Have you ever admired a set of brightly colored ceramic dishes and wondered who could possibly have the talent to create such ingenious designs? Believe it or not, it could be you. At a paint-your-own-ceramics studio, you can unleash your artistic side while producing something that suits your personal style.

"For home decorators, finding that quintessential piece is tough," says Christine Lawrence. "Sometimes all you can do is make it yourself." As the owner of the Potbellied Kiln in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, as well as the marketing director for the Contemporary Ceramic Studio Association (CCSA), Christine knows how popular painting ceramics is for all ages. "It's a wonderful form of self-expression and pure entertainment."

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At Christine's Potbellied Kiln and other paint-your-own-ceramics studios, you can select, purchase, and paint ceramic bisque--premolded or cast pieces that have been fired once and are primed for paint. Here, moms can create a polka-dot vase for the kitchen, and kids can make their own teachers' gifts. It's also a wonderful venue for group activities. "Not only do we have a lot of summer and day camps for children," Christine says, "but we also host a lot of corporate, adult, and family events."