I own a lot of mugs, and I LIKE to own a lot of mugs. I am now at the “If a new mug comes into the house, an old mug must go out” stage of mug-ownership, but only because I cannot figure out a way to steal another cupboard shelf.
Notice that the shelf is curving under the weight of all those mugs.
Here are my current favorites, from largest to smallest:
And now the individual mug profiles:
The chicken mug. It has come to my attention that they are roosters, but I still think of it as the chicken mug. It is one of my largest mugs; I most often use it when I am having coffee as a beverage with a meal, as opposed to when I am just having a cup of coffee. This is a mug I resisted buying, because it is so large and because its shape seems tippy. But I could not resist the pull of the chickens, and then I was so glad I’d given in. I wish there was not a chicken on the inside of the mug, even though I found that charming when I bought it, because I feel a little uncomfortable if the hot coffee overlaps him—as if his feeties will get burned.
These two mugs are a little embarrassing, because I bought both of them for other people, thinking “This is a gorgeous mug—not my style, but perfect for so-and-so”—and then got them home and couldn’t believe I’d considered giving them away, and kept them. Even more embarrassing, it actually went like this:
1. Purchased light blue mug for recipient.
2. Brought light blue mug home and couldn’t believe I’d considered giving it away.
3. Purchased pink mug as replacement for recipient.
4. Brought pink mug home and couldn’t believe I’d considered giving it away.
With the pink mug, I even stood there in the store explaining to my mother why the pink mug was different than the blue mug and I Really Wouldn’t want to keep it for myself.
These are both largeish mugs, not as large as the chicken mug but pretty good as beverage mugs. I usually have to add a little more coffee to them before I’m done with breakfast. I think one reason I love them so much right now is that my eyes were hungry for spring colors. I may love them less in the fall/winter.
Bird mug. This one looks oddly largish in the picture but is more petite: the pedestal and the nipped-in sides mean it holds significantly less than its pink/blue neighbors. I use this one when I am Having Some Coffee But Not as a Beverage Per Se. Like, for my pre-breakfast coffee, or for a little coffee to go along with a cookie later on. It bothers me a little bit that the bird on the inside of the mug is so similar to the bird visually closest to it on the outside of the mug. I wish it were a different bird entirely. But I have made peace with that. I love the curvy shape of the mug, and the handle, and the birdies. I am more drawn to this mug in spring/summer.
These two are also Small Mugs. I have this same mug in I think five different prints, because I like the size/shape/handle/heft so much. The one with the little grey blossoms is a winter favorite that will soon be replaced by the brighter/springier ones—but I do still reach for it on grim mornings. The other is one I stood considering in the store, thinking, “What is the MEANING of this design? Birds on bird-stands? Roses bigger than the birds? Butterflies? Grapes? Why?”—but I’m so glad I bought it because it stays fun to look at.
This is a topic, by the way, where I would be VERY INTERESTED in seeing YOUR favorite mugs, so if you do (or have done) a post on it, I hope you’ll leave a link in the comments. Or I’d enjoy just HEARING about your favorite mug(s).
I love this! It is so interesting to see other people’s mug collections. Mine is completely different. I find that the mugs I go to most frequently are a specific size and shape and ones that are perfect for the kitchen table must never find their way into my office because of tippiness. Perhaps this is a good prompt for me to resurrect my WordPress blog, so I can share.
I love the chicken mug so much. I need one.
We have a bunch of random thrift store mugs with names on them that aren’t our names, because I find that funny.
Also I acquired a set of mugs from my grandmother’s house with #1 whatever on them; someone gave them to her as a joke gift and she never used them. My favorites are “#1 Lover” and “#1 Trucker”. So I frequently drink my morning coffee from one of them. Makes me smile on a crappy morning.
I wonder, if you were to sort your mugs seasonally and stow the ones that are fall/winter right now, if you’d not only have more room for mugs but also be able to experience that fun “oh, this! I like this!” feeling when unpacking the new season’s a couple of times a year. Then, plus, you could stave off that bring-one-in-get-rid-of-one practice for a bit. Win/win?
This is a GREAT idea. I do this with my Christmas mugs (I pack them away with the Christmas stuff), but hadn’t thought of doing it with the rest of the mugs! I could have a Mug Box in the basement and cycle them in and out!
My #1 must-have characteristic for a mug is that all four of my fingers fit through the handle. I LOVE my Fiestaware dishes, but I despise the weirdo mugs with the tiny ring handle. What! How do you even USE that. So, all of my favorite mugs have very generous handles. I also like a big mug, usually 12 oz minimum. I’m a tea sipper along with reading or watching TV; I don’t really eat with hot beverages.
A friend of mine is a potter, so I have 3 of her mugs, and they are at the top of my mug list. They are spendy, but I think of her every time I use them, and I would be brokenhearted if I broke them.
#1. My very top favorite was actually made to be a 20-oz beer stein, but I recently found when I was home sick that it is EXCELLENT for tea! Much less need to get up and make more! It has a green glaze and stamps in the shape of the logo from a local brewery.
#2. Then comes a fish mug, where the opening of the mug is like the wide-open mouth of a fish, and there are scales and fins attached to the body of the mug. LOVE IT. It’s simultaneously cute and weird-looking, and I wanted one IMMEDIATELY when my friend released the line. My husband bought one for my birthday and then conspired with my friend to prevent me from buying one for myself, which I totally was going to.
#3. The coffee shop in town works with a local potter to release a limited-edition mug for their anniversary, and my friend got to do the 2nd anniversary mug. Mine is dark brown and sort of pot-bellied, and it has the word “handcrafted” sort of carved/written into the side in cursive. So cute and chubby.
In a totally other category, my sister gave me an excellent mug for my birthday last year that has a graphic kelly green pattern on it and an R in yellow. It is preppy but also punchy, and it is super ME. It was included in a themed birthday present where everything was patterned! (Because of course my sister and I give each other themed presents; we are Those Sisters. This year, she gave me All Red Things, and I gave her Things With Wings!)
I love your themed gift giving with your sister! May need to copy….
I have an Orla Kiely mug that I LOVE the look of, but it has one of those tiny circle handles! I bought the mug anyway, but will probably end up using it as a pencil cup!
I love the idea of theme birthday presents!
It is one of my favorite things to shop for! We call it a POAGFYS (Package of Awesome Gifts From Your Sister), pronounced POEG-fiss. I usually have one thing in mind and then that dictates everything else. For Things With Wings, I gave her:
– A God in Ruins, by Kate Atkinson: this is the thing that drove everything else, because I gave her Life After Life the year before and loved this related book, too. There is a bird on the cover, and flight weighs heavily in the plot.
– Letterpress cards with gold paper airplanes: stationery is almost always part of a POAGFYS! I got these before I had a theme in mind, and then when I realized that the book was about a pilot and the cards had planes on them, it all snapped together.
– Rose gold bird necklace: shorter and delicate, better now that she has a 9-month-old
– Penguin-shaped ice pack: at this point, I was just looking for cute things that fit the theme, and this is SO cute (http://www.amazon.com/Kikkerland-Hot-Cold-Pack-Penguin/dp/B00BWBOQG0)
Plus a card with an owl on it that says: OLDER (and a little bit wiser)
Completely agree about the Fiestaware mugs. I love the dishes but sold all the useless mugs on eBay. My favorite mugs are pottery as well.
So, I collect mugs. I have probably close to 200 of them. I am very picky about the ones I drink out of. They have to be heavy, but not too heavy, and have an appropriate sized handle for my hand. Not too big, not too small. I keep a few of my favorites in the cupboard and the rest are displayed–some on our book shelves and a good portion in my office. It’s a shame I can’t post pictures right here in the comments. Maybe I will email some to you!
Mugs are one of my favorite reasons to go to Home Goods. They always have the perfect one that I didn’t even know I was looking for.
But if you email them to her, then the rest of us don’t get to enjoy your mugs. You’ll just have to do a post on your own blog! There. *dusts off hands* I’ve solved that problem. What’s next?
AGREED!
Fine. Just for you, Carmen.
Ooo, I like the idea of finding a way to DISPLAY the mugs! Then I can have MORE MUGS!
Now that I think of it, I believe every single mug in my favorites line-up is from HomeGoods! Or possibly Marshalls.
You should do a display like this, so that you can have them accessible to use but also to look at!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/look-diy-mug-display-50147
I think I shall make a post about mugs just for you, Swistle. And maybe when I do, we can talk about cereal bowls and where to find appropriate-sized ones that also nest, because there seems to be no such thing.
As a cereal aficionado myself, I’d suggest looking at Pier One. I have a set of plain white bowls I bought there several years ago that are perfect for cereal–not too big or small, stack nicely, don’t go out of style. The only time I eat cereal out of any other bowl is when I have Rice Krispies with banana–that goes in a small mixing bowl because you can’t eat too much Rice Krispies with banana. :)
Ha! I too employ my small melamine mixing bowl for eating out of. Principally I use it to eat salads, because I usually want more salad than will fit in a soup bowl, and because it needs to be big enough to actually toss salad together in without it spilling everywhere.
I have found one kind of bowl that seems Just Right to me, for soup, cereal, ice cream, taco salad, basically everything. The brand is Primagera. I find them at HomeGoods/Marshalls, I think for $2.99 or $3.99 each. (I also have some larger ones for serving/mixing bowls.) I wish I could put photos with comments. I will see if I can find an image to link to. Ah ha! They look like this: http://images.anthropologie.com/is/image/Anthropologie/973328_034_b?$pdp-detail-shot$
I have those bowls! Love them. I use them for smaller mixing bowls and my husband uses them for cereal. I bought them at Anthropologie but they only had green and white there and I had NO IDEA there were other colors available! Going now to do a little online shopping – thanks!
Mugs- I also have a variety for different moods. I have larger mugs that have a big handle and are in botanical patterns for my serious morning coffee. I have some smaller Corel ceramic mugs in a kind of Wedgewood Blue color that I just love the shape of for when I just want a small cup of coffee. I also use these for tea. I have an awesome snowman mug that my kids gave me one Christmas that is the perfect size and weight with a perfect handle. I use that all winter long.
Oh, yes, these bowls are the best. We have them in cobalt and kelly green and use them for all sorts of things!
Yes! I love those bowls! I have them in green.
I really love Corel cereal bowls. they are the perfect size for me.
We have these and use them for all sorts of things. They’re sort of the porcelain version of Corelle bowls (same lines, fancier material):
http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-455261/Bistro+Cereal+Bowl
And I understand that we should not be talking price, but Sur la Table has pretty good sales on these sometimes.
Amazing how interesting it can be to read of other people’s approaches to mug selection!
Priority #1 for me is capacity and shape: I like to drink a lot of tea and I like it HOT. So my go-to mugs are tall and narrow (less open surface area for heat to escape). I have 3 such mugs: 2 are boring and one was painted by my son when he was 4 and actually has very beautiful colours that make me happy. The only problem is that it was a gift from my son to my husband so it says “Daddy” on it but I use it anyway when it is available.
Other than that, most of my mugs are a matched set of dark blue exterior, light blue interior. They are nice for serving drinks to a crowd and are a pleasing shape and size, but they aren’t very interesting. The remaining mugs on the shelf are in light rotation, mostly because they are too small (but they’re good for serving hot chocolate to kids).
I am not a coffee drinker, nor is my husband, so we have a paltry selection of mugs. You would be very sad choosing a mug as a guest at our house. Between the two of us, we drink probably 4 hot beverages a YEAR, so we just don’t need mugs. In my collection is a couple of mugs that I got from Unicef one year, with a fun African vibe to them. I have a mug that my mom got me when I was very small that says “#1 Daughter” on it. And I think we have one other from UCLA or something that Leo got as a speaker’s gift once. About a year ago, I bought big mugs at Target, one for each of us, that have our initial on it, with a geometric pattern of stripes or chevrons around the cups. The kids drink milk out of theirs and I now use mine for my sporadic cups of Earl Grey tea.
So cute!
I don’t really collect mugs, but I’ve started buying those Starbucks ‘city’ mugs that they sell. Mainly because you can buy them in the airport Starbucks and only have to haul them around for the trip home. But I’m getting a pretty big collection despite my rules (only buy them when I go to a city for a sports event or only a big trip.
But they are nice sized mugs and when I use my San Antonio one or my New Orleans one, it never fails to make me smile.
Interesting topic! I love the bird one, it reminds me of a set of china my grandmother-in-law had.
We have a small collection of ceramic Starbucks mugs that are my favorites for weekend coffee; they’re larger so I don’t have to go back for refills. I drink my weekday coffee on my way into work, and my favorite to-go mugs are BPA-free plastic ones from Target; I have them in brown and aqua. The size is just right, they’re dishwasher-safe, and they don’t keep my coffee too hot like the metal ones do.
I love mugs. I keep my favorites in the display cabinets in my kitchen. No blog post, but here are some photos of my favorite mugs – http://s294.photobucket.com/user/chalcedonia/library/mugs?
Ooo, fun! If I were a guest at your house, I would choose either the cream/rust pottery one, or the rightside-up white one with blue flowers!
The cream and rust one is the one I reach for first most of the time. It’s a nice size (not too big, not too small) and the handle feels very nice in my hand. The thumbrest is a nice touch too.
Ooh, I love the greeeeeen one!
I think I’d reach for the stars! (The dark blue one with the star/asterisk pattern.)
I love mugs! Maybe we could do a mug swap?
You can install cup hooks into the top of that cabinet and get a whole extra row of mugs at the top. Or get another shelf or 2 and double your sq.footage that way!
I like you so much, you just inspired me. I was sad because someone in my house either accidentally broke or discarded my favorite mug. Either way, it was missing since Christmas I guess- and I am still not “over” it. I just found it online because I remembered it said Konitz on it, and overpaid for a set of four. I wish I could attach a picture. It is blue with cute daisies sprinkled on it and then inside at the bottom– is a little picture of a little jester type guy.
I kind of figured if it didn’t matter, I’d be done being mad about it by now. I am not. So thank you so much, you are wonderful.
Oh, good: I am STRONGLY in favor of spending money on things like this.
I have “my mug” at my mom’s. It’s cylindrical and tall-ish, and has got a lovely design with a panda on it. Here at home we have all the Denby “coffee beaker” colours available (registered for ’em for our wedding in 2003), but I find I reach for a large blue-on-white Chinese-looking one, a white one with swirls of raised dots, and a big glass with thick sides and a handle first. I definitely go for bigger-and-more-interesting-looking first, then just bigger, then looks-like-all-the-others last.
I do NOT like mugs made of what I think of as “fluffy ceramic” and vastly prefer the more dense ceramic type. I don’t like the slight grating noise fluffy ceramic makes when it gets shifted around, I don’t like the lack of heft to it, and I don’t like how it feels (to me) on the verge of disintegrating all the time.
I was so glad for your last paragraph because now I want to see EVERYONE’S mugs!!!
Swistle, if it makes you feel better, I think the chicken mug is about 1/2 hens, 1/2 roosters. Big combs, wattles, and tails = roosters, but small combs, wattles, and tails = hens. And I think they can both be called “chickens” (roosters are boy chickens and hens are girl chickens, but they’re both chickens).
Most of my mugs are from places I’ve worked, organizations I’ve volunteered at, conventions I’ve attended, or are very silly like this one: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/albert-einstein-largely-literary-761642192 and they are almost all that size, too.
I have a set of smaller buffalo china mugs and tea cups, and two small mugs my mother made long ago when she had potting wheel.
I’ve stored a lot of the larger mugs in the basement and bring them out when we host gatherings. It’s fun to see people drinking variously from Einstein, Ben & Jerry’s, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, Fairfax County Democratic Committee, MarsCon, and SRA, Inc.
I only drink tea and when I drink it I want A LOT of it, so I exclusively use the Grande and Venti sized Starbucks mugs.
http://store.starbucks.com/etched-siren-mug—white-16-fl-oz-011053025.html?navid=cups-and-mugs&start=1
They are heavy in the right way and the ceramic has a pleasing texture.
I love this post!
Two weeks ago, I lost my giant (18 oz) Crazy Cat Lady mug in a freak cupboard accident. RIP.
My next favorite mugs are:
One from anthropologie that has curvy sides and my initial on it, it holds deceptively a lot and it was a gift from my sister when I was her bridesmaid
One from the first Starbucks that is decorated with an artistic, sepia-toned rendering of that Starbucks, also nice and big
Okay, I have posted about my favorite mugs: https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/favorite-mugs/
Of yours, Swistle, I love the birds one the best. Although I agree with you that the interior bird should be a different bird altogether.
YES. Can we all agree to call the pictures Mug Shots?
Yes! We can agree on that! Brilliant!
This was such a fun post! I love how having the hot coffee on the chicken’s feet makes you uncomfortable – I can relate. Also, we have similar taste in mugs : )
My favorite mug is a Disney World refillable mug that we got years ago – the first trip that we stayed at The Contemporary. It is the old school kind of refillable mug – they used to be fatter and had lids that didn’t make the beverage splash into your face if you aren’t using a straw. They also don’t require a valiant act to open them like the new ones do.
It is from the tacky futuristic era at the Contemporary – purple and green and red. A lot of print on the outside has been rubbed off by my hand. And I don’t care if it is made of some nonBPA-free plastic. We all have to die of something. If this mug is what does me in – I’m okay with that.
https://www.google.com/search?q=i%27m+feeling+a+little+crabby+today+mug&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS661US668&hl=en-US&prmd=isnv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwix97HQrIfMAhXrs4MKHVNzDBMQ_AUICCgB&biw=320&bih=492#imgrc=JTwujNUWvuthTM%3A
If that link works, it’s my 16 year old son’s mug. He wanted a mug for Christmas so my mom got it. I love whenever I see him with it. It is soo him! Teenagers! ( If you can’t view, it says I’m feeling a little crabby today with a grumpy crab.)
I love this post! I do collect mugs and it has gotten to be a bit of a problem-space is very limited. I love them so much though, and I do use them, I kind of cycle through most of them. The ones I don’t use, my daughter usually does when she is home on school breaks. My favorite right now has a picture of the Orange Bird on it, a cute little character from Florida-it is white on the outside, with a green handle, and orange on the inside. Probably not describing it well, but it gives me a bit of a boost in the morning. Nice handle, and it indents lightly in the middle, making it a fine shape for my hand. I always have a 10 ounce cup of coffee in the morning, so perfect size to add a bit of cream.
This mug is my favorite – only mine is pink! (for those who don’t feel like clicking, it’s a largish mug with Mr. T’s face in black outline and it says “Mr. Tea”). Just today a coworker asked me if I am a “big Mr. T fan” and I had to confess that I wasn’t really, but I love the mug because it’s punny. https://www.etsy.com/listing/183261254/mr-t-tea-mug-grey-gray-silver-great-gift?ref=shop_home_active_8&ga_search_query=mr.%2Btea
I too love a good pun. In the same vein, there are lots of variations on this “Hello, is it tea you’re looking for?” mug-and-pot combo. I’ve been tempted…
https://www.etsy.com/listing/154801088/hello-is-it-tea-youre-looking-for-lionel
I didn’t realize how much I was missing these tea-pun mugs in my life until now!
Yes, the same seller sells a few! She also used to have a cheese platter with Lionel Richie, with “Hello, is it brie you’re looking for?” Big fan!
My favourite mugs are ones I actually bought from the dollarstore. I don’t have a picture of them but they are large with big handles and have stripes on them. The first one I bought was blue and red striped and I liked it so much I went back and got another that has orange and yellow colours in it and I found I always reached for that one first. My more recent purchase that is my new favourite is from chapters. It’s mint coloured and says “Hello Sunshine” on it. The size is perfect, but the handle could be a little larger for my taste. Here’s the link below:
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/house-and-home/gifts/mint-breakfast-mug-hello-sunshine/882709126843-item.html?ikwid=hello+sunshine+mug&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0
It has a matching bowl that I didn’t get but I’m kicking myself because its just so cute!
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/Gifts/product/882709254812-item.html?ref=item_page:richrel:rr-carousel-small:json1
I am a big fan of Corelle mugs in all different colors. I have a couple of BIG mugs for when the caffeine need is desperate, but these are my main mugs: http://laurenandlloyd.com/2011/03/01/all-of-them/
These are the same as the Corel mug I mentioned in my previous comment! So two of us have the same favorite. Mine is the lighter blue ( I think of it as Wedgewood Blue). And I got mine in the outlet store in Gilroy CA as we were just driving by on a road trip and made an impulse stop. So I have a fond memory of that trip every time I drink from it.
I love this. I love that you asked. I often post a comment about my experience that a post reminded me of then later cringe at how I just totally used someone’s story to talk about myself. Self centered much, Amanda? But you ASKED. Thank you!
Never thought I’d be the kind with a favorite mug, but a few years ago I thought I lost it. I’d bought it just after starting my job and used it nearly every workday since even though I also bought a pretty rose-covered one. It is not curvy, but more like!e a chopped cone and has some heft. The best is the goofy cartoon dogs grinning from a very pretty field of blue. It makes crappy days so much better. That time I thought it was lost? I closed my office door so nobody would know I cried over it.
I left it on a shelf in someone’s office on a different floor, in case you wondered how dippy I am….. :)
You should take this comment right here, the one I am typing right now, as an explicit and enthusiastic invitation to ALWAYS comment about yourself on my posts! I think of that as the best part of posts (I say something, then the commenters say something similar about themselves), but I feel hesitant to Explicitly Ask because it feels like comment-mongering—it feels like it might smack of those chirpy sponsored posts, which alllllllways end in a question (“So now YOUR turn! How do YOU handle beauty on the fly?”).
Mugs, count me in!
Here is a link to an Etsy page which shows my favorite mug, the Otagiri pussy willow pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/127340778/pair-of-blue-pussy-willow-mugs-by
I bought this mug one awful day in college and it cheered me. It’s survived lots of moves. I lived in fear of a guest dropping it until I realized I could find others. Last year I found 4 of them on Etsy and snapped them up. If I had a bigger kitchen, I’d get a 80s mug tree for them! Otagiri made this really nice stoneware with slightly speckled interiors. It is a real Goldilocks of a mug–juuuuust right. I love the quality tone it has, the heft that holds in heat, the straight sides, and the generous handle. The glaze is a work of art, though. It is luminous and doesn’t chip or craze. I bought my original in 1983. I browse other patterns for happy memories of 70s style. There are a few patterns I am open to, unless they depict any kind of bird. I am bird-free. (Thanks, Hitchcock). I have lots of other mugs and a couple are even okay. Most are just sentimental to me or the family. Did I strictly need the extra matching mugs? Probably not. My rationale? IT PLEASES ME.
Uh, a _70s_ mug tree.
I LIKE. It reminds me of the kind of mug I choose if I’m at my parents’ house! I think I need to quest for one!
I am 100% in favor of investing in duplicates of a cherished item.
I’m looking at Otagiri mugs on eBay right now, and I would bet CASH MONEY that my mom has had at least one Otagiri in her cupboard—they just look like EXACTLY what I remember from my childhood. I love them.
Dooooooo it. They are just a pleasure.
My favorite mug is exclusively for shape/size: it’s a giant, perfectly-rounded, can-fit-all-fingers-through-the-handle mug… but it’s from a previous job, so it has a giant company logo smack dab in the middle of it. It also has this silvery rim that has started wearing off, that is almost definitely poisoning me every time i drink from it, but the shape/size is just so perfect I can’t stop myself.
My second-favorite mug is one I got yeeaaaaars ago back when you, Swistle, started a Pay it Forward group effort! It’s a lovely muted black on the outside, but the inside is a brilliant crackled glaze green and it’s just GORGEOUS. Here’s a not-great shot of it: http://aliceblogs.blogspot.com/2008/08/pay-it-forward-wonderfulness-continues.html
I cannot stay away from this comment section: I totally want this one for my work because, well, I edit for a living so I really AM always silently correcting grammar there.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/265720886/im-silently-correcting-your-grammar-mug
I love mugs too! I collect mugs with my name (Cindy) on them when I travel, and the cheesier, the better. I have mugs from Hawaii, Las Vegas, Florida, Colorado, and Niagara Falls, among others. I’ve been collecting them for 20 years now. They serve several purposes: it’s a nice souvenir, and when I drink my coffee, I can think of my fond memories from that trip. They have gotten surprisingly hard to find, though. I was very excited when I found two mugs on vacation last summer!
(first comment after years of reading. mugs are the best)
I made the photo public on FB so hopefully you can see it https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1194784343872875&set=a.102961299721857.6391.100000239637556&type=3&theater
On top
1. MLP Friendship is Magic Pink Glitter Mug! It’s pink! It’s glittery! (Christmas gift from my bestie)
2. Happy Birthday Mug – I received this mug on my 13th Birthday- I’ll be 40 this year so this is one amazing mug!
From L to R
2. Team Dixon custom mug ! My friend painted this for me for my Birthday. Her shop is http://www.esty.com/aryacreates
3. Gloomy U Eeyore Mug – I’ve had this for about 13 years a gift from a coworker during my gloomy eeyore phase.
4. Jack and Sally handpainted mug also from Arya Creates. I use it mostly for tea.
5. Skull and Crossbones mug from a Halloween swap I did . It is a the perfect size.
6. Debbie Downer (SNL) mug! Husband bought this for me at the ItSugar candy store. I think it’s so funny.
I love mugs and I love this post.
My own collection is not large….yet, but it is cherished and I love them all so much it’s hard enough to choose one everyday!
I have a few from the starbucks collection with cute graphics (and a very small logo). This one: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ohyoudog/5413723334/ is my very favorite. I bought it as a gift for my Grandma. She used it all of the time and happens to be holding it in one of the most iconic photos of her (taken 2 months before she passed). It belongs to me now and will always have huge sentimental value.
I also have 3 that sport sea mammals, as I LOVE whales and manatees. Of these, my manatee one is my favorite. It came from a diner where none of the mugs match, and my boyfriend secretly bribed a server to give it to him after we spotted it. Best birthday present ever.
I have two others that were gifted to me: one says SMILE in big letters (from indigo/chapters) and the other says Work Less, Play More, Enjoy Life with a bike. Both of these are good motivators on tough mornings.
I wish I had more photos to offer, but telling stories will have to do for this round!
This is by far my favorite mug: http://www.amazon.com/Disappearing-Dino-Mug-Sensitive-Dinosaurs/dp/B001F1XWPI Heat-sensitive color-changing (more like picture-changing!) dinosaur mug. It isn’t dishwasher safe so I don’t use it every day, but it is a delightful mug for leisurely hot tea on the weekends.
I wrote a post about it! SUCH a fun topic!
http://www.alexkuisis.com/blog/mug-shot
Wrote up my favorites. Realize multiple favorites are from my childhood. Good grief I have issues parting with sentimental things.
https://badgerreader.wordpress.com/2016/04/12/favorite-mugs/
Your wonderful striped pottery mug is vintage Otagiri, in the Horizon pattern. LOVE.
My husband has decided that all our tableware needs to be of zen simplicity, so all my mugs are very plain and the ones I used to like best are in the basement. (My favorite had elephants on it leading each other– not printed on, the mug was sort of made of elephants, and the handle was one elephant’s trunk.) Now my favorite mug is a deep redwood brown and a satisfying wide oval shape when you look down on it, and the heft and handle are just right to hold. I do really like it. But I miss my elephant mug.
I too have a ton of mugs, and my favorites rotate. I generally prefer mugs that aren’t just cylinders with handles; I like my mugs to be more mug-shaped, if that makes sense? Although my favorite picture-on-a-mug is on a cylindrical CafePress mug–it’s a crest that a friend and I designed in college for a website design project, wherein we pretended our friend group was a new sorority and designed a website for it. As a joke the following Christmas, one of the girls had mugs made for us all with the crest we designed on it (it’s blurry and hand-drawn and has a penguin and these weird pink-and-yellow Hawaiian-looking flowers, and it’s all in hot pink and navy blue and says “Sigma Mu Alpha, est. 2003”) and even though it’s chipped and I don’t love the shape, it’s still my very favorite mug.
I like your story. Made me smile. :)
I posted my Mug Shots on Twitter (Big_Neffy) but I had to come here to say that I have a love/hate relationship with all of you posting about Otagiri!! I now have a new obsession!
My work here is done. ;o)
I don’t have the time to read all the comments so ignore if this has been addressed: you can call it a chicken mug because it is one. Roosters are boy chickens. Hens are girl chickens. Since it’s your mug you could call it a cat mug if you liked.
We have very few mugs – maybe eight, plus the six “cups” with handles that came with my dishware set. Of the four mugs I consider “mine” (the ones I get annoyed if my husband uses), my favorite is a Christmas mug my parents bought when I was in elementary school. Everyone in the family got one, and mine was by far the cutest. It has a basset hound cartoon dog on it, in a Santa hat with a wreath around his neck (repeated around the mug about four times). I use that one first for coffee whenever I can, all year round.
Then, there’s the mug I won in college for a newspaper article I wrote that just barely still has my campus paper’s logo on it.
Next is my “tea” mug. I actually collect tea cups, and have a large collection, plus a couple of tea pots, but when I don’t want to go to all the trouble of using those, I like to have tea in a navy blue mug with my old elementary school logo on it. Since the mug is dark, the mascot (a panther) is etched in white. It’s pretty striking (I know, a picture would be better).
Finally, I have a mug I got at Disneyland with the “Once Upon a Dream” scene from Sleeping Beauty covering the whole thing. It’s turquoise on the inside. I love it, but it’s just a little broader than a normal mug. I like to drink out of that when when I’m going to add something sweet to my coffee or tea (I don’t know – I didn’t realize I had so many quirks around drinking hot beverages until this post!).
Oh, and there are also the special hot chocolate mugs that we use when I make hot chocolate for the family, or on rainy days for my daughters. They’re reindeer mugs from Target, now found only on ebay: http://www.ebay.tv/sch/i.html?_sop=12&_nkw=target+christmas+mug&_frs=1.
I went to three different Targets to collect a set with two small (6 oz, I think?) and two normal (12-oz) sized mugs. I am always worried about them breaking because I love them so much, but I force myself to let my daughters, even the three-year-old, use them because I believe in using my favorite things. If they break, I’m sure I’ll be able to find another set of something equally as cute. Or at least almost as cute. They’re pretty darn cute.
I am pretty darn late with this comment, but reading about everyone else’s favorite mugs compelled me to chime in. My favorite mug is from Dollywood and has my name on it. I was so excited when I discovered they had my name! Paige isn’t all that uncommon, but most of the time when it comes to personalized stuff, the only P names you can find are Pam and Patricia. And I love that it has Dolly Parton on it! My significant other and I recently got married after being together for a hojillion years, and we decided to register for new Fiestaware, since most of our dishes were a random hodgepodge of whatever we both brought to the relationship. Husband declared since we were proper adults now, it was time to pack away all my fun mugs and just use the plain boring Fiestaware ones. I was appalled! Just goes to show you can never truly know someone (that sounds all dramatic, like we finally decided to get married after years of being together, only to divorce in record time because of coffee mug disagreements. Haha.)
I’m late to the party- catching up after a month or so of insanity. But I HAD to comment on the mugs post. My favorite mug broke at work one day – the handle broke in the coffee room and it crashed to the floor in a million pieces. Very dramatic.
It was a blue mug with whales on it. I had taken it from my mom’s cabinet when I left for college. When I got my real job I used it as my office mug. A few yrs later, I moved to a new position at the company and was assigned a new desk. I sat next to a cute boy who i hit it off with immediately. We chatted that first day for 3O min or so then decided to walk to the break room together and get a coffee. I pulled my whale mug out of my drawer and turned to find that cute boy had THE EXACT SAME MUG! I know!! We got married 4 years later (after the sad demise of my whale mug) and have been married for 9 yrs. I knew he was special as soon as I saw the mug!
(By the way – he said his grandparents had bought the mug in Hawaii and given it to his mom. My mother had no idea where she had gotten hers.)