When was the last time a Starbucks coffee cup made you smile? (silence.) That's what we thought. Well, with absolutely no scientific facts to back it up, we're certain that drinking a brew from Mie Kongo's animal-themed mugs will turn that Monday morning frown upside-down.
Growing up in Japan, Kongo always had a thing for collecting little animal chotchkes, but a desire to turn something cute into something you can actually use is what spawned her adorable line of ceramic mugs – adorned with bunnies, penguins, birds and more.
"I wanted to make something very unique and I just wanted to incorporate the animal into functionality," she tells PEOPLEPets.com.
The cups, which range in size from 4 oz. to 16 oz, are handmade using a method called slip casting. Kongo makes a mold of both the mug and animal figurine and uses these molds to pour liquid clay into it before firing twice in a kiln. Her designs are mostly a crisp white color but a select few enjoy a splash of color (isn't a green-hued owl the perfect fit for your breakfast table?)
Check out Kongo's Etsy Shop to get a cup for yourself ($17-$26) – we bet you can't suppress a cheesy grin.
See something on Etsy that you'd like us to profile in this weekly column? Send us an email to editors@peoplepets.com or leave a comment below. Read last week's Etsy Fave, here.
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