All Hands Pottery Studio

One of the best things about a pottery studio is that no two shelves ever look the same.

A tiny bird sits next to a hand-painted plate. A miniature sculpture shares space with bowls, ornaments, experiments, and ideas that started as a lump of clay a few weeks ago.

Every piece tells a different story because every maker brings something different to the table.

Some are carefully planned. Some take unexpected turns. Some become favorites before they even leave the studio.

And together, they make these shelves one of our favorite places to stop and look around.

☀️ Summer is basically here... and Clay Kids Summer Camp is just about a month away!

If your child loves creating, building, experimenting, and getting their hands messy in the best possible way, this four-day clay camp is a great way to spend part of their summer break.

Students ages 5-13 will explore handbuilding techniques such as pinch pots, coils, and slab construction while creating several projects to glaze and take home. Along the way, they'll build creative confidence, learn new skills, and have plenty of fun.

📅 July 13-16
⏰ 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
📍 All Hands Pottery Studio, Norfolk

✔️ All materials included
✔️ Snacks provided
✔️ Finished pieces ready approximately two weeks after camp

Important: This camp requires a minimum of 8 registered students to run. If you've been thinking about signing up, now is the time! We would hate for interested families to miss out because everyone waited until the last minute.

Tag a parent who needs a fun summer activity to add to their calendar.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clay-kids-summer-camp-ages-5-13-tickets-1982354106496

There's a moment in every project where the noise fades away.

The conversation around you disappears. The to-do list can wait. The only thing that matters is the piece in your hands and the next decision you're about to make.

Maybe that's one of the reasons people keep coming back to clay.

Not because every piece turns out perfectly, but because for a little while, you're completely focused on creating something that didn't exist before.

Just a maker, a piece of clay, and the satisfaction of watching it take shape.

The studio looked a little different recently… and we loved it!

Tables set and ready before everyone arrived.
Matcha drinks being made fresh in the corner.
People settling in with clay, tools, music, and a the best energy at the beginning of the night.

Then little by little, the room warmed up.

Conversations started happening across tables, people got completely focused on carving their bowls, and the drinks from Tiffany at Uncertified Cafe somehow made the whole night feel even more relaxed and creative.

These are the kinds of workshops we always hope for… full tables, good energy, and people leaving already asking when the next one is.

Huge thank you to Tiffany for bringing such a fun experience into the studio 🍵

There’s always a lot happening in the studio, but then there are moments like this.

Just someone sitting down at the wheel, focused on the next pull, the next shape, the next small adjustment nobody else in the room would even notice.

It’s one of the things we love most about this space. Even in a busy studio, there’s still room to completely disappear into what you’re making for a little while.

We are so excited for this one! Pinch Pot Pets is a two-part beginner-friendly handbuilding class with Hannah Cheng where students will build and decorate their own ceramic pet using pinch pot techniques. You can recreate your dog or cat, or come up with something completely original along the way.

On June 19th, students will learn how to build their pet from clay, and on June 26th, everyone will return to paint and decorate their pieces with underglaze. Finished pets will be fired by our staff and ready to head home about two weeks later.

This class is beginner friendly, kids are welcome, and all tools, materials, and firing are included.

📍 All Hands Pottery
164 S Military Highway, Norfolk

🗓 June 19 & June 26
⏰ 5 PM - 7 PM

Participants under 16 must attend with a paying adult participant.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pinch-pot-pets-tickets-1986212427839

There’s always one person at the studio who somehow looks completely prepared for both pottery and a beach vacation 😄☀️

Meanwhile the rest of us are wondering where we left our sponge for the third time.

One thing about this studio, people really do settle in here. It starts feeling less like a class and more like a place people genuinely enjoy being.

That’s probably why people keep coming back 💙

You can always tell when somebody’s locked in at the wheel.

The room could be loud.
People could be coming in and out.
Music’s playing.
Questions are flying around the studio.

And then there’s this spot… where somebody is carefully shaping one curve for five straight minutes like the entire world depends on it 😄

Wheel throwing has a funny way of doing that to people. One tiny adjustment turns into another, and suddenly an hour disappears.

This felt like a good reminder that slowing down every once in a while isn’t such a bad thing 💙