Do you remember when you were young, playing with beautifully hand crafted toys - wagons, wooden…read morepuzzles, magnificent doll houses. Most of the toys you see in stores today are made from nasty cheap plastics, and imported from China, they usually only last a few weeks. I recently discovered a beautiful little toy store that still values good quality, old fashioned toys. K and K Creative Toys at Enoggera has been trading in Brisbane since 1964 and believe it or not you will find toys from this era for sale in the store. The toys, games and puzzles are unique and are made to ignite your child's imagination, and built to last. There is a play area for toddlers so that parents can shop with ease and K and K offer free gift wrapping for their customers all year round!

Do you sketch? Do you paint?…read more Do you draw? Do you know someone who sketches, paints or draws for a hobby? You need to check out the range of sketchpads and sketchbooks here. They have books inspired by Matisse. Books inspired by Van Gogh, Picasso and the pages of the sketchpads won't run, they are pretty strong thick paper quality, fit for a professional. Plus, call me a freakazoid, but they smell good. I come here for my sketchbooks, even though they may cost a little more, they will give you personality (none of the plain black anymore) and they will inspire you to be more of the artist than you are already. Come here to be inspired after a trip around GOMA. Come here to get gifts for your kids, start them off with a drawing pad maybe and be a part of inspiring the next generation of artists. Love this place.

This bookshop slash gift store is pure class. With books on Matisse (the exhibition is currently on…read moreat GoMA), and children's T-shirts by Pip and Pop (who are the pair behind the amazing kiddies exhibition We Miss You Magic Land on at the moment), it's clear that if you like what you see in the gallery, you can also buy something else as a permanent reminder in the shop. But, as per usual, I spent most of my time admiring the jewellery - all handmade by a variety of designers (in-depth info about each person is on a card beside their display). Then there were the quirky bits'n'bobs too - my niece was entranced by the "Owl" pens - complete with eyes that light up and strange, squawking sound. And I loved the photo holders - which were essentially like teeny coathangers, made of paperclips. So if you've got friends or rellies who fancy themselves as a wee bit cultured then this should be your destination shop for birthday and Xmas gifts.

You know those nerds who get more excited about designing and making the party invitations than the…read moreactual party? Yeah, they're so weird. And I happen to be one. Even back in the late 90s when my birthday came around, I was to be found on our hulking IBM computer make invitations with coloured, comic sans-style fonts and the ever-classy clip art. They usually said corny things like IT'S PARTY TIME! If only Invitation House had existed in those days, and I could have saved myself some Microsoft Word-related embarrassment. Luckily, Invitation House opened not long before my 18th birthday and so I finally had access to more than Windows 95 to create my masterpiece. When you go in you'll see the the walls are floor to ceiliing stacks of paper and card of varying patterns, colours, and textures. They have sheer overlay sheets, cute pins and embellishments, ribbons, and stamps. You can pick out what you want and dream up your own invitation, or the staff can help you. You can also pay them to assemble them all for you, or take your supplies home and do it yourself. Since my 18th I have also used Invitation House's wares to make 21st invites for me and for friends' parties, and often pop in to buy some nice paper or card if I'm making something special. Such a great idea for a shop, and I bet they do great business because it's such a niche market. Well done, Invitation House!

Stationery really excites me. Like REALLY excites me. I think it's the prospect of being super…read moreorganised while looking cute at the same time. Stickers, pens, writing pads, stamps, you name it I love it! I am unashamedly geeky in that sense. So Invitation House, which funnily enough specialises in invitations, got a little excited squeal from me as I walked through their doors. Floor to ceiling shelves of different sorts of paper. Embossed, bridal, paper with cupcakes on it, floral, dinosaurs, oriental and SO much more. There is literally paper for any occasion here. It's stunning quality and averages around $1.00-$1.50 per piece so depending on the size of the event you're hosting it could become quite expensive. In my opinion though, receiving a paper invitation in this digital age is a little taste of the past, and it sets the tone for whatever the event is that the invitation is for. If you are getting married, having an important birthday celebration or hosting some sort of event which requires an old-school invitation, I definitely suggest popping in to Invitation House for some inspiration.

I think CrackerJacks is superb for kids…read more Upon entry to this small boutique I was immediately assailed by the nostalgic sights of sylvanian families, large old school doll houses and ride-on cars. Wooden animals, boardgames, blow-up animal toys, miniature ride-on cars, spy kits, kiddy tool kits, clocks and nano blocks. You will find a great variety of wares here. The staff here are also exceptionally lovely, and I felt well looked after as I plodded my way around their store. A traditional toy shop at it's best, I recommend coming here for any gift woes or dilemas.

Crackerjack unfortunately reminds me a little of a poor man's Presents of Mind. It's a toy shop…read morethat, unlike Presents of Mind, is specifically targeted at children. However, there are games for adults at Crackerjack, too - board games (I bought a copy of Balderdash here), card games and building sets for adult fetishists (e.g. build-your-own toy planes, cars, trains etc). The limited adult toy selection isn't my issue. This store markets itself for the 0-10 age bracket, after all. My biggest issue is the price. Crackerjack is certainly a store for the richer parent who wants their children to have fluffy toys that cost twice the price of even a normal gift shop. You can get tiny teddy dolls for around $9, but this will be the cheapest thing you find here. There are a lot of unique, hand-made-looking toys here, but I wonder what child would be fascinated enough by a wooden monkey with wire legs to justify spending such outrageous prices. I imagine the label here is what is important. Crackerjack has recently stocked a brand of wooden toy animals called "Anamalz" and perhaps this carries a prestige with it I'm unaware of. Then again, if you have money to burn and decide your one-year old's toy ride-on car simply must have replica Mercedes Benz wheel trims, come here.

Need a fancy-pants gift or something to make your house look pretty?…read more From smelly candles, French soaps, strings of fabric bunting to larger items like paintings, statues and tables, That's Unique is just the place to visit! This store has multiple rooms to poke around in and you're sure to be tempted by many of the items.

I'm not a very 'arty' person. I know this because I'll be impressed by most artworks I see (while…read moreother more discerning people screw up their faces) and the only thing I can draw with consistency is Homer Simpson's head. But I have found myself at this 'artists' art shop' on a a couple of occasions and found it really useful. The first time was to get some paint to cover up a scratch at an old rental property (which shall remain nameless). I took a photo of the paint and the staff happily helped me match it to a suitable paint. Thanks guys -- I got the whole security deposit back! The other occasion went to get some wrapping paper for a wedding gift. Turns out you can get brown craft paper for 80 cents/metre, which figures out much cheaper than buying wrapping paper at other shops. #WINNING!

This place is heaven for the next budding Picasso or Matisse. Stocking a vast amount of canvases,…read moreeasels, water colours, paints, glitter and stencils at wholesale prices (A.K.A. ridiculously cheap!). Whether you're young or not-quite-so-young, this place has all your arty needs catered for. There are stacks of body and face paints, as well as rows upon rows of calico. They advertise art classes around Brisbane, such as life drawing, photography workshops and they even host kids' creative workshops. So it's well worth dropping in to see what's happening in the art world in and around Brisbane.

What a beautiful little store this is. Objects of all shapes and sizes, as long as they possess…read moresome charismatic characteristic, can be found here. The store is quite small with rustic cabinets overflowing with items. Making your way through the delightful clutter of objects without knocking anything over is a challenge, especially if you're me. I think my body awareness stopped developing when I was a small child, as after many years of constantly spilling and breaking things, I have had to accept that I am rather clumsy. I like to think it is endearing. Despite this great flaw on my behalf, I managed to complete a tour of the store, testing delicious smelling hand lotions and admiring cute knick knacks, without causing any destruction. While I was in the store a couple came in and proceeded to search back and forth, a bit frantic. The woman working in the shop asked if they were after anything in particular, to which they replied a present for some sort of baby occasion, christening, newborn baby, I can't remember. The lifesaving shop assistant then directed them to a smaller room off to one side of the shop, packed full of an abundance of cute baby gifts. I thought this was a great idea, not only having a section in the store like this but also separating it to give the customers after those items space to um and ah in peace.

Super girly girls will love this store. It is filled with cute, adorable, simply gorgeous nic nacs…read morefor your very feminine kind of person. The fact that they are approved sellers of Crabtree and Evelyn should tell you something. Other simply delightful treats you'll find in here include aprons, stuffed toys, white route iron candelabras, calico hanging hearts, tea sets, and recipe books called "The Essential Tea Companion". I'm sure they've got a doll house hidden away in the corner somewhere. It's just that kind of shop. It's odd that in a store crammed full of stuff, nothing really stands out. Everything in there seems to be different shades of cream or baby pink. The pastel colour palette reigns supreme here. If you're looking for something overpowering in it's girly-ness, you should definitely take a look in here.

A gift shop in Camp Hill's Martha Street hub, Kim + Judi provides unique gifts at a price that's…read moreunlikely to break your budget. It's perfect for those last minute gifts, whether it's for a secret santa or a partner you're about to celebrate an anniversary with. The quality of the products is top notch and the interesting way the gifts are wrapped make it seem like you have put in a lot of effort. After my first visit to Kim + Judi led to a well received present for my brother on his thirtieth birthday (a clock in a clear spherical glass which allowed you to see the inner workings) I have made a habit of stopping in when stumped of present ideas. The mother and daughter team who own it (not sure who is Kim and who is Judy) have been nothing but helpful and gave reliable advice to this very confused shopper. It didn't escape my attention, either, that on each separate visit there have been new products which is always a good sign for a gifts store such as this. Being a bit of a novice with stores like this one I am always sure to bring a girl along with me as they tend to love the place and are better at separating the wheat from the chaff than myself.