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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
A few weeks ago I was invited along to the Jack Rabbits Pottery studio in Roundhay, Leeds, along with some of my other Mummy friends and their little ones! I'd not been before, but a few from my NCT group had visited previously to make some gifts for Father's Day and absolutely loved the results!...
Jackrabbits are based on Roundhay road in Leeds, not too far from Tropical World and Roundhay Park. The drive from Ilkley wasn't too bad (although those who know me well will find it no surprise at all that I took many wrong turns and probably doubled my journey time!). Finding the studio once I'd made it into Roundhay was the trickiest part for me - I actually ended up pulling into a small carpark (total fluke!) opposite the studio on the other side of the road and calling one of my friends to declare that I was hopelessly lost - she was of course, waving at me from the other side of the street, possibly in agreement that although I may be hopeless, I definitely was not lost...
So for those of you with a terrible sense of direction like me, here is a photo of the studio to help you along:
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
Aside from the parking spaces on the road opposite, there is also on street parking outside the studio and the other shops on the same road. From the outside the studio may look small, but inside there is plenty of space ( room for pushchairs!) with tables, chairs and highchairs for you to order and enjoy a drink and something to eat whilst you wait or browse. They also have a toilet and baby changing facilities, making it a wonderful, child friendly place to visit...
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
When we arrived at Jackrabbits, there was already a very special visitor inside, busy printing her hand prints onto some cake plates for Children in Need. Most of you will recognise from the photo below that this was in fact Nadiya from the Great British Bake Off. I assumed ( as I usually do) that I recognised her because she must be a parent of a child who I have taught at school! By the time I'd actually figured it out, Arthur had already honked her nose and she was well on her way!
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
The ladies at Jackrabbits set up a Just Giving page in order to raise money for Children in Need. They didn't quite reach their target, and so although Children in Need has passed, if you are able to help them to hit their target, please click on the link below to donate:
There are always children 'in need' who will benefit from our help and kind donations, every day of the year, not just for Children in Need day. Lets spread a little....
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
(and if you love this heart plate too, this is just one of the may prints you can do at the studio!)
I was actually blown away by the choice of pottery products available to print, paint or purchase to paint later. Cups, coasters, tiles, plates, money boxes, photo frames, the list is endless. For those Dr Who fans they even had these:
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
Amazing!!
We went with the intention of doing some hand prints on pottery for Xmas gifts and of course, making a Xmas bauble for Arthur's 1st Xmas!
There was a choice of a small or large bauble ( we chose large) and they could be flat or round ( we chose round). We also chose some other objects to add Arthur's hand print to, but as they are xmas gifts I can't possibly tell you (yet!) what they were otherwise it will spoil the surprise!!
I will add here that there are other options available besides hand and footprints. You might choose to paint or decorate your items yourself, or buy items to take away and decorate at home. We chose to add Arthur's prints, and then the ladies at the studio complete the piece by adding writing and decorations!
There is a £5 studio fee per person per visit if you paint or print in the studio, and if you choose to have the added decorations and writing as we did, there is a 25% fee per item to cover this. More details are available on the website:
http://www.jackrabbitspottery.com/hand-footprints/4578267444
My biggest concern once I was there was how on earth am I going to get my wriggly (then) 9 month old to keep still for ling enough to paint his hand AND then print his hand onto a fragile bit of pottery?!!!
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits. |
I needn't have worried. They have this down to an absolute T!
Once we had discussed and chosen our paint colours and agreed on the design, the only thing I had to do was sit Arthur on my lap and keep his other hand out of the way! One member of staff held and painted his hand with a brush ( he loved this, and did a very funny double take when he saw his hand was a different colour!) and the other member of staff pressed his hand (very carefully) onto the item. They turned out fab, but even if they had gone a bit messy, they are able to clean them up and fill in any gaps afterwards.
It takes about a week for the items to be completed, glazed and fired in the kiln.
Once complete they were wrapped up and given to us in one of these lovely tote bags!
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
Here is a couple of photos of our bauble ( the only one I can actually show for now!)
We had such a lovely morning, and definitely recommend a visit to anyone who lives nearby or is able to travel to the area!
If you would like to book a place, a party or even a ladies night have a look at the website for more info: http://www.jackrabbitspottery.com/home/4578261758
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
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| Photo courtesy of Jackrabbits |
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