Framing is kind of an art in itself, I never noticed until I watched the staff here work. Which…read morekind of frame, which colour to mount it against, should you use bulletproof glass so your kids can't mess it up? I'm told that they can frame something up for you in under and hour which is really impressive, and it's not that expensive (depends what you're framing really). They also do a nice selection of prints and unique birthday cards too.

I cant say I have ever needed anything framing myself, but I often just come in here for a browse…read moreto see what type of stuff they have. Framing it seems is a skill - something that we all think we can do, but we cant quite do it to the standards of the pro's. And yes, pictures do look better once they are mounted into one of the ast range of frames in this place. You may be wondering then what it is I do in a frame shop if I dont have framing needs - well, I'm in the market for a print (I dont know what I want yet), and framers has quite a large selection of them, as well as of birthday cards etc. Maybe one day I will find the print I want and then get the F-Team (a renigade team of Framers on the run from the law for crimes they didnt commit) to fix it up for me. If I can find them.

Small but perfectly formed, Curiouser is my favourite shop in Brunsfield because it has an awesome…read moreselection of stationery and cards, really trendy home wear, beautiful jewellery and they even have a framing service, (which I am yet to take advantage of!) I pop in quite often (I have a stationery problem) and I rarely leave empty handed. They're really great for getting in new stock and are fantastic at sourcing cool stuff I've never seen before, which makes it ideal for buying gifts (even for one's self...) This is actually their sister shop, the original shop is called Curious & Curiouser is based at the bottom of Broughton Street and it's just as great!

From the owner: We are an independently run gift and framing shop based in Bruntsfield. We stock a wide range of…read moreproducts including gift cards, art prints, stationery, books, jewellery and homewares. We also offer a comprehensive framing service. You can find our sister store at 93 Broughton Street.

I've got a wonderfully majestic picture framer just down the street from where I live; picture…read moregrand, gold (at least gold plated) frames, some of which almost reach my shoulder. So this one had a lot to live up to. It's definitely catering to a completely different taste, as I'd say these frames are so understated they hardly draw attention from the painting itself. There're some wonderful paintings by a certain artist the shop seems to be featuring at the moment. Trust me to forget her name. My point is I was more interested by those than any of the frames. There's also some nice jewellery in a centre display, which is moderately priced and unusual-looking enough to buy.

I always thought it was kinda odd for Marchmont to have its own little gallery. For ages I even…read morethought that it wasn't really a gallery but just a shop full of bits and bobs made by folks who lived around the area. But then my friend's photo appeared in the gallery's window with a wee price tag on it (all very exciting!). And I guess that's when I started believing in its gallery status. It is still, undeniably, a place full of bits and bobs. There're paintings, photographs and glasses that are made out beer bottles (they look cooler than they sound, I assure you). They're not just a gallery, though, as they also do framing. And, I guess if you're a Marchmont-er, it's a pretty interesting place to just stop in on. Just for the novelty. Or just because something in the window might just catch your eye. I'm quite persuasive and could go on for a few more hundred words on why you should check it out. But I'm going to leave your eyes to do the rest (if they were to wander to the Marchmont end of town).

Highly recommend this shop. Supports local artisans. Whimsical gifts and cuteness abounds. Wry…read morefriendly staff. Hard to go in and not leave with something beautiful.

Thank goodness it's only August. If it was late November or December, I'm sure I would have tipped…read moremy bank account into the red splashing out on Christmas presents in the Red Door Gallery! A gorgeous boutique near the bottom of Victoria Street, Red Door sells all kinds of irresistible, DIY gifts from limited edition screenprints, tote bags and tea towels to sock monkeys, stuffed toys and Tatty Divine jewellery. Everything seems to have been made by hand by talented artists and there's a strong proportion of cute and kitsch things that should appeal to indie kids and arty farty types. To top it off, they sell adorable wrapping paper and stationary - including glow in the dark and scratch and sniff cards - making Red Door a one-stop shop for memorable presents.

The last month of my life has been spent glued to my computer working on a 50th anniversary…read morephotobook for my parents. Actually, it started a bit earlier. I did LOTS of research before deciding what company to use. I wanted good software, MATT paper, and a high quality finish. Jessops came out quite high in all aspects but I still needed to be 100% sure. The one flaw in online services? You don't know for sure what you're getting til it arrives. But..... Jessops had a shop in Edinburgh! Woohoo. So, a month ago we plugged Murrayfield Sainsbury's into our GPS and ventured out into a section of Edinburgh we were unfamiliar with. Apparently, so was our GPS which wanted us to enter via the Gorgie road side, but (big tip here) the parking is on the Westfield Road side. Jessops is a small unit within Sainsburys. They carry everything you need for your camera, have instant print stations (glossy paper only) and a full photo lab with more paper options and superior quality, but you have to wait. On our first visit, we just wanted to see samples of their photobooks and we weren't disappointed. They had several different styles there so we could get a good idea of what the final product would look like. The staff were really helpful with letting us know all the options. If you just want to dump a bunch of pics (maybe all from one holiday) into a book - they have computers set up where you can make one on the spot. Or, you can use the comprehensive software that is free to download. My research informed me that the CEWE software Jessops uses is top notch. So, we liked the software, liked the matt paper options, liked the product and loved that we could collect the book in store and not worry about being away when it's delivered. One big decision made, now it was time to work on the book. The CEWE software was fairly easy to use. A few options were not easy to find, but thanks to the online help, I eventually managed to figure out how to do everything I wanted. There was also a separate download for a photo editing package - it is recommend to edit the pics before uploading to CEWE. I used my own software which I was more comfortable with. I used a lot of old photos and did my best to make them look as good as the up to date digital ones (without losing the vintage feel). It all looked 'OK' on my monitor, but wasn't sure how it would print. I was also able to add cute little touches using clip art, frames, masks which could be downloaded from CEWE's website - the selection was amazing. Well, a month later, practically blind from staring at the monitor, I pressed the submit button. Took an hour to upload! Now I had 7 to 10 days to wait. After paying online (when you submit) I went over to Jessops website to double check the delivery times. To my surprise, there was a 30% off voucher code!! Oh no! I quickly emailed Jessops with my order number and they graciously applied the offer and refunded my credit card the difference. In about 7 days I got an email to collect my book. I was nervous. I knew the pages would be matt but all the sample books had a glossy cover - would it be too shiny and cheap looking? Would the box I paid extra for be nice quality? Would my old, edited photos look nice? Well, Jessops outdid themselves on every aspect. The cover was MATT! and looked so classy. The photos that I scanned in printed out looking far better than the originals. The paper was gorgeous, the colours were true and natural. The box was black linen and had a magnetic clasp and hinged lid (I thought it was going to be a standard two part box). Now I want to turn all my photos into books! And I'm sure my parents are going to be blown away.

Paper Tiger is one of those shops that you go in for a look, and come out buying something you…read moreprobably don't need. Paper Tiger has been trading in Edinburgh for over twenty five years so they are obviously doing something right. They sell a wide range of unique cards, stationery, wrapping paper, notebooks, diaries, books and gifts. The stock is all top quality, and is reasonably priced too. The cards are so much more than your cheesy Hallmark cards, perfect for that special someone. The gift wrap selection is amazing, my favourite is the map of the world design. They also have a wide selection of different notebooks. Notebooks for things you didn't even know you needed a notebook for! I bought a travel journal from here and its great, its such a pretty book and of a good quality. They have a good range of travel goods. Funny little things like little packs of travel soap and travel kits. There is also a few travel books which are quite interesting. The gift selection is full of random little knick knacks which are usually quite humorous but you will probably know someone who each gift is perfect for. Its hard to describe how nice everything they sell is, its much better to go to the shop and have a browse. I challenge you not to buy something!

Don't be put off by the slightly budget-looking name sign of this shop. Inside it's pretty much…read morewall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with anything vaguely related to gift wrapping, stationery and gift cards that you could ever need. Almost like a version of Paperchase that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet still stocks good quality stuff. But although it's good quality, it's pretty pricey as is usually the case with specialist shops. If the person you're buying for is really into writing and would appreciate or even notice that it's good stuff. Otherwise, if it's just for a run-of-the mill birthday card you might not want to bother.