Happy Handmade Holidays – 25 Classes to Make Holiday Gifts Before Christmas

Looking to take a break from shopping? Need a special gift for a very special someone? Or maybe you just want to make something.  Think craft-mas instead of Christmas.

You still have plenty of time to make or buy some incredible handmade gifts.  From glass blowing to laser etching – there is a crafty class on this list for everyone.  Looking to learn to make something delicious? There are plenty of classes to help you create some holiday treats.  Gaynor’s cooking school even has a class to help you channel your inner Julia Child!

 Here are 25 classes between now and Christmas where you can make a holiday gift to give or a tasty treat to eat…

• Thursday 12/12, 6-8pm Open Studio Night with DJ Smokifantasic @ Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (Free)
• Thursday 12/12, 6-9pm MAKEnight @ Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh  ($15/person) –  Experiment with making wreaths using different recycled materials, Design and decorate holiday cards using LED lights, Solder your own wire sculpture or ornament
• SOLD OUT – Thursday 12/12, 7pm-9pm – Blown Glass Ornaments @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($85/person)
• Friday 12/13, 7pm – WaterJet Ornaments @ TechShop Pittsburgh ($60/person) – use the waterjet cutter to make a custom ornament
• Saturday 12/14, 9am-Noon – Faberge Egg Ornaments @ Sweetwater Center for the Arts ($50/person) – Explore the world of Faberge eggs as you learn about the history, symbolism, and materials used in these bejeweled treasures. Students will use the Faberge eggs’ intricate details as inspiration to make their own replications by transforming a Styrofoam egg using shiny beads, gems, wire, and ribbon.
• Saturday 12/14 – 10am-4pm Hot Glass Blowout @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($175) – one day workshop in working with molten glass
• Saturday 12/14, 10am-Noon – Family Mug Workshop @ Pittsburgh Center for the Arts ($50 per parent/child pair) – Explore the slab method of vessel building, glazing and relief decorating methods.
• Saturday 12/14, 1pm  – Laser Etched Holiday Glasses @ TechShop Pittsburgh ($30/person) – use the laser to etch a design on a pint glass
• Saturday 12/14, 1-4pm – Ornament Extravaganza @ Union Project ($25/person or $60/group of four) – You will learn to slab build, coil build, and glaze your way to your very own ornaments.
• Saturday 12/14, 3pm – Holiday Chocolate Moldmaking @ TechShop Pittsburgh ($22/person) – use the vacuum former to make a chocolate mold, use your mold to make a chocolate snowman
• Sunday 12/15, 10am-Noon – Fused Glass Picture Frame @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($75/person) – use glass frit and stringers to create a glass photo frame for a 4×6 photo
• Sunday 12/15, 10am-Noon – Marvelous Marbles  @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($75/person) – instead of loosing your marbles over the holiday stress, head over to the glass center to make some marbles.
• SOLD OUT – Sunday 12/15, 10am-Noon – Blown Glass Ornaments  @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($85/person)
• Sunday 12/15, Noon-5pm – Screen Printing Workshop @ Pittsburgh Center for the Arts ($80/person)
• Sunday 12/15, 12:30-2:30pm – Wine Stoppers @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($75) – Learn how to control, manipulate and add color to a rod of glass while shaping your own unique stopper. Makes a great gift!
• Sunday 12/15, 2-4pm – Kids Pierogie Class @ Gaynors Cooking School ($40/person) – During this 2 hour hands on class the kids will make 3 different types of pierogies.
• Sunday 12/15, 3-5pm – Bodacious Beads @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($75/person) –  Learn the secrets of how beads are made at the torch in this introductory session in the flame shop. You will have a chance to make several glass beads to take home as you learn the basic skills of heating glass, applying it to a mandrel, and shaping it with tools.
• SOLD OUT – Sunday 12/15, 10am-Noon – Blown Glass Pumpkins @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($85/person)
• Sunday 12/15, 1pm  –  Holiday Chocolate Moldmaking @ TechShop Pittsburgh ($22/person) – use the vacuum former to make a chocolate mold, use your mold to make a chocolate snowman
• Sunday 12/15, 3pm – Laser Etched Holiday Glasses @ TechShop Pittsburgh ($30/person) – use the laser to etch a design on a pint glass
• Tuesday 12/17 – Thursday 12/19, 7-9pm – Make Your Own Goblet @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($135/person) – In two nights, you will make your own goblet – guaranteed to be as unique as you are.
• Friday, 12/20, 6pm – A “Julia Child” Holiday Celebration @ Gaynors Cooking School ($75/person) – To celebrate the holidays we have put together a very special evening. Then menu we will prepare in this hands on class will feature some of our beloved Julia’s recipes, including her legendary, BEEF BOURGUIGNON.
• Saturday 12/21, 10 am – Chocolate Candy Making @ Gaynors Cooking School ($85/person) – This course will provide a basic foundation to the world of chocolate making.. Learn  about the melting , tempering , and storage of chocolate. You will make a variety of chocolate confections, including molded chocolates and a butter ganache to be used in making truffles!
• Saturday 12/21, 10-11:30am – Ginger Bread House Class for Kids @ Gaynors Cooking School ($45/person) – Each child will make their own Gingerbread house to take Home.
• Sunday 12/22 – 10am-4pm Hot Glass Blowout @ Pittsburgh Glass Center ($175) – one day workshop in working with molten glass

Thanks to the folks on the Pittsburgh Reddit board for contributing to this list.  If you know of any other classes between now and Christmas please leave a comment below and we’ll update the list.