Planning a Baby Shower: Skip the Games

Baby showers are a great way to honor and support Moms-to-be. But planning a shower can become overwhelming—deciding on location, theme, food, party favors, and games—turning an otherwise happy occasion into a daunting task. Before you know it, you are wishing you had never volunteered to host the shower.

A successful baby shower comes down to thoughtful planning and organization. You want the party to be fun and memorable and part of this involves coming up with fun baby shower games. But let’s face it, sometimes the usual shower games are not so fun and often are the dreaded part of the festivities.

Why not skip the games and do something fun and functional for the mom-to-be: pottery painting. Pottery painting is a lot of fun and a great way to bond with friends and family. And with the help of the staff at VanGo Pottery, your baby shower can be a memorable occasion that guests will be talking about for a long time.

You and your guests can paint a variety of items using colors and themes chosen by the mom to be. And with the guest of honor’s help, each piece will be a gift she and baby can use and treasure for years to come.

For the nursery, guests can paint items such as picture frames, light switch covers, tissue box covers, trinket boxes, piggy banks, and decorative tiles and plaques. For the kitchen, guests can paint matching plates, cups, and bowls as well as serving dishes and trays. Or how about a special tea set for mom to drink her favorite tea during those rare quiet times after baby is born. The possibilities are endless!

Here’s how it works: Contact VanGo Pottery (http://www.VanGoPottery.com) to discuss ideas and themes. The guest of honor can select pieces and colors ahead of time. We will come to your location and provide pottery, paints, brushes, and design tools. We will stay for up to 2 hours, providing assistance as needed and clean-up afterward. We then take the painted pieces back to our studio where we glaze and fire them, making them shiny, food-safe, and ready for delivery in about a week.

So put away the diaper pins and tape measure and call VanGo Pottery: 602.468.3136. Pottery painting is a great alternative to the usual party games and much more fun than guessing mommy’s tummy size. Less embarrassing, too.

Photos courtesy of http://www.ilovetocreate.com/.

VanGo Pottery™ Solves the Birthday Party Dilemma!

Looking for something fun and creative to do at your child’s next birthday party? Then consider having a pottery painting party with VanGo Pottery! We will come to the location of your choice and provide everything you need to entertain your guests with pottery painting fun. And with the nice weather upon us, it’s the perfect time to plan an outdoor party in your backyard or at your favorite park.

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes!

One of our most popular birthday party packages allows you to choose from a huge assortment of boxes. The boxes come in a variety of shapes and are not only fun to paint, but are great for storing your child’s favorite trinkets and knick knacks. The cost is $15 - $20 per box (plus tax) and includes all of the following:

• Choice of box
• Use of our paints, glazes, and design tools
• Staff assistance for up to 2 hours
• Cleanup
• Glazing and firing
• Delivery of your finished pieces

And with no studio fees, moms and dads can help children paint their pieces at no additional charge.

For an additional fee, our staff will help the birthday child and his or her guests decorate a dinner-size birthday plate to commemorate the occasion.

For more information and to book your party, please call 602.468.3136.

VanGo Pottery™ Wins Top Honors in Mom Business Competition

Phoenix, AZ – October 11, 2010– From among thousands of contestants, VanGo Pottery™ has been ranked #119 in StartupNation.com’s 2010 Leading Moms in Business competition (www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business), sponsored by Infusionsoft (www.infusionsoft.com).

Over 709,000 votes were cast in support of the 2010 contestants, reflecting immense interest and supportiveness for moms building businesses at the same time they tend to their families.

“There’s been a sea change among moms as they’ve come to realize that adding entrepreneurship to their lives brings exhilaration and immense gratification, not to mention supplemental—sometimes primary—income to their families in these dicey economic times,” says Rich Sloan, chief startupologist and co-founder of StartupNation.

“We are so grateful for our wonderful clients and friends! You make our job fun,” said owner, Sheri Geiss. The winner’s profile for VanGo Pottery™ can be found at http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/contestant/7608/index.php.

The 2010 Leading Moms in Business ranking, conducted in collaboration with Ladies Who Launch (www.ladieswholaunch.com) and The National Association for Moms in Business (www.mibn.org), highlights some of the dominant trends, motivations and attributes among moms in business. They include:
• A great eye for providing attractive discounts, coupons, savings and value, all especially important to consumer moms of the recession era.
• A likelihood to come up with innovative products and solutions to address the challenging maze of motherhood. It’s an environment that demands resourcefulness.
• Conscience-driven business, where “doing well” is just fine, but the real rush comes from doing good.
• The attraction of being your own boss looms large for moms wanting to take control they just can’t find in a day job.
• Sustainable solutions and responsible business practices are increasingly paramount.
• Making the most of social media for business benefit is seemingly a birthright for the socially adept moms.

The full results of the 2010 Leading Moms in Business ranking are available on StartupNation’s website at http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business.

April, 2010 Art History / Pottery Classes for Middle School - High School Students

Overview: Have you ever struggled with coming up with ideas for creating new art? One approach is to borrow ideas from other artists and then mix those ideas with your own to create something new. In this project, you will research the life and work of an artist of choice (past or present). You will then create and paint a clay tile that combines something you learned from studying your chosen artist’s work with your own style. Completed tiles will be glazed and fired and then mounted in a wooden frame that can be used as a trivet or hung on the wall.

Research: Prior to the first studio class, students should select an artist that they would like to learn more about. They should research their chosen artist using the Internet and other local sources, paying special attention to the subjects, style, and influences in the artist’s work. They should write a short, 1-page synopsis of what they learned, especially with regard to style and technique, as these will be key to creating the tile project. Students should come to the first class prepared to discuss what they learned.

Studio Time: Studio time will consist of three sessions of varying lengths. Our cozy home studio is located near the SR51 and Thomas Road in Phoenix, AZ.

Session 1 – 2.5 hours: (Wednesday, April 7, 2:00 – 4:30) During the first studio session, we will discuss each student’s artist and then students will sketch the tile’s design. Students will then make the tile out of clay, based on their design.

Session 2 – 2 hours: (Wednesday, April 21, 2:00 – 4:00) During the second studio session, students will reassess their original design and then paint their tile, based on the original design and any new modifications.

Session 3 – 1.5 hours: (Wednesday, April 28, 2:00 – 3:30) During the third studio session, the completed (framed) tiles will be returned to students to be critiqued by the group. Students will then create an artist’s statement discussing what their work is about and how it reflects what they learned through studying their artist’s work. (Note: At the start of class, students will be given guidelines for constructive critiquing and creating an artist’s statement.)

Cost: The cost is $40 and includes all class/studio time, materials, and firings. Payment is requested at the first class.

Registration: Please contact us with any questions and/or to register – 602.468.3136 or contact@VanGoPottery.com. The deadline for registration is March 22, 2010 and seating is limited.