Hand Maker's factory has recently moved from kensington to seddon and is situated atop a lovely…read morehousewares shop. It is a studio space that empowers people to confidently create in a sustainable way. Young teachers share their knowledge of sewing, knitting, screen printing, macrame and stamp carving amongst many other skills. Alongside their workshops, handcrafted tools, supplies and other items are also on offer via their online store. The studio space is run by the gorgeous entrepreneurial Nicola Prested. This morning I took a three hours long workshop in making a macrame plant hanger. I found free parking easily on a Sunday morning. Booking the class was easy via weteachme.com, and if you book with a friend you get a discount. You may think macrame is just about tying knots but it can be quite meditative. It was a small class of five women located in a bright homely space. We were greeted by two friendly faces, hot cuppas of tea, homemade chocolate zucchini cake and anzac biscuits. We learnt to tie a noose (definitely useful in getting out of life imprisonment) and square knots. Our arms hurt from all the tying but we were persistent. Lots of knots later and our bellies full of goodies, we had gorgeous maiden's fern pots sitting on top of our well tied ropes. We even got an instruction sheet to take with us. Hello etsy here I come. :) Definitely coming back for macrame part two.

The people at Beautiful Silks are wonderful to deal with. I placed my order early yesterday morning…read morethen received an email from the in the afternoon telling me that my order had been sent. The emails was clear, concise and contained the information that I needed to track my parcel plus information relevant to their Facebook page, blog etc. What great service. Keep it up you guys. Your customer service standards stand out above the rest. Thank you! Best wishes, Valda Jennings (a customer)

Nice sales clerks If you knit this is the place to come with an empty suitcase The selection of…read moreyarns is fantastic it is difficult to fine a nicer selection of yarn Great if you are making a special gift

I am just learning to knit and the staff was so welcoming and helped me find all of the supplies I…read moreneeded.

I walked in here for the first time on my 15 minuet break, tried on three T-Shirt, brought them,…read moreand had time to get a favourite muffin in Centre Place. I am a big fan of little boutique Melbourne clothes shop, especially those that have cute designs. I am always getting little comments about the clothes that I buy from here. Conveniently you can buy their products online which means that I don't even need to be on my break the next time I want a shirt as I now know what size fits me.

A funky boutique filled with a mix of fashion, accessories, knick knacks and specialty items that…read moreyou find yourself buying because of its "oh my gosh thats so cute/cool/funky" appeal. The fashion aspect of the store mainly focuses on print tees that catch the eye with bright volours and statement images. If you're a t-shirt kinda gal or guy, you'll find some unique designs that arent available elsewhere. Otherwise, they also supply some great jewellery and fashion accessories, including bags and head wear. Im personally more interested in the bits and pieces you'l find around the store - I've seen everything from fake non disposable coffee cups and homemade cards, to funky kitchen utensils and table decor items. Its worth a look in at the store, and even though its small you dont feel like the sales attendant is eyeing you off the whole time.Its quite comfortable to just browe.And you never know what you could find.

This really isn't one of the best shopping centres that I have visited, not that I tend to rate…read morethem all that highly anyway. The annoying thing about it is that you have to walk across a ton of carpark from the tram stop to actually get to the shopping centre, and there really isn't all that much here, other than a cinema and a couple of cafes. Well, the do have an Ikea, which is sort of unique where shopping centres are concerned.

Victoria gardens is personally my favourite shopping Centre! Unlike northland it is not so big that…read moreyou get lost and can't find your way around. And unlike northcote plaza it actually has useful shops. Victoria gardens has lots of clothes shops for example cotton on, kmart, tempt, jeans west etc it also has a very big food court and food for all your fussy family members. It has a cinema which always comes in handy when you have nothing to do. One of my favourite things about Victoria gardens is of course ikea, what would you do with out ikea oh yeah NOTHING!! The ikea in vic gardens is very big and it has a childcare program where you just say "take my kids while I shop at ikea" and then POOF kid free. Vic Gardens includes boost, pet shop, various 2 dollar shops, sushi, Coles, dimmocks, dick smith, bakers delight etc I believe that this shopping centre couldn't get any better

Crafting needs? Check. Fabrics to choose from? Check…read more At these arts and crafts places, I usually find myself sticking around the DIY area. No, they didn't have the photo booth props I was looking for. They've got loads of random stuff. A great place to come if you have a project you are working on. It's also I good place to find something you didn't realize that you needed or wanted. I give them a thumbs up for their friendly service. Located conveniently across from Northland, but in another shopping strip, with limited parking.

The Salvos Thrift Store on High Street Road has always been a place that I have gone to for a belt…read moreor a neat vintage dress. It has never let me down and almost every visit has seen me walking away with something new. The staff here are very friendly - as they tend to be in op shops. There's something about volunteer staff that is just nicer than paid staff. The shop has always been a bit dated, which I guess is the reason why they were renovating last time I went. The prices in here can get a little high like all salvos and anything remotely vintage is instantly slapped with a higher price tag. Your average everyday supre singlets tend to be pretty cheap however. I'm not sure how the new design is going to affect the store but if they keep the same staff and continue stocking those rare finds I shall remain quite happy with them.

This stall has been at the market forever - okay, since 1961 - which is a long time, so they must…read morebe doing something right. A truly amazing range of kitchenware, with reasonable prices and some real bargains. The stock turns over fairly quickly so it is worth checking in every so often for a browse. You never know what you might find.