Gifted

Every day Mums, Dads, grandparents, aunties, uncles and friends come into our little store looking for the perfect gift for a newborn, birthday, christening or just because. Buying for someone else's child is not easy. You don't always know their taste and  if it's for a baby shower, you may not even know the sex of the child. 

I thought I'd share some of my ideas on what makes a great gift. 

The Baby Shower

If you don't know the sex of the baby there are plenty of neutral options to choose from. 

Gaia Organic Cotton newborn gift set with 'Take Me Home' onesie, mint stripe wrap and hat packed in their 'Special Delivery' bag. It's the perfect gender neutral gift. 

BABU NZ 100% Merino Wool blanket comes in gender neutral grey and is great for the pram, cot or used as a wrap. Put it with something pink and it's a girl, blue and it's a boy! 

You can never have too many hooded towels and we still use our Aden and Anais towel and face washer set now, even though my little girl is almost 3. They are so generous in size and lovely and soft. Plain white keeps it gender neutral. 

Handmade and totally gorgeous, this soft rabbit from 'and the little dog laughed' will be a keepsake for the newborn and a lovely addition to their nursery. The overalls and shoes are hand-crocheted and it comes complete with a handmade linen gift bag so you don't even need to wrap it! 

1st Birthday

Daju Balloon Balls make a perfect 1st Birthday present. Their are boy and girl designs to choose from and they come with 4 balloons to get him or her started. Best of all they can be used indoors and outdoors so a great entertainer on rainy days. 

Woddlers insulated lunchboxes are so handy. We use ours on trips away, play dates at the park or when we send her to grandparents for overnight trips. Great for storing bottles of milk, snacks and lunches. There is a great selection of styles and colours too. 

At this age they are learning to talk and Glottogon make a great range of "My' books such as My Body, My Week and My Manners. It's a great way for them to learn all the parts of their body and a gift that can be used well into the toddler years. 

2nd Birthday

Another one by Glottogon. Puzzle Pairs are designed for 2 years plus. They teach Opposites, Matching and Colours. Each puzzle has beautiful illustrations and only the correct pieces fit together which is great for encouraging independent play and analytical skills. 

Daju Chalkmats make fantastic gifts! Each mat features cloth chalk fabric on one side and laminated fabric on the other. They come with two pieces of chalk and an eraser and roll up to a compact size so they're perfect for the car, travel and at home. The reverse side is great for using as a mat to do all those stick and messy craft projects on too. 

3 years plus

Wee Can Too Veggie Baby Finger Paint is great for all ages. Made from organic food based ingredients such as fruit and vegetables, this paint is safe to eat! It's also gluten and dairy free so if the child has allergies this paint is perfect. 

Kaboodle Kits for Kids Create Your Own Treasure Box contains everything they need to make their very own keepsake box. Suitable for boys and girls, this box contains glue, glitter, paints, jewels and a paintbrush as well as the blank box. 

Glottogans Big Puzzle. We have three styles available. A truly BIG puzzle - measuring 60cm x 55cm when complete. Made from extra thick board and with 30 pieces to play with. Wonderful illustrations by French artists Emilie Chollat make this a must have gift.

Let me know if you have any great gift ideas. I'm always looking for more! 

Banana, Quinoa and Chia Muffins - Dairy and Sugar Free

We have been trying out lots of different healthy snack recipe's in our house for no other reason than it's fun and good for us. I love taking a recipe and "converting" it to sugar free or dairy free. 

Chia seeds are great for digestion, gluten free and contains 20% Omega 3 ALA, making it a super food for the brain and heart. Chia has eight times more Omega 3 than salmon!

Quinoa (pron. keen-wah) is also high in protein, fibre and iron making it another 'super-food' and again it's gluten free so easy to digest. 

This muffin recipe was adapted from a quick cake mix cookbook I've had for years. I just substituted ingredients and this time around it worked a treat!

You can whip these up for a healthy afternoon snack in about 30 minutes and they have stored well in an air-tight container or freezer too. 

Banana, Quinoa and Chia Muffins (Dairy and Sugar Free)

1 ½ cups of wholemeal flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

60g nuttelex (or milk free margarine)

¼ cup quinoa flakes

1 Tablespoon chia seeds

2 eggs

¼ cup stevia

2 mashed banana’s

¼ cup soy milk

Pre-heat oven to 200’C

Line a 12 cup muffin tray with paper cups or lightly grease.

Rub the flour, baking powder and nuttelex together until they form bread-like crumbs. Add in the remaining ingredients and fold with a large metal spoon until just combined.

Spoon mixture evenly into each muffin cup and bake for 20-25 mins or until lightly golden and cooked through. 

New Digs - A look at the new shop!

Our new store has been open for almost a month and I can't believe it's taken me this long to pop up some pictures! 

Moving into City Walk in the heart of the shopping precinct in Albury has been wonderful. So many new customers and all the regulars have made my risky move worthwhile. I can't tell you how nerve racking the decision to move was!

We have put a lot of work into the new locations look, keeping the colour pallet very neutral so the clothing and products really stand out. There are still so many things I want to do and need to do, such as extra signage, some colour and photo's on the back wall, plus a few new racks and stands. But for the most part I'm happy with how it turned out. 

If you live in Albury Wodonga or you're passing through,pop in and say hello. We'd love to see you! 

Meanwhile here's a look at our new digs.... 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on our new location and look. We still have so many plans for the future of Petit Armoir and this is just the beginning so stay tuned!