Do you have a special mug that you like to use for comfort? Maybe one that just makes you smile? I have my favorites depending on my choice of beverage and my mood, so why not have a mug that would always remind you that things could be worse…
We all have bad days. You forget your purse or lose your keys. You lose a contract or your cool with the kids. This mug helps you cope with the hard times by reminding you that things could be much worse. You could also be pursued by giant robots, plagued by pterodactyls, pestered by zombie poodles and worse. So cheer up!
Calamityware Porcelain Designs
The Calamityware series started in 2011 when I inherited a traditional, Willow-pattern plate and decided to sketch it in my notebook. I couldn’t resist the temptation to add a pterodactyl in the sky. When people saw the drawing on Flickr, several urged me to figure out a way to reproduce the image on a physical plate. My first Kickstarter project sprang from that idea. Blue-willow patterns have been going strong for 300 years. It’s great fun to take that heritage in a new direction.
What’s the history of blue-willow porcelain? It started when Muslim traders introduced cobalt glazes into China, and Chinese potters started producing plates with blue, hand-painted scenes. When Europe started trading with China, this blue and white porcelain added ballast to ships filled with silk and tea. It was a hit with Europe’s elite and eventually almost everyone.
By the mid-1700s Europeans finally figured out how to make porcelain to challenge the Chinese product. Perfecting the technique of transferring images printed in glazes onto blank porcelain became an Industrial Revolution success story. By 1800, there were more than 200 potters making willow-pattern wares in England. Potters in Ireland, Scotland, Holland, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Japan, and the United States jumped into blue-willow production too.
While designs varied, the favorites included a vaguely Asian scene with many of the same elements showing up again and again—pagoda, bridge, boat, willow-tree, fence, doves, and exotic shrubbery. Usually in blue and white.
While for 250 years the popularity of blue-willow has gone up and down, it has never gone away. Any design theme that ubiquitous is bound to be revisited over and over.
Calamityware designs are another homage to a robust classic.
Calamityware Mugs: Things Could Be Worse (Set of 4)
No matter how bad your day is going, these beautiful porcelain mugs graciously remind you things could be much worse. You could also be chased by UFOs, pestered by pirates, or plagued by giant frogs.
These mugs are made and decorated by the award-winning Kristoff Porcelain workshop in Poland using the traditional in-glaze technique. That means the image is slightly melted into the surface like the fine porcelain you see in museums. The mugs are food safe, microwave safe, and dishwasher safe so you can use them every day to remind you of all the problems you don’t have.
These porcelain mugs feature Don’s drawing of a traditional blue-willow paradise discombobulated by more than a dozen calamities, perils, and pests. You’ll find…
• hairy fiend
• giant frog
• pirates
• cephalopod
• unpleasant blob creature
• voracious sea monster
• UFOs
• agressive pterodactyls
• rambunctious robots
• zombie poodle
and other suspicious animals and shrubs.
Calamityware Plate 5: Pirates
Enterprising pirates add menace and entrepreneurial flair to a traditional porcelain scene. Look closely at the flora, fauna, architectural marvels, and innocent victims to find hidden romance.
Rich blue image on white porcelain dinner plates. Food safe. Microwave safe. Dishwasher safe. Produced at the award-winning Kristoff porcelain workshop in Poland using the in-glaze decoration process. That means the image is slightly melted into the surface like the fine porcelain you see in museums.
My Thoughts:
When I first picked up this coffee mug, I saw the designs but it wasn’t until I really started looking at the individual designs that I busted out laughing. It’s pretty interesting with the monsters and other figures that are bent on making things worse in your life. How about a large fish with really, really big teeth ready to ruin your day! Or you could be chased by a robot or a building size poodle.
Between the massive frog and ape chasing you to the other possible ways for things to be worse, there are all kinds of things that will make you smile when you look at this mug and realize that yes, things could always be worse.
I don’t think that you could use these mugs and not be cheered up. The designs make me smile and remind me that yes things could be worse. They also give me a moment of comfort so that I can enjoy a cup of coffee or hot tea and just breathe which is something that we all need to do. These will make the perfect gift for someone if you have someone that really is having a hard time or would appreciate the humor and mugs like these Calamityware mugs are sure to bring a smile to someone’s face.
Even Maya paused when she was let out this morning.. couldn’t help myself but said to her.. Hey, it could be worse! I am not sure she understood my humor but it was good for a chuckle and smile.
Calamityware also offers plates to go along with your mugs. Each plate has a different theme including flying monkeys, giant robots, sea monsters, UFO Invasions, Pirates, and Volcanoes just to name a few.
These would make a perfect gift for someone and Calamity where should be on your shopping list for those special unique gifts that we all struggle to find.
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We’ve added Calamityware to our 2018 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide! Check it out here!
