The holiday season always seems a bit brighter when you get to spend it with a child you dearly love.  So, when I asked my friend Natalie Pasquarella, WSOC’s 5:30 p.m. and WAXN’s 10 p.m. news anchor, if she’d like Scoop to shop for her niece, she readily agreed. Especially since her little niece packs two life-events into one month: her first birthday is only a few weeks before her first active Christmas. When you have to find the perfect gifts amid a busy work and life schedule, it helps to have on hand expert shoppers like we Scoop gals.
My first stop was Blacklion Dilworth. As I walked through the aisles upon aisles of gift options, I couldn’t help but think HOW DO I SELECT ONLY A FEW ITEMS?!? I know Natalie loves putting together gorgeous, thoughtful gifts so I decided to pull together some smaller items that can be put together as a gift basket.
If you follow Natalie on Twitter or Facebook, you know this gal loves Disney. So, the castle mirror immediately caught my attention. I can just see Natalie telling her little niece she’s a beautiful princess every time they look into the mirror together.
Natalie’s sister was a huge athlete growing up, and the family took a lot of trips to baseball games. So, when I saw the girl’s first baseball with a place for her loved ones to write something special, I KNEW this was a must-buy gift.
The shelf of books are great for any aunty to give her niece. The gift of books is two-fold; a wonderful bonding experience between child and her reader and reading helps children develop strong learning habits from the beginning. And who can resist the adorable frilly holiday outfits!
After my Blacklion trip, I took a left on East Blvd. and head to Cottage Chic. Everything Champagne and I picked out made me want to snuggle. And snuggle. And snuggle some more. I can only imagine the pure joy of Natalie holding her niece as the little one wears any of these items.
Let’s start with the cozy onesies. The tiny little monkey onesie is perfect for Christmas morning. Imagine a human little monkey wearing these as she squeals over new gifts. Later in the evening as the night gets colder, she can put on the feather baby with the precious hoodie so her head doesn’t get cold.
And what gal doesn’t love to throw on her favorite cozy robe. Cottage Chic has  fluffy or satin options for the miniature gal. And the snuggliest of stuffed animals always always always makes the perfect gift. I may or may not purchase one for myself. My cat doesn’t always snuggle when I want!
If you can believe it, I had one more stop in our great city. I took another left on East Blvd. and headed to SouthEnd to see my gal Jennifer at The Boulevard.
And guess what… I found a few more perfect presents for the little niece! I’m pretty obsessed with The Boulevard and all the unique items I find every time I visit. On this trip I found these precious cuddle dolls. They’re handmade and washable and you can buy additional outfits for them. Natalie’s sister loves leopard so of course she’ll have to buy the leopard outfitted gal.
Plus, this dress! Now, she’ll need to purchase a little turtleneck to keep the tiny’s neck and arms warm. But, with lots of color options, a few long-sleeved tee’s or turtlenecks will be like giving loads of outfits with one great dress.
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So, that’s what I found in one afternoon of shopping around our great city. I hope Natalie finds some great options from this Scoop gal’s trip. And heck, I hope all of you reading it found a few great ideas too!
