Whistle & Page

Whistle & Page is my creative studio in Murrumbateman, NSW. I’m Nawsheen, and here I make handmade pottery designed for your everyday rituals and write books for blooming hearts. Located just 25 minutes from Canberra and a short drive from Yass, I focus on creating slowly, intentionally, and wholeheartedly. Clay is my first language, and story is my second. Every piece I craft - whether wheel-thrown or handbuilt - is formed slowly by hand, honouring movement, texture, and the quiet beauty of imperfection. My glazes naturally echo the surrounding rural landscape, capturing mossy greens, rain-washed blues, and the rich tones of earth after a storm. Alongside my studio practice, I write and illustrate children’s books grounded in Australian seasons, gratitude, and belonging, creating work that speaks to children and their grown-ups alike.

At Whistle & Page, I offer a wide variety of hands-on pottery workshops, ongoing creative courses, mobile school programs, at-home clay kits, an online pottery shop, and community gatherings designed for the clay-curious, the creatively restless, and anyone craving a screen-free reset. My studio provides a warm, welcoming space where time slows down, allowing participants to reconnect with their hands, explore tactile art, and experience the joy of making something truly unique.

Online Shop & Handmade Ceramics Collection

In addition to studio classes, I offer an online shop featuring curated collections of handmade ceramics, artisan goods, and creative items designed for mindful living. Each piece is crafted with intention to bring warmth, texture, and character into daily life.

Curated Collections for Enthusiasts & Gifting: Specialised handmade ranges designed for specific daily rituals and passions, including collections for matcha drinkers, sake drinkers, deep thinkers, artists, gardeners, hosts, and cooks.
Handcrafted Drinkware & Serving Ware: One-of-a-kind functional ceramic pieces including handbuilt and wheel-thrown mugs, cups, bowls, and daily tableware finished in nature-inspired studio glazes.
Homeware, Jewellery & Seasonal Ware: Unique ceramic homewares, tactile handcrafted jewellery, and limited seasonal ware created to reflect the seasonal events.
Pre-Orders & Gift Vouchers: Pre-order options for upcoming small-batch pottery releases, as well as digital gift vouchers ideal for gifting workshops, courses, or handmade pieces to loved ones.

Local Pottery Experiences and Beginner Workshops

My beginner-friendly pottery workshops in Murrumbateman provide a relaxed, welcoming introduction to working with clay. Designed for two hours of uninterrupted time, these sessions offer a chance to turn off phone notifications, pause the daily to-do list, and focus entirely on the tactile nature of handbuilding.

Inside the studio space, you are guided step-by-step through simple, highly satisfying handbuilding techniques to create your own functional ceramic pieces - such as custom cups, bowls, or decorative forms. No prior experience is required, and there is zero expectation of perfection. These workshops are all about enjoying the organic process of creation and discovering your own artistic instincts.

Once your session is complete, your raw pieces stay behind in the studio for their final transformation. I carefully dry, glaze, and kiln-fire every object to ensure it becomes durable and fully functional. A few weeks later, your completed work makes its way back to you, ready to be integrated into your morning routines and daily rituals. Light refreshments are provided during every workshop, offering a lovely opportunity to connect with fellow makers, share a few laughs, and enjoy a genuine creative pause.

Weekday Pottery Workshops & Mindful Sessions

Held at the Murrumbateman studio, these beginner-friendly weekday workshops provide a small, guided environment with a maximum of six participants per session. Guided step-by-step through fundamental handbuilding techniques, participants spend two uninterrupted hours creating functional pieces like mugs or bowls. Parents and carers are welcome to bring a child aged 7–12 at no additional cost, making it an accessible option for homeschooling excursions and creative family time. Light refreshments, clay, tools, studio glazing, and kiln firing are fully included in each session.

5-Week Pottery Workshop Courses

For those seeking an ongoing creative practice and a deeper connection to ceramic art, I facilitate comprehensive five-week pottery courses. Titled The Pottery Low-Down, these weekly two-hour sessions allow participants to build their skills gradually in a small, supportive group setting. Rather than rushing through a single session, this course gives you the time and space needed for your hands to become familiar with the medium.

Week 1: Foundations & Pinch Pots: An introduction to studio rhythms, clay preparation, and basic pinch pot techniques. This serves as the most grounding, accessible place to begin your making journey.

Week 2: Slab Building Techniques: Learning how to roll, shape, and join slabs of clay to form structured vessels, exploring flat surfaces and geometric forms as your confidence grows.

Week 3: Coiling & Building Upward: Mastering strength and structure through traditional coil building, allowing you to create taller, more ambitious ceramic shapes and sculptural forms.

Week 4: Decoration & Surface Storytelling: Exploring decorative techniques to infuse your personal style into each piece.

Week 5: Refining & Glaze Application: Applying finishing touches, refining smooth edges, and selecting studio glazes before the final kiln firing process brings your collection together.

Throughout the five weeks, you can build a complete collection of functional, one-of-a-kind pieces - including mugs, bowls, and serving plates - that will find a permanent place in your home. All finished works are kiln-fired and returned to you ready for everyday use.

Wheel-Throwing Classes & Date Night Experiences

I provide private and small-group wheel-throwing sessions at my Murrumbateman studio, welcoming visitors from across Canberra, Yass, and the surrounding rural region. To ensure maximum individual attention and high-quality instruction, these wheel-throwing sessions are intentionally capped at just two participants per class.

One-Off Wheel-Throwing Experience: A 2.5-hour introductory session designed for couples, friends, or solo learners who want to try their hand at the pottery wheel. You are guided through the core fundamentals - centring the clay, pulling walls, and shaping basic forms - while embracing the playful, unpredictable nature of the wheel. Selected pieces are kept, glazed, and kiln-fired for you.

5-Week Wheel-Throwing Course: A five-week structured program that moves past initial curiosity and into technical skill development. Meeting for two hours each week, you learn how to centring clay, shaping form, and working with the natural movement of the wheel and finish functional ceramic forms with precision and confidence.

Whether you are looking for a unique date night near Canberra or a dedicated skill-building course in the Yass region, these wheel-throwing sessions meet you exactly where you are.

The Maker’s Table: Private Group Pottery Experiences

The Maker’s Table is a private group pottery experience created for team building, corporate events, hens parties, birthdays, and celebrations in Murrumbateman, Canberra, and Yass. Designed for groups of 8 to 24 participants, these two-hour sessions offer a calm, tactile environment inside the studio or at external venues across the region. Every session is co-designed with your group, allowing participants to create custom ceramic cups, bowls, or forms regardless of prior experience. All pieces are taken back to the studio for professional glazing and kiln firing before being returned as lasting keepsakes.

Clay Together: School Programs, Kids' Birthday Parties & Creative Group Workshops

Clay Together is a specialised, mobile pottery program created for schools, youth groups, and families across Murrumbateman, Canberra, and Yass. It brings hands-on Creative Arts learning directly to students, supporting fine motor development, sustained focus, sensory engagement, and creative confidence.

School Creative Arts Programs (K–12): Guided clay handbuilding workshops for students and children's groups, crafted to boost creativity, focus, and confidence.

Kids' Birthday Parties: A hands-on creative alternative to traditional party entertainment. Children spend 1.5 hours learning guided clay handbuilding, crafting their own ceramic keepsakes in a fun, relaxed environment.

All materials, tools, studio glazing, and kiln firing are completely provided as part of the Clay Together experience, ensuring every student or party guest receives a finished, fired piece.

The Pocket Potter Kit

The Pocket Potter Kit is a screen-free clay experience designed to bring the tactile joy of pottery straight into your home. Created for homeschooling families, parents seeking screen-free children's activities, or couples planning a relaxed home date night, each kit provides a complete studio setup in a box.

Every kit contains 1kg of clay, an 8-to-10 piece beginner tool set (including carving tools, sponges, and wooden smoothers), a reusable fabric work surface, and clear, step-by-step printed instruction cards. Optional QR codes link to guided video demonstrations for those who prefer visual learning.

Stoneware Clay Kit Option: Uses traditional studio stoneware clay that can be returned to Whistle & Page or taken to local community kilns across Australia for high-temperature firing and glazing.

Magic Sun-Kissed Clay Kit Option: Uses a natural air-drying clay that requires no kiln firing, making it ideal for decorative home projects, school holiday activities, and quick creative sessions.

Single & Double Maker Sizes: Available in individual sizes for quiet personal focus, or double maker sizes designed for shared making between two people.

The Paper Trail Club 

The Paper Trail Club is a relaxed, monthly community gathering hosted on the first Friday of each month between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm. Meeting at local venues across the Yass Valley and Murrumbateman, it offers a welcoming space for women who love stationery, paper crafts, analogue hobbies, and creative projects.

Participants bring whatever current project they are working on - such as journals, sketchbooks, fountain pens, watercolours, collage scraps, or knitting - to enjoy coffee, conversation, and shared creative inspiration. There are no structured classes, expectations, or productivity pressure. It is simply a supportive community space to connect, share supplies, and take a moment for yourself. Members who attend three gatherings receive a handmade ceramic membership token as a small keepsake.