All workshops
2 hoursBabies from 6 weeks; any age for the adultsNo experience needed

Baby Hand & Footprint Clay Keepsake in Dharamshala

Your baby's hand and footprints pressed into clay, framed with a name and a date you letter yourselves, then glazed and fired to last.

A two-hour baby hand and footprint keepsake session at Mita Pottery Studio in Rakkar, Dharamshala. Your baby's prints are pressed into a clay plaque that you frame with a name and a date. ₹2,500 per family, glaze and firing included. The finished plaque is ready to collect 3–6 weeks later.

Illustration of a sage-green clay plaque with two baby footprints, hung from a ribbonIllustration

Duration

2 hours — 90 min making, 30 min clean-up

Group size

Up to 4 guests

Price

₹2,500 / family

Firing

Clay, glaze and firing included

Skill level

No experience needed

Age

Babies from 6 weeks; any age for the adults

Takeaway

After firing · 3–6 weeks

What you'll take home

Illustration of a round green plaque with two baby footprints and a dotted border on a knitted blanketIllustration
Size
About 15 cm across
Finish
Glazed and kiln-fired stoneware, colour of your choice
Hanging
Hole for a ribbon or nail, or made as a standing dish

Illustration. Yours will be shaped by your own hands.

Before you book

  • Glazing takes 3–6 weeks

    Two firings, so finished pieces are ready 3–6 weeks later.

  • Glaze & firing included

    The price covers clay, glaze and both firings; shipping & handling is ₹350 a piece.

  • Fees are non-refundable

    Fixed rates, no discounts, and no refunds — including no-shows.

  • Handmade, not commercial

    Beginner pieces sometimes break in the making — that's normal.

  • Trimming and shaping can't be promised

    Uneven first-attempt walls can't always be trimmed — we try, no guarantees.

  • Extra time is ₹1,500/hour

    Sessions run for the booked duration; longer is ₹1,500 an hour.

Full studio terms are below — worth two minutes before you request a slot.

Request a slot

Tell us when suits you. We'll confirm the exact time and hold your spot on WhatsApp — usually within a few hours.

1 · Preferred date

Leave it blank if you'd rather we suggest a date.

2 · Time that suits you
3 · Families
1

₹2,500 × 1₹2,500Glaze & firing included

4 · Your name & note
Preview your message
Hi Mita Pottery Studio! I'd like to request a workshop slot.

*Workshop:* Baby Footprint Keepsake (2 hours)
*Preferred date:* Flexible — suggest a date
*Preferred time:* Flexible — any time
*Families:* 1 · ₹2,500 total, glaze & firing included
*Name:* —

Sent from the workshop page on mitapottery.com
Send request on WhatsApp

Opens WhatsApp with everything filled in — just hit send. Nothing is charged here; we confirm the slot and payment together. Cancellation policy

Prefer to call? +91 88796 54294

The print takes about thirty seconds of your baby's patience. The rest of the session is yours: shaping the plaque around it, lettering the name and the date, choosing the glaze.

What you take home is a record of a size that does not come back, fired hard enough to hang on a wall for the next forty years.

What you'll do

Madhumita rolls a slab of soft, smooth clay and cuts it to the shape you choose: a round plaque, a heart, or a small dish. When your baby is calm, often after a feed, one of you holds them while the other guides the foot or hand into the clay with a gentle, even press. If the first print smudges, the clay is smoothed and you try again.

Once you have a print you are happy with, you frame it: letter the name and date with stamps or by hand, add a border, press a hole if it will hang. Babies are wiped clean straight away and can nap or feed while you finish.

The session, step by step

  1. 01Welcome; settle the baby in, chai for the adults
  2. 02Choose a shape: round plaque, heart or dish
  3. 03Roll and cut the clay
  4. 04Take the prints, as many tries as needed
  5. 05Letter the name and date, add a border
  6. 06Choose a glaze colour; the studio fires it

The session, in motion

  • Unglazed cups and dishes stacked on shelves inside a kiln

    Into the kiln

Ideas to start from

Directions guests often take. Bring one, mix two, or arrive with nothing and decide at the table.

  • Illustration of a pale blue heart-shaped dish with one baby footprint insideIllustration

    A heart-shaped dish

  • Illustration of a white plaque with a baby's handprint and footprintIllustration

    One hand, one foot

  • Illustration of a square plaque with a baby's handprint and footprint and a dotted borderIllustration

    Hand, foot and a row of tiles

  • Illustration of a small round clay ornament with one footprint, hanging from twineIllustration

    A hanging ornament

What's included

Clay, all tools and letter stamps, wipes, guidance throughout, chai, and both firings. Glaze and firing are included.

Wear & bring

Whatever keeps your baby content: a feed, a favourite blanket. Short sleeves for the adults. Wipes are provided.

Who this is for

New parents marking the first months, grandparents making a gift, and families who want the whole family's hands on one plaque.

Meet Madhumita

Madhumita founded Studio Mita in Rakkar and teaches every session herself. Small tables, one person guiding six at most, and time to get the detail right rather than rushing to the clean-up.

— ceramic artist & founder, Studio Mita

Read her full story

Studio terms

What to expect, in full

These apply to every session at the studio. Please read them before requesting a slot — booking means you're happy with them.

Glazing takes 3–6 weeks

Glazing involves two separate firings, so your piece is ready 3–6 weeks after the session. We'll message you as soon as it's out of the kiln — there's no need to follow up before then, as firing times can't be sped up regardless of check-ins. Pieces not collected within one month of being ready are discarded, as we have limited storage space.

Glaze & firing included

Yes. The workshop price covers the session, your clay allowance, tools, guidance, glaze and both firings — there is nothing to pay per piece afterwards. Each workshop's price is set by the piece you make: how much clay it takes and how much kiln space. Studio pickup is free; if you'd like your finished piece sent to you, shipping & handling within India is ₹350 per piece.

Fees are non-refundable

Our rates are fixed and don't include discounts. Fees are non-refundable, including no-shows and cancellations.

Handmade, not commercial

This is studio pottery — handmade, one piece at a time, with natural variation from one piece to the next. It won't look like the smooth, uniform finish of commercial ceramics, and that's the point, not a flaw. Since workshop pieces are made by beginners, breakage during the process — while shaping, drying, or firing — is a real possibility, not a rare exception. Glaze results can also vary. This is a normal part of learning pottery, and the studio isn't responsible for pieces that don't survive the process.

Trimming and shaping can't be promised

Whether a piece can be trimmed and shaped properly depends entirely on how it was made. First attempts rarely come out at a consistent thickness, and walls that are uneven — too thin in one place, too heavy in another — can't always be trimmed to a clean profile without the piece collapsing or cracking. We'll always try our best to shape and trim what you've made, but we can't guarantee the outcome. Please don't come expecting commercial-grade perfection from a first build; the wobble is the honest record of your own hands.

Extra time is ₹1,500/hour

Sessions run for the booked duration. Additional time beyond that is ₹1,500 per hour.

What the session covers

Extra requests like jewellery, charms, or pieces outside the workshop scope aren't included — the same goes for underglazing and choosing specific glaze colours. All of it can be discussed as a separate add-on booking if you're interested, so do ask.

Your pace, your piece

Everyone's creative pace is different. We'll guide you through the process, but pottery takes practice — we don't guarantee a specific outcome, and that's part of what makes each piece genuinely yours.

Damage in transit

Pieces are packaged carefully, but we're not responsible for damage once they leave the studio.

Photography at the studio

We may photograph the studio and finished pieces for our social media. Let us know if you'd prefer not to be included.

More about this workshop

Is clay safe on a baby's skin?

Yes. It is natural, unfired stoneware clay with nothing added, kept smooth and damp, and the foot or hand is wiped clean the moment the print is taken.

What age is best?

Six weeks to twelve months is easiest: small enough for a clean print, young enough to hold still. Toddlers' hands work well too.

What if my baby won't keep still?

Very common. The clay is smoothed and you try again, as many times as it takes. A sleepy or just-fed baby helps.

Can grandparents or siblings add their hands?

A small sibling's hand fits beside the baby's prints on the 15 cm plaque. For a larger family plaque with adult hands, ask us on WhatsApp and we'll quote it.

Can you post it to family abroad?

We ship within India for ₹350 a piece. For international delivery, ask us on WhatsApp and we'll find a way.

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Cancellation

Fees are non-refundable, including no-shows and cancellations. Tell us as early as you can if plans change.

Accessibility

The studio is on the 1st floor, stairs only. Call or WhatsApp +91 88796 54294 in advance with accessibility questions.

Getting here

First Floor, Ghoomakkad New Bldg, Rakkar Rd, Rakkar, Himachal Pradesh 176057. Directions

₹2,500/ family

2 hours · any open day

Request a slot