Three Gifts, Three Joys

Every year, there is at least one gift that I really, really look forward to giving. It's that gift that you choose, knowing that it will likely blow the socks off the recipient and it makes you so happy to see their face when they opne their present. You know.

This year, I had three such gifts, all homemade, because I love trying to come up with something unique and be that gift that no one else has, except my loved one.

One gift I have already shown here on my blog. I made a custom t-shirt featuring the fictional "Killer Rabbit of Kancer", Lumper, for my friend Mariana. I purposely chose a long-sleeve variation, knowing how chilly hospitals can be so she can stay comfortable while receiving treatments. On Christmas Eve, Mariana decided to take the plunge and shaved off all her hair, rather than face the gradual loss that had begun, so for 2010 my project for her will be to knit chemo caps in the UCLA colors and in all liturgical colors for coordinate church wear. Anyone having a good pattern for a chemo cap, let me know.

Then there is my friend, John. John has become more than a friend, as my Husband and I have pretty much adopted him as our younger brother and the kids see him more like an uncle (last night, as my daughter was serving dessert, I admonished her to "serve the guests first," so she walked right past John to give the plate intended for him to my step-son's girlfriend instead - after all, he's family). I am worried about John, though. He has joined a dangerous and insidious cult called "Farmville" on Facebook. He has what I called the Farm of Misfit Animals because every animals that wanders onto his farm seems to have issues, like loneliness, rejection, and problems with self-esteem. Thus, he received a custom coffee mug (along with some books on CD because he prefers to listen than to read) with his own Farmville logo (hey, I am pretty proud of the way I recreated the font, including the gradiated coloring).

BTW, both Mariana's and John's gifts were created at cafepress.com. I recommend their services highly.

Finally, there is my husband, Mark. Mark loves nothing better than homemade gifts and he has said to me that he is grateful for my love of photography as every family moment gets recorded. Recently, we visited New Orleans at Thanksgiving, and it was Mark's first time in the city, and he fell in love with the place. While we were on a tour of the bayou, I asked the guide whether it was true that Cajuns would just about eat anything. He replied, "I'll try anything twice . . . just in case they didn't cok it right the first time!" Mark thought that answer was hilarious and so I took the photos and made him a custom coffee table book using the guide's reply as its title. Mark said it was the best gift he has ever received and loves it. Here is a picture of the book (sorry for the reflection as the cover is shiny) and if you want to make your own, I cannot recommend enough blurb.com, who made it incredibly easy to put together and they print for you a professional quality work.

Things like this make me happy.