Thoughts from Home

At Maia we know that it can be hard to find a gift that you are sure a teenage girl will like. The tastes of each differ greatly from teen to and teen and you never know if what you are going to give is going to be cool enough or fit in with the latest fashion fad.

Be observant:

When it comes to choosing a gift for a teenage girl the best thing to do is keep your ears and eyes open in the weeks leading up to the special occasion. Look at what she is wearing, what she is listening to and what hobby she is into at the moment.

Don’t choose what you like:

There is a saying that tells us we only ever buy gifts for other people that we like ourselves. If you are buying a gift for a peer then this could be a helpful thing but how likely are you to like the same things as a teenager? She definitely will not appreciate a voucher for M&S or a CD of Queen songs whereas that may be your idea of a nice gift. You shouldn’t try and impose your tastes on to her but rather try and get in to a teenage mind set and consider what might be influencing her tastes at this moment in time.

Do some research:

Every season there are lists bought out that tell is what the most sought after gifts are for each age range. This is especially true at Christmas when there is always a couple of must have items. Get online and search for popular gifts and you be given lots of ideas!

Some of my top picks:

The Gorjuss gift range is perfect for teenages with its longhaired cartoon doll motifs and sultry colour pallets. There are bags, notebooks, purse and many more quirky accessories to choose from. Funky photo frames are also good for teenage girls who love taking pictures of themselves and their friends. Notebooks are diaries have been a staple of the teenage girls growing up for many years and will never go out of fashion!

We don’t have that spacious closets here at home. The built-in closets that we currently use are not enough for our stuff. Since the closets are not designed for our needs, there are lots of “empty” spaces that’s supposed to be useful should we have designed it based on our preference. Thanks to this tips I found in one of the magazines I am reading. I’ll keep this in mind and try to make space in our tiny closet here at home. 

1. Divide and conquer. Place a few steel-wire shelf dividers along the top shelf to separate clothing into piles of T-shirts, jeans, and so on.

2. Don’t underestimate the importance of great hangers. Plastic hangers may seem like an upgrade from wire ones, but they take up too much space and aren’t good for the garments. (Because they’re made for men’s suits, they tend to stretch out sweaters and T-shirts.) Instead, try using wood or acrylic.

3. Group by length. Group short items, like skirts and tops, at one end of the closet rod, and hang long garments, like dresses, at the other. Buy a double-hang closet rod, which can be suspended from the existing rod, automatically doubling the hanging space. And don’t keep unused hangers on the rod! Place a basket at the bottom of the closet, and after taking a garment, throw the hanger inside. That way, it’s quick to find a hanger when needed.

4. Sort out shoes. Organize shoes by category (dressy, casual, work) and by color (brown, black, red) and do a preliminary sort. Get rid of the worn-out ones, the ones that hurt, or the ones that were never worn. The most used often can be placed on a shoe rack, while seasonal ones can be stored.