Chocolate Cheers
Tis the season for sweetness! A few seasons ago, though, I fell in love with the incredible and delicate designs of Aya Ogawa who creates the most marvelous mugs and more. As I have building up my collection of items from Aya, it made sense to reach out to her and see if we could do a meaningful collaboration for the winter. I was over the moon when she agreed.
Combining Aya’s gorgeous mugs with my fascination with all things floofy, I created a moment for you full of puffy marshmallows, fluffy feather top grass and dried hydrangea blooms. Here’s a little joyful feature of our shared winter adventure!
One of the most meaningful aspects of this collaboration was discussing how to bring forward American winter holiday traditions through the aesthetic and technique of a Japanese creator. Our email exchanges regarding a “cocoa pot” were fun and eye opening. Aya did an amazing job of interpreting an American favorite treat in her signature style. I was completely thrilled with the outcome and will always cherish my little pot from Aya.
It was such fun to style the ceramics with tiers of sugary goodness. I invited an army of gingerbread people to join in on the fun. Essentially, I created a towering tired hot chocolate bar in my classic, moody vibe. Tip: use museum putty to hold your towering tiers together (even the little dishes of toppings). I had a blast adding and adding layers of sweetness. Especially fun to me were the twisty top confections tucked into the filled mugs. There are so many delicious and beautiful things that you can add to hot cocoa. Pops. Hanukkah gelt. Candy canes. Gummi bears. Edible glitter. Just go for it!
I hope you’ll hop over to the Curio Cabinet to read what I find so compelling about Aya’s beautiful ceramics, join me in the Warmhouse where I will talk about my search for the fluffiest flora and read an interview with Aya in the Drawing Room and see highlights of her creative process.
Get inspired to sweeten up your season. Chocolate Cheers to you!
