ebay: **SOLD **Gold Trophy Mug-Yipwan Drum Mug sculpted by Babalu, glazed by Cammo.

I'm listing this mug for sale on my ebay account for Cammo:

Click here for the ebay auction:

Auction ends Monday, Aug 31, 2009 6:36:26 PM PDT)

Join the step by process of this mug's making starting here on Babalu's Clay Jams thread

Marketplace thread of the sold out Yipwan Drum Mugs

[ Edited by: Bay Park Buzzy 2009-08-31 17:03 ]

[ Edited by: Bay Park Buzzy 2009-09-01 18:26 ]

So, here's the story of how this mug was made.

When Babalu showed me the original sculpt of the mug I looked at it and blurted out "HOLY CRAP THAT'S GREAT!"

Then my very next thought was - This is freakin' IMPOSSIBLE to make. Babs has taken on the most complicated mug ever designed and it just ain't gonna happen.

How can it dry? It's standing in three little teeny legs!

How will the mold pull correctly? There's all kinds of hand-made looking bits that will get stuck in the mold, it'll be like pulling two pieces of velcro apart.

It's IMPOSSIBLE, I tell ya. It will never happen.

But, of course, Babalu is a magical wizard of ceramics, the guy had a plan and he went ahead step by step and made the suckah. It's a two part process, three molds per top and bottom, with those little faces pulled from an extra (press?) mold. So it's a SEVEN PART MOLD.

We were talking a week later and he nonchalantly mentioned that he had molded his first 3 mugs of the Yipwan Drum and I spat up my corn flakes. "YOU DID IT???!!!!" I yelled. Oh yeah, he said. Go over to the TC thread and check it out, he said.

So anyway, in person the mug is even more amazing, cause it's the first mug I've ever seen that looked exactly like it was hand built, even though it was molded. No seams. And it stands on those little teeny legs just great. And it looks AMAZING.

So I told him I'd do anything if he'd give me one to glaze. The mug kept turning in 3D inside my head with deep. rich chocolate browns and bright red faces. If I could do a gold run on the main drum part, man that mug would look sweet.

"Sure." says Babalu. "Why don't ya just make me the little CoA card that comes with it? You could even make up a drink recipe too.

Hey, now that's an idea.

So I got to work making the card and put together this cool little watercolor picture of an Islander actually playing a Yipwan drum, with a drink on the back called the "Yipper Sipper" The ingredients were the most obscure, hard to find rums and contained a special liqueur that nobody seemed to know about called Limoncello. Yup, same as the room party hit of Oasis, that's right, Limoncello. This was WAY before Queenie announced her room party theme. It's bizarre.

I printed out the card for Babs, showed him the recipe, and then....

.... my computer got fried. Not the hard drive. Not the power supply. the MOTHER BOARD. I didn't even think that was possible. And it happened about 2 weeks before Oasis. CRAP.

So instead of making the little cards, I made him a fishing hat. (It's over on his thread.) And his one stipulation about the hat was - if he ever wanted to use the carved hook pendant again that wraps on the outside of the hat, it would have to be in perfect condition. So I just made it detachable. It's wrapped on with little loops of thread. It's cool.

Then I got to work on the mug, and here's how it was done:

The whole thing is done in chocolate and sienna brown, transparent glazes. The red face, after many experiments, I did in an two layer undercoating, then a two layer gloss on top. The intended effect was to make it look like it was carved from red rubies. Red is a really hard color to fire, I wanted this to look perfect, so under/overcoating was the way to go.

This part of the glazing took around 3 hours. I worked on it at Babs's place when Squid was there, then took it home and finished it up. Then, maybe another hour for the reds, which were applied with at one point with a 00 brush.

That's the one at the top of this picture:

Then, after the first firing of this glaze, I didn't tell Babalu, but I secretly applied a double Premium Real Gold glaze to the whole outside and leg details of the drum. This is really hard, it's like painting black engine oil on a brown beer bottle. Try it's its no picnic. Babs fired it right before Oasis, and I was crossing my fingers, cause I piled that gold on thick in places. (It drips down at the bottom, look closely and you can see.)

It came out great. When Babs pulled it out of the firing, the morning after, it sort of glowed like the Idol at the start of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

That's the story.

Brilliant! The gold really kicks this piece into the stratosphere (for me at least.)

Thanks too for the story Cammo.

I think I may just have to bid on this beast...

Thanks, G.

Wish I had glazed 2 of these mugs and kept one myself, &*!@$&!!! I'm gonna regret not doing that....

You used real gold on that sucker? I remember seeing this @ Oasis. Nice job, Cam!

"You used real gold on that sucker?"

Yeah, I put about 45 bucks in primo gold into it. Now get outa here and carve something, Billy Boy!

:o Dang Cam-O... that's AMAZING glazework on dat Yipper! SOLID GOLD! Yeah baby!!

This mug would require a person of great taste, the distiguished eye and flamboyant flair for seeing far beyond the binalities of everyday... yep, this beauty would need a tailored suit to walk proudly into the evening...maybe even a pair of ruby red slippahs to boot?? :D

+++++++++++++++++ :o :o :o KILLAH! :o :o :o ++++++++++++++++++++

So here's the recipe for the Yipwan Drum Mug's "Yipper Sipper", but be warned, Guavaberry Rum is really hard to get! And I'd suggest "Il Convento, Sorrento" Limoncello, which is an all natural product, and tastes smooth, not sweet. It, like the Guavaberry, comes in a handy corked bottle; I store it in the freezer.

1 oz. Guavaberry Rum
1 oz. Limoncello
1.5 oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice
Sprig of Mint
Dash of Ground Pepper

Lightly crush mint sprig in Yipwan Drum Mug, top with pepper. Fill mug with crushed ice & add ingredients. Stir violently.

Squeeze a touch of ½ a lemon into drink, then float it on top, cut side up. Top lemon with a spot of grenadine.

Serve with 3 straws. (For a different flavor, add 1 Allspice seed instead of pepper, and crush it with the mint.)

LAST MINUTE DEAL.

Well, Guavaberry Rum Liqueur isn't available in the US right now.

Here's the notice from the Sint Maarten's website:
Guavaberry Liqueur & Mango
Dear Customer,

Due to circumstances beyond our control there will be an interruption in the availability of Guavaberry Liqueur & Mango in the US from today. We are making all efforts to rectify this situation. Our Hot Sauce products are fully available here as ever. In the meantime, if you really want your Guavaberry Rum Liqueur, perhaps this will provide you with an additional excuse to come back to the island.

Stephen Thompson
Managing Director
Sint Maarten Guavaberry Co NV
8-10 Frontstreet, Philipsburg
Sint Maarten. Netherlands Antilles.

**So here's what I'm gonna do.

I'll INCLUDE one oz. of Guavaberry Rum with the mug. Yup, that's right, I'll toss in 1 oz. so you can actually make the Yipper Sipper drink. (You'll have to buy the Limoncello yourself.)

I'm keeping the rest of the bottle cause it tastes SO GOOOOOD!**

Ok, fruitstripe.......bidding ended at $212.49 (or $6.50 Canadian). Who bought that thing?

I'm not exactly sure who the winnah is, but they got the deal of the CENTURY on this thing. I should have sold it at Oasis for $350.00, at least two people were itching to buy it at that price. Next time....

Ya gotta see this mug in person, it's freaky amazing!

On a sidenote, I wouldn't reccomend smashing an Allspice berry inside of a three legged, ceramic mug. Crush the Allspice outside of the mug, man.....better yet.....at that price, put the mug on the shelf and make the drink in a pint glass.

Congrats Cammo!
now quit griping about the price you sold it at!
it's going to a good home
and the person who bought it will love it forever....

love is it's own reward....
:)

Well, love, astroglide, and a woman with low self esteem.......

On 2009-08-31 23:43, Billy the Crud wrote:
Ok, fruitstripe.......bidding ended at $212.49 (or $6.50 Canadian). Who bought that thing?

I don't know if this is proper decorum, but I'm posting the unscrambled bidder's name for you:

Bidder Bid Amount Bid Time

Cammosmom( 383) CAN $212.49 Aug-31-09 16:16:28

CamtheGreat! ( 9) US $209.99 Aug-31-09 18:11:28

CamtheGreat!( 9) US $204.99 Aug-31-09 18:11:23

CamtheGreat!( 9) US $199.99 Aug-31-09 17:48:44

CamtheGreat!( 9) US $188.55 Aug-31-09 17:48:24

Cammosmom( 383) CAN $166.99 Aug-30-09 16:36:14

Kenruzic.com( 5) US $150.00 Aug-31-09

#1CamfanSD92117( 0) US $120.00 Aug-30-09 07:25:23

CamtheGreat!( 9) US $104.44 Aug-29-09 19:32:11

Cammosmom( 383) CAN $99.99 Aug-29-09 16:22:11

CamtheGreat!( 9) US $91.22 Aug-27-09 18:23:49

Starting Price US $75.00 Aug-24-09 18:36:26 PDT

Buzzy Out!

[ Edited by: Bay Park Buzzy 2009-09-01 18:55 ]

HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!

Damn!
Cammo's mom outbid me.....
:(

Actually, I profusely thank the buyer, because the sale is almost the exact price of my new glasses!

Somebody tipped me off about Shuron Eyewear (check 'em out!!!) at Oasis, and I just ordered this pair with prescription polarized blue-grey lenses!

And yes, the mug is definitely shipping with the Guavaberry Rum!

THANK YOU!!!!
Laytah,
Mr. C

GOT 'EM!

Love these glasses; tortoiseshell frames & gold hardware from Shuron and prescription polarized blue-grey lenses from CostCo! Been looking for frames like these for years and finally sent away to Shuron for them, they sent out 5 pairs (!) and I picked my favorite frame and temple length. Returned the rest. They fit perfectly.

Total price - about 1/2 the cost of non-prescription designer sunglasses.

Thanks again, these are necessities here in sunny San Diego!
Laytah,
Mistah C