Painted By U

*This review is my own opinion. I was not paid by Painted By U for this review*


Friday night was Mom's Night Out.  I can't tell you how excited I was to go with the BirminghamMommies without either of my children.  I didn't really care what we did, but our event was SO MUCH FUN!
We went to Painted By U in Hoover.  I didn't know what to expect.  In my mind, I'm super crafty.  On the outside, not so much.  So I was a little nervous.  I walked in a little late, of course, to be greeted by some of the mommies that had gotten there on time.  They were milling around looking at pieces of pottery to pick out.  


Amanda was the one working and I didn't see her at first, but she soon appeared. She answered my questions on the prices of the pieces that weren't marked and showed comparable pieces if one was out of stock.  Amanda pointed us to the private room we reserved.  If you have more than 8 paying and less than 18, you can reserve a room for $25.  You get the $25 back if 8 people pay (more on that part in a bit).


After we got our pizza that my kind sister and fellow BirminghamMommies manager, Ally, picked up.  We met out in front of the paints.  Amanda explained the painting process and how we needed to do 3 coats to make the paint look how it should after it's fired.  She told us where to find pencils to sketch our designs, stencils, and different kinds of paint for writing.


I had chosen a cross and the example they had was zebra printed with the word "Faith" in the middle.  I liked the idea of a word but I decided I wanted our last name.  I did not like the idea of zebra print so I asked Amanda for some ideas.  She said I should do stripes on the outside and polka dots on the top. I picked my colors-pink and purple, of course. And I got to work.


I think it turned out okay.  Next time I will really take my time. I might also take advantage of their handwriting skills.  You can pay $1 a word up to $5 for them to write for you.  I think our name is the worst part of my cross.  All in all, it went fine.


At the end we checked out and that was the only part I was a little put off about.  Ally had reserved the room on her card. They told her if 8 people paid, she'd get her money back.  The cost for each person was $6 plus the pottery. Ally had chosen a plate and her total was about $21.  Amanda informed Ally that they couldn't give her the $4 back on her card that she didn't spend, but that she wouldn't owe any more that day.  Of course Ally would've picked a larger piece had she known they were going to keep her money she fronted.  Lesson learned.


I'm excited to pick my piece up next week all glazed and fired!  I will definitely be going back because you can take your baby before his or her first birthday to make a piece with their hand or footprints for free!  I can't wait to go back.  I have already asked the Mommies if we can have another MNO here again and they're all for it!  Thanks Painted By U for a great night!!