I was horrified this morn, half way through September, to hear an ad on the radio for Christmas…read moreparties... the first Christmas ad of the season... good god, where did that last year go? Anyway as I mulled over all things festive I happened to be on Sandymount avenue and there are the gates to Enable Ireland and their great little garden centre where I have gotten our Christmas tree for the last 4 years. I wander in, and realise that there is more here than trees and plants; they have garden tools and pellets, compost and oddly enough a selection of posters saying things like you 'don't have to be crazy to work here' yada yada yada. They also have a display of Ballydongan pottery (nope, never heard of it either) jolly nice as it happens. The garden centre is part on Enable Ireland so when you shop there you are not only getting some very nice greenery (or dodgy plaques/posters) but your cash is doing some extra good.... which is nice.

...and one day i found myself really getting into the gardening thing…read more.. but alas, i needed supplies. SUPPLIES!!! and my searches all ended up in tiny TINY little places where i had to dig underneath things to find other things and generally didn't find many things i needed at all. so imagine my thrill at finding Avenue Garden Centre. not only is it larger than a cupboard, they have loads of things. they have an entire area dedicated to ginormous bags of compost. another area just for pots. short of flying back to the america and going to home depot, it's the best garden store i've found within throwing distance of city centre. yes, i'm sure there are more magical places out in the burbs, but please people, i don't have a car and i don't fancy hauling 50kg bags of compost around on the LUAS. i'm sure you can understand. i was able to get there on DART, find the things i needed (and then some) and hail a nice lady cabbie (i know, right?) to get it all back to the house for me. luckily, i also had Husband with me to do the heavy lifting. oh i should also mention that the staff was also extremely helpful and friendly. i didn't feel like a complete retard asking them for help. that's a bonus in my book :)

No joke, some of the maddest shit ever made from wood is contained within this building. I mean…read moreproper crazy, crazy on a stick even. Go in for a gander, you'll see at least one thing that makes no sense. I love it.

I have to confess, this store scares me a bit... you wander around by yourself, it's dark inside,…read moreand you're surrounded by ancient Indonesian tribal pieces and gigantic eagles carved out of dark wood. You could almost imagine it being the scene of the next big horror movie (one role I wouldn't ever hope to star in!) But don't get me wrong, this is an amazing store, filled with some awesome authentic pieces from around the world. If you have a few quid on you and you like the earthy look, head in here for some great finds. If it's a Balinese warrior's mask or some sculptures from Irian Jaya you're looking for, be sure to make Decor your first stop. They also have a wide range of canvas paintings going for around the 300 euro mark. Interesting for a bit of a gander, and just so you know, you can go upstairs, there's more on display up there!

For some reason, I love this kind of shop. Maybe it's because you can buy all kinds of different…read morethings for you house at low prices without feeling bad about it. There's quite a few of these kind of shops in the Talbot Street area so it's the perfect place to head if you're looking to get supplies for a new home! Living island not only has a nice new paint job on the outside, but it's also one of the biggest of these kind of shops I've seen. They've got everything you can imagine. I picked up a new knife set and a cool lamp for my house when I was in here!

Very small selection and expensive. It's nothing like the stores in Japan. You would be better…read moreoff ordering online for more selection. The staff are nice.

This shop was originally known as Mujirushi Ryohin, this is japanese for, "no label quality goods"…read more. the name was abreviated to Muji so that us Irish folk dont trip over our tongues trying to say it I imagine! this is a shop that i totally love! unfortunately the stock is always the same, it never changes. but i love the simplicity of it all, i love how plain most of the stuff looks. sometimes plain stuff is the nicest stuff in my opinion and if you don't like it too much you should think of it as a blank canvas ready for you to make something unique out of it! this shop is great for storage solutions and good quality paper and the range of colored pens is just so cool!

Stopped by urban plant life to get some small bags of soil and pots for plants I had at home. It…read moredoesn't look like much from outside but inside it is huge and full of everything that you could possibly need. And the people was very helpful! For at home plant lovers they sell a medium ziplock of soil for €3.50!

An awesome spot tucked away off the main streets of Dublin. They have a large variety of both…read moreindoor and outdoor plants, as well as herbs and a few fruit bushes. Pretty much any plant you want you can find there. Staff was super lovely as well.

My friend and I stopped into this charity shop yesterday and it was quite nice. It was small and…read morenot organized super well but that added to the charm. The prices were very reasonable and there was decent selection. I ended up getting a small glass bottle that I needed for a friend's gift and it was €3. The cashier was friendly and checked me out quickly. I ended up going to a couple of different Oxfam locations around Dublin and this one has the best selection and was the biggest. I'm not sure if this is the biggest overall but it was a good size.

You can find all kinds of furniture in Oxfam Home, from 60s bubble rocking chairs to Ercol dining…read moresets, but the pieces are usually towards the funky end of the spectrum. Prices are good, but not too good - as always Oxfam has a fair idea about the worth of things. As well as furniture, it also has an above par secondhand book section.

One of the nicest & priciest shops for Irish gifts. They carry name brands of clothing, pottery,…read morelinens, crystal & more. Sales staff is always helpful & friendly. Have picked up quite a few things here. Nice when they have their winter & summer sales.

House of Ireland specialises in beautifully crafted and designed Irish crystal and silverware…read more The pieces are very impressive and it really is like buying a piece of art. Most of us couldn't afford to totally deck our houses out with the stuff, but for a high-end gift, it might hit the spot. The items on sale are far removed from merchandise sold in other gift shops, not a 'póg mo thón' plastic apron in sight. This makes it popular with those tourists who look for some expensive authenticity Irish to bring home with them, and who have a few euros to spare. It's a good place for a wedding present too, or a smaller gift if you can't cough up the big bucks. It's a slightly pretentious establishment (definitely the kind of place might refer to itself as an establishment, it's not a common shop, don't you know), which I suppose comes part and parcel with the business they attract. Inside is kind of airy, ethereal and peaceful - the perfect atmosphere in which to conduct some expensive Celtic purchasing.

Been to this shop many times to buy small gifts and the odd thing or two for home. They have a nice…read moreselection of unique pieces from around the world. Great gift ideas and odds and sods for the kitchen and other home decor.

Some shops I just can't leave without buying something. Article is one of them. Part of the…read morePowerscourt Townhouse, it is situated within easy reach from Grafton St. and well worth a visit. Everything is so pretty/elegant/stylish/quirky/or just plain useful that, if you are ever stuck for a gift for someone who already has everything (like most of us), here you'll find something for them. They have the most beautiful greeting cards, scandi-inspired home wear, candles (not the tacky ones), mugs and decoration, maps, quirky wrapping paper, books....the list is long. Go check them out, browse their little shop and if you do, make sure to look up as the ceiling in there in beautiful as well.

I went in with a friend who was looking for some fabric or other. They didn't have what she wanted,…read moreas it's more a curtain shop than an all round fabric shop. But as we were leaving I saw their oil cloths with a sale sign 6 EUR per yard. Excellent value. I took a pic to send off to an interested party. Back after a bout 30 mins, I got myself the dark green with white polka dots, 12 EUR for two yards. An absolute bargain. I'm pure delighted with myself. And the kitchen table has never looked better.

Brownie was very good. Almond croissant, while pretty, had good texture but didn't taste almondy…read moreat all. No cream (only thin milk) for coffee!! No cream in Ireland????

What's not to love! This place oozes I WANT!…read more A homeward store that is jammed packed with unique, unusual and quality products. Everything from utensils to cook books to blankets and cushions... I'm especially in love with their lighting options which have a great retro vibe going on and makes me wanna redesign my place :-) This is their smaller store though so if you ding find what you're after, walk 5minx to Drury Street to check out their stock in the larger store