Good hardware stores are a rare breed these days. Good hardware stores that sell a range as…read moreextensive as Houseproud of Morningside are like dodo eggs. From compost to pans, screwdrivers to bird tables they have it all. Split into two parts, the left hand side sells all the things you'd expect to find in a hardware store and more. They have a nifty garden section, selling pots, trowels, compost, bird tables among other things. They also have the usual range of tools, light bulbs. All the things you'll ever need. The right hand side is dedicated to kitchen products, and they have a huge range. I bought myself a hand blender from there which, at £20, was a little on the expensive side but not too overpriced. Given this place is an independent shop in an affluent area of Edinburgh you can expect to pay a little more than you would in a major chain. However, the staff are engaging and helpful and the plethora of products makes it worth a visit next time you run out of tea towels.

I have always found that good DIY stores, outside of the major chains, are hard to find in…read moreEdinburgh. Houseproud of Morningside are the exception to this rule. Situated on Morningside Road in a visible on-road location, they stand head and shoulders above all others I have tried in the city. As DIY shops go, they stock pretty much everything you would expect to find. From paints to Polyfilla, screwdrivers to sandpaper, they cover all the bases. I've visited this store on two occasions. Firstly, I went to pick up some expanding foam to fill in mouse holes in the flat. Not knowing exactly what I was looking for, I asked the assistance of a member of staff. He helpfully pointed out to me all of the different things they offered, showing a range of prices and uses. He helped me to find the product that was ideal for what I needed it for, and didn't automatically go for the hard sell on the most expensive. The second occasion was to buy a bradawl - something that is like a screwdriver, but has a point on the end rather than a screw head. Whilst this time I didn't need help finding it, the shop assistant at the counter still engaged me in some light-hearted chat whilst I was paying. It's these sort of things that I really appreciate in a small shop like this. They don't view customers as more money for the tills, but engage with you as a person. I will definitely be using this place again, as it saves a trip out of town to one of the larger chain stores. This shop is a must for all your Morningside DIY needs!

I dont rate the Klondyke that highly as it is very dated, very grubby and very expensive but stores…read moreeverything for all your gardening needs but could definately do with a total refurbishment for a more up to date modern look.

This place is awesome…read more I have NEVER seen a garden center this large, and I'm from the land of large things. I recently became a homeowner with a bigass garden. This baby's huge. In that garden lives a greenhouse. In that greenhouse lives about 30 tomato plants, four cucumber plants, two strawberry, and various herbs. I'm not taking the gardening thing lightly, clearly. I got everything I needed for my garden here. The staff were helpful and chatty, and their pricing holds up to the exacting standards of my retired accountant father in law, which is saying a LOT. They have a garden club for £10 where you get a £5 discount card and then 10% off all plant purchases, as well as vouchers for their cafe. I'm not sure if it would be useful for me beyond this year when I'm starting up, but 10% can go a long way when you are building a garden from scratch. So, I'm thrilled to have this place 'round the corner from my house and I'll be visiting as often as The Man allows me to run away from steaming wallpaper. Plus, there are highland coos who live down the way from the garden center, which makes it even cooler.

You use your pillow every day and they usually last a good few years so buying a good pillow does…read moremake a decent amount of sense. If you do want a good pillow, this is the place to visit. The prices are rather reasonable here, given what you are getting, but this does come at a drawback and that is with the sheer volume of choice you will be presented with. The reality is that you are going to struggle to decide what exact filling you want. For some this will be brilliant and all part of the fun, but I fear that others will run out proclaiming that all they wanted was a pillow. That said, they have nice pillows here.

When it comes to pillows, these are the guys who really know their stuff. I didn't think that it…read morewould be viable for a business to succeed selling pillows but these guys prove me wrong. If you ever have a problem with your sofa cushions, need them replaced this shop is the solution-they are able to make new cusions for your sofa tailored to your description. I only needed a bog standard pillow for when I moved into a new flat in the area- their prices start at £7.50 for pillows and that's the one I opted for, and so far it has been great. The shop does however have a huge amount of pillows- with various different feathers. They also do different types of cushions whether it be for sofas or benches or even cushions for window seats these guys have it all.

I took my grandparents here when they came to visit. I think this says it all. It's a lovely little…read moreshop selling everything from tea-cosies to candles, everything you would want in your stately home. Unfortunately for me, I live in a 2-bedroom flat in Holyrood, and have no use for this sort of stuff. Don't get me wrong - it's a lovely place and my grandparents loved it (Gran bought a cushion, she takes it out every Christmas and Meg next door is green with envy) and I'm sure it has a large market, but for the younger generation I think it simply isn't appreciated. Maybe I'll come back when don my power-suit and 2.3 children, but until then I think I'll go to Ikea. Gran's cushion was £45, so you get a sense of the general prices. Granda still can't believe the woman who won't spend an extra £1 on real soap (she prefers Asda's own) spent that much on a cushion. A festive cushion, no less.

Clementines is another of Bruntsfield's little gems that makes me wish I was a whole lot richer…read more Another pretty little shop filled with beautiful treats for your home. I would love to decorate my flat using this shop as inspiration as everything is just so darn nice. They have gorgeous cushions, quilts, teapots, candles, hanging things and ornamental bits and bobs. There is a real rustic, country feel to this shop. Everything seems to come straight from someones summer house in the Hamptons or at the beach. If you like pretty and nice, then you will love Clementines.

This a small specialty shop carrying Annie Sloan paint, doing Annie Sloan workshops, and possibly…read moredrinking Annie Sloan koolaid. They sell furniture that has been painted with the aforementioned brand, lovely pieces for good prices. The owner can give you all kinds of tips on using the paint, ideas for how to wax or varnish, color tips, and possibly anything else you might need to know about painting. Tip: don't buy the brand brushes, which you wouldn't once you discovered the price tag. They have a few other home items, pillows and rugs, cute items that are sometimes well priced and in the instance of the rug that caught my eye (£500) a tad over my budget but likely handmade and quality and worth it. Good shop.

Gift shops are my Achilles' heel, and Edinburgh has a wonderful selection of them…read more Curiouser and Curiouser is full of lovely artwork and prints, gifts and other things you never knew you needed until you walked in here. They also offer a fantastic bespoke framing service. A few years ago I was looking for a very specific size and design of mirror. I asked for help on Twitter and Curiouser and Curiouser saw this and replied offering their services. I went into the shop, they made a framed mirror exactly as I wanted and of fantastic quality. If you are ever around Broughton Street area then I definitely recommend you popping in here. And maybe go to Treacle for some food after :)

Why am I only just discovering this little gem today?!…read more A stop off in Edinburgh is always great fun, and a wander along Broughton St is always great. Today the highlight of the wander was coming across this place. Filled with lots of cute and wonderful things - from books on how to knit zoo animals, greetings cards, ceramics and prints and artwork with price tags that won't break the bank. It appears to be a small family business and the staff are pretty relaxed and more than happy to chat; but the dog didn't seem all that interested in what was going on. I bought some prints for my living room, a book on print-making and a ceramic bowl for my coffee table. I could easily have purchased most of this shop. So if you're in search of a special card or gift, I can't recumbent this place any higher!

Another baffling, huge monster of a pound store to be found in this area of Edinburgh…read more It sells everything. I could expand on everything that it sells, but we would be here for a while. I might invent an updated version of the Only Fools and Horses song that plays during the end credits, since they list off their many bargain wares. For a wide range of products, this place isn't bad. Aside from selling the tourist tat that most bargain stores in Edinburgh display, they've got some imitation brands, garden equipment and cheap as chips electrics, just to give you an idea of the broad spectrum. I wouldn't trust any electrics from a pound shop, but for things like earphones you can be pleasantly surprised for a short lived period of time. Needs must in these purse pinching days of the recession, but it's a bit too much of a tacky overload for me. I'm sure if you rake through this place with a fine toothed comb you'll find something of use, but mostly it's a bit much! But since they bear the Only Fools ethos of bargain selling, it's a guarantee you'll find "cut prices at a stroke!"

Certainly not the most glamorous shop, Pound Savers stocks all manner of tat and this place is so…read morebig it really does seem to have everything but the kitchen sink. I could have spent hours in here browsing at all the wares, finding bizarre reasons why I would ever need half of the stuff in here. I was tempted by the colourful clay as it's been so long that I've made any clay people but decided it wasn't a very wise purchase. This place does seem to have everything but to be honest, none of it seems all that useful but if you're looking for a tiny screwdriver, a crazy soap dish or a garden gnome you will be able to take your pick in here.