I don't frequent gift stores because I'm cheap and would rather give people discount finds from Big…read moreW and my neighbours' backyard, but I do like to splurge every now and then. All Wrapped Up (genius pun), is a little-girl heaven. Lots of sweet little purses and jewellery boxes and tiny little things you can keep in your pocket and bring out at recess to sparkle and make you look cool. They also have some appealing homewares that are actually things you'd like to receive as gifts. Funky clocks and bookends and whimsical jewellery stands and all sorts of giftables that Kath and Kim would pronounce 'Noice.' It's much more reasonably priced than you'd expect from a sparkly gift shop in the Eastern Burbs and the staff are pleasantly chatty and not at all snobbish. When a co-shopper was looking at a photo frame made out of a combi van, the sales assistant pointed out they also have combi van egg cups. Now this might sound stupid in theory but if you'd seen the things, you'd have been as delighted as we were. Needless to say she took two.

I was looking for a present for my little cousin recently, just a small trinket. Was wandering…read moreaimlessly through Norwood for a bit until I found this place. Pretty much the perfect place, I just spun around with my eyes closed and finger outstretched and bought whatever I landed upon. Was a little pink make up sort of thing, even got the wrapping paper there too. Seemed to go down pretty well.

For the hard to buy for friend, family or colleague Raw Space is your answer…read more Fancy a spaceship shaped ice cube? An avid fellow owl collector? Need a card that says everything you're not trying to say but is hell funny? Fancy some funky shaped 1m sized clocks for your home? Seriously, everything and anything quirky is in this store and it can easily consume a good hour of your time. While I am not a huge fan of some of their pricing on things, Raw Space can get away with it because they stock chique quirky (ie. not tacky unique or "novelty" reject shop style) wares. This place is perfect for birthday presents, Christmas presents, hey you have everything and I have no idea what to give you presents and self-gifts! Go in, but be warned you will end up wanting a whole heap of not very useful but amazeballs stuff because of it's "cool factor."

Trendy novelty shop located in the Gawler Arcade, one building East of the Myer Center. A 'go to'…read moreplace for gifts, especially of the last minute variety... there is something for nearly everyone in here! Owner, Naomi Travers has done a wonderful job of filling the shop with lots of nick nacks and things that make you go "ahhhh" and "ohhhh cool!" Raw Space is slightly feminine. Outstanding selection of funny and uncommon greeting cards. A tad pricey, but not unfairly so. There are some homeware items for a couple of hundred bucks, but I'd say the majority of items are priced under $50 with plenty of selection for under $30. The staff is fine and professional, but I've never received '5 star' service. There's been a few things that have irked me over the years, but nothing I could mention without sounding too anal.

Hyde Park has a string of homewares shops, each specialising in its own niche. Wheel & Barrow adds…read moreto this list of high quality and tasteful homewares products. With premium products, expect to see steep prices here. Kitchen Aid products, a good range of kitchenware and baking essentials, sundae glasses perfect for hot summer days, cake stands are some of the products sold here. I came across a handsome looking picnic basket going for above $150. A little costly for something basic, but with an affluent suburb like Hyde Park, I guess it's only befitting for shops to raise their prices. All in all, it will appeal to some who can afford to spend more, and for those who can't, there is always Target.

Wheel and Barrow is my favourite cooking shop, especially the one of King William Road. I don't…read moreknow why it is superior over the other shops, but I think it is the set out and the stock. It looks nice, everything is placed well and you can almost see everything when you enter the door. The items they stock are also better than those at other shops. I have a strange obsession with KitchenAid products. For my 18th birthday I got a red KitchenAid mixer, yes this is what I asked for. It may be because of the subtle influences of Nigella Lawson. Wheel and Barrow stock Kitchen Aid; toasters, mixers and more mixers. If you do want to splash out on an expensive appliance for your kitchen I would definitely recommend one of these. The shop also has thousands of other kitchen items. Glasses, cupcake stands, sushi making equipment and every bowl and plate you could think of. They also have a beautiful range of recipe books. It is not the biggest range, but they are good books that look so nice they could be coffee table pieces. The ladies working there are always very helpful. I am often in there frantically searching for a last minute present for Mum and they always come up with the goods!

As we've covered previously, I love these shops. You never know what you'll find!…read more This one is good for - Art! - Huge range of cheap canvases in all sizes, also tons of good drawing pencils, water colours, charcoal for drawing, and lots more craft. Plastic food storage - all sizes, all cheap. Cards and frames. Small figurines. There's a whole row of these, all different kinds. Silver dragon handled walking sticks. Everyone needs one of these, right?

Fantastic Home & Gifts. The name says it all doesn't it? Everything that you need to start or…read morecomplete a gift to a friend or loved one you will find in store. The store is a great size and the shelves are always very well stocked. The products range from the standard gift items such as gift boxes in various sizes, card, bows and wrapping paper. They also sell a variety of homewars and flowers. Fantastic Home & Gifts is your one stop shop. There's always something you can find there, and everything is at a bargain price. You can't go too wrong.

So, it is your mate's birthday and you have been super busy and forgot to get a gift. She calls you…read moreto catch up for a coffee and it hits you. You have to get a gift in an hour. Oh no! Worst friend ever! This is where stores like Three Birds come in handy. Three Birds have a great selection of gifts that are unique. They offer items like hand made children's toys, jewellery, awesome smelling candles, designer bags, funky furniture, skin products and light fittings. The collection is quite varied, so I have always found something that suit most people. Even for men! I should also mention that the stock is high quality and some items are designer. So that does impact on the price. But, you will find that the items are all really funky and you will be spoilt for choice. It is really hard to find items like these at other stores. The staff are super friendly and helpful. They will gift wrap an item for you if you need at no extra cost. On more than one occasion they have helped me pick gifts (which I sometimes struggle with). So if you are in Stirling or from the Hills and need something cool for your house or a gift; this store is worth checking out! You never know, you might also find something to spoil yourself.

Another pointless gift store in Stirling., this is where Ed Harrys used to be, do you know how…read moreupset my partner was when I told him that Ed Harry is gone? Filled with candles and photo frames and cushions and tea sets and lamp shades and coasters. It's one of those stores where you buy for someone else because you yourself wouldn't actually display much of any of the products in your house. Again, it's pricey, it's Stirling so no surprises there. Before Christmas I saw this horrible wreath made from all this little coloured felt balls, it was horrible ugly I daresay it never sold. The shop window actually makes me want to go into the store even less but I think Three Birds is handy when you forgot to buy a present for your aunties birthday and you need something quick smart.

This place is pretty rad for a few reasons. Firstly it is way bigger inside than it looks. With a…read moreback room that leads to another back room, and a whole underground area, it has a huge amount of gift variety. I have been there a few times but stopped this weekend to get my sister a baby shower present. The shopkeeper showed me some cool baby friendly jewelry and I bought a few other things, including a card which had cartoon babies coming out of a shower head. Best baby shower card ever. They have funky homewares, clothes, lights, furniture, crockery, shoes, watches, books, toys and all sorts of other nick-nacks. Definitely one of the best gift or homewares shops in the east end of the Adelaide suburbs.

Magill seems to be a great spot to find cool home wares and antiques. I am in the market for cool…read moredecorations for my home and drove past this store called Flouish. From the sign outside the store I thought it was a florist, but then I saw some Joseph Joseph bowls on a stall in front and knew that I had to check it out. For those who do not know that brand, it is a super cool homewares design brand. Worth checking out and is generally sold in cool designer homewares stores. Flourish is decorated and stocked with some pretty cool designer homewares. You will find everything from cool lamp shades, furniture, clothing hooks, frames, light bulbs and art. The style of stock is a little more on the unique designer style. My eye was caught by a concrete lamp shade and a recycled clothing rack. So I guess this store would attract those who are into the eclectic and vibrant style of homewares. Make sure you look in the downstairs area which full ofl furniture and larger items for sale. The pricing on the items in the store was quite affordable. I was really surprised with the cost of some items. If you are after decorative pieces that are unique to department stores, check this store out!

Their extensive magazine collection aside, I shop at Dillon's Newsagency for gorgeous gifts and…read morebeautiful stationery such as note paper, kids party invitations and journals. They stock those discount book and gift box sets you see everywhere which make great present to store in the gift box for when you're invited to something with little notice. There is a really good selection of wedding invitation stationery and lots for arts and crafts. I'm not certain, but when Angus and Robertson went into receivership, it became Dillon's bookshop. One can only assume the bookstore at the end of the mall on The Parade are run by the same crew.

I read magazines, I write for magazines, I LOVE magazines: so I tend to judge a newsagent on…read moremagazine selection first and foremost. Dillon's stacks up pretty well in a city where it is notoriously hard to track down niche titles. They've got all the main(stream) suspects and a couple of surprises thrown in: I managed to uncover a Danish fashion mag, Stella, the other day which I haven't seen anywhere else. Alas, with no Borders and no Mag Nation (...yet), I still head online for a lot of my magazine purchases, but for everyday titles and a few imports like UK Elle and Vogue it's very much worth a visit. That out of the way, Dillon's also has an impressive range of gift ware: from V&A gift cards to Christmas trinkets galore, Moleskine diaries and scented candles, it's a pleasant mishmash and a go-to for all my last minute pressie runs. The craft and stationery section is also stocked, it's overpriced in my view but there is a huge selection. The staff are always friendly and plentiful.

So French, So Chic and not so shabby. Fully stocked gift and homewares store, I'm always somewhat…read morebedazzled when I come in here, there is not a gap of air in between the items. It smells good too and judging by the selection of soaps, hand lotions, creams, air freshners, candles and the like there's no problem in getting rid of odours. A corner of the store contains childrens clothes and stuffed toys, elsewhere - throws, cushions, jewellery, crockery, framed prints, bunches of fake flowers but quality and so much more to mention. I have learnt to be more discerning in what I buy and if I 'really' need or want it, as it's so easy to take a part of the experience home and count the expense later. But, if you're down Semaphore way do pop in and have a look, as there are sales on a handful of items on occassions. All in all a beautiful shop.

Incredibly well-stocked store perfect for the feminine Francophile in your life…read more Shabby chic? Yeah, these words were practically invented by Le Room. It's an all-out extravaganza of ditsy prints, floral teacups, vanilla-scented candles, ornate photo frames and glassware Marie Antoinette would approve of (had she been middle class and living in Adelaide). While I'm definitely a lover of all things French, I feel the taste of this store is for the slightly older, more cashed up and old fashioned variety of lady. There are also lots of stuffed toys and kids clothes on offer, which are cute as buttons but also a little on the pricey side. There are some gorge pieces of slightly-battered but beautiful furniture in here too, as well a really good selection of soaps and lotions.