My two-year old daughter loves watching Disney Collector, a popular Youtube channel for kids (and…read morekids at heart) talking about the latest toys (mostly from Disney). My daughter has been watching these Magic Clip Disney Princesses over and over that I know she really wants to have at least one. I wanted to get her one, but the local toy stores didn't carry that brand. I thought I had to resort to buying online or asking a relative from the States to buy for me, until I recently discovered a Toys R Us branch in the new Robinson's Las Pinas. This place is relatively smaller compared to other Toys R Us branches, but they have a wide selection of toys for every boy and girl. I liked that they have the Disney Magic Clip collection available, and my personal favorite, the Shopkins Collection (yes, we saw it on Youtube). At first, it was my daughter wanting to buy these little thingamabobs, but I ended up being the one collecting them. They're so cute! Okay, back to Toys R Us. I like this branch because it's not too crowded. My daughter can take her time buying or looking at any toy she wants while I keep my eye on her. That's also a downside though, because it adds another thirty minutes to our mall time.

As a child, I've always liked going to Papemelroti, and getting hooked on their specialties: brown…read morepapers, inspirational posters, occasion gift ideas, organizers, and that overall vintage feel! Through the years, I've seen Papemelroti transform and develop into something better. They adapt to the current trends, such as those inspirational quotes that look straight out of Tumble. I recommend taking a look at their quality box organizers, notebooks with gorgeous covers, vintage-looking clocks, and other novelty items that make great gifts to the people you care about. Drop by Papemelroti if you wish to buy beautiful notebooks, wood posters of inspirational quotes, gift your mom and dad those "Best Mom/Dad in the World" plaques, if you just want to find inspiration to design your own things, or just to rewind your stressful life through their aesthetically-relaxing products. Find out for yourself, they have so much more!

Ever read Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic? Where she describes how entering new shops makes her feel…read moregiddy and how new purchases smell amazing to her? That's exactly how I feel, but not for clothes. For stationery and school supplies. True, there are lot of bigger office and school supply stores around that I can buy generic paper products. But Papemelroti is this nook of *themed* stationery that has a uniform look but different styles and content. PROS: One of the best things about this shop is their social responsibility by using environment-friendly materials and practices. They're also very family- and values-centric; You can find their shops everywhere; They could've sold their items in higher prices, with the pa-hipster and old-school trend, but their prices stay pretty competitive and reasonable; Most of all, their art and design is attractive! Since I was in high school, they've had this sort of trademark look that you know is Papemelroti. CONS: It might be the mall or the frequent customers that may make them tired, but the staff are hardly even trying to help, especially that one time I was looking for little wooden drawers. They are vigilant in watching out for shoplifters, though. TL;DR: Papemelroti has wonderfully cute, inspiring, and affordable items for the paper product-shopaholic in all of us.

Gift Gate is a store that basically sells a lot of items that are colored in pink. It's main mascot…read moreis a Kitty that I'm sure many of those born in the 90's would recognize but those after the millennium would not. Back in the old days Gift Gate was well, a nice place to get gifts for your loved ones, particularly kids. They sold stationary, toys, pencils, pens, you name it it had it. I gave this one four stars because of the sense of nostalgia. I have a great suspicion that buying something here and giving it to a girl who grew up in the 90's might appreciate the sense of nostalgia that this would bring them. Not only that, but items from Gift Gate aren't that expensive. It's a nice place for people who are working on a tight budget, but want something that has a little bit of thought and sentimentality to their gift of choice.

This is my go to place for greeting cards, gift wrapping needs, office supplies and books…read more I realize that they are called a book store, but they are more than just a book store. When it comes to pens, I think that they have the biggest selection of pens that I have ever seen. It is nice that you could even try writing with the pen, but who is to say if that pen was the one that has been used the most or least. I realize that it would be difficult to have just one pen sample per type of pen, and their regulars have been spoiled to be able to try any pen to their liking. At least you'll be able to try out the pen before you purchase it. They have a very nice range of pens. You'll be able to find pens made in numerous countries. I recently purchased Cross pens as gifts. I remember being able to drop off a gift for gift wrapping. I do not know if they still have this service. You could always tell when National Book Store did the gift wrapping. This is definitely the place for all the school supplies needed for students. This is also the place for office supplies.

When I was a kid my family always had a Sunday ritual. We start the day with mass, then we have…read morelunch in Pancake House and then we end the day with a trip to National Bookstore. Buying from other stores always made me a tad guilty, but it was different with National Bookstore. As a child, I always felt guilty about buying clothes but never with books or school supplies. Books stay with you forever, clothes you outgrow and once they are over worn, they are immediately discarded. I've always liked going to this particular store because they carry items that you won't see in the Alabang branch. Books here are newer, notebooks sold are better and sale items more varied. Tips: 1. This branch is right across a Wendy's restaurant. 2. It's also has a Rustan's Supermarket beside it. You can make a trip to the grocery after you go shopping here. 3. National Bookstore carries some books that you will find in Fully Booked or Powerbooks but prices here are way cheaper.

Man, another blast from the past. I used to go to Hobbes and Lands all the time on the off chance…read morethey still had a stock of really old booster packs from some old set of Magic the Gathering. Often, they didn't understand the value of these booster packs since some of them contained old never reprinted cards. Anyway, I like this store because they sell a lot of really cool and neat stuff that you won't find anywhere else. Stuff like moving planetariums, a skeleton, or a kid's chemistry set. Fancy puzzles and other Lego like products abound this place. That said, the biggest issue I find with this store is that a vast majority of their products are products that basically only rich people could afford. I don't blame them though, most if not all there stuff are imported from abroad so I'm not surprised.

I like walking around Hobbes and Landes on any given day because it's not your average toy store…read moreand it's always so fun to see what new stuff they've put in stock. As a kid I loved playing with all the interactive puzzle games and board games on display and browsing all the cool toys they were selling. Nowadays I go in there whenever I want to buy a unique birthday or Christmas present for one of my little cousins. They have a wide variety of innovative board games for all ages, things for your pets, baby and toddler playthings, and collectible items such as figurines. They also have educational toys and knick-knacks for the science or geography loving kids (or kids inside!) as well as books, novelty items and uncommon arts and crafts.

Embroidery and knitting may not be a very popular hobby nowadays. Even I, who enjoyed doing it in…read moreschool, cannot set aside time to create a cross stitch. But, for me, embroidered crafts remain a beautiful home décor. You can buy them framed in Dreamscapes so, even if you don't have time to make one, you can still have these beautiful handicrafts in your home. But, if you do get inspired to do embroidery, materials can also be bought at Dreamscapes. They have many spools of Anchor threads and needles of different sizes. They have cloths for cross stitching and even patterns which you can follow. They also sell other types of small handicrafts and decorative items. The last time I visited Dreamscapes I bought one of their hand-crafted cards made of dried leaves and twigs. The card was lovely. The positive reaction of the special person to whom I gave it was proof enough of its beauty.

Who could have ever thought that a store would achieve its popularity because of poo? Yes, Blue…read moreMagic became the talk of the town -- well, at least in our school -- because of the light brown paper mache poo that they sell. While I was growing up, I think I received (and also gifted) several big and small pieces of this stuff as presents during the yearly Christmas Kris Kringle (Secret Santa). On a serious note, however, Blue Magic offers a lot more than poo. In fact, this is the go-to store for many teens and 'betweenies' who are budget conscious but are looking for quality novelty and collectible items to give as gifts to family, friends, and that special someone. There's surely something for everyone at Blue Magic, may it be funny, naughty or sweet. The most recent item that I got from this store was a white rat hand puppet with a long tail. I gave it to my niece. She loved it and that's why she now has a real pet mouse. Another reason to like this toy and novelty store is the fact that they usually change the items they sell depending on the season. During Valentine's, for example, you will surely find a lot of hearts, flowers, and other romantic stuff to buy for your loved ones.

I absolutely love the Papemelroti gift shop. I have been to two of their branches - the one in…read moreMegamall and the one that is near the Tomas Morato area. This place really reminds me of my childhood. I remember visiting the store whenever I needed to buy a gift for my mom - whether it was her birthday or mother's day, they had scrolls with the loveliest poems written on them and my mom would really appreciate it so much. I also like that they have now updated their products, they are selling cool wall decals and other fun stuff too like stationeries, notebooks that have uplifting quotes, notecards, etc. My cousin loves to stop by Papemelroti without even wanting anything in particular, she said it's always nice to look at the stuff inside their store and usually, she would actually come out with some random thing on hand like a nicely designed box, this store is crafty person's dream come true!