A few weeks ago, Lottie was at a friend’s party so I got to have some one-on-one time with Tilly. No surprise she wanted to do something crafty and chose pottery painting at Iris & Dora.
We saw on the Iris & Dora website that they have over 450 items to choose from and that we could turn up any time. Tilly was so overly excited about going and repeatedly asked all morning ”Is it time to go yet?”!
Heading To A Crafters Paradise
We didn’t think to book and it was surprisingly packed when we got to Iris & Dora at 2pm, thankfully we got the last table otherwise I would have had a very upset girl on my hands!
Tilly didn’t know where to look first when entering the studio. With a beaming smile on her face she was scanning the shelves to see what she wanted to paint. This took a ridiculous amount of time with her unable to make a choice.
In the end I suggested she paint a mug for her Nanny for a birthday present, this took a little convincing because she wanted to paint something for herself, so we settled on both, first a mug for nanny, then something for herself. She picked a mug, then it was paint choosing time…
All The Colours Of The Rainbow
When it comes to paints, there are 2 choices, 1) glazes or 2) acrylics. Tilly was advised to use glazes because she was painting a mug and using glazes would make it dishwasher and food safe.
A number of people were painting with arcrylic paints for decorative items such as money boxes and plant pots.
Tilly took paint choosing very seriously and enjoyed selecting rainbow colours from the large selection available. The lovely lady from Iris & Dora helped and put a dollop of each selected colour onto her palette.
We then headed to our table laden with paints, paint brushes, a cup of water and a spinning stand thing!
Tilly was told to put 3 coats of each colour onto the mug and she was very precise about this! She decided to write a message to Nanny on the mug and was given a black paint pot with a precise tip for writing and a pencil to write on the mug first. This is where Tilly’s concentration went to a whole new level!
Take 2...
Tilly was so happy when she finished the mug and I thought she might not want to paint another piece as we had been at Iris & Dora for over an hour, however, I couldn’t have been more wrong, she couldn’t wait to choose again. Once more she was pacing up and down the studio and found it really hard to pick something, in the end she chose from the Christmas section and settled on a tea light holder.
Beyond Painting
For the tea light holder Tilly opted for glitter paints and whilst she was deep in concentration I took the opportunity to have a look in the gift shop which is off the studio. The shop is a real find and one I will definitely return to. It contains lots of unique items that would make great gifts including wall art, jewellery, cushions, ornaments and mobiles to name a few.
After a good look round the gift shop I got back to Tilly and I don’t think she even noticed I had gone!
The painting took a lot longer than I had anticipated, thankfully they have a hot drink machine and I got a surprisingly good cup of hot chocolate for a £1!
All Good Things Must Come To An End
After nearly 2 hours at Iris & Dora Tilly had finished her painting however, she wasn’t ready to leave and would have painted a 3rd piece had I let her!
It’s safe to say Tilly thoroughly enjoyed every minute and it was a great activity to escape the rain on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon. As we left we paid for the 2 items Tilly had painted and we were told they would be ready to collect in 3 weeks. Tilly was a little disappointed she couldn’t take them home with her even though I had explained this to her when she started.
Each of the items to paint is clearly priced so you are aware of the cost whilst choosing what to paint. The total cost for the mug and tea light holder was £30 and even though we could have picked a cheaper activity for the afternoon I felt it was money well spent because I got to chat to Tilly whilst she painted and I really enjoyed seeing her loving what she was doing.
3 Weeks Later...
Yesterday I collected Tilly’s finished things and she was super excited to see them when she got home from school. The tea light holder is now pride of place next to her bed and she couldn’t wait to get to bed to try it out!
Address
Iris & Dora, Ruette Braye, St Peter Port, GY1 1PL
Opening Times
Tuesday to Saturday from 9am until 5pm
Sunday from 10am until 4pm
