A nine yr old?

[rere]

A very special friend of ours will be turning 9 soon.I would like to make her a gift but I'm having a hard time with ideas.My brain is so filled with ideas for my 3 yr old that I'm having a hard time changing my focus to an older kid.The other problem is that she has EVERYTHING.Last year we "adopted"a penguin for her but this year I would like to make her something.

She loves animals.She is the most amazing drawer(is that a word?).She has a wonderful imagination.She loves order and organizing and setting stuff up.

Any ideas?Any good place to look for inspiration?I'm not above "borrowing" ideas.

Thanks for any help.

[leafylady]

How about giving her a craft kit so that she can make herself something? Sometimes the greatest gift for a kid who has everything is to let that child make something with her own hands.

**You can make your own kit, with materials and a pattern- then perhaps spend an afternoon crafting with her.
**You can find plenty of handcrafted patterns on Etsy, www.etsy.com
**Or you can buy commercial craft kits at places like Barnes & Noble, where they come with a book. The Klutz books are especially well done.
**If she likes to draw, buy her a sketchbook, some awesome art pencils, and a drawing book.

[rere]

Thanks!Those are great ideas!

And I am a big fan of giving the "art kit".I've given her and her brother a few.The problem is that they tend to get forgotten in her house.When we hung out on a regular basis I would do them with the kids but now I'm not sure it would get used.

Her parents have supplied her with plenty of drawing materials because it really is a special gift that she has.And she doesn't like to draw in a sketch book.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply though.

I was thinking about making something like this(with pencils instead of crayons).Any thoughts?

[leafylady]

An Art Folio would be a treasured and beautiful gift.

[rere]

Thanks for your thoughts!

[mgilleran@earth-co]

I have a 10 yr old who is very artistic also, they sound a lot alike. I was goign to mention the art kits, but since that has already been mentioned... Does she paint? What about a handmade apron/smock. With pockets for brushes or charcoals. You could embroider her name on it. And what girl doesn't like a new purse. I love making tote bags & purses. All of DDs friends usually get homemade pajamas for their birthday. I pick out fabric that is something they are into, like wolves, princesses, you name it. I make simple, simple pj pants, & then applique something onto a solid color Tshirt to make it a matched set. They usually cost me about $5 & are always the hit of the party.

[mehndi mama]

Perhaps a scrapbook or a filing box to keep her artwork in? That's the biggest challenge at our house, with my drawing-obsessed daughter - keeping her work neat and uncrumpled, and easy to find to show to others!

Or perhaps wildlife field guides. My daughters LOVE bird and reptile and insect photo books, and will pore over them for days, and then draw animals from them.

She may also have an aptitude for clay sculpture - a sampler box of Sculpey clay and a set of clay tools might be fun, too. When I got some for my girls, I bought a large bead box to go with it - the compartments in the box were big enough to hold 2 blocks of clay each. Made keeping the clay clean, organized, and contained very easy - especially since the clay tools fit just fine into the long compartment at the end of the box.

[rere]

Thanks for more great ideas!

She's never been much of a painter.Not enough detail for her.But I love the smock idea.I think I'll make one for my daughter.

I like the pj idea too.Someone in another thread showed a pillow/pj gift she made.I'm thinking about something like that.Hers turned out so cute!

Sculpey!I hadn't thought of sculpey.Lots of room for detail.

A place to show off her favorite drawings would be nice too.

Hmmmmmm.....

[flapjack]

For my 9yo, I did him a pencil roll He is also very much into needle felting at the moment, which is for him a way of exploring texture as well as colour- paper making would do the same thing, if you got her some cellulose fibre, some dried petals, etc, etc. OR you could go to the other end of the spectrum and look at a basic carpentry kit (with a mitre) and start teaching her how to frame her work...