Later this week, my oldest child Gillian will turn twelve. I can hardly believe how quickly time has gone by. I can vividly recall holding her, making her giggle, dressing her up. I had a wonderful time with her! She went everywhere with me.
Gillian was exposed to shopping at an early age. We made a weekly shopping trip with my grandmother and aunt, going to a mall and out to lunch each and every week. She loved shopping, even then! She was captivated by colors and textures, and just loved looking around at all of the sights of the mall.
She is older now, but I can tell you that she still loves to shop. She is now into clothes more than toys, and I must admit that our sense of style is very different! She is also very concerned about how her room is decorated now. As long as it does not involve me picking up a paint brush, I really do not mind how she goes about changing her room!
As an birthday girl would, Gillian has a list of what she would like, and lucky for me, a lot of it is at my store, so I do not have to go far to get it. So, for those of you with daughters of Gillian’s age, I thought that I might share with you what is on her List:
Theme beads for her FOURTH Troll bracelet: She has a music themed bracelet, an animal themed bracelet, things she likes themed bracelet, and now she wants to do a purple based bracelet. She has sat with our Beadologist (her grandmother), and has registered for all of the beads that will make up her latest design. Gift registry is a beautiful thing! Makes all of those “what should I get for her birthday” questions so much easier to answer!
Vera Bradley Accessories in Simply Violet: One of the new summer colors, she just loves it in the wristlet, the Have A Ball keychain (good for attaching to a backpack), and the coin purse. Accessories are a big hit with the young ladies, and we have them all!
Anything with Peace signs: Gillian is big into Peace signs, and she wants to see them everywhere! We have them on earrings, bracelets, lip gloss cases, pens, Webkinz puppy and many more items. They are timely and hip, although I am told that I should not be actually using the word hip!
Green items: Green is certainly the most important buzz word in school these days, and my kids inspire me to try to be more green in my everyday life. We just received a great book kit, Good Growing, which promotes kids growing their own veggies and herbs in the garden. You do not need a big patch of land, you can accomplish it all in a deck sized container. This book is going to be popular, Gillian has already predicted it!
Eliza B Sandals: Actually, this also goes back to the Peace sign thing too, as the sandals that she wants have Peace signs on them! Gillian loves the sandals from Eliza B, they are comfy, unique and colorful. With our new shipment arriving this week, we are sure to have something for everyone.
Earrings from By The Beach: I found this designer during a family vacation in the Outer Banks, and brought the stuff back to CT. Gillian likes a little bling, and these funky earrings provide just that: each handmade sterling silver design incorporates a Swarovski crystal, and makes her ears sparkle almost as much as her smile!
Cookbook and tools: Gillian loves to be creative in the kitchen. She has her eye on a Rachel Ray cookbook at the store, and would welcome some of the cool kid friendly cooking tools that we have. I am thrilled that this is something that she enjoys, as it is a skill that she can build on as she becomes more and more independent.
Whatever Gillian ends up getting for her birthday, she will make the most of it, she is always good like that. I will tell you what, I am going to hold on to twelve as long as I can, enjoying the fact that my kid is still a kid, and still loves to be a kid!
