I must confess that ballet (or any form of dance) is not my strong point.  I have three left feet, zero flexibility and very little rhythm.  My sister, however, is a great dancer, so when I was small I spent a lot of time hanging out the front of her dance classes, or watching her perform.

The dancers, and their costumes, always enchanted me and I had hoped that my two girls might have an interest in dancing so I could be a part of that world (from the sidelines) again.  

My eldest daughter did two terms of ballet, but now wants to be called Tom (or Spiderman) and only wants to do 'boy things'.  The little one does love to dance, but whether or not she will be interested in ballet is yet to be seen.

In the meantime, I've put together some ballet-inspired gift ideas for little girls - hopefully one day I'll be putting gorgeous gifts like these under our Christmas tree (please note there is an updated version of this guide available here).

 1. Pax + Hart Sunday Love Birds poster, $55 (unframed); Leo & Bella

2. Hazel Village (doll) ballet outfit, $23; Wild & Whimsical Things

3. Abigail jewellery box, $68; Pottery Barn Kids

4. En Pointe ballet flats in lait, $69; Tutu Du Monde

5. Ballerina doll, $69; Alimrose (also available in baby size)

6. Porcelain ballerina necklace, $39, A Mini Penny (available from The Greater Good in Australia)

7. Flora & The Flamingo, $27.95

8. Plie, chasse, jeté all day T-shirt, $40, The Australian Ballet

9. Sons + Daughters Bobby sunglasses, 63,36 €; Smallable

10. Mini ballerina rucksack, £16; Cath Kidston

11. Hidden Treasure cape in gold, $99; Tutu Du Monde

12. Tulle play skirt/cape in blush, $36; Minouche

13. Ballet slipper charm with diamond, $415; Tiffany & Co

14. Velvet beanbag in peach, $129; Kip & Co (available from VaVaVoom Emporium)

15. Ballerina pyjamas, £34; Em & Lu 

16. Childrens leg warmers, $13.95; Bloch