I can’t wait till Saturday. Here’s why. By Saturday, there’ll be no need for the relentless hype over the Royal Wedding. It’ll be over, we’ll have the photos answering all of our questions, we can ooh and aah over the dress and all the resplendent details, and collectively move on.
Because right now, Patrice has had it up to here (see what I did there?) with Royal Wedding everything.
And I’m not the only one! Behold, the Sorry…But mug, made by Camila Prada.
She’s a super talented ceramics designer who lives and works in the UK. She makes these cute and functional figurines, and the Sorry But mug is her first foray into satirical pop culture ceramics.
And she’s adorable and has incredible hair, as you can see!
And before she lived in the UK she lived and grew up in Canada and Spain, and before that she was born and raised in Trinidad, where her amazing mother was my primary school principal and Spanish teacher. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of playing with Camila when my parents would visit hers.
It’s so awesome to see what we’ve both grown up to become!
I asked Camila about the inspiration of the Sorry…But mug — and first things first, please know this wasn’t borne out of resentment against the monarchy or anything like that per se.
From her site:
“The mug says: SORRY BUT… to the media, not the Royal couple themselves. To wish someone ill on their Wedding day would be a bit mean and not my style or intention.
There is also the less apparent irony of the manufacturing situation. If you’ve read this far, you probably know there are huge quantities of commemorative ware being sold right now. Ironically, the bulk of the official ware for the Royal Wedding is not being made in the UK, as there are so few factories left to handle the expected volume. Think of how many jobs would have been generated if a collection of UK companies were to be appointed?
As an entrepreneur and ceramic aficionado the survival of industry is close to my heart. It is also my lively hood. My biggest desire is to design and make beautiful, ethically made products in the UK. That’s why 10% of the selling price from each mug will go to the charity WE LOVE STOKE.”
And in a personal message to me, she explained further:
“No lengthy business model, no outside investment, no paid advertising (just me tweeting the hell out of it) and it took off. If you have ideas you can make things happen with very little money. That’s my message.
A mug is a mundane object, but this one has a huge relateability factor, it’s stands for something some people are actually feeling right now. And it differenciates you from the majority and the fanfare going on all around you, and that in itself makes you feel kind of cool. I made for me first and thought other people would like it too.
The mug goes against the grain, it stands for something, not everybody will get it, but that’s why it exists in the first place. It’s a light-hearted protest against all the hoopla.
I am not criticizing the Monarchy. The mug says “sorry but” to the constant stream of inescapable news (when you turn on the TV, shop for your groceries – cheap horribly designed products everywhere, get on the internet) telling us how tall the cake is going to be, and how you can now get a commemorative Royal Wedding toilet seat cover. “Oh yeah, great, thanks! I really wanted one of those”. ”
AGREED! I wish Wills and Kate all the best, but there is definitely media and product overkill as this clip by CNN’s Jeannie Moos illustrates all too well.
I don’t plan to wake up early on Friday for any other reason than to get ready to head to Atlanta for the big World Natural Hair Show this weekend!
But that’s just me. And Camila! And many others.
(You can follow Sorry…But on Twitter, BTW).
How about you, bellas? Are you stoked for Friday’s ceremony? Or do you agree with the Sorry…But mug?
I will be getting up to see the wedding, mainly because I got up 30 years ago to see William’s parents get married and then, 16 years after that, I got up early to see Diana’s funeral. So it’s kind of a tradition for me. In my town the public library is opening early to show it; I’ll probably stay home and watch it online.
All that said, I think that mug’s adorable and not only is your friend cute, she makes a lot of good points. Any chance we could get some insight on her hair regimen? 😉
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Oh I want that mug!!! I’m so sick of all the hype.
Maybe b/c I keep my media saturation at manageable levels, the wedding hype isn’t bothering me. I was more annoyed by the Sheen mess. I see the headlines and think to myself, “Good for them…I hope it works out for them. They look happy.” I then move on. No one forces me to read all the articles and I don’t watch much tv.
I do like the mug though…she executed it well. Count me as another one who wants to know more about Camila b/c she seems like a fabulous person.
I SO agree with the mug, and I’m a wedding planner! I haven’t watched the news in days because I don’t understand why it takes up so much time on American news or why local news anchors are traveling to the UK. I’m happy for the couple, but I too am looking forward to Saturday when it’s all over and I can see this overhyped dress.
I’ve heard more about the wedding from people who are sick of it than from people who are excited about it. That’s what I’m ready to be done with lol. Let us wedding geeks be geeked!
Add me to the @Sorry_But party. I truly wish them well and I wonder if they would rather elope in Vegas.
If you are going to televise anything, televise the reception. I would love to see the royals doing the Electric Slide.
When it comes to weddings, the most important aspect for me is the cake. And if they aren’t sharing any cake with me, oh well.
Initially I had some mild curiosity, but no more than the usual “what did that celeb wear” level curiosity? Now that we’ve had 24/7 coverage for the past month I’m over it. I’m sleeping in until it’s time to go to the gym for water aerobics. This isn’t the marriage of a first in line king and his virgin bride. These folks have dated for a while and lived together. I just want them to jump the broom already.
Thanks for exposing us to Camila Prada! I love that mug and can’t wait to see what other merchandise she has.
I want that mug! I’d buy extras for my sisters. I am happy for them but I’m not glued to the TV for coverage. I doubt (seriously) that I will watch the wedding either.
really girl? the Latifah song? you are too dope!! great piece, as usual.
Great to get this update on Camila – does she get the irony of her surname ? 🙂
Safe trip to Atlanta and all the best on your job there.
I won’t be getting up as I did for Diana’s but will catch highlights re dress, hair and if she wore a tiara or just flowers in a wreath 🙂
I wish the Royal couple the very best and many years of wedded bliss.
I second, that please get that off the news, I am on a news strike until after the wedding. In the most famous words this is silly, there are more important things to worry about!!
Camila is adorable! I have don’t plan on watching , listening, discussing or DVR-ing the wedding. I have so much more going on in my world that this wedding is not even a “blip” on my screen.
Love the mug!!!
Wow,Camila literally took the words right out of my mouth. Just a couple of days ago, I commented to my mom, “Am I the only one who could care less about The Wedding?”
My reasoning is simple. The media is in love with anyone young and attractive. When you add royal to the mix, it is a media feeding frenzy. I really hope that it never reaches epic Princess Diana proportions. But you never know how far some will go to get “the story”.
Nice job, Camila and thanks Bella for always bringing us the best!
I totally agree about the tacky and senseless Royal products. There was one I thought was useful, the official royal barf bag. Yup,Joan Rivers showed it on Fashion Police and said “for when you just can’t take anymore wedding coverage”. Joan is so right!
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