10 Great Graduation Gift Ideas for Girls

Graduation is upon us and time to think about gifts for the grads in your life. A gift card is always a great idea but if you want something a bit more personal for the female grad check out these ideas.

Gift idea number 1: Make sure your graduate gets to those college classes on time. A brand new alarm clock is perfect. Choose one that plays the radio or a CD so she wakes up to some favorite music rather than an annoying buzz. There are many sources for alarm clocks with some of the more popular choices being WalMart, Target and Amazon.com. A simple alarm clock search on www.amazon.com provided over 9,000 selections.

Gift idea number 2: College freshmen often get homesick. They miss their family, friends and even pets. An autograph frame from www.personalcreations.com will remind her of those she misses. With room for a photograph, the mat is large enough for loved ones to write messages of congratulations and well wishes.

Gift idea number 3: High school graduates can show off their school pride with a tassel frame. Available at www.exposures.com, there is an opening for a photograph of the graduate in her cap and gown and another place to hang the tassel from graduation day.

Gift idea number 4: Throw pillows are often found on beds. The Personal Creations website offers a personalized graduation throw pillow, complete with your graduate's name, school and graduation year.

Gift idea number 5: Also from www.personalcreations.com is a personalized graduation afghan. Like the pillow above, it is also personalized with name, school and year. This would be a nice companion gift with the pillow. Maybe you and another family member could get them together for the graduate.

Gift idea number 6: Remember the happy graduation day every year with a graduation ornament. A few websites offer a variety of styles. Personal Creations, mentioned above is one and www.terrysvillage.com is another. Amazon has a Swarovski crystal graduation cap ornament among other choices. Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, www.bronners.com, probably has the largest selection. Bronner's is well known for the variety of ornaments they offer.

Gift idea number 7: A photo filigree charm bracelet. Homesick freshmen can have photo charms dedicated to family, friends and pets on this lovely sterling silver bracelet from www.exposures.com. The frame openings are approximately 1/2 inch. The bracelet comes with one charm but others can be purchased for additional photos. You can choose from round or square frames or mix them up for an original look.

Gift idea number 8: One thing your graduate is sure to miss is home cooking. Cafeteria food, frozen pizza and ramen noodles are college standards. Why not give your graduate cooking lessons? Many major towns have vocational schools that offer culinary classes as well as specialty food shops that do too. But some of the best lessons may come from Mom or a grandparent willing to take some quality time to teach the grad how to make her favorite recipes. Then, before she heads off to college, have her make dinner for the family, kind of like a final exam. She's sure to make friends quickly knowing how to cook!

The last two gift ideas require some creativity and a little advance planning, but they are sure to be gifts that will be treasured for a lifetime.

Gift idea number 9: A family and friends cookbook. Enlist the help of anyone close to the graduate to write or type up 5 favorite recipes. Make sure everyone completes the task in the same way. Let your helpers know if you want them handwritten or typed. Many bookstores have blank journals that you could purchase and then pass it around so all the recipes are written in the book. You could also use this idea as a recipe box rather than book. Supply recipe cards and ask that recipes be handwritten for the graduate.

Gift idea number 10: A scrapbook. The themes and possibilities here are endless. You could make a scrapbook through the years, high school highlights or just graduation day. There are many sources for scrapbooks and all the papers and embellishments. Michael's Arts & Crafts, JoAnn's and even Oriental Trading Company carry supplies. This is a gift your graduate is sure to treasure.

High school graduation is an exciting time in a teenager's life. Any of these gifts will make the occasion extra special.