Oh boy, oh boy…read more.. I'm one of these people who always wanted to be artistically creative. My mum can paint, sketch, knit, crochet, and all the rest of it, but unfortunately I didn't inherit her arty farty genes. Stick men and colour co-ordination is really the height of it for me. Well, at least my stick people will be well dressed... Thank goodness for Craftworld, a haven of every possible kind of art form known to man. To my delight, this includes those colourful beads which you place on a random plastic shape, cover with iron-proof paper, and iron. Cue excitement. I actually made one of these a number of years ago. A blue and red place mat in the shape of a star which sits on my desk. Craftworld appreciates the lesser forms of art. Happy days. If you're not one for fusing together beads (and let's face, apart from a five year old and myself, who really is?), do not fear. Everything from dolls houses to thread, from glitter to polystyrene shapes can be found in Craftworld. There's a lovely wee wedding section at the very back too. Lovely jubbly.

This place is unbeatable for everything craft, ribbons, buttons, wool..everything…read more I had the very frustrating experience of going here to pick up stuff everyday for two weeks before my wedding...men beware it may just dooo your head in unless your the president of your local sewing club. Prepare for a busy stuffy room with way too much choice!!!!

Really nice art store with a wide selection of items. Unfortunately, I was only searching for a new…read morejournal, but the journal selection was also quite extensive. 3-4 racks. Massive collection of Leuchtturms and Moleskins if that's what you're into. Would recommend. I grabbed one for a friend from a brand I didn't immediately recognize in a niche color. Staff seemed quite friendly additionally.

Absolutely delighted with my Bradbury Art Store delivery; was able to order over the phone and my…read moreWinsor & Newton art supplies were delivered to me the next working day. Canvas and oil paints - looking forward to using them. Excellent quick service, very helpful staff and great selection of quality art materials. This will help me carry on painting during the Coronavirus lockdown - thank you Bradbury Art, much appreciated.

Happens every month in The School house Holywood. Located up the hill from the maypole…read more Happens second Sat of the month. Great choice of local crafts. Not a gauge market but the quality is superb. Selling things like candles,food,clothes and gifts. They pick a charity each moth to collect entry donation at the door.

This Paperchase is an outlet within House Of Fraser. It's small but they seem to squeeze in a lot…read moreof products in to a small space. This store sells gifts, stationery and cards. It's kind of a girly Store with loads of photo books and bits and bobs you don't actually need. We went in to try and find a gift box and there was a whole world of possibilities. I couldn't believe there were so many options. The lady working behind the counter was really helpful and she even made a few recommendations. I'd recommend having a look if you're in Victoria Square.

So, I might has a slight obsession with stationery. So this place is right up my street, full of…read morebright shiny things. Which attracts a magpie like myself. The do a lot of quirky pieces as well a large range of cards and wrapping paper, art supplies and handmade paper. The handmade papers look great when used it a frame. A review and a tip in one. Who's that for multitasking.

This small but well stocked art supply shop opened only a few months ago around June time 2010. The…read morepremisis are located in the quiet Merville Garden Village. A little shop such a this should thrive in this area, I know a number of people around here enjoy various crafts e.g. card making, scrap booking etc and this entrepreneurial business have set up workshops for these in the premisis catering to different levels and needs. I come in occasionally to buy different bits and pieces for presents or things I'm making. I've often been pleasantly surprised as some of the stock sold in here I can't even get in Belfast. For example those tiny little decorative roses, they're sold here by the bundle and come in various different colours. They also sell stickers, card, bobbles, everything you need for creative card making. There's a delighful little lady who minds the shop who talked away to me, offering her own advice. She was a great help and knew a lot about the business. If you're interested in creative crafs then call in for a look. It's bound to have something you're after.

This place is kids heaven! It's full of glitter, Plasticine, pains, cards and everything for making…read more big big mess. The stuff in here is perfect for stocking up on great gifts for birthday presents or Christmas! And they also have a whole range of costumes and toys in here too. If you come n here with a child be prepared for a long stretch as the store is jam packed and kids just love it! It's pretty cheap too which is always good as people do tend to rip the arse out of kids shops as they know tantrums could result in a child not getting what they want and parents looking for the easy life begrudgingly giving in. Ahh, the joys of what I have to look forward to.

I like shops like this. I think the kid in me is just attracted to glitter!…read more I'm also a big fan of hand-making cards for friends and family, so I do spend a good bit of time in shops like Art & Hobby, agonising over which thickness of card to get (seriously. I've been known to have to leave the shop to have a think before I buy!). The Art & Hobby shop is in a great location, probably the best location of all the crafty shops in town, so I end up going in simply because I'm passing it. It's not my favourite though. I find it a little more expensive than its rivals and it is a lot more focused on kids toys and crafts, which can make it hard when you want to make a card for someone over the age of 5!

I really like The Works, you can pick up all sorts of interesting books here for a bargain price,…read morethey are arranged out by category like they would in a library, children's section, thriller, local history, cookery, reference books etc. They also stock a wide range of craft goods, such as easels, all types of paint and paintbrushes, scrapbooks, stickers, wool, needles, you name it! The Works is a good shop for giftware too, for example if you have secret Santa, there are loads of fun items, themes such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Hello Kitty, and more. This is actually one of the nicer The Works stores I've been in, it's not too crammed as some others are, and is easy to navigate without knocking things over!

This is a great wee shop inside connswater shopping centre. There are a vast selection of books…read morethere are every book you can imagine in this shop, I like the cookbooks as I like to bake at home , most of my cookbooks are from here and theres lots to choose from and the prices are decent too. The works also sell children's books and children's toys and sweeties at the till. Theres a small craft selection which has a good selection of boxes ec to keep your crafting supplies in. If your an artist theres a brilliant selection of canvas's and paints and brushes even charcoals and pastels. Theres a great selection here for anyone into painting. Also a selection of DVDs, calendars and diarys. Theres gift sets and gadgets in store. Shop is always crammed and well filled with stock!

Need back to school supplies? Need a holiday book or the latest chart topper? You'll find it at…read moreyour local Easons. I do anyway, if I can't make it in to town to one of my favourite book stores then Eason will be my next best bet. And they don't just sell books either, (though they are great for that) they also sell greetings cards, teddies, organisers, awk I'm sure you all know what to expect from Easons...Well this branch is located in the busy Abbey Centre and is great for shoppers in the store (I also know it's the only place in the Abbey where you can cigarettes! Brownie points there! Also ditto for the lottery) so this makes it a popular spot for shoppers and employees alike. Easons also stock a good range of art supplies so it's handy hand this shop nearby if you're an artist.

Tiger is really just a modern 'junk shop'. It's a bright, light, contemporary space filled with…read morecheap, mass produced, predominately plastic 'Made in China' tat (yes, even though it's a Danish store). I think of it as being like a car boot sale full of random items including candles, nail files, beads, cheap craft and art materials, games, toys, coffee, spices, makeup brushes, napkins, sweets, yoga mats, hand wash, notebooks, novelty knick-knacks, pots, pans and picture frames. Despite the fact that Tiger peddle a pile of rubbish, I quite enjoy a good riffle through it. Since everything's so cheap I tend to lose my mind and am tempted to buy all I see. Thankfully, sense intervenes just in the knick of time, so I always manage to leave the shop empty handed. However, when I next need napkins, candles or a new yoga mat I might consider heading straight to Tiger. I envisage it as being a useful shop to pick up Christmas stocking fillers or novelty items to bulk out 'proper' birthday gifts - for people I don't like or for when I can't be bothered putting any effort or thought into gift buying. Much to my shame I must admit I do like Tiger, in spite of my better judgement. Thus is the seductive and dangerous appeal of such shops. After all, surely we need more plastic and rubbish in the world....or do we...

This is my type of shop! I wanted to buy everything and walking around gave me so many ideas for…read moreevents! Tiger really has everything - it's sort of like little snippets of life, that as quite a strange thing to say but what I mean is that it's not a shop selling specific products, it sells a little bit of everything. I saw craft items like canvases and paints, as well household gym equipment. It even had a gourmet food section. If you're planning a party visit Tiger. It's the perfect place to pick up novelty items like quirky straws and party games. Cost wise it's not expensive - the price tags are weird though - they try and encourage you to buy multiple items by pricing things as 4 for £2 for example. Even for singular items the tag says '1 for £10'. Strange. A few people have compared this to Ikea - I can see the resemblance - it oozes Scandinavian coolness. I loved it - was really quiet when I went in so I got to have a good nosey around.

The Original Factory Shop is a bit of a jack of all trades. I'm not 100% about what the concept is…read moreof this shop - could be that all their products are straight from the factory? All I know is if you're looking for a random bargain you should have a peek in here. Last week I went in to see if I could get a white board (for planning purposes) and I left the shop with a smoothie machine, a bath mat, a new toothbrush and 4 mugs. That strange selection of items sums up The Original Factory Shop. You can get things you want but don't need - maybe that should be their strapline? They do have the shop neatly set out in to categories though. There's hardware, household, clothing and kids sections but what you can get in each section will very much depend on when you visit. This particular branch is always busy as it appeals to the Holywood demographic. The staff has always been great in here, there's often a queue at the checkout but they try and get through everyone as quickly as possible whilst reaming courteous. This is a chain although it feels like an independent shop.