A Simple Solution
My little girl is six years old, which means she is invited to lots of little girl birthday parties. The gifts that are given tend to be pink, purple, and plastic, and inevitable two girls buy the same purple plastic pony. Don't get me wrong, my daughter has all those same toys too, but I just can't bring myself to buy one more plastic toy from the girl aisle at Target.
This is my new go-to gift for girls. A simple bag (I made this one, but I've also bought those canvas bags at the craft store) filled with art supplies. I ask my daughter to draw a picture of herself with her friend which I apply to the bag using an iron-on transfer and I stencil the girl's name on the bag in her favorite color.
The whole gift can be wrapped in its own packaging, and I get to encourage creativity!
at home
Reader Comments (7)
love this!!! such a great idea, sam!
i've been pretty good about picking out unusual things that aren't made of plastic. but that can often be stressful if i've forgotten about the party until the day before. i will definitely keep this idea tucked in my brain.
This is such a great idea! I have two young daughters and it might be nice to have a drawer full of these.
At first glance I thought the drawing pad was a regular size drawing pad and... oh well that would make the bag more like a sleeping bag... clearly not enough coffee this a.m.
awesome idea...i think art supplies are the best to give (after books of course!). the idea of adding a drawing by your daughter really kicks it up a notch.
Hi Sam!
Great post, and wonderful idea! My little girl is 2 and I look forward to making things like this with her. I love that you are helping your daughter learn to value handmade things! Very inspiring.
Also, it was inspiring to me to learn that you are a mom! I didn't realize that from reading your previous posts. You are so prolific in your work. It helps me trust that as my daughter gets older and a bit more independent I'll be able to find more time to do my creative work. It helps me have patience!
Thanks for your great post and lovely blog.
Julia
Wow - that is so lovely! Would work well for big girls too - I would be super, super happy if I received this as a gift! Just wondering who I can send the link to as a hint :)
Beautiful idea! I have seven year old son and I too cannot buy one more Bakugan or Pokemon. Love this and will tweak this idea to make a little boy very happy!
Thank you for sharing!
that's in a fantastic idea. most of our presents are something creative or crafty or books. the kids already have already so many toys.