It’s common to purchase a gift for your loved ones during the holidays. But how about making them something to treasure or display in their home? Typically, we may think of a sweater, mittens, scarf knitted with love or baked goods on a decorative plate, but what if you don’t knit or bake? We have options!

Riverside Pottery Studio in downtown Cape can summon your inner Patrick Swayze or Demi Moore from “Ghost” and book a class making your own pottery in historic downtown Cape Girardeau. Book quickly as classes fill up for this unique gift. But, plan ahead and your parent or child could be drinking coffee out of a handmade mug soon, which is an irreplaceable surprise!

At Board & Brush, you’ll create fun and unique wooden projects while enjoying a fun atmosphere. Don’t stress, an instructor is on hand to assist while you create the perfect present. This is a great place to book with friends, family or as a work team building event, and you can each do a different design. From welcome signs and personalized coffee table trays to Christmas-themed plaques and general decorative signs, the gift recipient will delight in the personal nature of this gift! Be sure to visit their site to book online!

Tailored a bit more to the painting side of pottery, at Creative Ewe Pottery, you’ll paint an already shaped piece. For example, children can paint lambs, turtles or Christmas trees while adults can focus on customizing a platter, plates, mugs, and more! This is a GREAT family activity. Wouldn’t grandma love to get hand-painted items for Christmas? Each item will have the name and date of the artist, so this could become an annual outing to see the progression!

If handmade gifts aren’t your thing, visit our Shopping Guide for more local finds.