Handcrafted ceramic keepsakes
Pawtery
Handmade ceramics customized with a real impression of your pet's paw or baby's foot.
A family business
About Pawtery
One afternoon, while going in for a kiss, our doting lab-mix Cleo stepped directly onto the soft clay pot Mikayla was working on, leaving a perfect impression of her paw...and Pawtery was born.
We have perfected a process enabling customers to easily collect an impression of their pet's paw or baby's foot that we can transfer onto ceramic products.
With Love
Hand Made
Based in Arizona, Pawtery is owned and operated by a family of pet-loving craftspeople. Our mission is to provide accessible, custom ceramics that cary sentimental significance for our customers.
After the pandemic, Mikayla left the field of nursing to pursue art full time. Pottery and Ceramics is her first and favorite medium, and she specializes in functional, organically shaped pieces. Mikayla also makes leather and knit goods along with custom furniture with her husband, Drew.
How it works
Four steps
Full impression kit instructions
- You choose the piece you want.
- We send you a kit so you can capture the impression at home.
- You mail the kit back with the included pre-paid label.
- We craft your chosen pieces and ship them to you. (Free Shipping)
We keep your impression in storage in case you want to order more products with it in the future.
[Placeholder: Process video showing how customization works]
Frequently asked questions
How does the at-home impression kit work?
We send you a kit to collect the impression of your pet's paw or baby's foot. The kit includes a plastic box with fresh playdough, printed instructions, the cardboard shipping box which you will reuse for return shipping, and a prepaid return label. We make the playdough from wheat flour, salt, cream of tartar, and vegetable or seed oil. It is not food—please supervise children and keep it away from pets' mouths. See How it works for step-by-step impression and mailing instructions.
How do we make the pieces?
Each piece is handcrafted from stoneware ceramic clay. We use a plaster cast made from your returned impression kit to press the impression into the moist clay. We then dry the piece, bisque fire, glaze, then fire again at about 2,200° F to achieve the final vitrification which hardens the clay and glassifies the glaze. If the product has a lid, it's made from hardwood which is turned on a lathe by hand. The ribbons are sourced from third parties and are made from synthetic fibers.
Can I place a new order using the same impression from a prior order?
Yes. We store your impression so you can order additional pieces without capturing a new print. When you reorder, choose Impression on file before adding the piece to the cart. You can view your stored impression from your My Account page.
Can I order multiple different products with the same new impression kit?
Yes. After you add a product to the cart with a new impression kit, you can choose to use that same kit for other products on the same order. Just choose Impression already in the cart.
How long until my finished piece arrives?
Each piece shows an estimated fulfillment time that starts once we receive your impression kit back. With your returned kit, we prepare a plaster cast of the impression, shape the piece in clay, bisque fire it, apply glaze, and fire again before shipping your finished piece. Timing depends on the product and studio schedule. You can check the status of orders at your My Account page. We also send order updates via email (check your spam).
Do you ship outside the US?
Orders through this site only ship FREE to the contiguous United States. If you live outside this service area, feel free to contact us directly and we may be able to accommodate you.
Can I give Pawtery as a gift?
We will send the finished product to the shipping address you specify at checkout. If you need the impression kit sent to a different address than the final product, you can click the link next to the item in the cart that says Send this new impression kit to a separate address You can also purchase a gift certificate that can be printed out or emailed to whomever you please.
What if I mess up the playdough impression kit?
Just smooth it out and try again. See this page for more details: How it works
What is the playdough made of?
We make the playdough ourselves from wheat flour, salt, cream of tartar, and vegetable or seed oil. Each kit comes with fresh, never used playdough. The playdough is not food, so please supervise children and keep it away from pets' mouths.
Ready to begin?
Browse the full catalog or send a gift certificate for someone special.