First coat...very carefully

If you’ve never been there, here’s how it works: you choose a white ceramic form (in the neighborhood of $5 to $30), four colors of paint and some paint brushes. Sit down, and get ready to roll. Three coats – lightest color first. The more coats, the brighter the colors when you are finished.

My daughter and I chose a blowfish when we went last weekend. All told, it took a good two hours to paint it. It might have taken less – but we were having too much fun laughing and talking and painting together.

Some thoughts come to mind:

• Don’t bring a child that is too young. Painting coat after coat is quite a task for the little ones. Even with older kids, you may or may not want to have your own piece to paint.  Having an extra hand to hold the ceramic piece stable or a helping paint brush to catch those corners is important.
• Do let your child express his or her creativity. I saw several parents trying to keep the colors in line and making “suggestions” on where a stroke of paint should go. It’s tempting, trust me! But by the time the ceramics are fired in the kiln, any fanciful paint job — no matter how topsy turvy — will turn out beautiful. It’s part of the magic at Clay Casa.
• This is a great father/daughter outing. On the day we were there, at least two dads brought their kids in. I’m guessing mom got a few hours off to do something special just for herself. What a gift – for mom, dad and the kids.

painted, but not fired

Fast Facts

• Clay Casa is located at 502 Embassy Oaks, Ste. 107 (the end closer to the mini-golf course)
• Friday nights feature half price studio fees and Sundays are discounted for families. Check here for daily specials.
• The website has a coupon for half off studio fees. Use it!
• They’ve added a fused glass area, but kids need to be at least 12 years old to enter.

It takes about a week for the studio to fire a ceramic piece. We just picked ours up. Here’s the final product.

Out of the kiln...all shiny and bright!

Okay – the real reason is that I waited until tonight to find something to do for the family. Bad mommy moment.  I blogged about it here. But I think I’ve redeemed myself.

Source SXC

I found that you can get some awesome last-minute hotel discounts on any of the travel sites.  Even more so if you qualify for a government rate.  For example, I found a four-star hotel in downtown SA for under $200 a night and that included breakfast, afternoon and evening snacks and full access to the concierge floor. Still pricey, but a heck of a deal.

And I managed to dig up some more great holiday weekend activities.  If you find yourself checking out the couch this weekend, check out this list instead.

• Here’s an awesome list free activities around town from WOAI here.
• Head out to Sunken Gardens where the symphony will be performing and fireworks are scheduled to go on as planned. Grounds open at 6 p.m.
• A holiday tradition for many is Woodlawn Park, where the festivities start at 10 a.m.
• The Star Spangled Festival at Lackland Air Force Base may be hot, but lots of fun.  It starts at 2 p.m.
• Want to take a break from the big city?  Here’s a list of things to do in the Hill Country.
• Clay Casa is offering half off studio fees on July 4th for your little artist. Sweet!
• Don’t forget, the circus is in town!
• Celebrate at a HOT concert.  That’s the Heart Of Texas Concert Band playing Red, White and Brass at the Alamo.

Above all – stay safe and drink lots of water!

On a side note: During my research spree, I came across this fun blog from Chris Marrou on the Fourth of July in San Antonio – 1926.  Enjoy!