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Evanston, IL

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Recommended Reviews - Alley Cat Studios

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9 months ago

Very kind instructor, great pottery workshop! Great 1:1 instruction with small class sizes.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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Pottery Studio 1

Pottery Studio 1

5.0(27 reviews)
10.0 mi•Near North Side

The best experience ever! Mar was so thorough in teaching us to throw and helping us create…read morebeautiful items given that we were both novices :) highly recommend!

My friend and I were really excited to attend our first ever pottery class. Upon entering we were…read moregreeted by the teachers and they explained the whole process to us. The studio is a bit small but and enough space for you to roam about and do your thing. The first step was to handle the clay then they thought us how to handle the wheel and then we got to choose if we wanted a vase, a cup or a bowl. We were in a small group of 6 due to which the teachers could explain and help us well. We ended up upgrading our class to include paint as well as we got to know that without the paint we won't be able to use the things we made of it involves water. My friend made a cute cup and I made a not so cute vase. I would definitely say that but the end of the class, we were rushing a bit and would have appreciated some help and tips from the teachers but we didn't get any. We had to constantly ask about things and where the brushes were and where the paints were. Since it was our first ever class, we would have appreciated a bit more help from the teachers in managing our time and helpful tips on how to glaze correctly instead of having to ask everything ourselves when we are already rushing. Regardless, we had a lot of fun and can't wait to pick up our pieces soon!

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Pottery Studio 1
Pottery Studio 1
Pottery Studio 1

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Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting

Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting

5.0(2 reviews)
12.2 mi

I made an appointment for us to do some crafting at Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting, which recently…read moreopened in Highland Park. They have ceramics painting, cream craft items, and rug tufting. We opted for the ceramics painting (there were 3 generations in our party), and the selection of ceramic ware they have to choose from is very nice. No old looking, 70s-style outdated stuff -- it was hard to choose -- from bowls, plates, vases, figurines, candle holders, mugs. Also, the selection of paint is very current as well (no primary red-yellow-blue) and the chart was very helpful in imagining what the finished fired piece would look like. We came on a Saturday morning, and there was plenty of bustling activity. Several young people were doing the cream crafts which were all these super cute charms that they were gluing with colored icing (adhesive?) to frames, or mirrors, or jewelry boxes. I might want to do that myself another time. Ruby helped to set us up and explained the paints, how many coats to do, as well as the process to complete and pick up the items (takes a few weeks). We spent a very relaxing morning painting and conversing. You could probably just walk in, but I would suggest making a reservation on a weekend morning. The prices seemed reasonable and we are all looking forward to getting our finished pieces!

We went for pottery paiting during Valentine's Day, and we're so happy with how the experience…read morewent! The staff was really really sweet, the music was the perfect volume, ambiance was simply amazing, and every detail, from customer service to the quality of the materials (paint, ceramics, brushes) exceeded our expectations. Would definitely recommend for a soft, fun date, or a plan for a random Tuesday!

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Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting
Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting
Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting

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The Painted Penguin - Dry brushing gives a realistic look

The Painted Penguin

4.6(39 reviews)
10.6 mi
•$$

We recently hosted my daughter's 7th birthday party here and had a fantastic experience. There…read morewere a number of options (ceramic painting, canvas painting, slime, and more!) - we chose canvas painting. The owner, Robin, and one of the other employees were fantastic at leading a group of 21 first grade girls through painting a mermaid tail (there were so many choices for the canvas painting - my daughter happened to choose this one). They can do them more or less complex based on the age group of the party. Robin was truly fantastic to work with. She took care of everything, including ordering pizzas from elsewhere in the mall. I brought the paper goods and cupcakes and everything else was handled. We were in a party room in the back that is utilitarian but also decorated. I definitely appreciated that there were separate tables for the art and the eating! I was perfectly happy to not be out in the front of the store with the general public. And the price was totally reasonable given everything that they did for us. Would definitely host another party here! We've also come on a random day just to do a walk in ceramic painting, which was also great. Lots of selections at all sorts of different price points. You can also do walk in canvas painting.

Our 6 year old grand-darling had a birthday celebration here, and everything I saw told me this…read moreplace is really a great kids' event venue. I'm reviewing from the POV of an adult guest celebrant, as my daughter was the event organizer and coordinator, so she can probably separately provide another POV. I met Robin, the franchise's engaging and energetic founder and owner, who runs this store and 2 others in Chicagoland (Water Tower Place and Hawthorn Center in Vernon Hills). Her friendly assistant Zach was also floating about helping out in various ways. The grand-darling and 13 of her closest relatives, classmates, and friends spent an action packed 90 minutes here on a Sunday. In that time, they did the following and Robin was hands-on actively leading each activity: - got dressed in a protective gown for painting - individually picked out a pre-shaped clay object to paint, and there were many to pick from - painted the object and subsequently blow-dried it and set aside - ran around the spacious project room for a bit, like 6-9 year olds like to do (Robin didn't really need to supervise this self taught activity duh) - had a delicious pizza and fruit lunch, with both kids and adults served - had birthday cake and song, with both kids and adults served - played a fun game of Simon Says Each child went home happy with their self-painted object and party souvenir. Robin opened her store at 10am, an hour earlier than the normal 11am to accommodate this party and another later one. She also coordinated with Northbrook Court's pizza vendor, Tony & Bruno's, to open early so that our pizza lunch could be delivered right on time. We had 5 thin pizzas, and they all were very good, hot, and delicious, so kudos here to Tony & Bruno's as well, a business that Robin apparently routinely coordinates with. The daughter brought in the birthday cake and Robin served it for the group. The adults were able to comfortably sit off to the side in the spacious project room and enjoy and photograph and video to our heart's content. Great outing, Robin and Zach, and our entire extended family thanks you for a very fun and enjoyable birthday party!

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The Painted Penguin
The Painted Penguin
The Painted Penguin - A gift from the heART for Father's Day!!

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A gift from the heART for Father's Day!!

Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting - Process of tufting

Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting

4.3(16 reviews)
4.1 mi•Andersonville, Uptown

On Valentine's Day my boyfriend and I did the tufting experience. We were a part of the first…read moregroup upon the establishment opening. Definitely go early if you can! Great date idea! The instructor we had was extremely rude. She had brownish reddish hair. This made the experience high-pressure and felt like we couldn't really ask questions because of her attitude & rushing us. Especially during the demo. Her service was not good making the ambiance hard to enjoy. Once we sat down to tuft our own rugs. The Tufting itself was tedious, but once you get into the flow state, it can be very therapeutic. I'd rate my hands on tufting experience a five out of five. The demo experience was a two out of five. As time went on other instructors came around to give us some tips and tricks they was helpful. You get three hour slots. I do feel like it should be at least 3 and a half hours because once you get the hang of tufting, the instructors will come around to let you know what you need to fix periodically. I would come back, but probably to their other location in Bridgeport.This location Uptown was decent. You do get your moneys worth out of this experience far is the end result.

Fun experience, we did the paint on pottery and it was pretty reasonable. The place was packed but…read moreI would love to go back and try the other activities. They weren't super organized for pickup though, so had a little scare that they didn't have my piece anymore when I went to pick it up.

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Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting - Workstation

Workstation

Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting - Finished products!

Finished products!

Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting - Middle of working on it

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Middle of working on it

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant- Merrillville - Variety & Sweet wine

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant- Merrillville

4.4(5 reviews)
43.5 mi

Great time! Wine tasting with the wife and grabbed my 3 bottles that I get with my monthly…read moresubscription. I suggest the Meritage and the Meritage White. The Red is bourbon barrel aged. I drink that one by itself when I'm working on my dissertation.

This is my third time trying the wine tasting. But my first time this year…read more We went here right after work at around 4:45 PM. It wasn't crowded there was couples there and a few single people. I walked in first and I legit waited for five minutes, no greeting, no service. Then the server Matthew came and asked me for my ID. I gave it to him and I let him know my friend was joining me and if he could bring out an extra menu for her. He did so about five minutes later. I mention all this because the service was not good from the start from the waiter Matthew. Once my friend came in, I noticed that the people around us everybody had two glasses and both menus so it appeared that everybody was trying a wine from each menu. Because usually they'll just pour all of the same kind of wine from both menus into one glass. But since seeing everyone around us doing it a different way, I requested we do the same. The waiter Matthew did not say anything about a glass pour limit or how having two glasses works. NOTHING! He didn't mention anything so we tried about four wines. Mind you we are chatting about work in a peaceful manner. We saw a server we were familiar with greeted him, and he poured us some wine. After that Matthew abruptly brought us our checks when we did not ask to receive them and he said we've tried eight wines already. I mentioned the fact that the couples around us have been there since before we got there and we got their last. There were no new groups of people coming in either so I thought that was strange. Matthew wasn't budging. We asked if we could try one more and he let us, but I did not appreciate him trying to cut our wine tasting short. The last time we went we had xavier last year in February and our wine tasting was great. We actually got to learn a lot of new things about the wine. The service from him was really good. He was the reason why me and my friend wanted to go back to the tasting. There was no limit on how many wines we could try. We even purchased wine bottles as a result from that tasting. Apparently the server Matt got mad at Xavier and argued with him in the back about it. But Matt needs to realize he's a rude server and needs to take notes from Xavier. All in all winetasting should be fun. Chill and relaxing, not rude. The ambience that was created wasn't safe and I couldn't enjoy my experience. Request for your favorite server to serve you because that's actually important.

Photos
Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant- Merrillville - Bar area

Bar area

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant- Merrillville
Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant- Merrillville - Dragon fruit wine

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Dragon fruit wine

The Collage Cafe - A unique, cozy and wonderful place!

The Collage Cafe

5.0(4 reviews)
0.7 mi

Cuuuuuute alert! For all you artsy crafty mavens out there, this is your stop. It's a shop filled…read morewith a well-curated selection of paper goods, books, coloring books, custom art, fabric lamp shades, and gifts in varying price points. From the second I walked in, I was engulfed by a most delightful smell, perhaps a candle burning somewhere? I was greeted by the owner's assistant, Kate, who gave me an overview of the shop and some of the classes they offer in the back, like coptic bookbinding, collage, crafting, and self-motivation classes. They also have a meet up group called The Grown*Up Girls Club where you can meet up with other like-minded individuals and explore new art/craft/maker techniques. The Club meets the second Sunday of every month. The Collage Cafe is a newer business located in an adorable corridor mixed with other art-inspired shops. You can go door to door and visit each one while you're at it! Can't wait to stop back in. But, as I'm writing this, when I go back I realize the selection is too overwhelming for my taste (in a good way of course) because I want one of everything.

One day my young daughters and I where walking by and came in into this beautiful place, what a…read morewonderful store! The owner is such a great lady, great host, kind and knowledgeable. I scheduled a coloring evening for a group of friends from church. We had a delightful experience! The place was set up with a wide variety of water colors, wood colors pencils, markers, etc. the pages provided were also varied, from really intricate to more simple so we were all able to pick something that suited our taste and level of artistry. We already scheduled another event and are looking forward to it. Definitely a great place for gifts, classes and more.

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The Collage Cafe
The Collage Cafe
The Collage Cafe

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Alley Cat Studios - paintyourownpottery - Updated October 2026

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