Good
questions.

No. Every kit is made for a first go: the designs and patterns are planned for you and a step-by-step guide comes in every box. Most kits are marked Easy or Relaxed on their page.

A mosaic lamp is up to three hours of making, the candle holder an hour and a half to two. In between, the glass needs at least 5 hours to set before you grout it, and the grout 2 hours before you put the lamp together: one long day, or a few evenings within a week. A ceramic piece takes one to two hours to paint, then a day to dry before it bakes. Resin takes two to three hours, then 24 hours to set.

Everything but an oven for the ceramics and a heat gun (or a hair dryer) for the resin. A mosaic lamp kit has the glass globe, the antique-bronze base (wired, with its 14 W LED bulb), the design's hand-cut glass and beads, glue, white grout, tools, gloves and the design sheet. A ceramic kit has the piece with its pattern printed on, six porcelain paints, three brushes and a dotting pen. A resin kit has the resin and hardener, pigments, cups and gloves. Each kit page lists its own box.

Yes. The mosaic kits are for makers from 8, with a grown-up alongside: the glue takes a steady hand. The ceramic paints are water-based and non-toxic, and the ceramic kits are a favourite with kids.

Yes. On a lamp, lay the glass your own way; it just has to fit on the globe. On a ceramic piece you're free to paint past the printed pattern, on the back and the outside of a bowl too, but you'll lose the pattern it came with.

Close, not exact: it's made by hand, so the pieces vary a little. The design, the colours and the pattern are the same.

No, our glass isn't sharp. There are gloves in the grout box all the same, for the messy part.

An ordinary glue, and non-toxic. As with any glue, keep it away from eyes and mouth.

Leave the glued glass at least 5 hours to set first. No rush after that: you can grout it any time within a week. Once it's grouted, give it 2 hours before you put the lamp together.

White: it's the only grout we have.

Yes. The base comes wired, with an Australian-approved plug and an on/off switch, and its 14 W LED bulb is in the base's box. The floor lamps come with their LED bulbs too; the Camping lamp is rechargeable, with no plug at all.

No. The glass stays cool, so the lamp can stay on for hours.

Charge it for 2 to 3 hours with the USB cable in the box, and it gives about 4 to 5 hours of light.

The corded lamps need a power point, so keep them indoors. The camping lamp is fine to take outside once it's charged.

No candle: it comes with a rechargeable light instead. Charge it and switch it on.

We sell extra glass pieces and beads, and the empty globe on its own. Email support@thruart.com and we'll sort it out.

Unplug it and wipe the dust off with a damp cloth.

They differ in the globe and the base. A 9 cm globe: the Mini. An 11 cm globe: the Small Swan, hanging from a swan-neck arm. A 13 cm globe: the Tall (28 cm), the Short Table (22 cm), the rechargeable Camping lamp, the Aladdin and the Moon. On each kit page a row of all the lamps lets you compare them.

No kiln, but it does need baking: that's what sets the colours. Leave the painted piece 24 hours to dry, then bake it in your home oven on its conventional setting (not fan-forced), preheated to 150°C, for 35 minutes. A microwave can't do it. The guide in the box has the steps.

Once it's baked, it's food safe and microwave safe, and the mugs take hot drinks. It's painted by hand, so wash it by hand: a dishwasher can take the paint off.

One coat is enough if your brush is well loaded. For a deeper colour, paint a second.

Yes, if you're quick: within 5 minutes, wipe it off with a cotton bud or a wet wipe. Then let the spot dry fully before you paint it again; don't leave it wet.

Yes, to make new colours. The guide in the box shows you how.

No. The colours you paint are the colours that come out.

A long time, as long as the lids go back on between colours. And yes, we sell extra paint.

The Art Plate is 25 cm across, the Sunrise Plate 18 cm, the Mini Blessing Plates 12 cm, the Gathering Bowl 21 cm, the Morning Bowl 16 cm, the Abundance Bowls 12 cm and the Blossom Bowls 8 cm.

A heat gun, for the white of the waves. A hair dryer does the job too.

Gloves are in the box: wear them the whole time. If you're pregnant, or sensitive to smells and fumes, wear a mask as well.

About 25°C is ideal.

It's fully set after 24 hours, so give it a day before you use it.

It's food safe, so serve on it, but don't cut on it: a knife would mark your design.

Yes. To clean them, a damp cloth is all it takes.

Pass the heat gun over them from a little way off and they'll go.

The coasters are 7 cm across, the rectangle board 41 × 22 cm and the round one 38 × 30 cm.

Yes, assembled and wired: plug it in and switch it on. The Camping lamp is rechargeable, so charge it first.

No. We make the designs on the page, so the lamp that arrives is the one you chose.

Yes, sold separately. Email support@thruart.com and we'll sort it out.

Email support@thruart.com with your order number and a photo, or message us from the chat. We answer within 24 hours. When we ask for it back, pack it in the lamp's own box.

The same kit in a keepsake gift box, with the step-by-step guide printed inside the lid. The Mini, Tall, Short Table, Camping and Small Swan lamps and the candle holder come in it; it's $10 more than the kit box. The Tall in the VIP box is also on the gifts page, with a free card for your note.

Yes. Email support@thruart.com and we'll set one up.

Yes. On the site an order goes to one address, so for several, email support@thruart.com the names and addresses: each address goes as its own parcel, with its own postage.

Yes: 5% off 10+ boxes, 10% off 25+ boxes, 15% off 50+ boxes. A kit can go to each person's home (each address has its own postage), and 50 or 100 boxes are ready to send within 3 business days. More on the gifts page.

Yes. We come to you with a mobile class (priced for the visit), or there's an online class, arranged with our team. Email support@thruart.com to plan it.

The one you choose. Most lamp kits come in twelve designs: pick one on the kit page and it goes into your bag by name, with the glass for that design.

One offer an order, and you always get the one that saves you most. The offers: two or more ready-made lamps take the multi-buy; when a spend discount is on, your bag shows how far you are from it; and finishing the three little workshops on the home page gives your Maker Passport code, 10% off. They don't add up: if your bag already has a bigger offer, the code waits for another order. Beyond those we run offers on special days; there's no standing student, senior or newsletter discount.

Yes, until it leaves us: email support@thruart.com as soon as you can. A change does push back when it leaves. Once it's shipped it can't be changed, but the glass and beads you have can go into another design they suit.

Australia Post Standard is free on orders of $100 or more (after any discount); under that it's $12.95. Express is $19.95 an order. You choose at checkout and see it before you pay. Orders leave us within 3 business days. More on the shipping page.

For small orders, yes. Email support@thruart.com before you order and we'll work out the postage.

Small orders, yes: from our studios in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, booked ahead. Email support@thruart.com before you order.

No. Please give a street address.

Yes, by email once your order is on its way.

Ask Australia Post first, with your tracking number: they can tell you where it was left.

If it's sold out, message us and we'll let you know when it's back.

We answer from 12 pm to 8 pm, and emails within 2 hours in that time. Write to support@thruart.com, or use the chat on any page.

Unopened kits, yes: within 14 days of delivery, unopened, unused and in the original packaging, with the postage back paid by you. Email support@thruart.com with your order number first. Damaged or faulty is different: we put it right. All of it on the returns page.

Email support@thruart.com with your order number and a photo. We answer within 24 hours, and a replacement leaves us within 3 business days.

To our warehouse. Email support@thruart.com first and we'll send you the address.

At least 12 of each kit, in whole cartons. A carton holds 12, 6, 4 or 1, depending on the kit, so that's one carton of the Mini or the candle holder, two of the Table or Camping lamp, three of the Swan, Aladdin or Moon.

Orders leave us within 3 business days (the next business day from Gold). Freight goes by courier: $20 ex GST a carton, and free at Platinum. WA, NT and TAS are quoted and added to the invoice (free at Platinum too). For a workshop on a set date, order a week or two ahead.

By card when you order (the total inc GST; the tax invoice comes marked paid), or by bank transfer against the tax invoice: within 7 days; from Gold, a deposit when you order and the rest within 30 days. Your order history and invoices live in the trade portal.

In the trade portal, once your studio is approved. We check every application (the business, its ABN, its website and a reference) before we open an account; then your tier price shows on every line of the quick-order table.

Yes: glass, grout, paints and the rest can be ordered one item at a time.

No. Trade orders can't come back unused.

Yes: a video for the mosaic, and a guide booklet for each of the other crafts.

Yes. Every box has a QR on the back that takes them to the same kit on thruart.com.au.