THE place for beginners and experienced crocheters and knitters alike! They have a wide selection…read moreof yarns to choose from and some that are hard to find even online. When you buy a skein they can spin it into a non-knotting ball (its helpful, trust me). Special orders are easy! Maybe because the crochet/knit crafting scene is small in Manila, there are too few local yarn shops. There are many online stores but, it is still good to have a feel of the yarn before you pruchase it. Also, having a shop that has a steady flow if the one particular yarn you need for projects is important. So, Dreams Yarnshoppe is my go-to yran shop! The shop carries a fine selection of designer yarn and brands not available at big box stores. The store is tiny but stocked and the employees are helpful and knowledgeable knitters. This store carries high-quality yarns made of natural fibers instead of mostly acrylic yarn. Cotton, bamboo, and all the new blends are here to feel. Sock yarn, striped yarn, and all the notions and patterns you could hope for. Even if you like to buy online, there is something about touching your materials that is helpful. Plus, they have lots of sample projects to inspire you!

I recently learned how to crochet, and I've since become obsessed with it. If you're surprised,…read moredon't be - I'm actually a billion years old, with the personality of a five year old. Plus, crocheting is great! I decided that this year, instead of hand-making my Christmas Cards, I'd make everyone scarves instead. Because really, who doesn't like a giant, fluffy scarf? If you said nobody, you'd be spot on. But to the point - after a ton of research, I found out that there were only three physical stores in Manila that sell yarn/crocheting needles: National Bookstore, Carolina's Lace and of course, Dreams Yarnshoppe. After having visited the first two and being thoroughly disappointed, I decided to venture out to Glorietta 5. And although Glorietta is a maze to navigate through, the Dreams Yarnshoppe made it well worth the effort! Although tiny, this store has most things you'd be looking for as an crafts person. If I had a cat (eww, but I've got a point, I swear), it would have had a field day because this store is basically catnip. SO MUCH YARN. SO MANY COLOURS. So many sizes! After being repeatedly met with sad, dull looking 4 ply yarn and tiny cotton crochet hooks, this store made it seem like I'd hit the jackpot. I ended up buying 4 skeins of yarn and 2 sets of Susan Bates crochet hooks (10 hooks in total) for PHP 2960 i.e. $65. Which, if you think about it, isn't cheap. Each skein of Lion Brand Homespun bulky yarn was PHP 495 ($11) which is about $4 more than it retails for in the US. The skeins of Big Wheel by Cascade Yarn were PHP 490 each, but that's approximately how much they retail for. The two sets of crochet hooks were marked up by $1 which, in the grand scheme of things, is negligible. Pros: + Yarns of all different plys (4, bulky, super bulky) + A ton of different yarn fibres (merino, cashmere, acrylic) + A great selection of colours + Crochet hooks that range from 1-11 mm, in a variety of materials (aluminum, wood and plastic) + The women working at the store were extra knowledgeable about the amount of yarn I would need to crochet a scarf and helped me buy yarn accordingly + Friendly service + They also sell DMC embroidery thread (although, if you really need some you should go to the dedicated store - DMC Creative World at SM MegaMall) Cons: - Expensive for Lion Brand yarn - Bright fluorescent lighting in the store. I really dislike fluorescent lights. - CASH ONLY Word to the wise: STAY AWAY FROM THE WOODEN CROCHET HOOKS! I was unsure about which kind of crochet hooks to buy, so the ladies working at the store let me try the different kinds of hooks with the yarn I was already buying. The yarn kept catching on the wood crochet hooks due to tiny splinters. They've also got a local/cheaper alternative to the Susan Bates aluminum crochet hooks; the prices aren't too different, but there's a world of difference in the quality, so I went with the Susan Bates ones. P.S. If you're considering making scarves for everyone this Christmas, you might want to reconsider because of the significant impact it's going to have on your wallet ($20 per scarf).

Small, school and office supplies stores such as Little Town are lifesavers. For when you have no…read moretime to head to a mall to go to those popular office supplies stores and bookstores, these stores will most likely have what you need to alleviate your Oh-noes-I-ran-out-of-bond-paper-while-printing type of emergencies. You might even get sidetracked by all the OMG CUTE THINGS they also have such as erasers disguised as food, sparkly stickers, hair accessories of all colors, and their marker sets in all these fancy types of ink. If you suffer from an addiction with cute stationery items/office supplies (and I'm sure they're part of a collection that's never to be touched, ever!), consider yourself warned.

Little Town is full of stuff that you're likely to need for your paperwork, be it for school,…read moreoffice or hobby purposes. While the selection is nowhere near that of large chain stores, it is surprisingly sufficient for most needs. Ribbons, cards and various writing implements abound in Little Town's shelves, among others. The "others" category is actually pretty well populated, and can keep fans of cute stationery accessories and other little knick-knacks happily poking around for many minutes. Serious fans of writing implements (in other words, pen collectors whose collections carry a daunting value) should be looking elsewhere. People who just want attractive little additions to their pencil cases, on the other hand, are more than likely to find worthy additions to their stuff in Little Town. The price of items here is pretty reasonable.

Dont order from them. I cancelled order because they kept changing shipping price asking for more…read moremoney. Now they refuse to refund what I already paid.

From the owner: We cater to both hobbyists and professional artists, young and old, who are in their quest to…read morediscover finer materials that suit their style and taste. Art Nebula is one of the first to offer heritage brands not present in the Philippine market—materials used by Impressionists such as Pablo Picasso and those with long history of craftsmanship such as Sennelier, Raphael, Isabey, General's, M. Graham, and Schmincke, which we're all authorized dealers of.

I took me quite a while to place the correct categories for this place, as there seems to be no…read morecategory called "CUTE THINGS YOU DON'T NEED BUT WILL BUY ANYWAY". Yelp, get on it! I'm a sucker for anything that has animals on it (NOT their skin! Ditch fur and leather, please!). Or polkadots. Or vegetables. Or fruits...Or all! This place is for every girl who likes "kawaii" things --BUT of course, that wouldn't be appropriate to say because this store hails from Korea, so instead, say "gwi-yeo-wo-yo"! Are you celebrating someone's birthday soon? If so, this place has the cutest little party hats (of course, with animals!) to top your dear celebrant's head with, greeting cards, party "gear", and other colorful festive things! If you're a sock collector, then this is the place to get cute silly socks! Pretty notebooks that are too cute to write on? Check! Mushroom lamp? Check! And if you have not outgrown your sticker addiction, they have soft, "pillow-y" ones that are just ~squeeee~! Koreans really know how to make things murderously cute! Take my money!

Finally, Korea's uber cute fashion is finally within reach! Artbox is full of adorable clothing,…read morestationery, mugs, and what-have-yous! I wanted to get so many things that I don't even need anyway. Like a blanket with a hood. Or an unnecessary number of socks. Or storage boxes. (Well, I may need those storage boxes.) If you're a complete sucker for things with cute animal faces, this place is a must-see for you!

This place has been here for as long as I can rremember. If this is the exact same enterprise, then…read morethis little old hand drawing studio has been around since forever. I mean sincerely, I can't even remember when this hand drawing place came to Alabang Town Center. What I do know is that it started out as just another stall at the corner or middle of the hall. I was actually taken aback by the fact that it was now a full fledged tenant with it's own store and all. Basically, this place is known for having custom portraits made. More often than not, its couples who have their portraits drawn together. So far as I recall, the price depends largely on the size of the portrait. It takes a bit of time to draw the portrait, this is hand drawn art after all and as the saying goes, you cannot rush art. The beauty of this kind of gift is that it's tailor made for a person, something really special. The fact that it's still standing for almost more than a decade or so, shows just how much this place draws the right kind of customers.

In my own small way and whenever I can, I try to help out people who try to help themselves. I…read morebelieve in the dignity of work so I buy from and support organizations that empower the less privileged or disadvantaged members of our society. One store in Market! Market! that I support (and also promote) is the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan. I have no personal relation to any member of this organization, but I am inspired by the hard work and dedication of those involved in this advocacy. Besides, the workmanship of the items sold in this kiosk is tops, export-quality even. So you won't feel cheated after buying something from the shop. Tahanang Walang Hagdanan is known for their educational products. Instead of buying imported puzzles for my godchildren, I choose their wooden instructive puzzles. Other popular products to buy are Christmas cards, hand-made paper novelties, needlecrafts, house and kitchen wares, and religious items. Whenever you patronize Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, remember that you are helping people with disability to become self-reliant and economically independent.

I actually chuckled out loud when I saw a Pope Francis felt plushie here months ago. I would never…read morethink of hugging the pope to sleep or having him on my bed (the horror!!!) but I guess some folks dig it. And some folks would also dig having a Manny Pacquiao plushie. I just, can't... NOPE. Anyway, other than those types of felt plushies, I do like some of Pop Junk Love's products. They're a small kiosk here in Town and they're into the whole DIY, arts and crafts thing. I was surprised to see a Pusheen plushie! Though I'm sure they have infringed on copyright here (Pusheen is actually known first as a blog with freaking adorable GIF's of bouncy cats before it hit Facebook stickers). I would still much rather order Pusheen stuff online because I would really rather support the original creator and his/her efforts. What I really liked are their papier mache cat figures! *Adds to list of must-have cat lady house decor*.

Pop Junk Love used to be an online store, gaining followers on Instagram through their cute…read morehand-made stuffed toys and knick-knacks. The owners/designers can get pretty crafty and creative with their designs, and they usually stick to whatever is trending in the Philippine market. Lately, they have produced Manny Pacquiao stuffed toys to support the recent fight of Pacuiao and Mayweather. Before that, they also made Pope Francis dolls to commemorate Pope Francis's visit to Manila. Now, they are growing steadily, especially with their pop-up store located at this branch. It's actually great that they are getting the recognition (and expansion) that they need, and that these sisters absolutely love what they are doing. I remember getting a Scrabble pillow to match my girlfriend's initials. The process was pretty painless, and I really like how everything turned out. Now it'll be even easier that they have a physical store, and you won't need an internet connection to complete your transaction.

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite textile stores from Cebu was doing a pop-up here in Manila. I…read moreImmediately planned to visit it, somewhere in Makati. I was really hoping to find a lot of cute finds for myself but found something better instead, Craft MNL. It's a creative space for people to come learn or share their crafts with others. They offer a lot of classes from knitting to silk-screen printing. The cost per class isn't to expensive considering they provide the materials and the schedules aren't too bad either (they consider working hours!). The workshop is also so creatively decorated, really conducive to bring out the artists in you! The people who work there (sorry forgot their names!) were super friendly and talked me into trying a few classes. They constantly update their workshops on their website so go check it out and learn something new today! I think they also offer private workshops, sounds like a good idea for a birthday or a corporate event!

My first and only time in Craft MNL was for Gail's Copperplate Workshop. The place is a little…read morehidden along Arnaiz Avenue. Parking is kind of difficult but commuting to the place is pretty easy. There's no elevator and it's in the third floor so better get some cardio ready. Gail's workshop was sold out! There were two tables and it was a little tight, but we all managed to do our calligraphy and learned a lot. Craft MNL also offers other craft classes like paper marbling, knitting, rubber stamp making, etc. so if I were you, I would check out their Instagram page to get some updates on the different classes that they have to offer!

I've had a recent interest in kooky jewelry using found objects and odds and ends, stringing them…read moreonto chains or rope and wearing them as necklaces. There's really nothing skillful or crafty about it, but it's fun to do with stuff that are pretty but you have no idea what to do with them. And I don't know anywhere else to get small chains but in Quiapo, at Joyo Fashion Accessories. It's very easy to miss this store walking along Evangelista St. from the Recto LRT Station, since it's covered by the area's wealth of stands hawking religious items, flowers, and candles, but it's not hard to find, really, since it's near the church and one of few stalls there that aren't selling construction supplies or phones and gadgets. If you've ever been around the stores in Quiapo, it's very much like most other places there, just stacks and racks and walls of stuff everywhere. You see necklaces, earrings, rings, and other accessories first before you get to the actual good stuff--beads, charms, trinkets, lace, cording, and other things you'll need to make your own jewelry. There are other places in the area selling similar things, but Joyo has an advantage being closer to Recto Station, and being in the somehow calmer, less dense area of Quiapo.

Deovir is an artist's heaven…read more This could actually be my only statement and it would pretty much sum up Deovir. They have so many items available for use of artists which cannot be found in bookstores. Being the premiere art supply store, they have a wide range of products, from brushes, paints, paper, pencils, etcetera. This goes for even supporting materials such as thinners, binding mediums, and other art-related needs. Being not so familiar with and not comfortable in exploring painting mediums, I recently called them to ask for advice as to what I can use for an upcoming project. I needed to use a paint that would adhere well to textile, will be permanent despite washing, but needs to likewise have the correct consistency for brush calligraphy. With a short discussion of my options, I knew what I needed and even had my orders prepared already for payment and pick-up. Indeed, it pays to go to a specialized shop for, well, special art needs.

For me, a trip to Deovir is always entertaining. I've been known to stay for more than an hour…read moreinside the small space, just browsing through different art and craft materials without a specific agenda in mind and thinking about the creative possibilities. There are canvasses of all sizes ready to be spread with acrylics, oils, watercolors, pastels, etc. There are reasonably-priced, artist grade brushes. There are craft foams, polymer clays, charcoals, and a lot more. If there is something that I need for a craft or a project, I immediately look for it in Deovir. And I get a sinking feeling if I cannot find it in their shelves, because that means that I am unlikely to find it anywhere else locally. The staff are very helpful, and they know what they are talking about. There was this time when I was assembling a painting kit as a gift, and a friendly salesperson gladly discussed the comparative pros and cons of acrylic and oil, and why the former might be better suited for a novice than the latter. Seriously, I look for excuses to visit this store even though I know that it's not good for my wallet. They also have an online shop but sadly, the online inventory is very limited.