A generous 12-oz everyday mug with a thumb-rest handle that actually fits a hand.
Field4" tall × 3.4" wideShips 2–3 weeks
Hand-thrown stoneware · Asheville, NC
Made by one pair of hands,one kiln at a time.
Marl & Ash is a one-potter studio. I wedge, throw, trim, glaze, and pack every piece myself — small batches of stoneware for slow mornings and full tables, sold on Etsy and made to order.
★★★★★ 4.9 · 1,842 Etsy reviewsnine years at the wheel11,000+ pieces shipped worldwide
The Morning Mug
Field · speckled white satin
In the kiln nowGlaze firing · Cone 6
Opens to the shopThis Friday
Made-to-order lead2–4 weeks
Made by one potter · Thrown, trimmed & glazed by hand4.9★ on Etsy · 1,842 five-star reviewsEtsy Star Seller · Fast shipping · 5-star serviceShips in 2–4 weeks · Made to order in small batchesShips worldwide · Wrapped to survive the post
Lot 01 · The Shelf
Made to orderA small shelf of everyday pots.
Each piece is thrown, trimmed, and glazed by hand in small batches. Browse here, then tap through to buy or favorite it on Etsy.
Nesting Bowl
$38A deep, hand-thrown bowl for ramen, cereal, or holding the day’s clementines.
Tide6.5" wide × 3" deepShips 2–3 weeks
Stem Vase
$64A tall, narrow-necked vase for a single branch or a loose handful of stems.
Tide8" tall × 3.5" at the bellyShips 3–4 weeks
Lot 02 · The Glaze Library
Three seriesGlazes I mix by hand.
Every glaze is mixed in the studio from raw materials and tested on the same clay before it touches a pot. Three living series, each one a little different out of every firing.
Lot 03 · The Maker
Hi, I’m TessOne potter, start to finish.
Marl & Ash began in 2016 at a single secondhand wheel in a corner of a shared River Arts studio. Tess Holloway had been a line cook for a decade and missed making things with her hands at the end of a shift — so she started throwing mugs after close.
Nine years on, it is still a studio of one: every piece is wedged, thrown, trimmed, glazed, and packed by the same pair of hands. We keep batches small on purpose. A kiln fits what it fits, and we would rather make a hundred good pots than a thousand rushed ones.
Lot 04 · The Process
Clay to cupboardFrom a lump of clay to your table.
No molds, no slip-casting, no shortcuts — just clay, water, two firings, and a kiln that always keeps a surprise.
Wedge & throw
Every pot starts as a wedged ball of cone-6 stoneware, centered and opened on the wheel by hand. No molds, no slip-casting — just clay and water.
Trim & pull
Once leather-hard, each piece is flipped and trimmed to its foot, and handles are pulled and joined wet so they’ll never pop off.
Bisque fire
Bone-dry greenware goes into the first firing to ~1,940°F, turning fragile clay into porous, paintable bisqueware.
Glaze by hand
Each pot is waxed, dipped, and brushed in glazes I mix from raw materials in the studio — the part where the kiln gets a vote.
Glaze fire to cone 6
The loaded kiln climbs to ~2,232°F over twelve hours and cools for a full day. I don’t open it until it’s cold — and it always holds a surprise.
Inspect, wrap & ship
Every piece is checked for food-safety and finish, signed on the foot, wrapped to survive the post, and sent with a care card.
Lot 05 · Commissions
Custom ordersA wedding set, a café run, a gift.
Some of my favorite work is made for one person or one table. Tell me what you have in mind and I’ll come back with a quote and a timeline — a 50% deposit holds your spot in the queue.
- Matching registry & wedding sets in one glaze
- Wholesale runs for cafés & restaurants
- A single piece in a glaze we develop together
Lot 06 · The Letters
4.9★ on EtsyFrom the people who use them every day.
★★★★★
“This is the only mug I reach for now. It’s heavier than a factory mug in the best way and the speckles are gorgeous. Tess even tucked in a handwritten note. Buying two more for gifts.”
★★★★★
“The celadon glaze pooling in the bottom is unreal — looks like water. Perfect ramen bowl. Shipped fast and wrapped like it was going to the moon.”
★★★★★
“Ordered the tumblers for our wedding registry and then a full custom set. Tess was so patient developing the glaze with us. Our guests keep asking where the pottery is from.”
Lot 07 · Off the Wheel
Around the studioProcess clips, reviews & restocks.
Follow along between firings — the wheel in motion, kiln-opening days, and the ping when a fresh batch lands.
Instagram · @marlandash · the wheel in motion
Centering 30 mugs before the morning coffee’s cold ☕️
♥ 4,820▶ 212kDipping the Tide celadon — sound on for the drip
♥ 6,310▶ 418kKiln-opening day. The best (and scariest) part 🔥
♥ 9,240▶ 703kTrimming a foot ring in real time, no edits
♥ 3,870▶ 156k Restock alerts
A fresh kiln opens most weeks.
Pieces are made to order, so “sold out” just means that batch is in the queue. Favorite the shop on Etsy to get the ping when it lands.
9 yrs
At the wheel
11,000+
Pieces shipped
6,400+
Etsy sales
4.9★
1,842 reviews
1
Pair of hands
100%
Made to order
Bring an idea to the wheel
Want a piece made just for you?
Shop ready-made pieces on Etsy, or tell me about a custom set, a café run, or a wedding registry. I’ll reply within a couple of days with a quote and a timeline — no obligation.