22 Feb 2012

A swoonworthy list of gifts

It's Jemimah's birthday today. She's 10 years old, and is terribly excited. She also maintains that one should not have to do school on one's birthday, so we'll see how we go with that.

She is having a couple of girlfriends over for BBQ, swim, play and sleepover. It is my first sleepover for other than cousins, so we'll see if we've bitten off more than we can chew at...oh... about 9.00 pm tonight.

Last week I asked on Facebook for ideas for birthday presents for 10 year old girls. I received some fabulous replies, although most of them were above the budget we had allocated and the gift we did purchase is not included. Anyhow, I though some of you might find them useful for gifts for your own or others, and so here they are in the words of my friends:

  • A well-stocked Sewing Basket. Love this one from Cath Kidson!

  • Mystery books like Ruby Redfort: Look into my Eyes by Lauren Child or Philip Pullman's The New Cut Gang.



  • Anything that requires glue.

  • Cook book, oven gloves, apron and kitchen utensils; mini food processor.

  • Jet boat ride in Sydney Harbour.

  • A hammock.

  • Hand crafted Monopoly set with wooden (or indeed Gold) pieces, presented in wooden boxes. (I'd hate to think of the price however.)

  • Begin a collection. eg piece of china. Some of my friends had large collections by the time we were married and a few have done that sort of thing for their daughters. Other people find out they are collecting, either a set or eclectic and add to it over the years. Imagine a piece of Wedgewood's Harlequin Collection every year!

  • A sewing machine of her own, along with Quilting stuff. Wouldn't you just die for a Singer 160?

  • A chess set. My son was ogling a LOTR chess set the other day, while I was swooning over an Alice in Wonderland one. Expensive - $200 - $300 for the pieces alone, but something they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

  • A little book called Sewing School and a couple of Cath Kidston 's books 'Sew' & 'Patch' which would be a nice addition to a sewing basket.

  • A fun book of sewing crafts she could do.

  • Tools for a tool bag each year, in case future hubby doesn't come so equipped, lol!

  • A beautiful wooden boxed set of chalk pastels and some lovely textured papers (large) and books on art and famous artists.

  • A worm farm and a mushroom kit!

  • A microscope and slides so she can look into the tiny things in life. It's always fun studying things found in the garden, or fungi and things like that. Even a birds feather is full of live things.

  • An iTunes card.

  • A flying trapeze lesson. I think you can buy via Red Balloon.

  • More grown up art supplies, a new beautiful journal.

  • A KINDLE fire or Ipad with a lovely Very Bradley case http://​www.verabradley.com/

  • A nice literary t-shirt!!
So there it is - the swoonworthy list for fantabulous gifts for 10 year old girls.

What would you add? What would you like to buy for your daughter if money were no object? What would you like for yourself? Quite a few of these ideas appeal to me. Most of them actually - except the trapeze lesson, perhaps.

11 comments:

  1. interesting! its great, I love this article very much including me and my friends very much because i got my desired information in your posting.
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  2. Swoon worthy indeed. What did Jemimah end up getting?
    Hope she has a wonderful girly time. It is lovely that she has girl friends her own age in your smallish town.

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  3. She hasn't got it yet...tell you later tonight. Nothing swoonworthy like this though.

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  4. What great ideas - I love the Harlequin teacups!! and the idea of a fully stocked sewing box is an excellent idea. I hope your daughter has a fab day!!

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  5. Jeanne, for 10th b'day we got our first daughter a handmade, cloth Pakistani doll with real hair and two sets of doll clothes (national dress). It is absolutely beautiful. cost just over $100. I wanted to get another for second dd, but the shop has gone! I bought it at Trading Partners - anyone know whether they still have shops and where? Anyway, it was a perfect gift for that age - old enough to care for it properly and still yong enough to enjoy having a new, special doll.
    Happy happy birthday to Jemimmah! :)
    Joel xx

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  6. That sound delightful, Joel.

    I'm afraid our gift was not so inspired - the next two Asterix books for her collection, and a little dog ornament to replace a much loved one that was lost somewhere. She was happy though.

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  7. The best of happy birthdays from your friends in Canada!

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  8. First, happiest birthday to your daughter! :) Second, WOW! What a great list! I'm bookmarking this for later...I'll have a 9 year old this summer! :)

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  9. Oh, I'm sure it was the happiest of birthdays - congratulations to Jemimah and parents as well, on the day of her birth!

    Max & Luca are most recently in love with the sewing/knitting kit from Moulin Roty. Even pooling their money together they didn't come close though. They were satisfied with Moulin Roty's detective cameras.

    We've always gone on at least a day trip with the kids on their birthday. Crystal mining, butterfly museum, the beach, etc. They'd always been satisfied with that until Donna Hay's last Kids Issue. Max is now hoping for a Chef's Party. You'll coordinate that, right?

    Much love.
    R

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  10. Well, I just all three girls, If mummy could just take you down to the shops and buy you anything that you would like, what would you want?

    Miss 6 replies: an ice cream
    Miss 4: also wanted an ice cream
    Miss 2: Who actually understood the question says, "a doll house". :o)

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