My dear friends. I cannot begin to tell you how freakin' excited I am about this mug. Cate at CBe Ceramics created her two sided Totoro mugs ages ago and I have been stalking her ever since I discovered them on her IG page. She mentioned bringing them back for a pre-order and I stalked twice as hard. Alarms were set, nervous jitters ensued and I even drug a friend into the melee. Once these handsome chunky fellas hit the Etsy shelves we both managed to snag one.
Totoro is a magical Miyzaki film that features a creature of the same name. No one is quite sure what type of entity Totoro is exactly but I like to believe him a guardian forest creature. He is lovingly illustrated on this mug both in the nighttime on his favorite tree perch and during the day up to his frolicsome shenanigans.
I have had the joy of watching Cate hand carve her art painstakingly on the mugs she throws via her IG stories in the past. Even just the lined border takes her considerable time and meticulous attention.
The inside of the mug is a desert sky blue. And the tiny tree rings in that handle tuck a tiny sliver of happiness in my heart.
Cate finesses details in a way that takes my breath away. Little spots of art like this handle turned twig, add so much to the overall piece.
The glazing merges sea foam blue with rocky tones of slate and speckled granite that fade upward into the umber then ocre hues of golden hour. The sides, handle and Totoro are sleek and shiny while the borders and night sky are sandy textured.
This mug is the bee's knees. I will cherish it for a long time to come. Thankfully my girls love Totoro too and will be happy to share it with me.
This pre-order ran along her previous turn around times at about 6-8 weeks. I love that Cate offers pre-orders and custom pieces.
If you were to get a custom mug or planter from Cate, what would you want her to make you?
LOVE!
ReplyDeleteISN'T HE SO CUTE?!?!
DeleteSandra again. :) Oh my gosh, SO CUTE. I saw a Tortoro dress at Hot Topic once; it was sort of done in a toile print, so adorable. I think a mug might be slightly more useful.
ReplyDeleteI thought so too!!! He is a real spirit lifter. I was drinking some peppermint tea from it at work and one of my students was cooing over him. I would totally wear a toile Totoro print dress. I have not been in Hot Topic in a hot minute. Maybe I will mosey over there this summer in one of those Orlando malls. I have a few new ones to visit now.
DeleteAh! I need one of these for Lily, do you know how often she has them?
ReplyDeleteShe offered them a couple times as a pre-order in the past few months. She cycles her work around as she feels the inspiration move her. She has the radish dude from Spirited Away on pre-sale this past opening (and Totoro mugs too I think). She also does custom orders sometime in October and you can request it then. <3
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