I saw my daughter's friend nearly cry tears of joy at the sight of this necklace.  I'm convinced that gifts for little girls don't need to cost a lot--they just need to be sparkly and come from the heart.

You'll need: glue-on jewels from the craft store, scrap cardboard (from a cereal box or other box that has color on one side works well), tacky glue, ribbon or string.

Cut the shape for your pendant from the scrap cardboard.  Oval, heart-shaped,...whatever your princess prefers.  Glue jewels all over the colored side of the cardboard. Encourage your child to think about patterns of colors, or how they'd like the jewels to be arranged. 

When dry, glue the ribbon or string to the back of the cardboard, and knot on the ends to make the necklace.

Options:  If giving this as a gift, present it in a small cardboard box, or perhaps a small tin.  Let your child decorate this too, for a very personal and crafty gift.

Kids love bags, and now they can design their own using no-cost materials.  Make great purses, crayon carriers, toy carriers, gift bags that are personalized and, best of all, recycled.

You'll need:  a cereal box, cracker box, or any such box; scissors, a glue stick, paper (construction paper or whatever you like), a hole-punch, and ribbon or yarn.

Cut the top flaps off the box.  Now you or your child can cover the entire box with paper.  You decide how exacting you'd like to be about this step. Kids will enjoy taking a collage approach to covering the box, but if you are more interested in a tidy look, you can cut the paper to fit, and help the kids attach it.  Either way, let the kids cover the box with a glue stick before you apply the paper.  Fold the paper over the top edge of the box at the opening and glue around the inside rim for a finished look.

Now punch two holes near the top of each long side.  Tie the ribbon or yarn through the holes to make handles for your gift bag.

Now kids can can decorate with crayons, stamps or whatever else they can imagine. 

Options: Try a patchwork approach, using squares of scrap wrapping paper.  Or cover the box with felt, and glue on buttons or sequins to decorate.  If you are using this as a gift bag, write your sentiment right on the box itself.

Do you have some terracotta flower pots in the garage?  These pots are just asking to be painted by your little one. Even if you don't have old ones laying around, you can buy them for a dollar or two and turn them into wonderful keepsakes or great gifts.    No need to go to a fancy paint-your-own-pottery studio to capture your child's flair on pottery.

For this project you need brushes and acrylic paint (available in craft stores.  Please note that you can't really use washable point for this one if you want it to last.  So make sure you protect your work space and use a smock!)  You'll also need clear acrylic sealant (you should find this in the same aisle as the paint).

Seal it first:  Before your kids are ready to paint, you'll need to brush the acrylic sealant all over the inside of the pot to waterproof it.  This is because terracotta is porous, and without sealing it, the dampness from your plant would seep through and ruin the painted surface.  You don't have to seal the outside of the pot at this point. If you're using a saucer you can seal the top part where the pot sits.

Once the sealant is dry, you can let your kids paint.  What they do is really up to them and you.  They can just use a few colors and a brush.  Or try sponges, stamps, or other tools for painting.  You might even add some sequins with glue, or maybe some stickers.

Seal it last:  You do not have to do this, but if you want to give the paint a little more endurance and a glossier finish, you can brush sealant over the painted surface after it has all dried.  This will just prevent chipping of the paint.

Options:  Put a pack of forget-me-not seeds or some other special flower and give it as a thoughtful gift.  Or put a package of candy or coffee in it for a nice teacher-gift with a personal touch.  I'm currently using a pot my daughter painted as a pen holder in my office. And an extra saucer (from a pot that was unfortunately broken) is great for holding my rings when I take them off by the sink.  Painting pottery with kids has endless possibilities, and when you do it this way, it's very affordable.