One of the first things I hold in the morning, is my mug of coffee. It warms my hands and heart. The quality of the mug is important to me. My hands know the difference between a hand crafted vessel and one that has been made by a machine.
So I posed the question, “What do you look for in a mug? What makes your favorite mug special?” Although people like different mugs, everyone responds to how his or her mug feels. And that is, I think, what makes the hand crafted item special. It is made with feeling.
Jo, from St Louis, was the winner of our latest Mug Shot drawing, and I was delighted to see her lovely photograph of her new favorite mug.
If you would like to order a mug, priced at $22 each, we would be glad to make one for you. Each mug is made, one at a time, by hand, of white stoneware clay, and can be made in greens, blues or earth tones. If you have another color in mind, let us know; we have hundreds of glazes that have been developed over the years. Send me an email (FromSkilledHands AT gmail DOT com) , or use the contact form on this site.
We are a husband and wife team in the Village of Peninsula, Ohio; Steve throws pots and I make tiles. Sometimes he glazes my tiles, and sometimes I carve the pots he has thrown. We are truly a family business, as one of our daughters is working with us, casting, trimming, glazing and doing other things in the studio.
Let us know if you would like us to make something for you, and stay tuned for our new! improved website–complete with online ordering and a shopping cart.
Litsong sent her photos of her favorite mugs last week. They are the final entries in or Mug Shots contest and have been entered into our drawing. They are also in our Mug Shot Gallery.
Even if she didn’t win the lottery or the pink wellies, the winner of our Mug Shot Contest is Jo. She will receive one of our favorite mugs. Thanks to everyone for playing.
The deadline is March 31! Send me a photo of your favorite mug for a chance to win one of ours. Send photo to FromSkilledHands AT gmail DOT comAnd, as always, please feel free to leave me a comment, or a stone (o), to let me know you’ve stopped by.
Mary writes, “”My favorite mugs. One from my daughter in law and another made by Debra at Elements Gallery”
Susan is another Peninsula potter. She sent us this photo of one of her favorite mugs.
Several years ago, we sponsored Cups of Kindness, a benefit for our local food bank. Pam purchased this mug at that time. She writes, “Not only does it have a dove and peace sign but it cuddles cold hands during times of stress.”
Kelly’s favorite mug is by potter Christa Assad.
I may have found my new sacred mug for home as well as a contender for my studio mug. Take a look. And remember that you still have a few days to send me a photo of your favorite mug. I will enter your name in a drawing to win one of our mugs. Send me your mug shot!
Send your mug shot to FromSkilledHands AT gmail DOT com
I have been trying out different mugs, attempting to find a replacement for my 2, count them, 2 broken sacred mugs. Alas, nothing has been quite right yet.
Carolyn has a special mug. She writes, “My favorite mug was a gift from my son, Neill, who lives in Sheffield, England, hand carried on his last visit. I have a chicken design thing going on in my kitchen – Cath Kidston is a Martha Stewart sort-of-designer in the UK – Another adorable design from Cath Kidston, this Cockerel mug is perfect for breakfast time. The Cockerel is also known as a rooster but this wouldn’t sound as good! He is actually a young male chicken immediately identifiable by his comb on top of his head and his dangly bit underneath his chin which is called a wattle.
The cockerel symbol is used worldwide as emblems and is used often in kitchens for breakfast time as the cock announces sunrise and time to wake up. This mug is cheery and bright and full of vintage charm, nothing less we expect from the wonderful Cath Kidston designs. Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Barb is a spinner and knitter in Washington. Her mug represents some of her interests.
Send me your Mug Shot! Send a photo of your favorite mug, and I will enter your name in a drawing for one of ours. Email to FromSkilledHands AT gmail DOT com.
Jurate is a woman who lives down the street in the Village of Peninsula. She writes this about her favorite mug, “When in New York several years ago, we stumbled upon a Gustav Klimpt exhibit—one of my favorites. Had to purchase a mug with “The Kiss” on it. The mug has been a treasure of mine since. One that I do not use.
What does that tell you? Would love to have that special mug made at Elements Gallery to have my coffee and tea in. A wonderful treasure put to very good use!”
What makes your favorite mug special? Post a comment and let us know. And send me a photo of your primo mug and I will enter your name in a drawing to win one of ours. Send us your mug shot!
The deadline is March 31, 2012. Email photos to FromSkilledHands AT gmail DOT com. Photos will not be returned and may be used at our discretion.
Folks are starting to send photos of their favorite mugs. Remember, the deadline is March 31, 2012 to send a photo of your favorite mug so that you can be entered in a drawing to win one of ours.
Here are a few photos with comments of the sender:
Marty’s favorite mug.
“My Good Morning mug. I have two of them. My love from them stems from #1) they hold 16 ounces and I use every ounce available to me and #2) they keep my hot 16 ounces HOT.
Jo writes: “My two favorite mugs; on the left is my coffee mug, a simple, sky blue ceramic mug from a trip to Peregrine Espresso in DC … (the logo has long since worn off). On the right is my bone china tea mug (one of a set of four), purchased at the Biltmore Estate many years ago. That’s an image of the Biltmore along the bottom. Both fill me with warm memories along with their warm brews!”
“I bought this cup from Molly Bartlett probably around 1985. I used it for years and years. I lifted something down from the shelf overhead, it slipped, I lost a nick from the rim. I replaced it with a tall, fine porcelain cup from Steve, and used it for years. Until I lifted something off the top shelf, it slipped through my hands. Steve’s porcelain shattered. That was about 2003. Mugs have come and gone since then, and none of them have broken, but none have been so well loved as my Molly mug and my Steve cup. Which both met the same end.”
“The blue one is a favourite gift from # 2 son.”
“…or ease of use with his chemo battered hands.”
” I am bravely submitting yet another morning photo of myself holding one of your mugs, sans adornment, and complete with bedhead, bags under my eyes, pimple on my nose, wrinkles on my neck and all! Truly–I’m hoping such a photo makes up for the fact that I’ve won before. I am a tired and bedraggled nurse come morning and the first thing I grab is one of your mugs (I used to have 4, but am now down to 3) to fill it with piping hot & strong coffee to wake myself up. I prefer the rounded mug in the morning since I can do as you instruct and cup it in my chilled hands. At night I use one of my coveted sheep mugs (also made in your studio) to sip the Sleepy Time tea I brew in a teapot (also from your studio). Hmm…counting sheep and Sleepy Time. I think as artisans, it would please you to know that I use your pottery every single day and I really do think it makes my coffee taste better.”
What do you look for in a mug? Send us your mug shot!
Kim Ayres is the winner of our Ugly Mug Contest, not because he has one, but because he won the drawing.
Kim is an extraordinary fellow. His writing is honest and clear, and his photographic images touch my being. They are as honest and clear as his writing. Some months ago, I wrote this about photography:
“When I look at a photograph, I feel like I have a glimpse into how the photographer sees the world. That’s what I like about photographic images—it’s not the “prettiness” of a view—it’s the quality of the light, the slant of the sun, the place where the shadow meets the light.
And once in a while, I come across someone who sees the quiet spaces, the places where my heart stops to linger and to rest. A person who sees the extraordinary beauty in ordinary objects, and who appreciates the sacredness of it all.”
Thanks to everyone who entered. If you are so inclined, you can order your own mug here. And, as always, feel free to leave me a comment, or a stone (o), to let me know that you’ve stopped by.
It has been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is no question that most mugs are functional: they hold the liquid which has been placed inside. There are, it seems, other factors that make a mug “work.” The size and weight of the vessel, and the size, weight and position of the handle are important to the user. And then there are other factors. How has the piece been decorated? For me a question is: has it been made by hand?
Some mugs are beyond description—- and that, my friends, is why we are having an Ugly Mug Contest. Send me a photo of your ugly mug and I will enter your name in the contest. The prize? One of our favorite mugs! Send your photo to: from skilled hands AT g mail DOT com (remove spaces).
Here are some photos:
And here is the mug and the comment that inspired this contest:
Kris stated, “I didn’t send a picture last time because I *hate my mugs! I don’t have a one that I love. I can tell by the image above that the handles of those mugs are perfect – plenty of space for more than two fingers, which I like. Want me to send you a picture of the mug I use but don’t love??”
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