Craving the stuff that's made with love

Remember when you were a kid and a holiday approached and you desperately, urgently wanted to buy cool gifts for people?

"Just make a gift," your parents insisted. "It'll mean more."

Admit it. You thought they were full of crap.

The older I've gotten, the more I've realized my parents were right. Homemade gifts do mean a lot, particularly the ones that show the giver has been paying attention.

When Making Waves debuted last summer, my gentleman friend made me something special:
Admittedly, not all women would be thrilled at receiving a gift emblazoned with the word "bitches."

I am not most women.

In case you're new to this blog, you should know that every book I've ever written has a working title. Making Waves will always be Piratebitch in my mind. My March release, Believe it or Not, will never be anything but Psychicbitch to me. My new active fiction release with Coliloquy may be marketed as Getting Dumped, but I don't think my editor and I have ever called it anything but Dumpbitch.

If you can't tell from the photo, the bitches plaque is adorned with little metal knobs. Each knob represents a book that's either scheduled for publication or brewing in the back of my brain. In fact, he handpicked each knob to match the book's theme. The day that book is released, my gentleman friend commemorates the occasion by draping a new silk scarf on the designated knob.

You may notice I'm so touched by the whole thing that I didn't even make a knob joke or speculate whether he intends to use the scarves to tie me to the headboard.

Seriously, isn't that the sweetest, most creative gift ever? I wore my new Dumpbitch scarf to work yesterday and kept touching it and smiling.

Of course, my gentleman friend has a bit of competition in the creative gift-making category. I recently had a message from reader Toni Sinns asking about my favorite colors and whether I'd mind if she crocheted something for me. Naturally, I insisted she didn't have to do any such thing, but if she wanted to, I'd be delighted by anything with blues, greens, or purples.

Here's what showed up earlier this week:
Yes, it's my very own, customized, monogrammed, crocheted beer koozie. How many of you have your own customized, monogrammed, crocheted beer koozies?

Exactly.

Well, I guess if you want one, you can check out Toni's online store. I have it on good authority she can crochet more of these, or whatever else your little heart might desire.

What's the coolest homemade gift you've ever given or received? Please share!

And stop coveting my beer. And my koozie. And my scarves. And my bitches. And...