Need ideas

So I made some cups a while ago and within a month they'd all cracked , I know it's down to the wood not being dry enough and still containing the piff.. but a distant family member saw them, loved them and now a closer family member wants me to make them some for their anniversary. Now all my turning to date has been from salvaged wood or wood I chopped down myself in past years, I'm not really confident enough or in the financial position to go buying perfect wood that I may then mess up with my budget setup. So my question is what could I turn them instead or what could I do to make them more durable other than working on a piece without the piff in and fully dry