All workshops
2 hours10 and upBeginner — no experience needed

Make a Ceramic Tissue & Napkin Holder in Dharamshala

Build a little ceramic house that holds a stack of tissues or napkins upright on the table, with windows, a door and a chimney you shape yourself.

A two-hour slab-building workshop at Mita Pottery Studio in Rakkar, Dharamshala. You build a little ceramic house that holds tissues or napkins upright on the table, with windows, a door and a chimney. ₹2,000 per person with glaze and firing included. Ready to collect 3–6 weeks later.

Illustration of a white house-shaped ceramic napkin holder with windows and a door, holding napkinsIllustration

Duration

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

Group size

Up to 6 guests

Price

₹2,000 / person

Firing

Clay, glaze and firing included

Skill level

Beginner — no experience needed

Age

10 and up

Takeaway

After firing · 3–6 weeks

What you'll take home

Illustration of an empty house-shaped ceramic napkin holder from the frontIllustration
Holds
A stack of napkins or flat tissues, about 15 cm
Form
A little house on a steady base
Material
Glazed, kiln-fired stoneware

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 · Guests
1

₹2,000 × 1₹2,000Glaze & firing included

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

*Workshop:* Ceramic Tissue Holder (2 hours)
*Preferred date:* Flexible — suggest a date
*Preferred time:* Flexible — any time
*Guests:* 1 · ₹2,000 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

A tissue holder sits in the middle of the table at every meal, so it might as well be charming. This one is a small house: two slab walls with a slot between them, a pitched roof, windows and a door pressed into the front.

It is slab building at a friendly scale. You learn to cut, score and join clay so it stays square, and leave with something everyone at the table will notice.

What you'll do

You roll slabs and cut the front and back of the house from a template, then a base wide enough to stand steady. Madhumita shows you how to score and slip the edges and set the walls apart so a stack of napkins slides in.

The details are yours: arched windows, a door, a chimney, roof tiles, a climbing vine. You can make it a pahadi house with a slate roof or a cottage from a storybook. Then you choose a glaze.

The session, step by step

  1. 01Welcome, chai, and finished holders to look at
  2. 02Roll the slabs and cut to the house template
  3. 03Score, slip and join the walls to the base
  4. 04Add windows, door and chimney
  5. 05Smooth and tidy the edges
  6. 06Choose a glaze

The session, in motion

  • A guest rolling out a clay slab with a wooden pin at the studio's window table

    Rolling the slab

  • A rolling pin flattening a round clay slab on a canvas-covered table

    Rolling the slab

  • 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 napkin holder shaped like a Himachali house with a slate roofIllustration

    A pahadi house

  • Illustration of a napkin holder with a snowy mountain ridge on the frontIllustration

    A mountain ridge

  • Illustration of a plain arch-shaped napkin holder in speckled glazeIllustration

    A plain arch

  • Illustration of a yellow house-shaped napkin holder with a green vineIllustration

    A climbing vine

What's included

Clay, templates and all tools, guidance throughout, chai, and both firings. Glaze and firing are included.

Wear & bring

Nothing. A photo of a house you love, if you'd like to model it.

Who this is for

People setting a table they love, homestay and café owners, and anyone who enjoys satisfying, buildable handwork.

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

What does it hold?

A stack of paper napkins or flat tissues, upright, about 15 cm across.

Do I need experience with slabs?

No. It teaches slab joining at a friendly scale, so it suits beginners.

Can I make a different shape?

Yes. A house is the classic, but a mountain, a hut or a simple arch work with the same method.

Is it sturdy?

Yes. It is fired stoneware on a wide base, heavy enough not to tip as napkins are pulled out.

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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

₹2,000/ person

2 hours · any open day

Request a slot