Local woman hosts ‘Christmas in July’

Jul 29, 2023

Rachel Adkins [email protected]

This family enjoyed their quality time at the ‘Christmas in July’ crafting session on Saturday.

Rachel Adkins/The Ledger Independent

A finished result after the crafting session hosted by Amanda Miley.

Rachel Adkins/The Ledger Independent

GERMANTOWN — Amanda Miley, the owner of Slip to Soul Ceramics, hosted ‘Christmas in July’ at the Germantown Volunteer Fire Department Fire Hall on Saturday.

At ‘Christmas in July,’ guests had the opportunity to purchase a slot for a crafting session. Attendees were given a 14 inch ceramic Christmas tree to paint and decorate upon entry.

To begin the session, Miley gave each guest a plate of green paint, a paint brush, a water cup, and a paper towel. After everybody had their supplies, she encouraged them to move at their own pace and begin painting the ceramic tree green.

As guests finished painting the trees, Miley gave them bases. There were two options for the lighting system inside the bases. Several guests chose flickering lights, and others chose solid lights.

Once guests chose their lighting types, Miley gave guests the option to paint their bases silver or gold. Some attendees chose to mix the two colors and craft a unique base.

As guests painted their bases, Miley and her daughter took the ceramic trees outside and sprayed an invisible setting spray on them to add a glossy look to the trees.

After guests finished painting their bases, Miley repeated the process she did with the trees.

Before coating the bases, Miley demonstrated how to add “snow” to the freshly glossed trees to each guest. They used new brushes to dab the mixture onto the ends of their trees as Miley coated the bases to their trees.

Once there was snow covering each tree, Miley gave attendees the option to apply glitter to their trees to give it a shinier appearance. She offered “pixie dust” glitter and other colors, such as pink.

Each guest was given a bag of miniature light bulbs and a star to decorate their trees with after it was painted and “snowed.” Guests were given the option to glue the bulbs in or leave them “loose” to change the order around at a later time.

Miley noted that it could be a tradition for some people to change the lights year.

At the front of the room, Miley laid out several options of ornaments for guests to paint and add to their trees. The ornaments were completely optional, she said.

Before guests left the event, Miley gave each of them a cardboard box to store their trees in, to prevent breaking or making a mess on the way home.

She thanked her guests and encouraged them to attend events she hosts in the future.

According to Miley, she is hoping to host similar sessions “more often.” She said she plans to host the session every three or four months.

She noted that she would try to find a place in Maysville to host parties for her business. She said she hasn’t been able to get her own studio in the past because of the cost.

She added that, in addition to her public sessions, she offers private parties and noted a family that requested to paint pumpkin ceramics in a few weeks.

Miley said she typically charges about $60 per session. An event page for ‘Christmas in July’ noted a $15 non-refundable deposit for that session.

To prepare for sessions, Miley typically pours the ceramics at home. She said she has “about 1,000” molds and two kilns. For this session, however, Miley did not pour the Christmas trees.

She noted that she wanted a different tree shape than she has used in previous years.

According to Miley, she has been involved in this business since she was three years old. She said that her mother used to do the same thing as Miley grew up.

“We’ve been doing it a long time,” Miley said. “I’ve been doing it all my life.” She noted that she has only been doing it “on her own” for about five years.

For more information on Slip to Soul Ceramics, Miley’s business, please visit the business on Facebook. Miley posts paint parties and classes on her business page.

More information about private painting parties is available on Facebook.

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