Last year, I was invited to visit As You Wish Pottery in Valencia for a paint-your-own pottery event. (Read: This was hosted. Disclosure accomplished.) I jumped at the chance because I needed to get off the computer for a couple hours. (Or more.) I wasn’t the only one who needed a tech break – I joined Melissa, Anne and Alyssa for this fun meetup!
The Valencia store is located in the Westfield Valencia Town Center. I’ve never shopped at this mall before. Should I give back my mallrat membership card?
Before & After – As You Wish Pottery Valencia
Shelves of potential fun times (plus there’s another shelf behind me) – As You Wish Pottery Valencia
Our fearless teacher, marketing director Liz, helped with each step of the way – from choosing the paint colors to the tracing our words onto the mug. She’s been with the company for years, traveling to various locations to help with each store’s openings, trainings and events like ours. Liz was the lead artist who created all the display pieces for the stores, and she’s continued to move on up! You know how much I love to hear about companies lifting their employees to manage bigger pieces and to have a larger stake in the business.
Liz – As You Wish Pottery Valencia
Anne – As You Wish Pottery Valencia
Alyssa – As You Wish Pottery Valencia
Melissa – As You Wish Pottery Valencia
While our host Liz walked around to help each of us, we had a wonderful time catching up with one another – a new baby, chemo, work stress, family life… We had a lot to catch up on.
I added my personal touch to my mug. I think it came out terrific.
My completed but not yet fired in a kiln mug! – As You Wish Pottery Valencia
At the end of the night, we had our completed mugs.
Our rowdy pottery-painting bunch with our almost ready to drink mugs! The next thing was to have them fired up so the glaze would set. Melissa was gracious enough to pick them up for us a week later.
Our new mugs! – As You Wish Pottery Valencia
Huge thanks to As You Wish Pottery for hosting a lovely and much-needed event for us. Thank you for your patience while I got this post written up. I have a lot to say about the importance of self-care (for another time), and I want to reiterate how grateful I am to As You Wish Pottery for that night out and to Melissa for including me.
(At the time of this event, I was working 7 days a week… and my work schedule didn’t change until way past the new year. I had worked 7 days a week for five months before I had a break and a breakdown.)
My finished mug!
