The Painted Pig

February Copy Cat Club

2012-02-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

Our most recent Copy Cat Club made these whimsical heart design projects. As with all Copy Cat Clubs, each artist picked the piece of pottery they wanted to paint, and then followed directions with slight variations to create a unique piece. Notice how everyone used different stamps, sponges and techniques to create different backgrounds for their hearts. Great Valentine's Day gifts!

January's Copy Cat Club - Heart U

Our next Copy Cat Club is February 23rd and we'll be walking the club through the Cherry Blossom design. Copy Cat Club a class fee of $10 which reserves your spot, plus the price of whatever pottery you choose to paint that night. Light snacks and beverages will be provided, but also feel free to bring whatever else you'd like to munch or sip on! Call today to reserve your spot since we have limited class sizes: (501) 280-0553.

February's Copy Cat Club - Cherry Blossoms

New Year, New Projects

2012-02-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

In January we celebrated our 5th birthday! And as with every New Year and birthday that passes, we are excited to offer new activities and projects. For 2012 we have added glass fusion to our repertoire. Glass fusion is the process of using a kiln join together pieces of glass. This past week, Allie was in North Carolina for Glass-O-Rama, a two day event drawing representatives from studios all over the country to learn about glass fusion. Our first class to teach this technique will be March 6! Call the store for details - (501) 280-0553.

Glass, ready to be fused!

Examples of fused glass

Tshirts on sale!

2011-12-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Did you know that The Painted Pig has Tshirts?? We do, and they are on sale right now for $10! We have both kids' and adults' sizes... EXCELLENT stocking stuffers!

Kristy Morris with her daughter, Kathryn, sporting The Painted Pig's Tshirt!

(Looks like they had some cupcakes, too.... mmmmm..)

TPP

Paint Crumbles Trees

2011-12-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this yet, prepare to be amazed. Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the leftover paint in your palette after painting at The Painted Pig? Sometimes, we scoop it back into the bottle. But if there are colors that have mixed together, then those palettes are dumped onto a special plate of leftover paint to dry and harden into crumbles.

We then use those paint crumbles to create incredible, one-of-a-kind pieces. After fired, crumbles have a thick, glassy, marbleized look - and you never know what colors you are going to get!

Isn't the transformation amazing? We have pre-painted and available at the store right now! $45 for the platters, $10 to add personalization.

Paint crumbles are also available for your own projects... the only requirements are that the piece be flat and that you paint the entire piece of pottery before using the crumbles. Easy enough!

TPP

The Arkansas Times Holiday Guide

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Did you happen to pick up The Arkansas Times in the past couple of weeks? The Painted Pig was featured TWICE in the special CUE holiday gift guide for local merchants!

Very cool. Did you catch that part about the jewelry special this weekend?? On Friday from 3-6pm and Saturday from 10am-1pm you can receive a discount on fingerprints in silver jewelry! Read more about our pure silver clay at PaintedPigStudio.com/SilverJewelry.

TPP

Christmas Deadline: December 8

2011-12-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

Goodness gracious, it's that time already - the Christmas deadline to paint your own pottery or order custom pottery at The Painted Pig is THIS Thursday, December 8. What does that mean exactly?

Painting or ordering your pottery by December 8 ensures that it will be ready for pick up by Christmas Eve.

The Grinch characters made out of hand & footprints/ Bisque Christmas tree lamp/ Footprint Razorback plate

We DO offer the option to pay a rush fee for items painted after the deadline to be ready for pick up by Christmas Eve.

Reindeer mugs, front and back/ Examples of custom painting available

We have tons of awesome pre-painted pottery for sale as gifts! And almost anything can be personalized with a name and a year for a small fee.

All pre-painted platters can be customized for $10.

We have a HUGE variety of pre-painted ornaments! Customization is $5.

Mosaics and silver jewelry have no Christmas deadline! These projects can be taken home the day they are started in the store. You can walk in the store and make mosaics anytime. However, an appointment is necessary for making silver jewelry. December 9th and 10th we are offering a CHRISTMAS SPECIAL on silver jewelry... see here for details.

So remember - if you want to pick up your pottery without a rush fee by Christmas Eve, come in by THIS THURSDAY, December 8 to paint. But don't worry if you don't make it in this week because there are still TONS of gifts and activities available for Christmas at The Painted Pig past the 8th! We look forward to seeing you!

TPP

Ps. We are open Monday - Saturday, 10am - 6pm. We take our last painters at 5pm.

Copy Cat Club

2011-12-04T19:06:00.001-08:00

Since this past summer we've been offering Copy Cat Club, a class for adults wishing to learn new painting tips and techniques while creating a project on a step-by-step basis. We usually hold CCC once a month on a Thursday at 6pm, and every month we feature a new design!

The cost of the class is $10 plus the price of the pottery piece you choose to paint. We offer food and drinks and we welcome guests to bring refreshments as well.

Last month's Copy Cat Club project was the Funky Trees Platter:

The interesting thing about Copy Cat Club is how differently each artist's piece turns out even though everyone is following the same directions. Each artist has the same project in mind, but once she chooses her platter and follows her own creative instincts, the project takes on the unique direction of the artist and becomes her own distinctive masterpiece!

First steps were to cut out the funky tree pattern and arrange them on the platter. Then, artists drew a horizon line and painted the sky with a washy blue and the ground with purple, blue and white.

Dark swirls are added to the sky and tree patterns are peeled off, revealing the untouched bisque underneath.

This is where projects started to really take their own paths as artists chose different shades of green for their trees, made polka dot ornaments, and added black outlines and swirls.

Manager Allie Nottingham gives instructions and encouragement.

It was so much fun watching these pieces come alive!

We think everyone's pottery turned out fabulously!

We were delighted to find that one of our lovely artists, Megan McCain, featured us in her blog following this Copy Cat Club! Check our her post at A Few of Our Favorite Things.

Below are some of our past projects:

July - Peacock Feather Platters (and variations of plates, dishes & coffee mugs)

August - Razorback Serving Platter (had an LSU Mike the Tiger variation!)

September - Halloween Candy Bowl

October - Your choice of Fall Leaves or Birchwood Tree Platter

There are step-by-step guides for all of these projects available in our idea corner. We'll be starting Copy Cat Club again in January- Stay tuned for dates!

TPP

Starting the holidays...

2011-12-03T10:06:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it's already December?! We started the holiday season out right with the Holidays in the Heights open house on November 13. We had hot apple cider (well, it was about 70 degrees outside so we improvised an iced apple cider punch!), Christmas cookies and the shop DECKED out in holiday decor and pottery ideas! Plus, everyone who came in the store that day was registered to win a $50 gift card. We had a blast - thanks to everyone who came by to start their holiday shopping at The Painted Pig!

Hannah and Bella painting Peasant Ware bowls.

And the winner is.... Kim Koch! She won a $50 gift card to use on anything in the store!

TPP

Holidays in the Heights

2011-11-07T19:22:00.001-08:00

The Heights is kicking off the holiday season on Sunday, November 13! Shops will be open from 1-5pm offering nibbles and drinks while you get a head start on your Christmas shopping. Stop by The Painted Pig to paint, shop, or just say hi and get some ideas for your next project! We look forward to seeing you there!

Special events throughout the day:

1 - 5pm Carriage Rides
1 - 3pm Photos with Santa3 - 5pm Carriage Rides with Santa

5pm Lighting of the Business Holiday Lights

RSVP on Facebook at Holidays in the Heights.

TPP

Hog Snout Coffee Mugs!

2011-11-02T17:26:00.001-07:00

How hilarious are these coffee mugs with pig snouts on the bottom?

Perfect for Razorback fans! Pictured are Jayme Mills and Nikki Garcia with their finished pieces.

Very cute, girls!

TPP

Sample Sale

2011-04-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

We're having a SAMPLE SALE at The Painted Pig!

Everything is priced from $1 to $12 - a steal.

Plus, 50% of the proceeds from this sale will benefit our friends at C.A.R.E. down the street.

Come check it out!

And don't forget to like us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/ThePaintedPig

The Pig Turns Four

2011-01-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Painted Pig!

We are so excited to be celebrating fours years of fun and success at The Painted Pig. Some of our favorite accomplishments from the past years include:

- Over 263 birthday celebrations;

- 10 Girls' Nights Out a year (usually the third Thursday of every month!);

- Three summers packed full of kids' camps, including our popular Tea Party Camp;

- Bachelorette, bridal, sorority, and office parties; school, camp, and Girl Scout groups;

- Create your own Lilly Ollo silver jewelry (available for parties, by appointment, and on Girls' Night Out);

- New pottery glazes and crystal glazes (as of fall 2010) that are easy to use and give your pottery an earthy, natural look, straight out of the potter's studio;

- An array of ready to buy, ready to customize pre-painted items which make great gifts for any occasion;

- And new this month: Mosaics! We now offer a range of plaques, frames, and mirrors and all of the tessarae and necessary tools to create a unique mosaic piece.

This is already looking like an exciting year to come. In just the next month we plan on re-vamping the studio, trying a new brand of underglaze paints, and creating an efficient and easy-to-follow system for ordering custom painted pottery.

If there is one thing that the past four years have proved, it's that there is always something going on at The Painted Pig!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T22:26:00.001-08:00

It's a new year and a new start for The Painted Pig blog! The holiday rush has come and gone, and the Pig is very excited about new projects and possibilities for 2011.

Put January 20th on your calendar for our next Girls Night Out, 6-9pm. Remember to call and reserve a spot if you'd like to join the silver jewelry class that night! 501-280-0553.

Keep checking for updates on mosaics and raw clay projects!

Make your own Silver Jewelry is a Hit!

2009-04-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Our New Lillo Ollo Jewelry Classes have been so fun! Thanks to all who have attended, especially for being patient with us as we learn to teach it to you!

We have decided to make the classes a bit smaller, and a bit longer. There are just so many options of what to make, we don't want anyone to feel rushed. You are always welcome to come in early to look at the books and stamps ahead of class time!

If you would like to attend any of these classes, please call and reserve a spot ASAP!

Upcoming classes:
Thurs. April 23- 6-9pm
Thurs. April 30- 6-9pm
Sat. May 2- 3-6pm
Thurs. May 7- 6-9pm

If you cannot make it to any of these classes, don't let that stop you! We can set up a time for you and your friends at another time.

DADS- Want to bring the kids in to do prints, but don't want to do the "dirty work"? We can do all the work for you, and you can pick it up the next day! $20 Finishing fee includes a cute zipper pouch and gift wrapping. Please make an appointment, so we know you are coming!

Here are some examples of what our customers have been making!

This is a Ring with her Husband's Fingerprint on it!

This one carved her initial into it instead of using a stamp! Very creative!

Today's THV Morning Crew Paints!

2009-03-10T15:45:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, we try to donate to as many causes as we possibly can. One that we have helped out with for three years now, is the Arkansas FoodBank Network's Event and Auction, "Empty Bowls." Every year, we have BJ, Tom, & Alyson paint a bowl to be auctioned off at the event. I wish they would quit their "day jobs" and come work for me, but something tells me they love what they do....(as do I!) I have included some pics of us, as well as their bowls. I will be on the show with them Thursday morning, to promote Empty Bowls, and The Painted Pig.

Empty Bowls offers an evening of food prepared by some of Little Rock’s finest chefs, open wine and beer bar, and the opportunity to bid on beautiful artwork by Arkansas artists in live and silent auctions.

Expected Celebrity Bowls Include, But Are Not Limited To:

Governor Mike Beebe
Iron Chef Cat Cora
President Bill Clinton
Metallica
Martina McBride
Darren McFadden
Korto Momolu
Coach Pelphrey
Coach Petrino
Tom Brannon, Alyson Courtney, and B. J Sams of Today's THV

Empty Bowls Artists Include, But Are Not Limited To:

V.L. Cox
Pat Mathews
R.B. McGrath
Kathy Sanders
Winston Taylor
Allie Maxwell (The Painted Pig)
And Many Others!

When: Thursday, March 19th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Where: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

Ticket information can be found by clicking this link. http://www.arkansasfoodbank.org/current-events.htm

New Pics of the Studio

2009-02-24T22:25:00.000-08:00

Some new pictures of The Pig! Ready for spring!

Blogging?

2009-02-16T22:51:00.000-08:00

This new blog is meant to show new ideas, what we've been up to, and share exciting news. We'll keep you posted!