James Macintyre & Co specialise in floral pottery, lamps and a range of other home ware as well as…read morecards and artwork with a similar style. The products all have a vintage and quite pretty art nouveau style with gently curving plants and highly stylised flowers and insects. The aesthetic runs throughout the shop, though with a wide range of variations on the theme. The smaller items like cards and picture frames are good if you like the style, but aren't prepared to splash out on a lamp. The shop is compact, with a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere and helpful staff.

This shop specialises in art pottery and has a vast selection of vases and art work for your home…read more They have some really unusual pieces and some are actually quite humorous. They have catalogues that you can choose items from to be ordered and also offer gift cards, lamp bases and shades and collections from Prestige Moorcroft. The shop is small and homely, pop in and have a look around.

Sometimes I like the story to be all about me. That may happen more often than it should. So it is…read moreme I'm looking after again and I feel the need of some shopping and jewellery splurging. You better be ready Share. Share is a jewellery and giftware boutique run by two brothers. They claim to have over 50 years of jewellery experience between them so all that time must count for something. And it does. It's a lovely unit on Street Lane and my purse is itching to be opened. Now I'm a sucker for charm bracelets and they do some real alternative options to places like Links. The Molly Brown ones are irresistible and are just undercutting the prices of some of the other places. I mean who doesn't want a jelly bean on a bracelet? Okay maybe it's just me then. So the jewellery is done now to fancy pants my house up and with the array of clocks and furnishings it is easy to do that. They've even got fancy ashtrays! I know! Perfect stop off for gift ideas as long as the budget will stretch.

Having seen the large glass windows and doors I could tell in an instant that this place held shiny…read moregoodies within. My magpie instincts drew me in and I made a beeline for their front door, only to practically walk into it as you have to ring the bell to enter. Nearly having left a face-smudge on the glass I almost didn't go in, for shame, but wanted to check it out having gotten this far! Inside there are hoards of shiny high-end ultra expensive jewellery and ceramics items. It was a bit of a duplicitous visit, in terms of my enjoyment, since I really had fun looking at the quirky and beautiful items but simultaneously didn't enjoy the slight feeling of being monitored - perhaps it was my cumbersome rucksack which put the fear of breakages within the staff? Nevertheless I felt a little ill at ease with my reception. Things got better later however, since I got a nice smile as I was leaving! My favourite piece of crockery was this sort of ergonomic cup, teaspoon and saucer set by Villeroy Boch - the teaspoon balances/hooks on the cup with a specific divet in its stem. Pretty cool, though I didn't dare look at the price. They also had a really sweet cupcake stand and tea set which I'd have absolutely no use for but I liked the idea of having one day! In terms of jewellery there were many exquisite contemporary silver items on offer, a cabinet dedicated to those very fashionable charms, many many shiny watches for him and some very expensive jewellery specifically for young girls - pearls and such. So there was rather a large range to choose from! However, the essential theme here is pack your wallet, we're not talking monopoly money. Should you wish to purchase this place is way more of an investment buy than an impulse buy, unless of course, you're loaded!

When Tableau first caught my eye I had two contradictory thoughts. Firstly: oh look at that nice…read morepainted iron table that would look lovely in the garden. Secondly: why is there another shop in Headingly selling seemingly pointless ornamental objects? I went in to check it out and see which initial thought would pervade. They have quite a few bits of furniture that are very attractive, expensive but original such as a white painted iron bench and a similarly crafted coat stand. Decorative things hang from the ceiling that would suffice as gifts for mothers or girl friends who like pretty, hand-crafted things and can overlook their pointlessness. There is hand-made jewelry and some interesting prints, including a Jack Vertriano print. I particularly like the tiny glass pigs for sale. This shop is a bit more sophisticated than others of its kind in Headingly/Hyde Park selling gift items but they do sell fairy lights.

Tableau is a gift shop that I'm actually willing not to whinge about! The exterior is very tasteful…read morewith a muted forest green painted front and minimalist stainless steel lettering. The large windows display their pretty wares. Upon entering it's quite difficult to categorise their products as there is such a range. Mainly decorative home ware. There are small pieces of furniture, clocks, fairy lights, plant pots, lanterns, watering cans, ornaments, bobs and bits, bits and bobs, pretty things and lovely items. What I must say is I just LOVE their greetings card selection. Small it may be but perfectly formed it certainly is. The cards are very unusual and with a vintage and quirky style. Though I always make cards for my family I found a few that would just make perfect mothers' day cards...could I really give her two? I might have to they are so pretty! Now I'm not easy to please when it comes to cards so waxing lyrical about a shop's card selection feels rather out of character! Now gift shops and I generally don't get on, but Tableau really is different with its own character and style. Definitely a place to hunt for a present for mums or female friends who like to beautify their home. What the hey...I'm a fan!

Danber is a very small curtain stall in the lower market hall. It is full to bursting with curtains…read moreof different lengths, fabrics, thicknesses and colours. Due to its tiny size, though, it is unable to offer a great deal of choice so it wouldn't be the obvious shop of choice for anyone wanting to browse through a range of styles. However, prices are cheap though so if you did find something suitable it certainly wouldn't break the bank. If you like the twee look they have a few sets of cutesy lace curtains and some frilly curtains with matching pelmets, ties and thick lace edges printed with fruit. They would look very at home in a country kitchen with a gingham table cloth and an apple pie in the oven! If you're looking for curtains on a tight budget and aren't very picky about the precise colour or design then it may be worth a look in Danber.

the best shop for curtains but especially nets. The owner is the nicest and kindest shopowner I…read morehave ever known and will help you in any way possible. If only all shops were like this one.

I took my Mum here recently and she adored it! On second glance, I realised that I too was finding…read moretrinkets and treats galore in every corner. Whilst it's your standard gift shop, housing all kinds of clocks, jewellery, scented candles, and the like, the items inside are actually pretty unique and interesting. I remember being particularly enamoured of their clocks, so perhaps enough hints will get me one for Christmas... ! The main event on this occasion was the jewellery. My Mum needed to pick up some gifts for the girls at work and so spent a good deal of time deciding over a few of the items that were artfully displayed on this lovely fake tree. I ended up chatting with the lady about the tree and she gave me some suggestions of where to find one, as this would solve a myriad of problems in storing my many necklaces and earrings! In the end Mum opted for two of the bracelets, sort of chunky gemstone and shiny beaded ones, and she was really pleased. The lovely lady was really patient with us whilst we mulled over the options and all in all it was a really pleasant shopping experience. One to watch for Christmas goodies!

Ilkley, darling, has a higher caliber of people, I am told, therefore their gift shops meet the…read moreneeds of these - the middle aged, the higher-middle class and the higher-earning. Bluebell Gifts is one of a few gift shops in Ilkley, a nicer shop than anything you will find towards the city of Leeds, even in the Victoria Quarter or Chapel Allerton. It sells a large range of gifts that would come under the home-ware category. Many of these are of a designer and novelty kind. There are Alessi corkscrews and salt shakers, in the shape of people; Black Ginger chopping boards in silhouettes of cats; Cath Kidston and Emma Bridgewater china that you have probably seen in someone's kitchen at some point. All of this is luxury and would make a good gift for any home-owner. They also sell scented candles, soft toys, wedding gifts, and amazingly coloured tea pot and tea cup clocks. I loved these and would have impulse-bought one if they weren't about £50!

This shop is so very exciting from the outside. A brief wander past the window, most especially at…read moredusk, and it shines out like the north star - a beacon of shiny! Inside it is packed with all kinds of ornaments and gift items, including some awesome vintage styled wire frame candle holder type lampshades, cute garden ornament animals and beautiful vintage style birdcages. I don't even know why I want a quirky birdcage, but I do, and Leaves and Linen stocks lots of them! I think they'd make a great jewellery and scarf holder, certainly it would look really funky, but perhaps for the more experimental person even a great flower pot holder! As well as this there are flowers, cards, linens, throws, terracotta and many other troves of gifts and such inside. Apparently all of the stock is hand picked by the owner from all over the world and this personalised sense of style is apparent throughout. Everything you could want for the home and garden are within and there is brilliant advice on offer too for throwing about ideas. For the shiny obsessed magpies out there this is a delightful shop. For the patient-but-gloomy-disinterested boyfriends, not so much apparently...

Another shop selling dangly wind chimes in Ilkley! Leaves and Linens is the kind of place you can…read morefind a gift for your mother or grandma as they sell floral tea towels, oven gloves, flower, mugs, and candles. The whole shop is nearly entirely filled with beautiful, colourful flowers but I was disappointed to find they were all fake, after a brief period of amazement! Oh well, they last longer, right? There are real, alive flower outside the shop. The man working there was eager to be of help then politely left me to look around when I said I was 'just looking'.

This shop is all about curtains, selling a wide range of curtain fabrics, ready-made curtains,…read moreblinds, curtain tracks and poles. They also sell a range of wallpaper and upholstery fabrics. The style here is quite pretty and tasteful with vintage-inspired patterns given a modern twist, with many floral and leafy designs featuring cool and calm up to date colours. Blinds also have a modern feel with mainly neutral colours and simple design. Prices here are very reasonable, so for anyone looking to spruce up their home with some pretty curtains or upholstery, you could certainly do worse than a trip to E.G. Interior Fabrics. A huge bonus in my mind is that this shop also provides a sewing machine repair service with no call out charge...and with the repairer having had 25 years experience you know your sewing machine is in safe hands!

Inspirations 'Wallcoverings, Fabrics and Design' isn't in the most frequented area, being in a…read morerather remote location on the city end of Roundhay Road. The clue to its existence is a rather demure sign and a patchwork of wallpaper and fabrics covering the windows. This is a good indication of the interior as it really is collaged all over with an array of different wallpaper and fabric samples as well as curtains on rails. Shelves all round the room house folder after folder of wallpaper and curtain fabric samples, all of high quality and many with a lavish, sumptuous plush feel. There are also displays of curtain rails and hooks of a range of different styles. They also sell paint in a wide range of colours. This place would be heaven for any house-proud type who delights in choosing the precise style, colour and design of all their interior décor. There are wallpapers and fabrics here to suit literally any colour scheme and to appeal to most tastes. My favourite fabric was some luxurious-looking silk tartan in an array of jewel like colours and designs. Scrumptious!