This quaint little craft centre is great place to visit if you're on the hunt for a unique gift for…read morea friend or loved one. Impressive art from local and national artists adorn the walls and vary in price from reasonable to very expensive. I'm a fan of two shops in particular, the chocolate shop has a yummy selection of handmade chocolates and cakes for sale. It offers a bespoke service whereby you can have your own design made for those very special occasions. The other shop is the kitchen shop, here it has quirky utensils, pots, pans, baking dishes which are all quite unique and reasonably priced. I'm also a fan of the on site cafe, which gets really busy during lunch time, I had a simple cheese and pickle sandwich and a cappuccino for around £6.00. There's a comfy area with sofas, you can sit at a table or there's outside seating which is very pleasant in the summer months.

There are some lovely craft shops at Mitchell's, I got some great unique Christmas presents this…read moreyear, plus a pair of earrings for myself! The knitting shop has a huge collection of wool and is very reasonably priced. Plenty of free parking here and it's a lovely place to browse!

Earlswood is packed full of little independent businesses, all set out in an old fashioned farm…read morevillage. Earlswood Interiors & Crafts in particular is one of the shops in this collection that truly maintains a unique feel, taking customers back to a bygone era surrounded with a love for handcrafted items. The shop aesthetics are all about the amazing, long-forgotten tradition of wood carving furniture. And for me, this artistic skill beats any cheaply mass-produced house items every time. It's so lovely to find out that places like this still exist, and more so, places that encourage customers themselves to have a go at making their own furniture/ornaments. That's right, the company aren't just selling their products, they're also a little workshop for budding creative people. When entering the small, cosy little shop, the smell of fresh wood immediately hit me. It's one of my favourite smells, and really captures my imagination. Exploring the shelves, I uncovered little wooden mice, mushrooms and owls, which all had unique features urging me to purchase them. If I had enough room at home, the carvings would all be sitting on the table next to me now as I write this review. But unfortunately, I had to leave them back at the shop until I make some space through my own clutter. The shop also sells bigger items, from walking sticks to tables and chairs, which have all been unusually and affectionally created. This little place deserves all the support it can get. Why not transmit the handcrafted passion and bring some character to your own home. I'm certain you won't regret it.

Great shop for all things crafty. Its not very often that I go in here and cant find what I want…read more There is a great range of papers, pens, beads and stickers. It caters for stationary, jewellery making, card making needs

As an artist who is into granny hobbies and crafts, this might be one of my favourite places to…read morevisit. It isn't very packed, but somehow you still find what you're looking for. The quality is great, and the prices are very reasonable, which is like the best of both worlds in this economy, isn't it? The staff is very polite and is eager to help you out in any way they can. I usually go there for yarns and embroidery threads, etc., but the urge to buy everything there is so real!

Out of all the stalls on the indoor market, this is the one I visit most frequently. If you enjoy…read moremaking costumes like I do then this stall should definitely feature on your shopping list. They sell pretty much everything related to sewing and knitting, barr machinery and large fabrics but there are plenty of fabric stalls nearby anyway. Everything is reasonably priced. I usually head here to purchase marabou, zips, coloured felt and strong threads. They give you a little pot to put your items in like at the sweet shop. I always feel like a little old lady when I come here but I am 30 in less than a month so I guess I am ; )

This is a great find I had found this shop on google maps before visited Stratford Upon Avon. This…read moreshop is not on a main street so I could of walked past it had i not had a map. A really good range of products for the beginners crafter as well as the more experienced crafter too. Everything you could ever stamps, papers, peel off's, trimmings, brads, punches and eyelets. Many many more item and helpful staff so if your a little lost just ask the staff are ubber friendly.

The Jinney Ring opened in 1980 and was the brainchild of Richard and Jenny Greatwood, former…read moreHerefordshire farmers. It is situated in a tiny village called Hanbury, in Bromsgrove, 18 miles from Birmingham city centre, and 5 miles from Redditch. It was very easy to find, as it is not far off the A38 and is sign-posted most of the way. The car park at first glance looks very small, but once you get in the courtyard, the track leads round to the left to reveal a big car park. Whether it would be big enough on a weekend, I'm not entirely convinced; we went on a Friday, and the actual centre seemed to be fairly busy, and there was plenty of parking left, so perhaps it would suffice. There are some disabled parking spaces in the first courtyard you drive into, which would be ideal for people with restricted mobility. However, as our wheelchair lift comes out of the side of the van, I didn't feel there was enough width to the parking spaces for me to get Ian out. We parked in the other car park, which is still flat, and provides access to the actual centre via a ramp and a pretty view. The actual centre itself is fully accessible, but it does have one or two minor annoyances. At one point there are a couple of steps, so I had to wheel Ian off the main path and into the picnic area, which was fine, except for the fact that to get back onto the main path, I had to manoeuvre him over a big dip, in which we got stuck. I would have to therefore recommend that any wheelchair users who push themselves approach this centre either with caution, or with a friend. The restaurant is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, and the staff were helpful enough to carry one of the trays to the table. Some of the shops are a little on the small side, as you might expect in a place of this sort, and the gift shop has access to the upper floor by stairs only, so again, if you are a wheelchair user, or cannot manage stairs, your experience is limited. The centre also has a toilet with disabled access. I have to admit that some of the shops were either shut or weren't big enough for us all to get in, but the whole place gave me an impression of a Victorian high street. The shops all led off a slightly worn path, and were very close together. The most interesting shops were the ones where you could watch people making their wares, and then buy something, but there are also services such as a picture framer, garden designer and interior designer. Although every shop was well maintained, and all the people working there were friendly and helpful, here were some shops I would recommend more than others. 1. Glass blower the biggest building, and therefore the easiest access. As you walk through from one door to the other, you can watch the glass blower working. He also has pieces of glass on display, either on shelves or hanging from the ceiling. I particularly like the huge baubles of swirled colours, which seemed reasonably priced at about a tenner. 2. Stained glass some very beautiful work, but tricky to get in. luckily, it's displayed well enough that you can see most of it from the outside. I particularly liked a huge yellow and blue sun, but it was priced a bit out of my range. 3. Jewellery very small, but very pretty shop, bursting with beautiful pieces of jewellery. There were some lovely silver pieces with semi-precious gems, which were also attractively priced. 4. Pottery we couldn't really get inside the shop ourselves, but I would highly recommend a visit, as you can see the potter working at the wheel, which I always find fascinating (we watched through the window!). 5. Candle maker again, it was hard to see what was going on peering through the window as we were, but it was no less fascinating. I was going to buy some candles on the way back to the car, but I forgot (as usual). I really would have liked to see the violinmaker, but the shop was shut. I fully intend to return on another visit to Birmingham, so I'll update this review if I ever get to see him. The biggest shop is, of course, the main gift shop. It is a treasure trove of bits and bobs that most people (well, especially women) will enjoy digging amongst. As well as greetings cards, dolls, and ornaments, they have an amazing children's section, which I spent about half an hour looking in, and a shelf of joke items, which Ian enjoyed. Upstairs is a craft gallery with pieces of artwork by local artists, as well as clothing and jewellery. The restaurant was by far the busiest place in the whole centre. Almost every table, and it's not a small place, was taken up with at least two people. There was certainly a proliferation of women; either older ladies 'doing lunch', or young mothers and babies chatting. Now and again, I spotted a man, no doubt dragged there by his wife, but it seems to be a predominantly female clientele on a weekday. The food is standard lunch fare jacket potatoes, salads, quiches and pies,

The Jinney Ring is an attractive craft centre found in a set of farm buildings in beautiful…read morecountryside in Hanbury. It's more than just a craft centre, the whole atmosphere of the place harks back to times gone by. In the summer, you can sit in the beautifully landscaped gardens, with a view of the Malvern Hills, breathing in the peace and quiet, save the noise of the ducks. The buildings are converted into craft studios where you can buy unique jewellery, art, pottery, glass, felt and there's even a violin maker. Go along to be inspired and to support these talented local artisans.

With fathers' day fast approaching, I thought I'd head to Secret Crafter rather than Something…read moreSpecial, for a change. Leaving my trust 'Something Special' was a big decision, yes, but Secret Crafter did a good enough job to make me think twice about where I visit before the next birthday/anniversary or ermm Christmas. There isn't too much to say out of the ordinary about this place if I'm being honest; prices were average, service was pleasant as was the shop as a whole. I can't see Secret Crafter attracting visitors from all over the Midlands, but for those who live nearby it really is a great convenience to have.

Well established old fashioned wool shop. Tiny but a gem. Wool of all colours and styles is packed…read moreto the ceiling. Staff some who must be 60 climb on a ladder to get it down!! Mainly Budget wools ..No Rowan or Debbie Bliss Wool here The ladies who have worked here for years can advise Theyalways knitting behind the counter or wearing knitted garments to give you ideas. The shop has a keep back service on the wool for a month if you can not afford it all at onceloads of patterns but it can be difficult to browse these properly as space is so limited and only a little shelf where all the pattern books are kept.

Have been using Greetings House as the supplier for my business for around a month now and I cannot…read morefault their services at all. The staff are so kind and helpful, the prices are fantastic and top of the market and products are always brilliant quality. I recently decided to switch helium suppliers and have decided to use Greetings house due to their unbeatable pricing. Penny was extremely helpful in finding me the canister that I required. She spent around an hour liaising with my local suppliers to arrange this for me. Checked that I had the correct nozzle attachment and placed the order for me. Cannot thank greetings house & Penny enough!!

Oh wow. I have found crafty heaven and it is a trade…read morewarehouse in the Midlands. This place has every arts supply and events decor piece your heart could possibly desire - sequinned ribbons to artificial peonies to bubble wrap to cards and invitations. Everything comes in 30 different colours and is bought wholesale, so you can buy in bulk if you so desire and also keeps it affordable. We raided it for supplies for my sister's wedding - high quality paper and card for the table plan (home-made by my own fair hand!), a box of 50 wedding confetti pouches (such good value), 15 pretty jars and a tonne of coloured beads for centrepieces, artificial cherry blossom branches (they just fitted the theme), and a lifetime's supply of blu-tack. And that was only the first of several (awesome) trips. Here's the big fat catch though - you can only get in if you're a business owner as it's officially aimed at trade buyers not amateur craft enthusiasts like me. In this case I had a useful aunt with a shop who registered for an account and brought us along. You still can't just wander in though - you need to show ID and leave any bags in lockers. And thus its existence has remained a closely guarded secret ;) Looking forward to any excuse to get to go back!