As it turns out the nice couple that called was, in fact, looking for a very particular color for the mug that they were seeking – Burgundy. The only inn in Duluth that has burgundy mugs in stock was the Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek. That being said, Julie our now infamous GM, looked at the order history of each of our Duluth Inns before finding the location of a burgundy mug.

In alphabetical order… Our favorite Inns of Duluth:

A. G. Thomson House

Cotton Mansion

Ellery House Bed & Breakfast

Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek

Mathew S. Burrows 1890 Inn

Olcott House

Solglimt Jewel on the Water

Let it be known that each property and each innkeeper(s) are equally our favorites and we hope to stay with each one!!! Most importantly, we hope that everyone that reads this blog will take time to stay at each property and will purchase a mug to remember that stay… These amazing Inns are just like our handmade mugs – No 2 are exactly alike!

Thank you for reading our blog!

Niles Deneen

Well, this happened last Friday as a couple was at the Split Rock Lighthouse and they didn’t see exactly what they wanted on the shelf. It should be noted that Split Rock is celebrating it’s 100th Anniversary this year, so with the increase in interest they’ve sold out of some pieces. So the couple called us to find out where they could find another mug. Julie, our amazingly talented GM, referred them to the B&B that she recently stayed at, the Firelight Inn, located in Duluth, MN – the innkeepers Jim and Joy Fisher are the best!!!

Like most calls that we get about finding a mug we never hear anything and just hope that our assistance was appreciated… This time, we did hear and it was posted on the facebook page of the Firelight Inn!!!

So the phone rings this afternoon and a couple tells us they saw some stoneware at Split Rock Lighthouse but its not quite what they want. They see its made by Deneen Pottery and they give them a call and, off course, Deneen Pottery sends them to The Firelight Inn. They just left with two Firelight mugs which they considered “perfect”! Sweetness!

Once  you have an appreciation for handmade mugs by Deneen Pottery, nothing else will do! Even thought the couple didn’t stay with Jim and Joy Fisher, they loved their mugs enough to buy a pair. That certainly is much better than getting a parking ticket!!!

For more information on how you can place your first order, or find your next mug, just give us a call 888-646-0238!

Thanks for reading our blog.

Niles Deneen

Shortly after that post the commander of the unit and I, while working within a budget, came up with an order that allowed us to produce both a small run of Nordic Tankards, and Rancher mug. I was able to save one of the 196th Military Tankards and have photographed it so that you can see it here.

The second part to this order includes our spanking new glaze – RED. Yep that’s right we have invented a LEAD FREE, CADMIUM FREE, RED GLAZE and it is so full of vibrancy and pop that it is certain to become one of our most popular glaze colors yet!!! I haven’t had time to add it to our web page yet and the only other place you can see it is on our facebook page. I must apologize for this size and detail of this second photo as I only had my iPhone with me.

Seeing as this is the first military order that we’ve completed with our new red glaze I had to post a few pictures in a blog. Although summer is a busy time, it is always important to keep working on the ‘fun’ projects. Sharing bit of information with the greater world is definitely one of those things – Even if one a few in the greater world read this.

Ultimately we are proud to work on order for our troops, be they in Hawaii (like the 196th) or in Iraq, Germany, or Utah.

If you have any questions about ordering, our stoneware, or the new RED GLAZE just let us know.

Thank you for reading our blog!

Niles Deneen

That’s right – We are offering a ‘New Customer’ special for the month of August giving a $75.00 discount on the First Time Set-Up fee! This was just approved by our President Peter Deneen, and is available for the whole month of August!!! I was formerly under the impression that the discount was going to be less, but now it turns out that the First Time Set-Up is HALF OFF (regular price is $150.00).

To take advantage of this you need to place your first order of 50 signature mugs (or more) in the next 30 days – Delivery will be about 12 weeks, because of our production levels, so mugs will be ready to ship in October or November perfect for the Foliage Season!!!

Any questions that you have can be answered by calling us toll free at 888-646-0238.

Here is the snappy graphic that also goes over everything and can be printed out:

Like all specials there is some fine print – Offer not valid with any other offer, subject to refusal and may change without notice. Honestly, we just want to work with a few more new customers that have been on the fence, and just need a small nudge to jump in!!! The water is great and we look forward to hearing from you!!!

Estes Park, CO – Owned and operated Lois H. Smith – Stoneware by Deneen Pottery

We are now in our second year of working with the Baldpate Inn and we are just into the heart of the busy season. Thing are going well… Really well actually:

“HELP!  The mugs are flying off the shelves!  We can barely use them in the restaurant we have sold so many!!!   Can we get another order ASAP?  I think you have already sent all I had on my January Pack & Ship order.”

“I guess I should have realized these would sell so great, but just didn’t anticipate the demand” wrote Lois in a second email after her next order of 350 handmade custom mugs was approved.

What can you do except make more and get it out as quick as we can! Finding the perfect place, and the perfect season, and then the right people is how we are growing our family business. When more and more products are made outside of our country, with fossil fuels burned to get them here, we feel like we are doing our small part to make the world a better place.

Glazing the plates, one-by-one, is the founder, president, Peter Deneen… The gizmo that he is using is a pending a patent, and is affectionelly called the Glaze-A Whirl. It is just one of the many machines, and processes that we invented in our pursuit to create the finest handmade stoneware.

Creating functional, durable, American Made Stoneware is what we do – It’s who we are as a family!

If you have any questions just give us a call, or send an email using the ‘Contact Us’ button on the left.

Thank for reading our blog -

Niles Deneen VP, Marketing – Deneen Pottery

This is the second blog that I’ve done showcasing some of the work that we have done for military units – The mugs that were shown on the previous blog were all done specifically for our customers and the designs were perfected through an approval process. To see those images and that blog click here.

After I posted that earlier blog I did some additional searching and came across one more military mug design – Detachment 14 Silent Warriors. This was one of about 3 orders that we crafted for a special client. The artwork, as you can see, has a great amount of detail and pictures a Bald Eagle with a Native American dream catcher.

Our Glaze-Engraving™ process allows us to capture the greatest detail, and the finest lines, so that YOU will have an amazing emblem on a mug that was crafted by 24 pairs of hands. Yes, you read that correctly – Each mug is touched by 24 different hands through the production process, and that all takes right here, in Minnesota, USA!!!

This specific Custom Military Mug was created in a very limited run, only 50  were made, and they shipped out from our factory in the summer of 2009.

Our family pottery company strives to produce the highest quality, handmade stoneware for each and every customer – We look forward to answering your questions – Call us anytime!

Sincerely,

Niles Deneen, VP-Marketing

888-646-0238

For more information on our stoneware just click here, or use the navigation bar on your left.

]]> http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2010/07/another-handmade-custom-military-coffee-mug/feed/ 1 http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2010/06/military-mugs-by-deneen-pottery/ http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/2010/06/military-mugs-by-deneen-pottery/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:38:24 +0000 Niles Deneen http://www.deneenpottery.com/blog/?p=648 Only our best for our Nations best!

We love working with military units – and given the chance we will create a the finest handmade mugs in this country. For some clients, like the Patriot Shop in Tennessee, we have produced designs for each branch of service so that they can retail individual mugs through their website.

We have more fun when we are given a challenge… For Camp Lejune we combined the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor along with the famous tree from the entrance of the base for a custom design that looks like this:

The Spartans, 2nd Special Troop Battalion that were stationed in Iraq we integrated the country outline, their insignia, and their name for a mug that was given out at their Battalion Ball in February of this year. The Battalion Ball mug was a hit and many were pleased to see our ‘Made in the USA’ stamp on the bottom of each mug.

Just a few weeks ago we created a mug for the TSgt Joshua Trotter who is stationed at the Geilen Kirchen Military Base in Germany… Joshua ran across a mug that we had made for the Hill Airforce Base in Colorado and wanted a custom design for his outfit. We scrambled and put a RUSH on the order so that mugs would arrive in June. We pulled it off and heard back from Joshua.

“Thanks Niles for all the efforts of you and your family.  The event did go well and people are really impressed with the mugs.  I think the next place I go I will change up the color and possibly the design, because one can only have so many blue mugs.” Till next time. Josh

As I type this we have another Military Mug project in the works for the 196th Infantry Brigade stationed in Hawaii. We have taken the insignia and the patch and have woven both pieces into a design that is just about to be approved. Once approved we’ll aim to produce the finest mug for the brave men and women that are protecting our country.

If you have any questions about starting a design, costs, or anything else just send an email to niles@deneenpottery.com and I will get right back to you!

Thanks for reading our blog – Have a great Independence Weekend!

Niles Deneen

We are best known for our Signature Coffee mugs, but have over 55 different items all made by hand. Working from photos, or camera ready art, we create designs that are cut into clay with our “Glaze-Engraved™” process. Pictured below are 3 of our 10 styles of mugs – We have over 180 different glaze combinations!

Each mug is hand-thrown on a potter’s wheel by a master potter at our studio in St. Paul, MN. While each piece is almost identical, no two are exactly the same – And that is just one aspect that makes our stoneware so collectable.

If you found this page by clicking through from the Museum Store Marketplace – Welcome. Mention this blog and we’ll give you $50 off your first order.

For more information on our stoneware and the $50 coupon email niles@deneenpottery.com with your contact info and we’ll send you a catalog with the coupon and a sample mug, if you’d like. You can also call us, we like talking about our stoneware: 888-646-0238

To explore our website you can click here www.deneenpottery.com, or you can use the navigation bar to your left.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Following the Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Conference Jay Karen stopped by and toured our studio. Halfway through my dad, Peter Deneen, sat Jay at a wheel and let him give it a spin! Keep in mind Jay is not a professional potter…

The mug, that has now just come out of the kiln, is truly one of a kind.

With an instructor like Peter Deneen, who is narrating, what could go wrong?

Thanks for reading our Blog.

Niles Deneen

Helping Red and all of the individuals that work with him to keep people safe is a great honor! When Michael, Superintendent of Communications for Allentown, PA, first called to get more information I could only hope that we would get the chance to make mugs for him… Those that serve the public, especially in situations of life and death, are an invaluable part of our society.

“The entire staff was very pleased with how they turned out including our 911 Mascot, Red E. Fox,” Mike wrote in shorty after the mugs arrived.

Like all things that have great worth, you must work to achieve them… That goes the same with this order. Initially Michael sent their logo and asked how a mug might look. This was the first step and one that I did immediately. Here is the first virtual sample pictured on our newest mug style – The Abby.

Along with the Abby the order also included the Barrel mug – That is the one that Red E. Fox likes the best. “We were very impressed with the quality and finish of the mugs as well as the look and feel,” Micheal wrote in an email following delivery of their mugs.  He also wrote, “Our new mugs will certainly be our top choice for our morning cup of coffee.”

Since our mugs are made to last, the staff at Allentown Communications will be enjoying their morning coffee in our mugs for years to come!

As Red E. Fox keeps drinking from his mug, maybe he’ll show it to some of his other friends in Allentown…

Thanks for reading our blog!

Niles Deneen – VP Marketing