Now, don't get me wrong, I know Birthdays is a chain store. There are tons of them all across the…read moreUK, and, as Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige once said, "We know them so well" (well, almost - they said him instead). However, a recent visit to Birthdays in Lisburn unleashed a pleasant surprise... Having chosen a card for a friend from their newly reduced range (cards from 59p allegedly), I decided to take a look around the store to see what else caught my eye. Plenty of cards, balloons, badges (plus a few Aleksandr Meerkats)... And there they were. In all their glory. A spec-tacular (unfortunately I can't take credit for this - its says on the pack) range of comedy glasses. Champagne glasses and beer goggles (both quite literally), sparkly specs (complete with disco balls), extravagant and colourful glasses, guitar shades, footie specs...you name it, they had it. At £2.49 a shot they'd make an hilarious addition to a fancy dress outfit, or a hen party, or even just for the banter. And you thought Birthdays only did cards. Twas too good a secret to get keep to myself. Off you go, buy a pair, and make a spectacle of yourself...

Cards and balloons etc. Lots of funny and tacky present stuff. Also good for stocking fillers.read more

Sweetie Miller may be a bookshop / newsagents (that bears an uncanny resemblance to another local…read morebookshop / newsagents), but as far as I'm concerned, it's all about the sweets and chocolate...baby. I think it's physically impossible to come out of this shop empty handed. It's certainly that way for me. Having gone in with the notion to buy a box of chocolates for a friend, I came out with a box of chocolates, three bags of Werther's Original Chocolates (my Cheepers' review explains all) and five Curly Wurly's. [Guess who Mr Dentist is going to absolutely love next month?] I couldn't resist. The Werther's Originals were only 99p, and the Curly Wurly's were unbeatable value at not one, not two, or even three, or indeed four...but FIVE for 89p. Yes, this excited me greatly. And it should excite you too. As well as the bargainous sweetie section, Sweetie Miller also stocks stationery, books, cards, magazines and all that sort of jazz. And they're all cheap as can be (except the magazines...they're just average price, but hey, we can't have it all, eh?). Now, where did my Curly Wurly go? (Apologies in advance Mr Dentist...)

This shop is in Bow Street Mall and always seems busy. I guess it can be best described as a…read morenewsagent. They carry a large variety of sweets, mainly boxes of chocolates and packs of chocolate bars and maybe just a bit cheaper in price than other shops in town. So especially good to pop into at Christmas time. The other section of the shop that interests me most is the book section. They have an alright range of books, and you can certainly find something interesting at a very good price. The only downside I can think of is can be quite awkward to move around the sweet displays near the front the of the shop when there are a lot of people about.

It is with great regret that I inform you that I didn't actually purchase anything fancy dress…read morerelated from Laughin' Stock. Sob. It was a difficult decision, but I told myself, "Lynne, dear only know when you'll next be dressing up!", and decided to (wisely) avoid buying one of the wonderful outfits. However, when I'm in need of said outfit, I'm reckoning Laughin Stock (isn't that such a fab name?!) will be my first port of call. It has such a huge variety - nun's costumes to Daphne from Scooby Doo outfits; Red Indian costumes to Dennis the Menace outfits, and everything in between. Furthermore, they have the largest variety of wigs I've seen in a fancy dress shop, plus tons of accessories (including a few humorous / joke ones...I'll leave the rest to your imagination), as well as some cute animal puppets. When we popped in, the shop assistant was busy sorting out a customer on the phone, so I didn't hassle him, nor him us. He certainly knew his stuff, and offered to put in a special delivery for the person on the other end. Super. Pay this cracker fancy dress shop a visit. You'll be a laughin' stock otherwise...

Laughin Stock is an interesting wee shop with a funky exterior that I always noticed when I was…read moredriving past and meant to call into. I finally got around to it last year when I needed not one, but two outfits for parties I was attending. I had already managed to get one elsewhere, but didn't fancy wearing the same thing twice given the fact that the two parties were one night apart. I had had a look on the website of Laughin Stock and decided to call in, because they seemed to have a better range than the place I'd got my previous one from. I called in on the Friday and picked up the pirate outfit I had already decided upon, and couldnt help but notice that they also stocked the exactt same costume as the one I had already purchased elsewhere, but for a fiver cheaper, I wish I'd come here first!

This is one of my favourite Christian bookshops, even though I don't think I've ever bought…read moreanything out of it. This hasn't been due to lack of choice, but merely because I haven't had the money to be buying anything (which seems to usually be the case, sadly). The Faith Mission Bookshop is actually a whole lot bigger than you initially think, and has such a good variety of books (shock horror), music, cards, gifts and stationery that you could spend a right while nosing around. When I was last in, I spent forever hunting through the women's books and nearly ended up buying a couple, but the money issue prevented me (sadly). Whilst I have been in other Christian bookshops which have a much greater choice, I keep coming back to this one for its systematic layout and general organised feel (makes life so much easier), as well as its homely feel and friendly staff. Ask them anything, and they'll be willing to help you. I *will* buy something from the Faith Mission Bookshop one day, money-willing...