Birmingham lacks many high quality art & craft supplies shops. That's where Birmingham Bead Shop…read morefits in. Small but perfectly formed haven full of shiny things and pretty things and crafty things for you to buy to make yourself prettier, or to make something pretty for someone you know. I've been spoiled by a recent trip to NYC where I visited the Brooklyn Charm Shop and spent a long time ogling shiny expensive and inexpensive charms and other jewellery making supplies. I was grizzling away about how there's nothing that even compares anywhere near me - so it was an AWESOME surprise to pop into the Birmingham Bead Shop only to be blown away by the range they manage to cram into such a small space, as well as the helpfulness of staff who can show you how to properly open and close a jump ring, or what a crimp bead is for. They've even run classes in the past in jewellery making, though they have none advertised at the moment. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled though!

Just one store that shows there's life yet in Birmingham's independent retail scene, the Birmingham…read moreBead Shop is a haven for craftsy types who like to create pretty things for their own amusement, to give as gifts or sell online. Back in 2010 after consuming too much cider at the sunniest Glastonbury in recent history, myself and my equally sun/cider-addled friend decided we were gonna give up this capitalist lark and make felt owls with button eyes and sell them at festivals. This never happened, of course, but having my eyes opened to her skill with a sewing needle and bits of material I couldn't make heads or tails out of, I was on the search for a shop like this for a while until discovering it just before Christmas. Now, our annual DIY Christmas gift pact (make each other garish jumpers, stockings, etc. - this year, a onesy has been proposed, eek!) means I always make a trip here to stock up on supplies. Whatever I don't use in my fumbling attempts to create something cool, I simply give to her as part of the gift seeing as she's into her jewellery making and whatnot. As well as lots of cool stuff to aid in 'Blue Peter'-style craftsmanship, fashion fans who like to pair things together to make something exponentially cooler can find all kinds of cool charms and sparkly bits and bobs to add to charm bracelets, necklaces, pin to their clothes, etc. As someone who works for a high street jewellers that sells massively popular Pandora and the like, I have to say this little shop of treasures offers something a bit different for those who like to get creative with their accessories.

With stock ranging from paintbrushes and model kits to photographic canvas prints and fine art,…read morethis New Oscott-based Arts and Crafts centre houses everything you'll ever need for a bit of hands-on creative fun. As a quaint, converted house, the store has its own small, off-road car park and houses an extensive selection of art equipment. Staff are welcoming, polite and always willing to help and as part craft centre and part print shop, the business also offers a broad range of printing services for business customers, specialising in leaflets, business cards and flyers.

I've never studied art and I didn't really know what my options were. A friend of mine recommended…read morethat I try my hand at painting. At first I had visions of drawing scenery which I didn't really fancy. But afterwards, I thought perhaps I could use a variety of colours and make something abstract! So I went along to Vesey Arts and crafts and I I ended up purchasing a large blank canvas and a number of brightly coloured paints along with a paint brush. As well as helping me buy the equipment, the assistant recommended some techniques and an inspirational web site to check out some similar work.

Have been using Greetings House as the supplier for my business for around a month now and I cannot…read morefault their services at all. The staff are so kind and helpful, the prices are fantastic and top of the market and products are always brilliant quality. I recently decided to switch helium suppliers and have decided to use Greetings house due to their unbeatable pricing. Penny was extremely helpful in finding me the canister that I required. She spent around an hour liaising with my local suppliers to arrange this for me. Checked that I had the correct nozzle attachment and placed the order for me. Cannot thank greetings house & Penny enough!!

Oh wow. I have found crafty heaven and it is a trade…read morewarehouse in the Midlands. This place has every arts supply and events decor piece your heart could possibly desire - sequinned ribbons to artificial peonies to bubble wrap to cards and invitations. Everything comes in 30 different colours and is bought wholesale, so you can buy in bulk if you so desire and also keeps it affordable. We raided it for supplies for my sister's wedding - high quality paper and card for the table plan (home-made by my own fair hand!), a box of 50 wedding confetti pouches (such good value), 15 pretty jars and a tonne of coloured beads for centrepieces, artificial cherry blossom branches (they just fitted the theme), and a lifetime's supply of blu-tack. And that was only the first of several (awesome) trips. Here's the big fat catch though - you can only get in if you're a business owner as it's officially aimed at trade buyers not amateur craft enthusiasts like me. In this case I had a useful aunt with a shop who registered for an account and brought us along. You still can't just wander in though - you need to show ID and leave any bags in lockers. And thus its existence has remained a closely guarded secret ;) Looking forward to any excuse to get to go back!

This is a lovely new shop located within Great Western Arcade. It was originally a Pop-up Shop…read morebased in the Mailbox, but due to their refurbishment - it could no longer remain in this location. It's probably the best thing that has happened to the little store, as it now has a permanent base in a very cool location. Everything on sale is handmade in Birmingham, which means it's full of lovely original pieces dripping with character. All of the items are priced sensibly, meaning you can grab a cute notebook for around £2, whilst the handmade children's clothes price around £22 - £25 (very reasonable when you see the quality). This is their first opening week, but they are already doing a great trade - so ensure you pop in regularly to see the swiftly changing stock (as one artist sells out and another one moves in).

As an artist who is into granny hobbies and crafts, this might be one of my favourite places to…read morevisit. It isn't very packed, but somehow you still find what you're looking for. The quality is great, and the prices are very reasonable, which is like the best of both worlds in this economy, isn't it? The staff is very polite and is eager to help you out in any way they can. I usually go there for yarns and embroidery threads, etc., but the urge to buy everything there is so real!

Out of all the stalls on the indoor market, this is the one I visit most frequently. If you enjoy…read moremaking costumes like I do then this stall should definitely feature on your shopping list. They sell pretty much everything related to sewing and knitting, barr machinery and large fabrics but there are plenty of fabric stalls nearby anyway. Everything is reasonably priced. I usually head here to purchase marabou, zips, coloured felt and strong threads. They give you a little pot to put your items in like at the sweet shop. I always feel like a little old lady when I come here but I am 30 in less than a month so I guess I am ; )

The Jinney Ring opened in 1980 and was the brainchild of Richard and Jenny Greatwood, former…read moreHerefordshire farmers. It is situated in a tiny village called Hanbury, in Bromsgrove, 18 miles from Birmingham city centre, and 5 miles from Redditch. It was very easy to find, as it is not far off the A38 and is sign-posted most of the way. The car park at first glance looks very small, but once you get in the courtyard, the track leads round to the left to reveal a big car park. Whether it would be big enough on a weekend, I'm not entirely convinced; we went on a Friday, and the actual centre seemed to be fairly busy, and there was plenty of parking left, so perhaps it would suffice. There are some disabled parking spaces in the first courtyard you drive into, which would be ideal for people with restricted mobility. However, as our wheelchair lift comes out of the side of the van, I didn't feel there was enough width to the parking spaces for me to get Ian out. We parked in the other car park, which is still flat, and provides access to the actual centre via a ramp and a pretty view. The actual centre itself is fully accessible, but it does have one or two minor annoyances. At one point there are a couple of steps, so I had to wheel Ian off the main path and into the picnic area, which was fine, except for the fact that to get back onto the main path, I had to manoeuvre him over a big dip, in which we got stuck. I would have to therefore recommend that any wheelchair users who push themselves approach this centre either with caution, or with a friend. The restaurant is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, and the staff were helpful enough to carry one of the trays to the table. Some of the shops are a little on the small side, as you might expect in a place of this sort, and the gift shop has access to the upper floor by stairs only, so again, if you are a wheelchair user, or cannot manage stairs, your experience is limited. The centre also has a toilet with disabled access. I have to admit that some of the shops were either shut or weren't big enough for us all to get in, but the whole place gave me an impression of a Victorian high street. The shops all led off a slightly worn path, and were very close together. The most interesting shops were the ones where you could watch people making their wares, and then buy something, but there are also services such as a picture framer, garden designer and interior designer. Although every shop was well maintained, and all the people working there were friendly and helpful, here were some shops I would recommend more than others. 1. Glass blower the biggest building, and therefore the easiest access. As you walk through from one door to the other, you can watch the glass blower working. He also has pieces of glass on display, either on shelves or hanging from the ceiling. I particularly like the huge baubles of swirled colours, which seemed reasonably priced at about a tenner. 2. Stained glass some very beautiful work, but tricky to get in. luckily, it's displayed well enough that you can see most of it from the outside. I particularly liked a huge yellow and blue sun, but it was priced a bit out of my range. 3. Jewellery very small, but very pretty shop, bursting with beautiful pieces of jewellery. There were some lovely silver pieces with semi-precious gems, which were also attractively priced. 4. Pottery we couldn't really get inside the shop ourselves, but I would highly recommend a visit, as you can see the potter working at the wheel, which I always find fascinating (we watched through the window!). 5. Candle maker again, it was hard to see what was going on peering through the window as we were, but it was no less fascinating. I was going to buy some candles on the way back to the car, but I forgot (as usual). I really would have liked to see the violinmaker, but the shop was shut. I fully intend to return on another visit to Birmingham, so I'll update this review if I ever get to see him. The biggest shop is, of course, the main gift shop. It is a treasure trove of bits and bobs that most people (well, especially women) will enjoy digging amongst. As well as greetings cards, dolls, and ornaments, they have an amazing children's section, which I spent about half an hour looking in, and a shelf of joke items, which Ian enjoyed. Upstairs is a craft gallery with pieces of artwork by local artists, as well as clothing and jewellery. The restaurant was by far the busiest place in the whole centre. Almost every table, and it's not a small place, was taken up with at least two people. There was certainly a proliferation of women; either older ladies 'doing lunch', or young mothers and babies chatting. Now and again, I spotted a man, no doubt dragged there by his wife, but it seems to be a predominantly female clientele on a weekday. The food is standard lunch fare jacket potatoes, salads, quiches and pies,

The Jinney Ring is an attractive craft centre found in a set of farm buildings in beautiful…read morecountryside in Hanbury. It's more than just a craft centre, the whole atmosphere of the place harks back to times gone by. In the summer, you can sit in the beautifully landscaped gardens, with a view of the Malvern Hills, breathing in the peace and quiet, save the noise of the ducks. The buildings are converted into craft studios where you can buy unique jewellery, art, pottery, glass, felt and there's even a violin maker. Go along to be inspired and to support these talented local artisans.

Great shop for all things crafty. Its not very often that I go in here and cant find what I want…read more There is a great range of papers, pens, beads and stickers. It caters for stationary, jewellery making, card making needs

So I was on the hunt for a carry bag for my sewing machine. Not wanting to trek across towns to…read moreKings Heath or take my chances at the market, I thought I'd venture down to Soho Road where there was sure to be a haberdashery of some kind. Low and behold, after walking down this same bloody road for about an hour (I live on Constitution Hill which turns into Great Hampton Street which turns into Hockley Hill which turns into Soho Hill which turns into Soho Road...AAARGH!) I finally find Sew-Tek. This store is full to the brim with sewing machines, accessories, buttons, embellishments and anything else you could possibly want, relating to sewing and embroidery. The man serving was very helpful and I got a cheap and cheerful Brother carry bag to match my machine. Sew-Tek is definitely worth a visit if you are over this way and can't make it to the market.

My mum introduced me to this small but crammed full sewing shop. Mum has a range of machines -…read moremostly Janome and Pfaff - and does a massive amount of sewing - from quilting to dressmaking to simple hemming and repairs. Because of all of this, she needed to buy a few bits and bobs to stock up her supplies, and that's where Sewtek came in. We popped in just to buy some more spare bobbins, and mum wanted to find out if they did repairs or servicing. The shopkeeper was super helpful and took details down and let her know what service options they offered. The downside to where they're situated is that the Soho Road is awful for parking, unless you're used to it and ready to just plough on through and block the road whilst you wait for a street space. That was why I'd been dragged along - to be the designated driver and stop her from screaming at other drivers!

A great little stationers and whilst the stock in store isn't exhaustive, if there is something you…read moreare looking for then they can usually order it in the very next day for no extra cost. Brilliant service and competitive prices. They have a good range of pens, some office furniture and single paper stick to chose from. They have some essential craft stock from spray mount to inks, as well as staplers and bull dog clips. Delta Pi doesn't have a car park and on street parking can be difficult unless you leave one in the car with the engine running whilst the other hops out.

I love Delta Pi - the shop isn't massive, but they pack a wide range in - with a leaning towards…read moreart supplies rather than endless stacks of A4 notepads. The staff are knowledgeable and keen to help - I've been trying to source a particular type of ceramic blade, and whilst the man in the shop had never heard of it he took down all the details and is going to enquire with his suppliers to see if he can help. It's this kind of level of service that you would never EVER get in a big chain like WH Smiths!