Experiences as Gifts: Paint Your Own Pottery

My favorite 5 year old's birthday!

The people we love the most are often the hardest to give gifts to… because we want to find the perfect gift. We want one that is unique, that shows how much we love and appreciate the person, and something that is meaningful. But we often are thinking about the things we can buy.

I think one of the best gifts for someone you are close with is the gift of your time. The gifts of memories, moments, and experiences. Those are meaningful. Those are unique. Giving the gift of an experience can include a wide range… Planned or spontaneous. Expensive or free. It could include a surprise destination, or a cozy day at home. 

Back in March, I gave my niece an “experience gift” and it was a blast! We went to a paint-your-own-pottery studio called All Fired Up. She didn’t know where we were going. She just knew that Aunt Megan was picking her up to go to a surprise place. When I arrived to pick her up, she had a surprise for me- flowers she picked from the yard in a cute little vase! So thoughtful at 5 years old!

So sweet! So thoughtful! So beautiful!

So we went in the studio and she got to pick something to paint from all of the pottery pieces. There were lots of cute pottery figurines and characters but for some reason she was not happy that they were all banks… she didn’t want a bank. So we settled on a plate, one that she would be able to use. Then she got to pick colors of paint and we began painting- together.

 I loved that she kept saying, “This is relaxing.” Even when you are five years old, life can be stressful. I loved that she was able to have a relaxing evening. We painted stripes and added more colors and used stamp shapes. Finally we got to write something on it. She wanted to write, “Kennedy and Aunt Megan love each other forever and ever.” When she said that was what she wanted to write, my heart was touched. But because that phrase was a little long for a small plate, we settled on “Kennedy and Aunt Megan Best Friends Forever.”

So much concentration!

Once finished, I explained to her that the artists who work there had to “cook” it and that we could come pick it up in a week. I said they had to put it in the kiln but apparently she misheard the work “kiln” because she replied with, “They are going to kill it?!” In her defense, the word kiln is not typically a part of a preschooler’s vocabulary. The artist on staff let us go in the back and see the kilns and the pieces waiting to be fired. After waiting a week, I was able to pick it up and take it back to show her. She was really excited to see the finished product, the result of her hard work.

The final product! Before going in the kiln. 

Giving gifts that are things can be great, especially if it is something the person wants or needs. But things collect dust. Things wear out. Things get outgrown. 

Experiences and memories can last a lifetime. 

Consider gifting an experience sometime. It was a blast for Kennedy and me. (I enjoyed it, too!)

source*

Have you ever given or received an experience gift? What was it and who was it from?

*This picture was found on Pinterest. After efforts to find the original source, it looks as though the original user is no longer active on Flickr. I do not take credit for this image.