Local Lake gal WSOC’s 5:30 p.m. and WAXN’s 10 p.m. news anchor, Natalie Pasquarella, leads a busy life. I’m sure y’all see her running around all the time taking care of others and getting the next great story. This year, she’s got quite the story to create: Give her new niece the best first birthday and first active Christmas ever. We jumped in to help her make it a rousing success.
My first stop was Blacklion. 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 head to Cottage Chic on East Blvd in Charlotte. 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 made one more stop in SouthEnd Charlotte 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!
