep tissue work!)

i love coming here with my friends :) it's always a great experience. everyone is so nice and…read morehelpful, too.

Color me mine is so fun! I came for Valentines day and had the best time. They were also offering…read more50% off studio fees if you drew a flower and so that was kind as well. I would recommend coming here with friends or family!

One of our favorite birthday traditions!…read more The Painted Penguin is such a fun place to bring the kids and let them get creative! I bring my kids here every year for their birthdays, and they absolutely love picking out something to paint and spending time creating their own little masterpieces. It's also a great way to keep them busy and kill some time! Robin, the owner, is always so friendly and sweet, and the staff are just as helpful and welcoming. Everyone here makes the experience feel easy and fun. If you're looking for something fun to do with the kids, definitely check this place out! We'll be back again next year for our birthday tradition!

we had my daughter's 4th birthday here, and it went absolutely perfect. Robin and staff went above…read moreand beyond to make sure everything was organized, ran smoothly, and ever kid had a fun time. each child got to paint a personal pottery to take home. My daughter felt very special and loved all the personal touches to make her day perfect.

We love to visit Fox Valley Pottery. It is our favorite place to have a girls day…read more Employees are nice and very helpful. The shop is super clean, too! My only complaint is sometimes the music is too loud. The last two times I went to paint, I left with a pounding headache because of the music. Not a big deal, next time I go, I will pop a couple Tylenol before I get there!

Nice easy party atmosphere. Girls had a nice time and loved their pieces they painted! Website…read morepricing needs to be updated though. They need to work on communication. They had technical difficulties with the kiln and they were then getting backed up. I completely understand about that. But if I weren't the one reaching out for updates I would've been sitting for nearly a month waiting.

We recently hosted my daughter's 7th birthday party here and had a fantastic experience. There…read morewere a number of options (ceramic painting, canvas painting, slime, and more!) - we chose canvas painting. The owner, Robin, and one of the other employees were fantastic at leading a group of 21 first grade girls through painting a mermaid tail (there were so many choices for the canvas painting - my daughter happened to choose this one). They can do them more or less complex based on the age group of the party. Robin was truly fantastic to work with. She took care of everything, including ordering pizzas from elsewhere in the mall. I brought the paper goods and cupcakes and everything else was handled. We were in a party room in the back that is utilitarian but also decorated. I definitely appreciated that there were separate tables for the art and the eating! I was perfectly happy to not be out in the front of the store with the general public. And the price was totally reasonable given everything that they did for us. Would definitely host another party here! We've also come on a random day just to do a walk in ceramic painting, which was also great. Lots of selections at all sorts of different price points. You can also do walk in canvas painting.

Haven't been in the store yet to experience, but was planning on holding my daughter's birthday…read moreparty here. We eventually ended up forgoing this year because she's still so young she wouldn't fully appreciate the experience, but plan on going for some Mommy and me time. The staff that I was in touch with while planning the event were all so helpful, responsive, and friendly. Even when we decided to pass on holding the party there, after we had filled out the form and not yet put in the deposit, they were so understanding. They get high ratings, they're located conveniently in a mall where if you have youngers you can go to the playgrounds in the mall, and if you have olders, they can walk around and do a little independent shopping. Looking forward to visiting soon!

Similarly to other reviews, my friends and I had a negative experience with an employee who stated…read moretheir name was Joanne. Joanne spoke to us in a condescending tone and was passive aggressive with her instructions, particularly after seeing we were using the wrong sponges. If that sounds stupid, it is. We were talked to like toddlers, and even though one of the members of our group frequents this studio, she will not be returning due to this ridiculous attitude. The employee Joanne also assumed we didn't know how to use or clean the paint brushes that were set in front of us, had a tone the entire time, hardly checked in on us even though the front room was practically empty. And lastly, another member of our party waited over ten minutes for Joanne to spray her piece, to the point that we asked not to spray our last piece in fear of it taking even more time. I also got an attitude for attempting to help by putting the paint away, a seemingly kind gesture in spite of our negative experience, we were not informed we weren't supposed to do that. I'm sure she's a joy to have around as she had nothing positive or kind to contribute, everyone else was very nice and helpful. This is a clay painting studio, not CIA. Joanne you do not work at the met, this isn't a D1 establishment. Your bathroom is moldy with wet towels and it's gross, I watched a kid sneeze all over his project, it's not that deep. Joanne needs to unclench.

Love this place and it's so much fun! We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty crowded and I…read morethink there was a party in the back. We walked in and we waited around for maybe 10 minutes before we were helped. Staff was friendly and it's a great activity for when it's raining out or if you're feeling crafty. They have tons of options to choose from and you pick up your piece a few days later.

This was our first venture into Soul Fire, and I took my 7yo granddaughter who is a wanna-be…read moreartist. We chose the Glass Fusing for a new experience and it was a hit! We made an appointment ahead of time and as soon as we walked in the door we were greeted by a lovely woman who spent good time explaining to us just how to safely work with glass, and not get cut or hurt in any way. The instructions are very in depth but necessary. When is was time to start the creative process, my granddaughter knew just what she wanted to create and loved selecting all the parts to make it just as she wanted. Start to finish was about 190 minutes, but it could be faster or slower, depending on how your creative juices flow. In the end she was thrilled with her project and we sprayed it to keep it in position for the transfer to the kilns. In 7-10 days I will return and pick up the final project. Our final cost for a 6" square art piece came to $40. We can't wait! The cost is not super cheap, but you know exactly what you are paying before you start. The supplies are endless and we plan to return for other activities as soon as possible. We saw entire families enjoying themselves, and this is a great activity to do with all ages, young children to adults. The options for art projects are: Paint Your Own Pottery, Glass Fusing, Acrylic Paint Projects and Board Art. The Clay Hand Building is now offered only in a class session. Stop in and take look. Then make an appointment for some really nice fun.

Made ourselves a date night for some Christmas memories. I wanted to do some glass work. We…read morewere greeted at the door by Morgan. She was so helpful through the whole process. We decided on Christmas tree ornaments. Morgan got all our working tools and was very thorough in explaining how to cut the glass and told us if we needed any further help she would be happy to help. We then were able to create at our own will and speed. It was a Friday night at the end of the day and we were told to take our time and not feel rushed. You can order drinks to enjoy. The atmosphere was so comfortable and warm. You could paint or do pottery. So many things. I think we just started our new tradition to make a new ornament yearly. We had booked some open creating time. But you can register for any of the classes they offer as well. We will definitely be back. Everyone was helpful and kind. Can't say enough good things about the whole process from start to finish. Took about 7 days to have the project fired and ready for us to pick up. Our ornaments are beautiful on our tree.