She's your GOOD friend, but you still only have about $15 to spend on her gift!

Don't panic.
You CAN give a great gift to a friend even if you can't spend more than $15. And it CAN be a gift she'll love. One that she'll gush over and thank you big time for, not one that she'll respond to with a quiet, "Thanks. Cya later."

Here are three ideas for way-cool fashion gifts. Each gift can be purchased in Girl Zone's Downtown Adornments section OR you can choose to go with our put-it-together-do-it-yourself alternative gift idea!

Create-It-Yourself Necklace
Shiny Flowered Bandannas
Color-Changing Nail Polish

Books can teach you how to do all kinds of things. They can also make you aware of things you never even knew existed. Fiction, non-fiction, how-tos... find them all in Into Words.

Design a Create-It-Yourself Necklace from Being Me. Supplies for the one pictured are only $11.20 plus shipping (only $1.50 per order)! It would be perfect for a friend that plays soccer hard and is into dolphins big time. Your friend doesn't like sports? Thinks dolphins are way over done? What is she into? Pick her favorite colors for the beads, pick one, two, or even three charms that express who she really is and you're guaranteed to have a gift that's a major hit! And don't worry; these are a cinch to put together.

The put-it-together-do-it-yourself alternative:
Have you ever heard of Fimo or Sculpty? Check out both of these clays at the Polymer Planet. They are both awesome bake-at-home clays that you can do amazing things with. Here's a cool way to make beads for a necklace. Take 2 or 3 colors of the clay (if one or more is metallic, you get a nice glittery effect) and roll each one into a long Tootsie Roll width snake. Braid the 3 snakes together. Now twist and roll until you end up with a marbled look. Cut the snake into lots of little pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. (These should be the size of your final beads.) Poke a hole through the center of each ball with a wooden skewer or Q-tip with the cotton part cut off.

Place the beads on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet or pie pan OR use a pie pan from a store-bought pie. (Don't throw it out when you are done; save it to use for your next clay baking.) Bake the beads at the temperature given on the package for about 30 minutes. When done, string them on a piece of waxed leather. You can tie a knot between each bead fixing it in place OR tie only at each end of beads allowing the beads to slide around.

To personalize it, tie a cool charm in-between the last 2 beads. It could represent something your friend is hoping for in her life... a heart, a horse, whatever! Use a store-bought trinket from a craft or discount store or make it out of clay too! (You can of course, order one from Being Me.) An image cut from a photo or a magazine and covered with clear Contact paper works too. Keep it small so it doesn't look weird or feel uncomfortable. She'll love it!

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Shiny Flowered Bandannas from Graffiti are on sale right now for only $5.00 each. Buy a friend two or three. Made of a cool shimmery material, these flowered bandannas come in purple, pink, blue, or gold. There's one that will look good with any color hair. And this dressy bandanna can make even the simplest top look special.

The put-it-together-do-it-yourself alternative:
Buy or sew if you're good at it, a plain colored bandanna. Then get yourself some shiny embroidery floss and create a floral design in your friend's favorite colors. Both a border design or a random pattern would look great. Don't know how to embroider? Ask a friend or relative, buy a book, or check out this site.

You could also use fabric pens or paint to make the flowers. Check out the stencils available at your local craft store or be daring and try it freehand. Once again, a friend or a relative can give you tips if you've never done this before, or you can take a class at the craft store, or consult a book or this site.

You could even personalize the cover by using a material with something on it that your friend is into like cats or gardening or whatever! OR you can make a collage of photos of the two of you or cut-outs from magazines about lots of stuff she likes. Make the collage the right size leaving an empty margin for folding over to the inside of the binder. Cover the whole thing with clear Contact paper and use the edge of the Contact to keep it in place or glue. What a great gift!

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Color-Changing Nail Polish is available from Del Sol of Santa Rosa. It is $7.95 a bottle with a $1.25 shipping charge. The colors have great names and change color out in the sun. Even if your home is snowed under, the sun will still do its thing! Ruby Slipper turns from silver glitter to red glitter. Shooting Start goes from blue to purple glitter. And Mermaid goes from sea green to maroon. VERY cool looking a fun too. Buy her two! Remember to get one for yourself if you're into polish too.

The put-it-together-do-it-yourself alternative:
True, you can't mix up nail polish that will change colors in the sun, but you CAN give the gift of colorful, glittery fingers! Get several colors of polish that you think that your friend will like and put them in an interesting container. Get creative. Put them in a small terra-cotta pot that you paint yourself. Have your mom buy a carton that holds 6 eggs then fill each egg hole with a different glittery or silky polish and tie the whole thing up with a bow!

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