What to Put in My Daughters Hope Chest for Her 16Th Birthday Party Coming Soon..

I would suggest putting together a book. Send out a piece of stationary to each family member and have them write memories or special things about your daughter on each piece of stationary. I would suggest using the same paper they write on, as the pages of the book.

In high school I was a peer counselor and on the last day of school, we all had to do this for each member of the class. It has been something that I have cherished always, knowing that I had so many people that loved and supported me.

One other item that might be special is a GEODE rock. I am not sure if you know what that is, but it is a rock that is nothing really special on the outside, but beautiful on the inside. You can write a poem or card to go along with the rock explaining how beautiful your daughter is on the inside and that no matter what she looks like, what mistakes she might make, flaws she might have or what anyone ever says about her, she will always know that she is beautiful on the inside, NO MATTER WHAT! Just like the rock that has flaws and imperfections on the outside. This is something that I had a Psychology Professor tell me and then he handed me a geode and it is still to this day, ten years later, next to my bed! Good luck and what a wonderful mother your daughter has!

Hey J.!
It's C., Scott's sister! It was fun seeing your "A little About Me". When I first started my hope chest it had in it some tee towels that my Grandma had embroidered, homemade blankets and some fun serving dishes. As I got older I started adding some of the Pampered Chef things that I knew I'd really want to have right away when I moved out. I think I also added some things that I'd want for my own home, like cool candle holders and Christmas decorations. Anyway, that was what was in mine.

Maybe a fun cook book. I know when I left the house I didn't have one and it sure would have come in handy. Even a better idea is to make your own with all her favorites that you make! A 3 ring binder, some sheet covers, and stickers(from the craft section) will make it cute and personal. Something that she'll cherish forever and possibly pass down to her own children one day!

Good luck,
Jenn

I know that when I moved out on my own, I wasn't prepared to decorate my new apartment. I didn't realize what all went into making a place look good. So then when one of my friends got married straight out of high school, I went to Wal-Mart and bought her a bathroom set. They have matching/ coordinating wastebaskets, toilet brush, toothbrush holder, soap dish, cup, bath towel, hand towel, washcloth, shower curtain, curtain rings, and wallpaper border. Take all of that and arrange it in the wastebasket (it should all fit with a little sticking out up top) and then put that in her hope chest. That way it's one more thing that she won't have to worry about (unless she gets a place with more than one bathroom, then she can get her own stuff for the other one). Also, for Christmas, if you ask everyone to send her a an ornament for the tree, that way, when Christmas rolls around in her own apartment, she won't have to buy ornaments, just decorations for the rest of the apartment.

Since you are giving this to her at 16, and she probably won't be moving out until 18, she will have time to add to it, so if she just spends $10 a month buying things that she thinks she will need, then it won't be such a hardship for her to have to put out a bunch of money right when she moves out. She can get pots and pans, tupperware, dishes, silverware, rugs, towels, knicknacks, candles, and other miscellaneous stuff that doesn't cost much when bought individually, but can add up when bought all together. Then when she does finally move out you can throw her a housewarming party, and have people bring gift certificates for Albertson's for groceries, or Wal-Mart for the rest of the stuff she doesn't have.

What my parents did for me is that when I turned 14 they started a hope chest and at every christmas or birthday they bought me one thing to go into my hope chest that was good for my first apartment or house. They filled it with dishes, silverware, toasters, crock-pot, blankets, towels, pots and pans, & tupperware It was the best thing that they ever could do for me. I always looked forward towards birthdays because I wanted to know what was going into the chest. When I finally moved out I was set. I didn't need to buy anything. I always said I would do the same if I had a girl. I still have most of the appliances. My parents always bought the good stuff. Good-Luck and have fun shopping.

J.,
That is so wonderful. My mom gave me a hope chest for my Graduation but the best part about the hope chest was that inside was something from every member of my family. Something that my family members individual found important in there life and the gave it to me to have a remember them forever and ever. You can have family and friends put things in it for her pictures, toys fromthe little ones, special blankets, anything that would remind her of her family.
In May of 2006 I was due anyday to have my new born daughter and my apartment complex caught on fire we lost absolutely everything. To this day the only thing I still time to time cry about is the loss of my hope chest and the memories in it, it had hand made blankets, hand made crafts, pictures, necklaces, pressed flowers, these are things that over the years I my self was given by my family and had put in there. BUt the worst was that a lot of the stuff that had been given to me 9 yrs ago at graduation was from family and friends that have passed away over the year that i will never see again. That hope chest and those little things inside no matter how small or silly some thought they were the hope chest was everything to me because of the things the people i love the most gave me.
I hope this helps. My mom has six kids and we are all grown now and have all received a hope chest the same way, I myself will carry it onto my kids when the get older.

M.

Sadly, I never made a hope chest (I wish I had), but my mother-in-law is helping her daughter make beautiful items for her hope chest that my husband built her. You can check out some of her ideas at http://missabigailshopechest.blogspot.com/.