This summer-like heat won’t last forever (Right? Please!) and when the promised El Niño brings the rain this winter, you’ll need a new place to keep the kiddos dry and occupied. Welcome to Glaze Fire, a new paint-your-own-pottery studio in the heart of Los Feliz. Glaze lets little artists create one of a kind pieces of art, and the best part is that the mess stays there!

Walk in and you’ll know that this is not your mama’s P(aint)-Y-O ceramics shop. Cutesy is replaced with hipster worthy colors and décor, which soothes parents as it fires up kids. The place, which opened it’s doors in September, has a laid-back, go-with-the-flow vibe that’s perfect for families who are looking for a creative way to spend an afternoon, a spot to make a crafted keepsake for a Grandma holiday gift or a birthday party place for your budding Wedgewood. Here’s how it works:

Pick It
One entire wall of the shop—floor to ceiling—is dedicated to pottery choices. Kids have a hard time picking a piece to paint because there just so much cool stuff to choose from: dinosaur banks, doggie water bowls,  jewelry boxes, planters and more. There are also options for making beautiful footprint/handprint plaques for all ages. Glaze also does a great job of keep a wide selection of seasonal items stocked; we spied Frankenstein steins, skeleton bowls, and other creepy crawly options just for Halloween.

Paint It
Bring your choice to any of the handy Glaze helpers and they’ll help you pick the best colors for your piece. Can’t decide? They make it easy by bunching the colors into complimentary hues.

Then comes the fun part—painting. You’ll get a variety of paintbrushes and tools to help your creation come to life. Kids love using the toothbrush for a splatter effect. Go ahead and get messy. They’ll give you aprons to keep your clothes clean. Plus, all of the paint is totally washable and completely eco-friendly.

Fire It
When you’re done, they come over and write your name or any special message you’d like (neatly) on the bottom of your piece. While you head over to wash your hands at the clean up station, they put your painted piece in the queue to be fired. You’ll get an email when it’s ready to be picked up and you can swing by any time. They’re open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week, so finding a time that works is pretty easy.

Pricing
The price of each ceramic is located at the bottom of the actual item. Just flip it over to find the price tag. They range from $10 for smaller items to $40 for larger items. There is also a ten dollar painting fee to cover the cost of unlimited use of paint and supplies. It feels a little steep at first, but everything is high quality (much better than you would get at an average paint your own pottery shop) and it’s all eco-friendly, which is worth the extra cost.

You can hold your next party at Glaze for up to 10 guests for just $25 a painter (including a ceramic). Wanna go bigger? You can rent out the studio too. Check the website for more details.

Coming Soon: We’re pretty excited about this the planned Glaze Fire parties-to-go. They’ll bring all the supplies so your little party guests can have all the fun of an in-studio day at the location of your choice. It’s $25/painter (which includes a ceramic), plus $20 per employee per hour.  This way you don’t have to schlep all the food, gifts and other entertainment to a store, but can keep the party at your home, and still have all the fun of the crafting adventure.

Parking: There are just two parking spots in the back of the store, so your best bet is street parking.

Good to Know: Hungry? Head on over to The Alcove for vats of fries, platters of hummus and pita, awesome Angus beef sliders and cakes to die for. Have more of a cold sweet tooth? The Gelato Bar scoops up creamy treats in flavors like raspberry mocha and chocolate peanut Jeni’s Ice Cream is right nearby, and Churro Borough is one block over on Vermont.

Glaze Fire
1937 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Feliz
Online: glazefire.com

What are your favorite indoor activities around town? (We’re dreaming longingly of winter, but are using them now to escape the heat!) Tell us in the comments below.

—Christina Montoya Fiedler

photos by Glaze Fire and Christina Montoya Fiedler