ONE WORD: SKULLS. I…read morefelt like I had stepped into heaven when I entered Holy Kitsch! (Mainly because I'm obsessed with skulls!) Skull heads, skull glasses, skull bags, sugar skulls, skull art, skull figurines...... plus Frida Kahlo everything! This shop is amazing! Okay, yes, it is very expensive, but where else would you find quality Mexican skulls and Day of the Dead gifts??? (Definitely nothing like this in Auckland). Only bought two skull shot glasses, but next time I'm in Sydney, I will definitely spend a bit extra and get a massive skull! Not sure how it's going to fit in my suitcase though :S

Holy Kitsch! Great name, Great Store…read more Brimming with quirky, kitschy, one-off pieces that are bound to delight lovers of fun, funky homewares. I'm a HUGE fan of this store. Their window displays are colourful and fun and all the pieces are just damn cool. Here's a summary of what you can expect to find at Holy Kitsch: "Sugar Skulls and candelabras inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead "Dia de los Muertos", hand painted mirrors evoking the life of Frida Kahlo, Sailor Jerry bamboo curtains, really cool antique and vintage wares, ephemera, curios and a whole lot more." Beneath the fun Holy Kitsch is a serious store with a conscience and a mission. All of the products are Fair Trade and ethically sourced, where possible, as part of the owners mission to present an alternative to mass production. Given all things Latin American and Mexican are completely in fashion I imagine this store is going gangbusters. See for yourself.

Find the joy and distract yourself this weekend at Octopus Designs, you don't really need an excuse…read moreto wander around this store. The colourful deco is really inspiring and if you are a Kimi Doll fan you have just found your Alladin's Cave. There is a treasure cove of lovely stationary, diary's, notebooks, pens and pencils, all with an ornamental effect. I love the lap top cases available up the back, they are such useful items but here they are quite pricy $70. Wrapping paper is available and I know you will find that special someone something to make them smile from this store it's gleaming with happiness. Fix those Monday blues with a small present for your boss or friend at work and stand on the threshold of a brighter future.

I want a Dancing Sock Monkey and at Octopus Design in Newtown I can get one?…read moreWhat is a Dancing Sock Monkey? You may ask. Well, it is a cute red, white and pink monkey with pom poms and you squeeze his hand and he dances, now you want one too don't you? Octopus Designs has all kind of cool and unusual inventions like those awesome voodoo knife blocks where you stab the knives through a man, so you can vent frustration and keep your kitchen tidy, they have Nasty Note pads, if you have to take phone messages, you can add an aggressive touch (perfect for the office), they have really funky city magnet collections featuring the Eiffel Tower, The Leaning Tower of Pisa and a Windmill and they have bookends which are hands. They have less cool stuff, like mugs, heat bags and phone cases, but people want that stuff too, but the more useful items like The King of Disco washing up sponge are definitely more why you go to this shop.

Essential wonders - I love Bodhi books there are twice loved gifts, like watering cans that have…read morebeen created out of old oil large oil cans. The whole sustainable living drive is totally pushed in this shop and that's one of the signature statements of Newtown - hollistic and sustainable living. The range of music is fantastic, ever been curious as to where your yoga teacher finds her cool tracks from, well this is probably a good guess. They run meditation work shops here too, as the name suggests, Buddhism is an underlying theme to this shop. They are very ethical and privilege fair trade, evolution, art music and poetry.

This shop is definitely the source when it comes to Buddhist literature. And what I like is that…read morethe staff actually know their material. But what I really love is all the fabulous poetry and literature associated with the whole area of mediation and the schools of Buddhism. Of course the warm presence of the gifts that are ethically sourced - natural for a shop of this type.