need help quickly -- great b-day present ideas for 11 yr old niece

[beanma]

my niece is turning 11 on the 12th and we're going to be seeing her saturday so i want to take a present with. i'm not so clued in to the 11 yr old set, though, since my girls are 3 and 4mo. we don't live two close together and see them 2 or 3 times a year usually. anybody got any great ideas? they're pretty mainstream in a mary kate and ashley sort of way at least a year or two ago. i think not in a britney sort of way, but not super sure on that. she likes soccer, but is not obsessed like her brother. she's very outgoing and giggly and i think has lots of friends. i've gotten lots of the kits in the past like tie dye and beads, etc, etc. anybody got any great ideas for a very social, sweet 11 yr old girl?

thanks so much!

[HollyBearsMom]

Do they like jewelry?

My neices love the new "name" bracelets. You can buy them almost anywhere and run anwhere from $10-20. Basically they are leather bands that you slide letters onto. I gave my 12 yo neice a pink one with Rhinestone letters. She was SO excited. And everytime I see her she has it on. It cost me $9.99. I found them at our local toy store.

Also the other "hot" thing in that age group is the italian charm bracelets. I had never heard of them. The are made of metal (not silver) and they have charms that you kind of clip on. I found this web site http://www.italiancharmbracelets.net/ so you can see what they look like but you can find them in any mall. I wish I had known about these since you can keep adding onto them.

[Dar]

FWIW, The Italian Charm bracelets are more "last year" around here, but the bands with the slide one name letters are cool...

Toe socks? Gift cards always seem to be a hit with Rain's friends, to book store/cafe places or music stores...

Dar

[HollyBearsMom]

FWIW, The Italian Charm bracelets are more "last year" around here, but the bands with the slide one name letters are cool...

Just when I thought I was actually up on the cool stuff!!

[Red]

My daughters beg for gift cards, to the mall, music stores, etc.

Also, they got really into their bedrooms about this age. Neat lamps, posters, even bed quilts or cool pillows.

Have you seen those posters you color in yourself? They come in a tube, take months for the kids to finish (I love that part!), and look really great displayed. Buy a big set of markers if you get the poster; the ones that come with it aren't that good.

And the best presents I ever gave to any of my siblings, nieces or nephews, were pillows made from boys flannel shirts, like a size 2 or 4, buttoned up, sewn up and stuffed. Really cool if the shirt was once theirs! Very soft and cuddly, easy to do even by hand.

[beanma]

wow! that WAS quick. thanks so much. i think i'll be heading out to the mall later today or tomorrow.

[A&A]

I don't know if you still need ideas or not, but perhaps you could get her a subscription to www.newmoon.com

[beanma]

thanks for all the ideas. i ended up getting her one of those Klutz kits/books on "smooshing flowers". it's a flower press and then shows you lots of things to do w/ the pressed flowers. not sure if she'll dig it so much, but i thought it was pretty cool. i also got her this rainbow ribbon on a stick thing (think rhythmic gymnastics) for immediate gratification. my 3 yr old loved it.

thanks again!