Things to Do in Scottdale

Hidden just east of Cobb Parkway, a complex of low, slate-blue warehouses shelters a community of textile workers, sculptors, and graphic designers intent on refining their art. Beads by Design's shop and atelier contributes to this creative wellspring, and today the Southern Flames—a society of glass-bead makers—gather there for their monthly meetings. The shop opened in 1998, displaying a wealth of Japanese Delica seed beads, fire-polished and pressed glass beads, pearls, gemstones, and glittering Swarovski crystals under the high, exposed-metal roof. Visitors can pick up notions or tools, or stick around for jewelry-making classes. These begin with the basics of knotting wire rings and stringing necklaces and expand into the creation of broad, beaded cuffs inspired by Ndebele jewelry and macramé techniques for braiding copper wire. To give students complete creative control of their work, instructors provide propane torches attached to work tables, and safely teach how to fabricate glass beads and intimidate nay-saying critics.

Kathy Antar opened The Sewing Studio planning to provide sewing services for design professionals and event producers, but was soon flooded with phone calls and emails from people who simply wanted to know how to use their sewing machines. To meet that need, The Sewing Studio began to offer a selection of beginner, intermediate, and advanced sewing classes. During each 2.5-hour session, students learn how to thread machines, wind the bobbin, and practice various stitches using their own machines. In addition to classes, Kathy custom-designs furniture upholstery, bedding, and window coverings and supplies expert design-consultation services, which can transform a client's dream design into a tactile reality.

Bounce-A-Rama’s seven colorful and inflatable play structures sway like tree branches in the wind. The source of the swaying rests inside the facility’s bounce castles, obstacle courses, and slides, where youngsters do everything but rest. Housing the energetic vibes, Bounce-A-Rama’s 8,000-square-foot play space features open-bounce sessions, birthday parties, a separate play area for toddlers, ample seating, and complimentary WiFi for grown-ups looking to sublet a bounce apartment.

In 1976, busy California mother Joan Barnes wanted nothing more than to find a play place where she and her kids could enjoy age-appropriate, educational activities. Finding none, she developed her own innovative play environment within a developmental-based program structure now known as Gymboree Play & Music. Today, kids tumble and learn in more than 650 locations in 33 countries around the world, engaging in open play and classes designed to build cognitive and motor skills. As parents participate in their child’s development, their child learns to paint, play music, and interact socially outside of preschool knitting circles.

In the spacious room of Sip & Stroke’s new location, students of all skill levels swirl glasses, pick up brushes, and daub pigments onto canvases to create works of art during instructor-guided canvas-painting classes. Participants bring their own libations and arrive individually or in groups for birthday soirees, bachelorette parties, and famous Supreme Court ruling read-throughs. The art studio's open atmosphere also caters to children, who can take on canvases, clay, or strings of beads.

A menagerie of more than 500 pigment-free plaster pieces such as butterflies, animal figurines, tiny princesses, and popular cartoon characters awaits eager artists of all ages at Plaster Zone. Colorful paints and lustrous glazes enliven each objet d’art, whose decoration process may take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours depending on the size, detail, and any ongoing space-time entanglements. Unlike clay or ceramics, plaster does not need to be fired, and participants get to take their creations home immediately.

The studio hosts birthday parties in addition to its open painting hours that cater to 10-fold groups of children with cupcakes, juice, and their choice of plaster to paint, with shiny veneers of glaze and glitter available for a finish brighter than a Mensa-certified disco ball.