After seeing the impact of mental health on those around her, Elizabeth Bell knew that she wanted to do her part to support Movember this month.

Movember is an annual event that lasts until November. Men often wear beards to raise funds and raise awareness about men’s health, including mental health and prostate and testicular cancer.

But Elizabeth couldn't grow a beard herself, she had to be creative in fundraising.

Earlier this year, when she stumbled upon an antique teacup in her husband's grandmother's house, she knew she had a successful idea.

"At that time before the First World War, most men used to wear a moustache, and they used to put wax in it," Elizabeth said.

"But when they drink something like tea, their wax melts and drips into the drink.

"So they came up with these beard teacups with a protective device inside to cover their beards when they drink.

"I have never heard of them before, but Jordan, my husband, and his grandmother have a beautiful old antique. We sat down at the beginning of the year.

"It's so cool, so I did some research on it because I've never seen something similar before.

"I knew right away that this was something I could try."

The teacup, also known as the moustache cup, was invented in England in the 1860s. At that time, moustaches were very common. The purpose was to keep men's beards dry and clean when drinking water.

They were used until the 1910s, but fell out of favor when the beard began to become obsolete.

Today, Victorian cups are popular collectibles.

As a famous local ceramic artist, Elizabeth decided to create her own modern version of the cup to raise funds for Movember, and Mo Mugs was born.

"Every ceramic artist is making mugs, vases, and glasses, but it's a bit different, and I know I want to try it," she said.

"Probably in May, I started making my first prototype, just to see how I could make it work.

"I made one between my other orders from time to time, just to see how it works, so it took a long time to find the final design... It's very interesting and a nice little project.

"They have been tested by Jordan along the way, and we found that when I was sitting on top of the cup, it was not very comfortable to drink.

"So I had to find a way to let the guard sit in the cup. It is not hard, but you have to support it when it is dry, otherwise the mustache will droop from the middle.

"I'm glad I started thinking about it so early because it took some time to figure it out."

Elizabeth started with a small batch of cups, and it took several weeks to make them by hand, but she said she was overwhelmed by the support.

"The body is just a cylinder I made on the wheel... I can make up to 50 in a day," she said.

"They are made first because they need to dry for two days before they can be picked up and processed.

"My husband is an architect, so he did a great job with 3D printers. He made me a mustache-shaped cookie.

"Once the cylinder is dry, I put my hand on the top of the cup, put the mustache on the top of the cup, and then put them in a kiln at 1000 degrees [Celsius].

"Then I dipped them into the glaze and put them back in the kiln at a temperature of 1280 degrees.

"Each shooting takes two days, so it takes quite a long time to make them together.

"I took a few peeks on my Instagram along the way, but I really don't know what will happen.

"I made about 50 and only a few are left. The response was very good.

"People buy them for themselves or their partners for about 50-50, which is very good, people buy them for their partners or fathers.

"I plan to produce 50 or 100 more cars, but it will depend on the situation. I have to cut them off on a certain date because I can’t get them to people before the end of November, and they still have a moustache ."

Elizabeth said that 25% of the proceeds from each cup went to the Movember Foundation.

"I really want to raise $1,000, which is great," she said.

"So far, my income may be around $600, but I am also doing Move for Movember. You can run or walk 60 kilometers every day this month (60 people die by suicide every hour).

"It's not very laborious, but it's feasible for someone like me who doesn't exercise at all-two kilometers is enough for me."

Elizabeth said that Movember's career is particularly close to her heart.

"I think the whole conversation around men's mental health is very important, especially after we have just passed and been in lockdown for a few years," she said.

"It is important to make sure that the boys can easily talk about what is happening because it is as difficult for them as we girls.

"We have lost several friends because of suicide. Two of our very good friends, [both] under 30, committed suicide a few years ago.

"I know that my husband and our partners are very good at talking to each other and checking each other, but not everyone is like that.

"I think people think men are strong and they have to be strong people.

"But I think it's very important to talk about their feelings, which is not always the case.

"I know from my experience that we have a young daughter who is less than two years old. When we first had her, everyone always asked me how I was doing.

"But it was always directed at me, never directed at Jordan.

"So I think this is very important, especially for young families... these people are stressed and need to talk."

Elizabeth said that this year is the first time she has used her ceramics as a fundraising event, but she hopes to make it the norm.

"I only entered my studio at the beginning of this year, so this is the first fundraising event I have done," she said.

"But I definitely want to do more...I will try to do it twice a year and then choose a different charity.

"I think I want to make one around Mother's Day to raise breast cancer awareness, but I'm not sure about the product yet."