Moleskines were once my guilty little pleasure: I would buy them just to fill them with random…read morescribblings, doodles and notes, then buy a new one and start all over again... Just because of the love of scribbling on paper. I've grown out of that a little now, entering the electronic age and all that, but still have a youthful lusting after lovely new paper and pens. When the mood strikes me, I browse through Pen and Paper to regain that part of my life, and it always puts a smile on my face. If you aren't quite as obsessed with some stationary as I am, this probably won't register, but Pen to Paper does sell some of the nicest stationary around. Moleskines, real paper, various lovely pens and pencils (proper writing utensils, mind, not biros or something), that sort of thing: an artist's paper shop, in effect. I love the idea of being able to buy bits of paper and write on them, but then this is all such nice, expensive paper... Now, I'm indebted to the electronic age now. I'm happy to be the guy how types everything these days, or makes notes on his Blackberry over buying new notebooks every couple of weeks. Still, it is nostalgic to breeze through Pen to Paper's lovely products: if you were ever a wistful poet upon the heath, this is definitely for you!

In the digital age where most people communicate through text and email, its comforting to find a…read morestore that's with-holding the tradition of writing and sending letters by hand. As the name suggests, Pen to Paper is a cosy store that sells beautiful stationary, tissue-lined envelopes, greetings cards, fountain pens and boxes of ink. It also stocks exquisite Japanese papers, address books, journals and a wide selection of lovely, pocket-size notebooks and sketch pads.

Partytime is a very busy, slightly chaotic but somehow incredibly useful shop…read more Head here for any kind of party goods - cards, balloons, candles - anything for either a child or adult party can be found here. In particular, they have goods for particular seasonal celebrations - I finally found some halloween zombie make up here after searching many other shops without sucess - I'll come here 1st next time. A very good place for birthday cards in particular, with many under £1.

This place does what it says on the tin and then some...it really is party central! It's full of…read morethe most amazing amount of celebration tat you could ever imagine! I'm talking banners, balloons, party bags, wrapping paper, party poppers, confetti...you get the idea. They take partying pretty seriously in this joint- whatever you ask for, guaranteed they'll dig around and find it for you. Halloween? Christmas? Hanukkah? New Year? Whatever the festivity, you can get some plastic tack to help you celebrate. Enthusiasm sure is the name of the game. And it is always so packed! Who knew that the residents of London Rd were secretly busy decorating their homes with streamers and glittery birthday banners all the week long? Aside from the fact that Partytime is gaudy and a bit strange, it is also fairly useful and very cheap. I have twice recently found myself in need of coloured tissue paper, and guess who has a great selection at a price you can't argue with?

This is a small but well-run greeting card and photographic processing shop in Seven Dials,…read moreopposite the 'Good Companions' pub. They have a very good range of cards, including gently humorous ones I have not seen elsewhere, and plenty of those in which you can write your own message. I've never left empty-handed (and I'm quite picky when it comes to birthday cards). They also have a small range of stationery and post-cards. I've not used the photographic services here, but the staff always strike me as very pleasant.

Digital photography means the photo developing side of this business must surely be fairly…read moreredundant these days, but I'm sure they'll survive with the brilliant range of stationery and greetings cards they have here. It's really hard sometimes to find decent cards - they're either soppy pastels or bad jokes, but the range here covers all bases. They have lots of colourful cards with decent pictures, and some humour cards which are actually funny. Also plenty of other useful party stuff such as balloons and streamers, and a small range of standard stationery items. Staff always seem smiley and friendly

I walked in to Clarke's Stationers this morning with 100% confidence that they would have…read moreeverything I needed to create my arty homemade Xmas cards. Red card- check. Glitter glue- check. Gold and silver pens- check. Will my cards look like they were made by a 5 year old? Yes, probably, but at least they will be made with love and quality stationary from Clarke's! Clarke's is great- its one of those extremely satisfying (if you're a stationary geek like me) shops, nay, emporiums, that stock EVERYTHING your little stationary-loving heart could desire. I had to make a hasty exit before I started buying completely unnecessary items like rubber stamps and embossed card sets! If you need card, coloured paper and envelopes, diaries, or arts and crafts supplies, this is the best place I've found. Downstairs they have a massive collection of pens and other standard stationary items. Upstairs they have all manner of coloured and patterned paper and card, as well as sketch books, watercolour paper and huge (A3, A2) sheets of backing card. So whether you fancy embarking on an arty project, or simply need a pritstick, Clarke's is the place. They also have a photocopying service available.

I've always loved stationary stores. Clarke's in the North Laines is a big one, with aisles upon…read moreaisles to look through. Oooh, paper. Of course, the shop offers more than just notebooks and loose sheets; there are organisers and planners, large and small calendars (including a grippy wall calendar!), binders and diaries. Arts and crafts supplies are also available - this is the first place I've seen pipe cleaners in ages. Common art supplies like coloured pencils, oil paints, canvases and here, along with craft projects like paper mache kits, knitting accessories and a variety of felt and fabric pieces for make-your-own crafty ideas. There's a copy centre on site, which is handy, and although the prices are a little higher than some chain budget stationary shops, Clarke's does offer a 15% student discount when you show your student card. I'll probably be back for term two school supplies.

The best card shop in town. And if you need a little silly gift, to go with your card, this is your…read moreplace. I love it!

If I'm buying cards for friends or loved ones, Scribbler is usually my first port of call…read more You can find quirky, unusual, and generally very funny cards and gifts, as opposed to somewhere like Clinton's that sells your run of the mill, generic and rather boring cards. Sells some funny little gift ideas too. Reasonably priced!

It took me awhile to find One in the House, as it's a bit further up Trafalgar than I usually need…read moreto venture. I did spot it, though, and became a fan of the small, quaint shop with a small quaint mix of items. Jewellery was mostly in silver, with dainty sets of earrings, necklaces and pendants. Other knick knacks included engraved silver key chains and candle holders. For home décor, the shop sold hanging artwork, clocks, pitchers, dishware and cosies for tea kettles. Small renovation items like knobs for cupboards and decorative tile came in several varieties. There were also a few racks of greeting cards near the back. In summary, a quaint (have I mentioned that?) shop with unique home, personal and gift items.

A charming shop a stone's throw from Brighton Station, One In The House reminds me of boutiques…read moreyou'd find in the South of France. Everything is laid out beautifully with products stylishly arranged on distressed wooden shelves, tables and old dressers. As the name suggests, One In The House mainly sells elegant home decor with a lovely line of ceramics, glassware, candlesticks, clocks, tiles and kitchenware scattered alongside cushions, wool blankets, art prints and jewellery. Everything looks antique or hand-crafted with the dominating colours being white, cream, stone, grey, silver, caramel, chocolate and wood. A great place to pick up a unique gift for a friend... or yourself.

Aha has a kind of temporary look about it, the shop sign looks particularly handmade. However, in…read moreterms of gift shops on North Street this one isn't too bad. It doesn't fit into the tacky souvenir category that other gift shops on this street seem to favour and, although not exactly top of the range, they stock a reasonable array of items for a decent price. It definitely has a Japanese feel about it with the Hello Kitty range being prominent. Along side this they have a good selection of accessories such as handbags, scarves, jewelery and hairbands. Picture frames, cuddly toys and other such gift items can be found here. The hand crafted cards are particularly lovely. Not a bad option if you are look for a last minute present.

kawaii cute japanese shop! being into japanese pop culture I was happy when I saw this shop. I…read morefirst noticed what this was when I saw squishys in the window! so I went inside and they sell loads of kawaii products. Not bad price either. I brought 8 rolls if decotape, a Rilakkuma purse, hair clips and a hello kitty phone case for under 10 pounds. I have also noticed they sell the odd decoden item too. Worth a look if youre into kawaii!!

Looking for a place to stock up on Halloween cards?…read more Head for Malarkey where you'll find hundreds of cool and kitsch greeting cards for every occasion. Since the shop is in Brighton you'd expect a bit of slap and tickle and the stock doesn't disapoint as it ranges from the fun to the filthy. They also sell rude and colourful wrapping paper and daft presents like comedy voodoo dolls, water-pistols and party games. Anyone need a selection of plastic moustaches?

A friend and I were searching for some wacky posters, prints or other such bedroom accessories to…read moreenliven the walls of his new home, when we came across Malarkey, a crazy little avant-garde store in the North Laines area. This place is littered with an insane collection of items ranging from the useful, to the amusing, to the downright vulgar. You'll find comical postcards, greeting cards, wrapping paper, toys for cats, and gift bags, as well as somewhat less essential novelty items, like a 'Do it yourself cure for erectile dysfunction', or a £15 'Nose shower gel dispenser', which, like it sounds, is basically a giant nose, that dispenses shower gel. I thought Malarkey was a really fun store and we had a great time riffling through the treasure-trove assortment of items on display. It's certainly worth visiting if you want to relieve a bit of stress, just fancy a laugh, or want to get something a little different for a friend.