Made by Me is a fun activity to do with friends, a date, or solo! The small studio is off Mass Ave, near a ton of good food spots and ice cream (shoutout to Barcelona Wine Bar). When you go in there are a ton of items on the wall to choose from, which have a base price. Some of them can be quite pricey but there are also some solid options that are $20 or less. I got this cute mushroom bird feeder that I plan to use for jewelry (I believe it was around $20?). Once you start paying there is a rate per hour that is charged on top of that item price. I will say that the studio has a very zen and relaxing vibe... until I remembered I was being charged per hour HA. There are stencils and a variety of colors to use for your artwork. I loved the stencil books because they helped so much, especially with the time constraint. When you're done with your piece they estimate about 7 days before it is ready for pickup. The staff were all super kind and helpful and the place itself was kept tidy. Overall, I had a great experience there with my friend and would go again. BONUS: I don't live in the area anymore and my friend dropped the ball on picking up our artwork. I recently went back to visit and since I was right across the street I decided to try my luck and see if my piece was there, and it was! I painted my mushroom bird feeder in December 2024 and it was still there 5 months later in May! AMAZINNGGGGG, really made my day. read more

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Wonderful pottery studio! Friendly and welcoming staff. Such a fun activity for all ages! Thanks!

They ran out of many many colors. The staff was rude and unsupportive. Extremely low quality paints. Very disappointing.

We chose really cute pieces that weren't too pricey. They charge by the hour so may get pricey if you're slow but it was a lot of fun and there are so many color options. The glaze came out awesome!!! read more

Made by Me - Garlic holder - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I had originally scheduled my daughter's 6th birthday party at an alternative venue. They were not able to accommodate the party at the very last minute. Made by Me saved the day! With 2 days notice, they worked creatively with me to accommodate 18 five and six year old kiddos. They were so patient and helpful with the kids and had a variety of options for our Halloween themed party (late October birthday) options for the kids to choose from. My daughter had an amazing party and all of the children had a great time. There was even enough room in the space for some of the parents to stay and eat some pizza and cupcakes with us. I would 100% recommend them to anyone looking to plan a kid's party. read more

I stopped by Made by Me with my fiancé and his 9 year-old brother this weekend and we had the best time! The place was really quiet on a Sunday afternoon, we had our choice of tables and only two other groups came through while we were there. When you arrive the staff (who were so helpful!) walk you through the process, you choose a piece of pottery from a bunch of fun options (and a range of price points), select your paint colors, and you're ready to go! A couple of tips: - Masks are still required, so don't forget to bring one along. - You can also pick up pottery kits and paint at home! - This place is walk-in only, so I would be prepared to wait if you visit during a busy time. - The kid loved it, though he was much faster at painting his piece than we were, which lead to us buying him another piece to paint so he wasn't bored. Be prepared for that if your little ones move as quickly as he does. I'll definitely be back, with any kids in my life or even just with friends. Such a relaxing and fun way to spend an afternoon. read more

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I was here way back in February with my girlfriend and her friends and I'll say pretty lovely place and friendly staff ok and we had a great time but this place still requires mask give me a break I think these owners are being silly and over reactive Covid is another flu and just like the flu we got vaccinations and this is fightable where all over this Covid mask requirment that's a very old past thing from years ago and every place except this one still requires the mask what this place needs is the mask marked as optional not making us wear them that's totally stupid we have are choices here I would more say I would not come back here until it's lifted the mask requirement or unless they change the it to optional. read more

I love it here, the only thing I would want differently is more of the rounder mugs that are either animals like shown on the website or plain. There is a good selection of other stuff. I love this studio and am so glad it's been around for a while even when the ownership changed. Fun for a friend activity, kids, or date night. I especially like going here to make gifts because it's something to do and then it's also a gift, win win. read more

Made by Me - Our bowls! - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Poor customer service. Future customer's should take note that the majority of good reviews are from many years ago. New ownership is rude.

Rude staff and unprofessional. They really should learn how to be nicer to their customers.

I am a lifetime customer of made by me!! It's a great place to take kids or to go with friends, family, or a date. They have a range of pottery items you can paint, from plates, bowls, and mugs to tiny animals to candle holders! You can sit and chat while you paint. When you're done, you leave it and pick it up a week later and then enjoy a lifetime of fun memories every time you see it or use it!! Anyone in need of a fun little rainy day activity should try it out. read more

Made by Me - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

This place is a dump. Over-priced, poor quality. Staff were unhelpful and down-right rude.

I've been coming here for over a decade, painting items several times a year. The new ownership has marked a huge difference in quality. My item was delivered to me damaged and they suggest I "fill in the damaged areas". Doing that would leave me with a giant blob and not the item I took the time to draw. I've never had this issue with pieces before and I do the exact same technic on all my pieces. I also painted 2 pieces during this visit, exactly the same way/style, and the second piece wasn't damaged. They offered no refund, or discount, and said it was painted error. Beyond paying for an item that is trash, the business does not maintain open hours as posted on their door or online. I've driven over 2 times to pick up my pieces during their posted business hours, but they were not open. read more

Made by Me - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

This was the best place to go for pottery. I've never been before, but they were very kind and told us what to do. There is a wide range of pottery to choose from to paint, and it only takes a week to fire in the kiln before picking up! The environment was calm and the ac is a nice reprieve from the humidity. I really would love to come back and do this again-I can see myself becoming a regular here! read more

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This Saturday, I travelled an hour and had a stellar in-person experience at Made by Me. I know what you might be wondering: How well is this local business practicing COVID-19 safety procedures? I can attest to their success and care. All staff and consumers wear masks, hand sanitizer is provided in abundance, and the space permits socially distanced painting. Nowadays, I am so glad to be able to experience such attentive and kind staff interactions. Paint refills were rapid, questions were answered brightly, and my stress melted into the soothing, peaceful background music. For my craft, I painted a candle holder shaped like an owl; very excited to return soon to pick up my pottery piece. Overall, this hour-long trip was well worth the distance. I am already planning my next visit. Yes, I could always go to their site for a Port-a-Pottery kit to paint at home if I wanted to avoid social contact, but with a safe experience like this, I am very glad to get out of my house and paint in such a welcoming environment. This is definitely an original place that I would bring someone on a date if I wanted to impress them during quarantine. Would be good to get to know someone else in this chill, creative environment. Plus, you get a hand crafted keepsake from the experience. As I was (socially distanced) painting, I observed two other families having a great time, so I will be recommending this space to friends who might have young kids that are itching to create art. I was also happy to see that the front of Made by Me sold local art pieces, including creative cloth face masks. P.S. Editing my review to say that with some of the older Yelp reviews on this page being cranky towards management, this small business is now under new management as of this month. Their website states: "Here at Made by Me: Black Lives Matter. Trans Rights are Human Rights. Love is Love. All religions are respected. Immigrants are safe and welcome. The future is accessible. We are currently a queer- woman owned business, with the ultimate goal of shifting to an employee-owned model of operation." read more

Made by Me - Wide range of paint colors. For safety, a staff member will pour your paint after you indicate which ones you want! Great, easy, fun. - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Great place! Highly recommend. They offer both in house pottery painting AND take it to go painting. That way you don't have to wait around for a seat when they are busy. Awesome idea. Drop the pieces back off for them to put in the kiln. Super helpful. Super fun. Super easy. Love this place! read more

Most of the paints were dried up or low quality so I was limited to a few colors. The paint things for fine lines SUCK and have wide openings. I can see coming to this place with little kids but if you are trying to paint something that looks good you should go somewhere else. read more

Waited for an hour outside when they were supposed to be open. No one came and nothing posted on their website. Horrible work ethic and wasted my time read more

Sooo fun, staff is amazing, highly recommended for all ages. Reasonable prices and tons of objects to choose from.

This was my first experience with pottery painting, and it was such a great, enjoyable experience! I went to Made by Me on a rainy Sunday afternoon with my 8-year-old Little for an outing (I'm a Big in the local Big Brother Big Sister program). We worked on our pieces for about 3 hours, and it was so relaxing! Not just for me - my Little was noticeably more calm, open and helpful the entire time we were there. Can't wait to pick up our pieces next week. SPACE: Very open and inviting space. Comfortable for both of us to work on our projects and carry on a conversation without disturbing neighboring tables (and vice versa) STAFF: The staff member was very friendly and helpful. POTTERY: I really liked the pottery options and thought the prices were reasonable. There were enough pottery options to find something I'd enjoy, but not so many that we were overwhelmed with choices PAINT/SUPPLIES: Lots of options for paint colors and supplies. The staff was very helpful to guide us and suggest different tools / methods when we asked. read more

They are not open at 10am on Saturdays so we went back to pick up our pottery and nobody was there. The experience itself was great. read more

Made by Me is an awesome social networking spot for group events. I planned an event here with my coworkers in the evening and the place was able to host all of us. We had the entire room to ourselves which was nice. I would say it could fit at least 25 people. How it works: You pay a flat fee for just being able to use the studio then you pay for the piece of pottery which you would like to paint. If you want to come here with a group of less than 12 then you actually do not end up paying a flat fee. Instead you pay an hourly rate on $8 per hour PLUS the piece of pottery you choose. Pieces range from $5 to $35. After selecting your piece, you spend time glazing it and then you leave it at the studio for them to fire it. The final products are usually done in a week or so. Our finals pottery pieces looked beautiful. Value: For groups, I think this is a great value. If you decide to go in a small group and have to pay an hourly rate, I think it is expensive. I wish they did not charge hourly as it makes you feel pressured to finish up at a quicker rate. I wish they would just charge a flat fee for using the studio plus the price of the pottery for everyone. Overall, I had an absolutely wonderful experience at Made by Me. The private room fostered communication and team building. I think this is an excellent team building activity for large groups! read more

Made by Me - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Really great, laid back atmosphere. The people working there were super nice and willing to explain how everything works. Additionally, I was impressed with the variety of pottery available to paint. There were played, bowls, serving dishes, mugs, animals, and a whole lot more! Everything was reasonably priced! They do charge $4 per half hour for studio time, but I was able to make a plate for less than$25. It's a great personalized gift idea. For those of us who have a little less artistic ability, they provide stencilsfor a wide range of things. I used a stencil for a bird, and it came out really well. After asking the person who works there, they also offer carbon paper to trace a design into the plate. That was very helpful for the lighthouse plate I made. To conclude, I really enjoyed my experience here. Helpful staff, well made pottery, and great atmosphere! I would definitely come again. read more

Made by Me - Plate - Paint-Your-Own Pottery Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Pleasant, well-lit space, great for a DIY project w/kiddos... but what made this so special was the service- WOW! My kid painted a bowl for a birthday present and we needed it in time for a trip. But when we arrived to pick it up on the delivery date, it wasn't ready- they just hadn't gotten it into the kiln in time... We were super disappointed of course and left- but they called a few minutes later and expressed regrets, then offered to DELIVER it across town as soon as it was ready. Not only did they do that the next day, but we also received a sincere apology note and charming handmade coupon for 50% of our next session. Kiddo was happy, I'm happy- and we'll be going back very soon! read more

Fun but overpriced. We painted a small piggy bank and a mug, and it came out to about $40. The staff was great - she was very helpful and enthusiastic, and even showed us a technique that we wouldn't have thought of ourselves. We recommend it for a unique experience, but be prepared to shell out some cash. Oh, and ps, you can bring food and wine with you. read more

Headed here after a birthday lunch in Harvard Sq with a group of 5 friends. It was lots of fun to paint and chat. We were promised everything would be ready in 6 days. So 2 people painted birthday gifts to give people on day 7. BUT picking up the pottery was a huge disappointment. I showed up on day 6 to pick up everything. At first I was told it was all still in the kiln. Then after 45 minutes- they found all but 2 pieces (one being a birthday gift.) Things happen- so I wrote down my name, number and a description of the pieces and waited for a call. Five days later I still hadn't heard a peep from MBM so I went on over. The pieces were ready and my note was in my mug. I told the staff member I was glad they were ready since I hadn't received a call yet. She told me she called 4 days ago. It never happened. She repeated herself multiple times. Had she just said "oops- very sorry" or the like I would have given 3 or 4 stars. But things not being ready, not getting a phone call and then her lying definitely made for a negative experience. read more

My daughter had her birthday party here last weekend. The variety pottery items was great. My daughter and her friends had a great time and all in all it was a success. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because they were late to open the store, so my family and some of my daughter's friends were waiting out in the cold. The party room is in the basement and the lighting is a little dark. With all of that said, I would still go back and you should definitely check it out. They were very accommodating when I booked my party last minute. read more

I used a Groupon which gave me $35 towards a piece and painting fees. Between the piece and the time sketching my design and getting base coats on, I used $34 of my of my credit. Another $20 later (it was a complicated piece) I had my completed piece. So ultimately I saved $15 and it would have been $55 without a voucher. Pricey! They did not call me as they were supposed to, which wasn't terrible as there was no time crunch, but I was sort of annoyed to stop in after 10 days and ask "Do you have my piece ready?" Considering I was told I would get a call and the cost, a phone call would have been nice. As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of the $4 per half hour painting charge--I simply had a detailed piece (a birthday plate for my daughter with the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland) and didn't just want to slop glaze everywhere. I visited on weekday afternoons and it wasn't crowded (many times I was the only person there). Some of those people were kids, but they were definitely pros and always well behave. I feel this place doesn't cater to kids one way or another. I have some Buy With Me vouchers for the Clayroom in Brookline, which charges a flat studio fee, which is better IMO. I can't imagine though that any of these places have people who come in to buy pottery and *not* paint it--so why not stop with the nickle and diming and just charge a higher price for the piece, period? The Clayroom is also closer to my home and I've had good experiences there doing some Christmas gifts a few years back. I wouldn't return to MBM unless they offer a really good voucher. I could tell though they were getting annoyed with the customers who were coming in towards the voucher deadline so I don't imagine they'll offer another one soon. read more

This is such an adorable place and concept. I've been here several times with my daughters over the years and also without children (my girlfriends like coming here, too). You don't need to be artistic or crafty to have fun here, although if you are, I'm sure your results will be spectacular. There's a large variety of things to paint--the last time we were here, my daughters did a sock monkey and a piggy bank. All the supplies are here, and it's actually not that messy. The people who work here are very nice, and they don't bother you, although they are very receptive to any questions you have about how to do things. The color selection seems a little small to me, but that's probably because I've been here too many times (plus, you can mix custom colors yourself). I guess I would like some neons or glitter options, but I don't know if such things are even possible since I'm not an expert. You pay for the cost of the item you chose to paint, plus $4 for every half hour of painting time you use. After you pay, you go home and think about what your piece might look like. In a week, you can pick up your finished product! read more

I kind of ended up at Made by Me by accident. I had planned on going to the Clayroom in Brookline, which I had been to before and liked. But they didn't have their hours posted on their website, and they weren't answering the phone (and didn't have the hours on the voice mail), and I was not interested in driving over to Brookline to find a locked door. So I did a little Yelp search for paint your own pottery, and it led me to Made by Me, which I must have driven by one thousand times, but which I totally forgot existed on the outskirts of Porter Square. Their website was clear and had the hours, and when I called for confirmation of those hours, I reached a very helpful person. I needed to paint something for my sister, because her wedding was almost 6 months ago, and I had failed in getting her a wedding present. I knew that I wanted to paint something for her all along, but finding the time to do it was difficult. But I finally found the time, and Made for Me was ready for me. I found a really nice big platter to paint, and it was a fairly reasonable $45. They had a nice selection of paints to choose from, and the work space was very clean and conducive to creating lovely works of art. After two hours of painting, I ended up with a piece I was pretty happy with, and in 6 days, I'll have a completed, fired platter to give to my sister. I think I'll stick with Made by Me from now on. read more

This was a great place for me to spend time with my little sister. We found it by accident after walking way too far searching for a restaurant near Porter Square. It was snowing and windy and the bright windows and colorful pottery beckoned to us. I loved that the pottery is hand thrown and you use real glaze. The atmosphere was calming with Sinatra swing music in the background. It was easy to do and you pay for the pottery plus an hourly rate for the amount of time you are painting. (I especially loved this hourly rate because it discourages parents from using this place as a pseudo day care center. I used to work at a paint-your-own-plaster-crafts store and some parents were chronic abusers of the fact that they could drop their kids off and come back in a few hours for the cost of acrylic on plaster. All the kids here had a guardian that was involved with them.) This place is great for all ages ranging from couples on dates to families spending time together. I will definitely go back. read more

I'm no artist, and I'm going to tell you right now, that attempting such artistic feats turn me into a 7 year old all over again with my giddiness. I haven't seen how my little piggy bank looks when he's all done yet (I'll have him in a few days), but it was so fun (thank god they have those stencils), and they have SOO many options. Hello, killer christmas presents for family members! The owner was really nice, too, since we walked in at 8pm when they close at 9. It would be so fun with a bunch of friends, i'll have to bring some of my girls back some time! read more

This place is VERY EXPENSIVE! They charge not only for the piece you paint but also hourly for each person. I had never heard of such a thing. I have been to my fair share of "Paint Your Own Pottery" places and this place was the most expensive. I made a chip and dip dish or a really low standing cake plate not sure but I use it as a chip and dip dish and my boyfriend made a coffee cup for the 2 pieces, painting and whatever they do with it after I paint it came to almost $70! The experience is well worth as my boyfriend and I had a nice day together painting pottery. I would go somewhere else especially if you had a lot of kids. I think I would have looked more into other places if I had know how pricey this place was. I most likely will never go back to that place. One little annoying thing I just remembered while we were there (we were 2 of 4 customers the whole time we were there) the owner sang the whole time we were there and was seriously rushing to finish painting so I didnt have to listen to her for one more minute. read more

I've passed this place a million times and always thought it looked cute, but never had the time to go...so on a gray/rainy day, my friend and I went, and were surprised! This place is great. I walked in there with a 'deer in headlights' look since I had absolutely no idea what I should do first. The employee there (perhaps the owner) was very helpful in offering suggestions (i.e. which layer to paint first, tricks for using stencils--a crazy idea since I had never thought of stencils before!, etc.). We both picked mugs and got to work. People complain about having to pay per 1/2 hour of painting, but I found this a good thing. There is an earlier review about it keeping parents from dumping their kids off as a pseudo-daycare, which I agree with. The time limits are also not as bad as everyone makes it out to be-- $4 for 30 minutes... I was in there just short of 2 hours, so $16, but for the amount of paint/glaze I used, it was definitely worth it. When we went, there was one group of 3 kids, but were soon finished. It ended up being all 20-somethings, 50/50 for guys/girls! There was also a young couple that brought in their own wine. Awesome. I will definitely come here again. Oh, and side note--normal sized tables and chairs = definite plus. read more

SUCH a fun place! I have been here several times now and have enjoyed every visit! It's a great place to relax, find your inner-kid and PAINT! They have a huge selection of paint your own pieces from tiny tea cozies to enormous serving platters. They have plenty of paint brushes, stencils and a variety of glazes for you to design your piece. The prices are a little high, but still reasonable and worth both the time you spend working on your piece and the satisfaction of a final product! I also recently tried a couple of the glass fusing workshops and LOVED the experience. My first piece came out great and I'm waiting on the others! Overall, this is a great place for people of all ages and artistic abilities. read more

We decided to go here as part of our date day. How it works is you pick the piece you want to paint, the price varies depending on what item you pick. Then you pay a small studio fee for the amount of time you spend painting it. It took a while for us to decide on what we wanted to paint, I opted for a plate and she chose a chalice (total diva). They have a wide range of colors if you feel like being vibrant or you can stick to darker colors because they have a lot to chose from. It's like art class when you were a kid, minus the art teacher. Which means you can do what you want without getting detention. They have sponges and stencils if you want to go there. They had a token Irish stencil with a pot gold, and a person doing the jig, and a leprechaun. While it was amusing (and probably good for little kids) we did not end up using it. It made for a good date. We spent about an hour there, before going to lunch. This place is perfect for a day when you have few things to do and just want to have a little fun. read more

Ok, if you want fine artisan pottery, this is not the place for you (i'd suggest checking out the Mud Flat Gallery for that), but if you want to find your inner arteest amongst pre made unpainted ceramic pieces, paint, stencils, and good company, this is the place for you. They have a great selection of pieces ranging from mugs, piggy banks, plates, all that good stuff. You can paint things free hand, or you can use stencils if you are not drawing-inclined. Thanks to Made by Me, we now own a gorgeous sky blue goblet that has a pig being menaced by two Tyrannosaurus Rexs (courtesy of my husband). read more

Need a place to go on a date? Want to make a super special gift? Planning on catching up with good friends? Made by Me is definitely a great place to do all that and more! I give it 5 stars because I don't know any other pottery/craft store in the Boston area yet. However, the space takes you back to the good old days of elementary school where the room is colorful, the furniture is small and there are arts/crafts things to do everywhere. At Made by Me, you can design your own pottery/etc. However, the standard is to choose a pre-made clay design and (this is when your creative endeavors come in) paint to your liking (make sure to coat several times so the piece comes out even and sharp looking). It is a great date spot or place to share a good time because you can talk and get to know someone while you are painting. At the same time, you can add your personal touches and accents. Lastly, after a week when the piece is ready, you can exchange it with the person as a memento of the day (hopefully, the date was successful...or you can always use it to take out your aggression). It is pricey, but most places I have been to in other states charge similar prices. Also, I think the paint is unlimited use but they charge by the hour... However, have a good time...get to know someone, catch up with a friend, surprise your mom with the plate she always wanted, practice your art skills...really, the possibilities are endless! read more

Paint your own pottery places like Made by Me are a favorite hangout spot for me when the weather's crappy or I just need a little creative therapy. I've been to Made by Me twice now and will likely be heading back soon! The shop is small but cosy and I appreciate their sturdy tables.. nothing is more annoying than trying to paint something on a rickety, wobbly table. There's a great paint selection and a pretty good selection of pottery to pick from, from the functional, like platters and tea pots, to the whimsical, like a statuette of an elephant. This place can get expensive depending on what you pick. You pay for the price of the pottery and then are charged $4 per half hour that you spend in the studio painting. When you're done they take down your information and a week later you can return and picked up your fired and finished pottery. This place is great to bring your kids, great to go on a date, and would even be fun for a chill night out with your friends. I've always found the employees to be really helpful. Just a tip, too: they don't sell any food or drinks to sip or snack on, but you can bring your own snacks and wine if you'd like! read more

The owner Bessie and the others who work there are great. It's a nice relaxing environment. I love that they are so close to where I live. Miss my girl friends! Or we could go hang there on weekdays after work. Great place for kid-parent bonding too... me being a kid of 29 I can totally see me spending hours there with my Mom :) Hubby and I had a date there last week and he loved it! read more