Muddy Hands, Handmade Holidays: What’s Happening at Terracotta

Yay! It’s our occasional “monthly” newsletter.

We’ve been a little quiet in your inbox. Not so much in the studios. There are vintage pottery molds to unpack, new ways to put your own handwriting on ceramics, and plenty of reasons to pull up a chair and make something with us.

With the holidays coming, we’re thinking about the things you’ll bring out year after year: an ornament with your child’s actual letter to Santa, the light-up ceramic tree your grandma definitely had, or glassware with an inside joke only your people understand.

Make a gift, start a tradition, or spend a couple of hours doing something that isn’t on your chore list. Find your kind of making below. Each workshop title links to its booking page.

A little studio news

So, we have about 1,200 pottery molds now

Twelve hundred. Not a typo. We brought home the collection from Ceramics by ’Rene, a Moscow pottery-painting studio that helped families make memories from the 1970s through the 1990s. About 400 molds are identified. The other 800? A mystery with excellent potential for weirdness.

As we pour new pieces, they’re making their way into our front windows: familiar favorites, nostalgic treasures, and some very specific little oddballs. Our beloved adoptable pottery is staying, too. This just gives you more to choose from. Read the story behind the molds.

Your handwriting. Your inside jokes.

Our new ceramic transfers and glass etching make room for the details a store-bought gift can’t quite capture. Wobbly letters included, obviously. See the new ways to make it yours.

Colfax, we’re looking for our next home

This update is harder to share. We’re moving out of our current space, but we haven’t given up on finding another home in Colfax. Thank you for showing up for us. If you know of a space, we’d love your leads. Read our Colfax update.

Holiday gifts and little traditions

Something for your tree, your table, or the person who insists they don’t need anything. Keeping it for yourself is also an option.

Vintage Light-Up Christmas Tree Painting

Your grandma had one. Now it’s your turn. Paint an approximately 10-inch ceramic tree, freshly poured from our vintage mold. Includes the tree, glazes, bulb, plug and switch, and colorful plastic lights. Future arguments about who inherits it are not our department.

• Moscow: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2–4pm.
• Pullman: Saturday, Nov. 14, 4–6pm.

Dear Santa: Handwritten Letter Ceramic Ornaments

The wobbly letters. The ambitious wish list. Keep the good parts forever by turning your child’s actual handwritten note into up to four custom ceramic ornaments. Scan the letter and send us up to two PDFs at least 48 hours before class so we can prepare your transfers.

• Moscow: Saturday, Nov. 14 at 11am; Saturday, Dec. 19 at 10:30am.
• Pullman: Sunday, Dec. 6 at 1pm; Sunday, Dec. 20 at 1:30pm.

Holiday Spirits: Custom Glass Etching

Finally settle whose glass is whose. Customize wine glasses, beer steins, or shot glasses with a monogram, an inside joke, or a little holiday cheer. No experience needed. $45 includes two custom glasses, ready to take home the same day.

• Moscow: Monday, Nov. 9 at 4:30pm; Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 6pm.
• Pullman: Friday, Nov. 13 at 4:30pm; Friday, Dec. 4 at 3:30pm.

Choose a premade stencil, or email your custom design as a PDF to Grace@terracottapullman.com at least 72 hours before class. Include your booking name and date.

Custom Christmas Cookie Jars

Paint a studio-poured ceramic cookie jar and add raised clay decorations. Cookies to snack on are included; cookies to fill it are your department. Includes your jar, guided painting and glazing, decorative clay sprigs, and firing. Ready for pickup one week after class.

• Pullman: Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30pm; Sunday, Dec. 6 at 1pm.
• Moscow: Thursday, Nov. 5 at 6:30pm; Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6:30pm.

Tiny Gingerbread Village Ornaments

Build a little village for your holiday tree. Tiny houses, enormous charm.

• Pullman: Sunday, Nov. 29 at 1pm; Sunday, Dec. 13 at 1pm.
• Moscow: Saturday, Dec. 12 at 1pm.
• Colfax: Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1:30pm.

Flat Gnome Ornaments

Make a half dozen little holiday friends, each with a personality of its own. Suspiciously like the people on your gift list? Entirely possible.

• Pullman: Monday, Nov. 9 at 5:30pm; Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1pm.
• Moscow: Monday, Nov. 16 at 5:30pm; Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1pm.
• Colfax: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1pm; Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1pm.

Holiday Tree Luminaries

Carve a little holiday glow with a handmade tree luminary.

• Pullman: Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30pm; Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1:30pm; Saturday, Dec. 5 at 1:30pm.
• Moscow: Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30pm; Saturday, Nov. 28 at 1:30pm; Sunday, Dec. 6 at 1:30pm.
• Colfax: Saturday, Dec. 5 at 1:30pm.

Fused Glass Christmas Tree Ornaments

Make two. Gift one. Or don’t. We won’t tell.

• Pullman: Friday, Nov. 6 at 6:30pm; Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10:30am; Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6:30pm.
• Moscow: Friday, Nov. 20 at 6:30pm; Thursday, Dec. 10 at 6:30pm.
• Colfax: Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1pm.

Fused Glass Snowflake Ornaments

All the shimmer. None of the shoveling. Make a little winter magic in glass.

• Moscow: Friday, Nov. 6 at 4pm; Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1:30pm; Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3pm.
• Pullman: Sunday, Nov. 15 at noon; Sunday, Dec. 13 at 2pm.
• Colfax: Saturday, Dec. 5 at 1pm.

Useful things, made by you

Clay Planters

Give your houseplant a handmade home. Whether the plant survives is a separate conversation.

• Colfax: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 11am.
• Pullman: Saturdays, Nov. 7 and 28 at 1pm.
• Moscow: Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10:30am; Saturday, Nov. 21 at 10am.

Slab-Built Book Vases

Turn your favorite story into a vase. No plot summary required, but we will absolutely listen.

• Moscow: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1:30pm; Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6:30pm.
• Pullman: Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 6:30pm; Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2pm.
• Colfax: Saturday, Nov. 21 at 11am.

Handmade Ceramic Lamps

Make something that lights up the room. This two-hour workshop includes clay, tools, firing, dip-glazing, lamp components, and an Edison bulb.

• Pullman: Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6:30pm; Sunday, Nov. 22 at 1pm.
• Moscow: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1:30pm; Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 6:30pm.

Casserole Dishes

Make the dish everyone asks about, then bring it to every potluck for the foreseeable future.

• Pullman: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 6:30pm.
• Colfax: Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1pm.

Pour Decisions: Teapots

A teapot worth talking about. A genuinely good decision, despite the name.

• Moscow: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1pm.
• Colfax: Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1pm.

Travel Mugs

For coffee with main-character energy. Make your daily companion a little more personal.

• Moscow: Oct. 27 and Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 6pm.
• Pullman: Tuesday, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8 at 6pm.

Paint Your Own Ceramic Beer Stein

Your favorite beverage deserves a little personality. Paint a ceramic stein and add raised clay details using sprig molds. No experience needed.

• Moscow: Friday, Nov. 13, 4:30–6:30pm.
• Pullman: Saturday, Nov. 14, 1:30–3:30pm.

Pottery Slow Feeders

For the dog who thinks chewing is optional. Make a custom feeder for your favorite enthusiastic eater.

• Moscow: Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6:30pm.
• Pullman: Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1pm; Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 6:30pm.

Harvest Baskets

Weave a little autumn magic out of clay.

• Pullman: Thursday, Oct. 22 at 6pm.
• Moscow: Wednesdays, Nov. 11 and Dec. 16 at 6pm.

Worry Stones

Give your thumbs a break from scrolling and make a little something to hold onto.

• Pullman: Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 11am; Wednesday, Nov. 11, 11am–1pm; Wednesday, Dec. 9, 11am–noon.

Arrive anytime during the listed windows on Nov. 11 and Dec. 9.

Find your people. Make a little art.

Mug Mondays

A better start to the week, with clay on your hands.

• Moscow: Mondays at 4pm.
• Pullman: Mondays at 6:30pm.

Cat Lady Art Night

For feline fanatics and their allies. Your people are here.

• Pullman: Wednesdays, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9 at 6:30pm.

Chicken Lady Nite!

Come paint a little poultry with us. Your flock could use a few characters.

• Moscow: Nov. 6 at 6:30pm.
• Pullman: Nov. 19 and Dec. 1 at 6:30pm.

’90s Art Night

Nostalgia with clay on it. Come take a little trip back.

• Moscow: Thursday, Nov. 5, 6:30–8:30pm.
• Pullman: Thursday, Nov. 12, 6:30–8:30pm.

Fused Glass Night Lights

Make something that lights up your little corner of the world. Beginner-friendly, with materials, instruction, and firing included.

• Moscow: Fridays, Oct. 30 and Nov. 27 at 6:30pm.
• Pullman: Friday, Nov. 13 at 3:30pm.

Classic, Nostalgic Pottery Painting

Pick a piece. Pick your colors. Paint something beautiful, or wonderfully weird. Our growing collection of studio-poured ceramics is ready for your ideas. You paint, we fire, you pick up your finished piece. No pottery experience needed.

Available in Pullman, Moscow, and Colfax. Please book a seat for each person coming.

For little hands and big imaginations

Littles & Folks

A little studio time for our smallest artists and their grown-ups.

• Saturdays, 10–10:45am: Oct. 24, Frogs; Oct. 31, Cute Ghosts; Nov. 14, Owls; Nov. 21, Puppies; Dec. 5, Snowmen; Dec. 12, Narwhal.

After-School Workshops

Tuesdays for creative kids. Trade a little screen time for hands-on making, and check the booking page for available sessions.

Clay Days

A whole day to make something when school is out. View available dates and details on the booking page.

Tiny Houses

Small houses, enormous charm. Build a tiny place with a personality all its own.

• Pullman: Nov. 1 and Nov. 22 at 12:30pm; Sunday, Dec. 13 at 12:30pm.
• Moscow: Saturday, Nov. 21 and Dec. 12 at 1pm.

Still time for a little spooky

Mini Ghosts

Small, spooky, suspiciously adorable. A 90-minute workshop.

• Moscow: Monday, Oct. 26 at 4pm; Friday, Oct. 30 at 4:30pm.

Mini Haunted Houses

A little spooky, a lot of charm. Up to four hours of tiny architecture.

• Colfax: Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1pm.

Mini Pumpkin Patch

Fall decor, but make it yourself.

• Moscow: Tuesdays, Oct. 20 and 27 at 6pm.
• Pullman: Saturdays, Oct. 24 and 31 at 11am.

Find your kind of wheel class

One afternoon or a standing date with clay. There’s more than one way to become the person who says, “I made that mug.”

One-Time Beginner Wheel Class · $65

Two hours to meet the wheel, learn the basics, and see what all the muddy fuss is about. No experience needed. Ages 12+. Choose an available date when booking.

• Pullman: Saturdays at 9:30am and 12:30pm; Sundays at 10am.
• Moscow: Saturdays at 9:30am and 12:30pm; Sundays at noon.
• Colfax: Saturdays at 11am.

4-Week Pottery Wheel Class · $249

For the “I’ve always wanted to try pottery” people ready to make it a regular thing. Choose Mondays or Tuesdays in November and learn centering, throwing, handles, and trimming over four sessions. Beginners welcome; clay and aprons included. Ages 10+. Students under 16 need a parent or guardian enrolled and attending alongside them.

No perfect mugs expected. Just curiosity, a willingness to get muddy, and four dates on the calendar that are for you. See the booking page for class options.

8-Week Pottery Wheel Class · $499

More time to find your rhythm, build functional pieces, and explore glazing. All clay, tools, firing, and glazing included. Ages 16+; no experience needed. Just five students per class.

• Pullman: Wednesdays, Oct. 28–Dec. 16, 6–8pm.
• Moscow: Thursdays, Oct. 29–Dec. 17, 6–8pm.

Homeschool Pottery Wheel Class · $299

Five weeks of hands-on making for ages 8–14. Students choose projects with their instructor, with clay, glazing, and firing included. No experience needed; maximum five students. See available sessions when booking.

• Moscow: Tuesdays, 10am–noon.
• Pullman: Wednesdays, 10am–noon.

Come for the pottery. Stay for your people.

All this making has us thinking about what a studio can mean beyond the things that come out of the kiln. Somewhere to become a regular. To see a familiar face. To feel a little more at home in your town.

I first found that feeling in a neighborhood custard shop after we moved to Alexandria. These days, it’s what I hope you find when you walk through our doors. Read more in Third Places > Third Wheels.

Want to make more room for making? Explore studio memberships in Pullman, Moscow, or Colfax, or plan a birthday or private event with your own people.

Your out-of-office could use more clay

Same Terracotta spirit. Slightly more ocean.

Join us at Terracotta Makuʻu, our off-grid artist retreat on Hawaiʻi’s Big Island, for a few days of making things, eating well, and remembering what your brain sounds like when it isn’t managing seventeen tabs.

This isn’t a resort vacation. It’s hands in clay, good conversation, and room to be a person instead of a to-do list. Come curious. You don’t have to be good at any of it.

May 13–17, 2027 · Pottery & Stained Glass

Five days of muddy hands, colorful glass, and holding something you made up to the Hawaiian light.

June 19–26, 2027 · Unplug: Artist Retreat

Pottery, watercolor, hands-on glass blowing, cacao and coffee farm visits, and a whole day with nothing you have to do.

July 29–August 2, 2027 · Fire Arts Retreat

Pottery and glass blowing. Earth, heat, and the very satisfying realization that you made that.

August 5–9, 2027 · Artist Retreat

Pottery, stained glass, watercolor, and cacao and coffee tastings. A creative reset with excellent snacks.

All skill levels welcome. Each retreat is limited to eight participants so the group stays small and instruction stays personal. Flights and transportation to the studio are not included. Follow each retreat link for the full itinerary, inclusions, and booking details.

Come home with things you made. And a little more of yourself.