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    OK, so it's holiday gift giving time, and what better project to arrange than handsome mugs for friends?!  No, not plastic surgery, but the handled ceramic things from which many of us drink coffee or tea.  And it's so simple to do . . . time-saving, too . . .
    Many websites offer "design your own" templates for mugs - as well as t-shirts, canvas bags, cell phone covers, etc - and they seem to be pretty easy to use, just download (oops - upload) pix from your computer, drag 'em in place on the screen, and click the PAY button. 
    All that simplicity distracts from whether this is good idea in the first place.  Now, to be sure, many times I do wish my head wouldn't analyze situations in such minute detail, but this time I think I'm glad it did. . .  Considerations:
    Will the mug-printing outfit reproduce the work well?  Even with a professionally-taken photo with good resolution, I have no idea how intense/dense the printing process colors will be, and thrift shop shelves are thick with examples of lousy ceramics printing!  Hmmm . . .
    Will the mug quality itself be decent?  I have several handsome,
handleless mugs, serving as pencil/pen/brush holders, that started out as drinking vessels - and scared me a tad when a cracking sound came while hot liquid was being poured.  Another hmmm . . .
    Will my wonderful friend even want a mug?  A quick mental review of my friends' cupboards indicates I'm pretty much the only one with a collection of random mugs  I use every day!  One fellow keeps one mug among his fine china, and keeps it there for me and another person who prefers to use a mug.  So maybe I'll send a mug as gift for that other person, so there'll be two mugs when we sip together at Jay's house!  OK, there's one giftee who could use a mug. . .  And maybe my cousin . . .
    Will my art read well wrapped on a cylinder, only one bit in view at a time?  If I want to share my art with friends, why not make cards, or just give them a painting?  Although a mug is theoretically a practical way to share my art, in which the work might be seen more often than on a greeting card, I'm driven to ponder the paragraph just above again . . .
Hmmmm . . .
    So now I'm glad my mind kicked into gear, and I'll not be sending my friends kitchen gear likely to be in the way.  And if I can find a place I'm sure will do a fine paper-printing job (yes, a real printer, not my office all-in-one) the vote comes out for cards.  Hey - if someone raves sufficiently about my card, I can always give a card-sized frame as a birthday gift!

    Happy Holidaze to all of you, and may you live among only beautiful things every day!