Do It Yourself Crafts

Do It Yourself Crafts has operated on Oxmoor Road in Homewood since 1999, when founder Julia McNair opened the doors as a paint-your-own-pottery studio at what the shop describes as the crossroads of Homewood, Mountain Brook, Birmingham, and Vestavia Hills. More than two decades later, the shop sits inside the Cameron’s Corner shopping center and has grown well beyond its original concept, now covering pottery painting, wheel throwing, glass fusing, and a dedicated clay studio.

The core experience remains simple. Visitors choose a piece of pre-fired pottery from shelves stocked with mugs, plates, bowls, figurines, and seasonal shapes, then sit down at a table with paint and brushes to decorate it at their own pace. Finished pieces are fired in a kiln on site and are ready for pickup a few days later, a process that turns an ordinary afternoon into a keepsake a family can hold onto.

Beyond pottery painting, the studio teaches wheel throwing for beginners through advanced students, runs glass fusing projects, and hosts seasonal classes tied to the calendar, such as hand-painted Halloween platters and clay handprint keepsakes around the holidays. In 2025, Do It Yourself Crafts expanded into the space next door, formerly home to Backstage Dance Centre, roughly doubling its footprint and adding a dedicated clay studio built for regular potters rather than one-time visitors.

Julia McNair has described the goal behind the expansion as building a gathering spot in Homewood, somewhere outside of home and work where neighbors can meet around a shared activity. Membership options tied to the new clay studio give regular visitors access to the wheel and studio space outside of scheduled classes, while the original storefront continues to handle walk-in pottery painting and party bookings much as it has for years.

The studio’s private party room is a significant part of its business, hosting birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, and other small celebrations with a dedicated host guiding the group through the activity. According to the shop, classes and parties sell out regularly, and the business markets itself to guests ranging from toddlers on up to grandparents, making it one of the few Homewood activities that genuinely works across generations sitting at the same table.

Do It Yourself Crafts is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The later evening hours on Friday and Saturday make it a workable option for a date night or a casual evening out, not just a daytime activity for kids on a school break.

Pricing at Do It Yourself Crafts is tied to the piece a visitor selects rather than a flat admission fee, with pre-fired pottery running from small trinket dishes up through larger platters and figurines. That structure means a solo visitor can drop in for a modest project on a slow afternoon, while a group booking a party room can spend a longer session working through more ambitious pieces together. Paint, brushes, and instruction are included once a piece is chosen, so first-time visitors do not need any prior experience with pottery or painting to sit down and start.

The studio’s longevity sets it apart from many newer entertainment options that have opened around Homewood in recent years. Where trend-driven activities tend to come and go, Do It Yourself Crafts has stayed in the same corner of Oxmoor Road since the late 1990s, weathering changes in the surrounding shopping center and expanding rather than relocating when it needed more room. That kind of staying power is part of why the shop is still recommended by longtime residents alongside newer arrivals.

For visitors and residents looking for something to do in Homewood that does not involve a screen or a restaurant table, Do It Yourself Crafts offers a rare combination. It is a business with a quarter-century of history in the same neighborhood, an experience that scales from a quick solo visit to a full birthday party, and a growing clay program for anyone who wants to keep coming back long after the first coat of glaze has dried.