handpainted handprint mugs

In addition to Benjamin's valentine mug,

I used my Pebeo paint set and thrifted cups

to make hand print mugs for my Mum

and my mother-in-law.

I traced my children's hands on paper,

making templates which I then stuck to the cup

and outlined with dots.

Dissatisfied with the uneven nature of the dots I used

to outline the hands,

I decided to fill in the hand prints on this first mug

with freehand swirls, dots, and hearts.

I'm an artist who likes to painstakingly sketch and plan first,

so this was wildly out of my comfort zone.

And the cup did turn out somewhat...wild.

In my newborn-stage haze of sleep deprivation,

I despaired,

fearing that this looked like one of those nightmarish trinkets

you see in the thrift store and pass by,

smirking with a hint of disdain.

I think I might even have shed a few tears.

But

happily,

my mom loves it.

LOVES  it.

Whew.

So the fate

of my painstakingly hand painted mug

will be a happy one:

a long life of use,

not forsaken on a thrift store shelf.

(Can you tell that hormones

and sleep deprivation make me more dramatic

than usual?)

This second

"more normal-looking" mug

(Benjamin's words)

will be either a belated birthday gift

or an early mother's day gift

for his mom.

I expect that she'll like it

just as much as my mum likes hers.