When my mum comes to Glasgow there is always one place we have to visit without question every time…read more- Millers. As a craft obsessive she is like a child walking into a toyshop. This place has everything you could ever want in terms of craft, art and technical materials and I even find myself feeling all creative as I wander through its two floors. The thing that my mum raves about is the 'fill a box' which allows you to fill a rectangular box full of all different types and colours of card and paper to suit your needs. As long as the box closes then you get it all for £7.25 (or £5-odd for a smaller box). The concept is unique and it is the only place in the vicinity that I know of that does this. They also do a 'bonus card' - you get 10 points for every £1 you spend which you can later redeem against some of your favourite goodies. 1 point equals 1p so you are essentially getting 10% off every time you spend. My only qualm? The prices. A lot of their products could be found online on crafty websites for about half the price.

A cracker of an Art Shop that is particularly popular with art students in the many surrounding…read moreUniversities and Colleges in Glasgow. There are alot of things in here, including a great range of inks and paints as well as paper and pencils. I recently topped up on good high quality paper (with high quality prices!). The selection is excellent across the board with alot of stuff that I don't even know the name of so I won't even embarass myself by trying to find appropriate labels for them. 'Crafty stuff'. The staff are friendly and helpful and the place is always busy which is a good sign, particularly given there is another rival store just up the road that is also excellent. Well worth a look.

EEEEP! new yarn shop in Glasgow :)…read more I spoke to the lady and she said she had been open for a couple of months and she is just about to start doing lessons, at first push of the door you might think its locked but its not - its just a bit sticky - it caught me and another customer out :) I wasn't in very long but there was a good selection of drops yarn and some other lovely yarns too - this is not a shop to pop in for your acrylics etc. they sell knitpics needles and the owner is lovely and friendly. its a good location just at the end of Trongate and you can walk to in in ten minutes from central station.

Great little shop with a nice selection of yarn, buttons and knitting supplies. Plus, major points…read morefor having local yarn. I love getting yarn while traveling and it is always nice to get something that you can't find anywhere else. Very friendly service as well.

I adore stationary stores. There's just something about a store where you can pick up greeting…read morecards, or pens or .. everything to do with writing the niceitys of life. Paperchase was a delightful store, filled with interesting things, from a collection of mini erasers, shaped in so many different styles. Pens of every color and style, pencils with crowns at the tops, and of course the greeting card collections. You could pick up moleskien note books if that's your personal fetish (I know a few who love them) And apparently there's an upstairs that I didn't get a chance to visit, but next time, and there will be a next time.

I am a self confessed stationery hoarder. I have no need for more papery based goodies. So why am I…read moreunable to leave Paperchase without a a haul? Could it be the two floors of choice. The exceptionally helpful and engaging staff. The best range of greeting cards I've ever had to choose from - seriously g's birthday card buying took hours. The amazing selection of everything, I didn't even know I needed a panda rubber (eraser) until I brought him home. Or could it be the amazing multicoloured disco floor that makes me want to don a white suit and channel John Travolta - I'm going to be John Travolta partially because I can't remember the female characters name but more because I hated her dress and would look way better in a white flared suit! I loved Paperchase when it was a wee section of Borders bookshop. I mourned for its loss when Borders disappeared from Buchanan Street and Glasgow Fort. But there are not enough words for me to convey the strength of my passion for this muckle shine to all that is stationery. Oh and the fact that buying stationery is never going to make me regret eating cake with mean and nasty changing room mirrors is purely coincidental.

Not being particularly arty Cass Art probably isn't a shop I would have gone into. But I'd booked…read morea place on the Tatty Devine Bunting necklace workshop and so off to Cass Art I trotted. Being a little excited I arrived mega early so had plenty of time to wander round the shop and kick myself for not having been in before. This place is amazing, and whilst I have no need for a sketch book, water colours or charcoals. They do amazing notebooks, a great selection of pens, all the glitter, a huge selection of colouring books and lovely craft kits that are now on my radar for smudge's Christmas. It's spacious, light and airy. Things are tidy and organised methodically so even without the friendly staff it isn't hard to find what you are looking for or what you didn't know you were looking for but now need. The workshop was held in a great space at the back of the store, decorated in a really fabulous graffiti style and making me feel uber cool and artistic - which is quite an accomplishment really! I adored making my own piece of Tatty Devine and getting to chat to the amazing Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden and their equally awesome staff. It was also lovely getting all fangirl with the other workshop participants, it also made me feel like my addiction is much less of a problem than my husband claims and that it could be so so much worse - challenge accepted. I won't wait for the next Tatty Devine visit to head back to Cass Art, like I said I can see some serious Christmas shopping happening in here and obviously I'll have to sneak in a few utterly selfish purchases into the basket.

I'm not artist but that doesn't mean I can't pretend, and after visiting this shop I kind of want…read moreto be one. It's slick, it's new and there's lots of shiny things to stare at in disbelief. Like a Posca fridge. YES, it's a fridge and it has Posca pens in it. Oh my days. So, what kinds of things do they stock? Spray paint (behind the counter so they can check you're legit), artist paints and paper, calligraphy pens and ink, gifts, kids ranges, craft supplies, drawing stuff, Posca pens in a fridge (did I mention that already?!) and they're also going to start doing events and workshops soon. This is definitely a shop worth visiting, even if you don't consider yourself the arty type. There's super friendly staff scattered all through the shop to make sure you can find what you're looking for, and even if there is a queue at the checkout it's because the staff are interested in what you're buying and why. I left with new gold calligraphy ink and my name on the mailing list for upcoming events, and was just £3.50 lighter.

Justin Bieber hardcover biography for £5? Oh so tempting. Not for myself, mind you. Crosswords,…read moregift-wrapping paper, children's puzzles, notebooks and more - there's seemingly a smattering of all things made from paper here. This bookstore takes its discount adverts in the windows seriously. I counted no less than three stacks/shelves of books and other literature paraphernalia selling at an average of roughly £3. Though there isn't much that piqued my interest other than the latest tome of the Wheel of Time series, you could easily get away with nicking a novel or three for under £10, which seems more than reasonable to me.

You can't really go wrong in this place. It's really a place where one goes when they're looking…read morefor just about anything book, puzzle, stationary or gift related. I've been in this shop a few times before, sometimes just to browse, but sometimes on a mission to find the perfect gift. Recently, Sophie K. and I were wasting time before heading to see a show that the Theatre Royal so we stopped in here for a quick wander. She was looking for a colouring book for calming herself. Sounds crazy, I know, but they do exist, and they're pretty darn cool. I might actually go back for some myself, see what they're all about. The store is a bit haphazard in it's set up, but if you give yourself enough time, you're bound to get through it without running in to piles of merchandise littered about the place or the odd screaming child left unattended by it's parent. One thing to note for all my fellow students out there: they offer a 10% discount when you show your student ID. With classes looming on the horizon, this could be a go to place for supplies, as they have loads of school supplies at the ready. The staff were in a giggling mood when we were there, but hey, it's good to know they enjoy their jobs! Makes for a better shopping atmosphere!

Wow - what an Aladdin's Cave this place is! It's like a cross between Ikea and Poundshop. The range…read moreof stuff they carry is bizarre and hugely extensive - everything from kitchen spices to craft jewellery supplies by way of vinyl records (!), kid's toys and executive desk knick-knacks. All (well, most) nicely packaged in that inimitable Swedish minimalist style and very competitively priced. Which is the whole marketing plan, I guess. It certainly works as we were passing and just popped in for a quick look and of course ended up spending about 20 quid! Favourite buy - a Hallowe'en cat head with colour changing eyes and an LED multicoloured light bulb with rotating prism lens - instant disco ball in your living room! If you're looking for cheap and unusual toys for children, it's definitely worth checking out Flying Tiger. Even if your children are well over 40. :)

I actually forgot that Flying Tiger had opened in Buchanan Galleries but spotted it when we were on…read moreour way out to the carpark so I had to pop in for a quick visit. Now I love Tiger and I'm not totally sure why this is called Flying Tiger but it's pretty much the same as every other Tiger I've been to - cheap homewares/stationery kind of stuff which is really cute. This time I didn't actually buy anything (how's that for self restraint) but I'm sure I'll be back as I love their stationery and they had some really nice glassware too.

OK are we all set for the party?…read more Kiddy food... check Soft drinks... check presents... check booze for the frazzled parents... check balloons... balloons... balloons?...feck Now rather than telling the story normally, let's go for something that best fits the 'eeeeeeeeek' manner in which the balloon less state left us. Ruuuuuuuuun.... buuuuuuuus.....waaaaaaaalk.....hiiiiiiiiiiii....... baaaaaallooooons please.......niiiiiiiiice daaaaaaay.......yeeeesssssss.....paaaaaaayyyyy.....waaaaaaalllllllk.....buuuuuuuus......hiiiiiiiiii hooooooney.....and relax Phew says i. Two kick ass balloons (one a giant silver foil number 2...as in the number, not the bodily function... not that you'd be expecting that, but just in case....oooh, i'm in a big hole) filled with floaty gas for aout 15 notes... pricey but cool. Oh and an update on the staff.... this time i was the grumpy frazzled one and she the nice friendly one... sometimes we can be too quick to judge!

This is the ultimate in tacky, novelty shopping, with everything from big bright balloons plastered…read moreall over the walls, to hen party costumes for the unashamedly tacky. From the moment you walk in the door, your eyes will be assaulted by the garish surroundings, you can't help but laugh. Since it specialises in party decorations and dressing up gear, it can be forgiven for being a little bit over the top and this just adds to its weird and wacky wonderfulness.