The gift shop now, and this is one of my favourite places to browse-not-buy. You know what I mean -…read moreall this stuff looks great but you can't really justify buying it. Can you...? This shop is a favourite of mine because it has fantastic baby clothes and accessories, which comes in handy when you don't know what to get your mate who's just had another baby. My favourites are the t shirts with cute logos on. Almost makes me wanna have kids... But anyway, I digress. I will stick to my guns on this one and say that Utility is one luxury I know I can't afford, but would never object to having!!

This just has to be, one of my favourite shops. I would just love to run a shop like this. I must…read moresay that I like Utility - Gift Boutique better than Utility - Home Store, just a few doors up from the gift boutique at 60 Bold Street. Maybe it is because I like gifts more than home stuff. Anyway, great great place if you are wanting to buy unique presents for friends and family. They sell the cutest shoes for babies and have products for pregnancy and after pregnancy including Neal's Yard, Mother's Massage Oil. For the children as they grow older, they sell the Face Food Plate, which is meant to encourage kids to eat up their food by making faces with their food...why didn't they have these 20+ years ago! Peas for the hair and tomato ketchup in the ears.

If your budget can't stretch to the stunning designs at the Display Centre, Shared Earth sells cute…read morehand-made jewellery, accessories and home furnishings that are easier on the wallet. A fair trade company with a loyal customer base, they specialise in distinctive, hand-made designs by artisan producers in India, Africa, Asia, South America and beyond. A lot of the products are made from recycled timber, plastic or tin and ranges from colourful cushions and picture frames to coffee tables. There's also a big jewellery and accessories section in this branch though I have to admit most of it is too bead-based for my taste.

Deep breaths. And relax. Clear your head of all thought. Let your hand take your wallet from…read moreyour inside pocket, that's it, 20 should do it. Exhale you've done a good deed. On your way. Ok, Ok, a little cynical but come on a shop's a shop and any talk of ethical living and saving the planet is pretty much just there angle so let's concentrate on what they do. Well there's certainly a lot of natural materials here - err I thought somehow this was an ethical shop so I do hope that these lovely, calm people behind the counter only found the necessary branches for their wooden goods lying on the ground - hand crafted into jewellery boxes - handy for my collection of blood diamonds - trinket boxes and box boxes. There is also a selection of jewellery and bags and little items for children.

Housed in the courtyard of the Bluecoat, Landbaby is a studio shop selling home decor and jewellery…read moreby local artists and designers. Everything they stock is hand-made giving the shop a warm, homely feel. Whilst I prefer Purlesque next door, I can imagine Landbaby appealing to people that buy French furniture and Farrow & Ball paint as they stock lots of cushions, tea-cosies and tote bags made from cream, beige and stone fabrics. They also stock soft toys for kids and a cute range of purses, ear-rings, scarves and throw made from recycled fabrics and vintage buttons.

Landbaby is an absolutely beautiful little handmade boutique that sells jewellery, accessories,…read moretoys, and home décor made by local artists. The style is shabby chic, and sometimes just chic, and the shop smells and looks so delightful. I kept turning and turning wanting to take in every little owl and every pretty cushion tucked into every corner and displayed in the little wood box shelves and on the mantelpiece. There is so much to see and so much to want! This is a must-see shop for all handmade enthusiasts, and certainly for those visitors to Liverpool with a taste for the finer things. :) Landbaby also offers regular classes and workshops for all kinds of different handmade projects. The prices range from around £15 to £25 and always include all your materials, tea, and cakes. To find out more, search for Landbaby on Facebook. :)

This is one of my favourites of the little shops in Brimstage Hall. It's a mixture of clothing,…read moregifts, stationary, décor, and jewellery. It's all got a handmade/artsy look, and there's so many fun and interesting things tucked away in every corner. There are greeting cards, magnets, little trinket boxes, figurines, earrings, scarves, dresses, mugs, and so much more. Whether you like fair-trade, nature, or simply pretty things, this shop has something for everyone.

This particular Wizzard Cards & Gifts shop in St. Helen's sells a terrific variety of bits and…read morepieces which are ideal for small presents and special celebratory occasions. In addition to offering a selection of ornaments, scary and cute looking toys as well as holographic artwork, they also have a small fancy dress section towards the rear of the shop and sell a range of cheeky adult toys. So, if you pop into Wizzard, you might be in for more than what you bargained for after a wonderous browse! Expect a contrasting variety of cards and gifts from the innocent and cute to the downwright naughty and scary! Overall, the shop has friendly staff as they kindly helped me look for the card I was searching for and at affordable prices, you can't really go wrong.

This has to be the ultimate gift shop! If you need a present…read morefor someone, special or otherwise, you are most likely to find something here. they have gifts from mugs to t-shirts to jewellery.the list seems to be endless, but probably isn't. They even have the cards, tags and wrapping paper to finish off your present.

Whilst Utility's Bold Street store stocks all kind of stylish furniture from designers like Vitra,…read moreKartell and Philippe Starck, their new Liverpool ONE store is a haven to cute and colourful home decor. Alongside cool coat wracks, clocks, cake stands and Alessi espresso cups, there's playful screenprints, mirrored swallows and Moleskin notebooks. They also have lots of gorgeous gifts including Tatty Devine necklaces, bracelets and cuff links, striped scarves, Nixon watches and Airmail envelope wallets. The thing I fell hook, line and sinker for however, was Rob Ryan's adorable mugs emblazoned with the words Listen To The World and Believe in People.

The best thing about Utility is the range of craft and design for your home and office such as…read morefunctional modern chairs, tables and lamps perfectly suited to contemporary living, so I was a little disappointed to find that the new Utility store was simply more cards and gifts. Clearly just opening a new store with the Liverpool One area to take advantage of the premium space, this branch of Utility feels like a slightly effeminate Menkind - the 'blokey' gadget shop nearby. It has more of the same useless but pretty trinkets and gadgets that you will find in Utility's other gift shop as well as the more useful and humourous cards and wrapping paper. If you are looking for smaller items to accessories your home with such as clocks and kettles then this store does have a limited selection of trendy models and you can also find some watches and jewellery. More of the same as on Bold St but at least the staff are making an extra effort to make a good impression in this new store.

In contrast to the candy striped walls and myriads of bright colours in Purlesque, the Display…read moreCentre at the Bluecoat is a stylish shop with white walls and lots of natural light. Accessed through the Bluecoat's courtyard garden or the entrance on College Lane, it's an exhibition space as well as a shop with 10-12 different shows each year. In keeping with founder Robert Gardner-Medwin's original aims, the Display Centre displays and sells the work of leading designers, artists and craft makers. There's some beautiful ceramics, pottery and sculptures alongside cool and functional glassware, metalwork and home decor like cushions. I quite liked the blue and white striped ceramics, silver jewellery and silk scarves but it was David Mellor's playful cutlery that captured my imagination the most.

21. This is a great little shop, very arty and quirky, and unfortunately, very expensive!…read more They sell a range of items, from small and large sculpted pieces, to pictures and plates and decorative ornaments. One particular item that I fell in love with about a year ago was a wooden octopus, which was made so perfectly, I wanted it even though I really had no use for it other than sticking it on the mantle piece. So I turned over the price tag, to find that it cost nearly £800! If you're into your art and you can afford to shell out on one off pieces of fantastic design and craftsmanship, this is definitely the place for you. Alternatively this is also the place if you're looking for a unique gift for a special someone. After you've spend this month's mortgage on an item, you can relax with a coffee in the courtyard and work out how far you could have travelled for the same price!

Sweet Homes Vintage Interiors is a fairly new home décor and gift shop located on Seaview Road in…read moreLiscard Village. They sell everything from doilies and teacups to candles and cookbooks. The style tends toward Kath Kidston, but with some other random items tossed in, including a basket of paperback romance novels at discounted prices. So, you never know what you might find here. I thought the shop was very artfully put together, and items were enticing. I would probably buy something here if I had more spending money of my own. I can't say that for most shops in Liscard Village. This is a lovely exception.