Design, Delight, Destress

Ease your worries and unlock your inner Picasso, Monet or O’Keefe

Local paint-your-own-pottery studios make it easy for you and a group of friends to get together and have fun while creating a work of art that is beautiful and functional. Design your next set of dishes or a new mug for mom or dad, paint a wine glass for your best pal or a catchall for your baubles – the possibilities are endless.

Need a little inspiration, or been a while since you’ve picked up a paintbrush? In-house artists can help you with samples and step-by-step instructions. One surprising benefit? Many people find the day’s tensions melt away when they begin to focus on their creation.

Healing Through Art

Bernadette Blauvelt, B Creative Painting Studio, Owner

Bernadette Blauvelt has firsthand knowledge of the therapeutic benefits of painting. On April 4, 2010, her 12th wedding anniversary, her husband Chris was wounded in combat while stationed in Afghanistan.

“Chris was in the hospital for a year and I would travel with our three young children to D.C. to visit him as often as possible,” Blauvelt says. “I had always been creative but found painting to be an outlet for my stress.”

Blauvelt wanted to be able to help other veterans and their families through difficult times and has held classes and retreats for wounded warriors and their spouses since she opened B Creative.

“I opened the store for love and to provide therapy to those in need,” she says. “To be able to lift stress off someone’s shoulders for an hour or two is reward enough.”