I can't draw, paint, sculpt or sketch to save myself, but for those who can Just Art on Morningside…read moreRoad seems like a pretty good place to pick up art supplies. It sells the usual brushes, pencils (way fancier than would ever find in WHS), paper and even high quality charcoal. They pride themselves in selling the latest high quality canvases for painters and (apparantly) interior designers. They had lots of deals on for acrylic paints and high quality paper as well as plenty of artwrok to admire throughout the shop. The owner is friendly and just lets you look around without asking if you require assistance every five seconds as some small business owners can have a tendency of doing. If you're an art enthusiast, or just want a look around at some artwork, Just Art is a good place to look.

Just Art is part two of my Morningside window shopping tour (part one is next door - Context…read moreInteriors). Once again this is a shop that offers goods beyond my means, but if I could afford them I would be doing more than window shopping here. I have on occasion been in here to see all the art and its staff didn't seem to mind me passing an appreciative gaze over these artworks despite the fact that it appeared fairly clear that I was never going to buy any of them. Each of the better works of art from here will set you back a sum in the hundreds, but you are getting something unique - this isn't some cheap printed copy of a work of art everyone has seem - this is the real McCoy - the original. For many the price will be stumbling block and for those able to afford these works for arts I remain envious.

This is the most gorgeous little shop I've seen for a long time. It describes itself as a gallery /…read morestudio / quirky homestore and it's packed with perfectly quirky bits and pieces that are universally delightful. Gorgeous greetings cards, unique pieces of jewellery, unusual printed tea towels and pieces of clothing, quirky pieces of furniture. It's a proper Aladdin's cave of vintage, recycled, reinvented loveliness. I bought handfuls of greetings cards and a very cute little pin badge there. But expect to return for many more visits in the near future to hoover up more of their lovely stock. It's a great location, a handful of steps up from Portobello beach. A perfect weekend (or weekday) afternoon's pottering place. Enjoy!

I've walked past this shop may times after work and always thought it looked well stocked, but when…read moreI went in to get gift vouchers for an artistic relative last week I was totally blown away by just how much is in here. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and there's a great range of everything artistic you could possibly need. The only problem I could see was the lack of fabric paints, but that seems to be the way in Edinburgh recently so I don't think it's much of an issue here. But wow. It's also the first shop where I have ever seen the full range of Uni Posca markers on display, especially alongside the fantastic Montana spray paints. So yeah, I have the feeling I will be going back in and spending far too much money on creative supplies that I'm really not very good with. :-D

From the owner: Art and Craft supplies.read more

Despite some other reviews, I wanted to check this place out. I was greeted by one of the owners…read moreshortly after entering and had a pleasant conversation with her and the student who is working there while at uni. They had a nice selection of Shetland yarn that I can not get in the US. They truly were a pleasure. So glad I stopped in.

I went to this store during a recent visit to Edinburgh, despite the nasty reviews on Yelp. How bad…read morecan it be, right? Well, it was not bad at all. The ladies in there were very nice and helpful, Thank you! To all the haters out there, back off! I will be back.

Amazing little shop. Wonderfully staffed…read more I am not a doll's house person but I can appreciate all things small and well crafted items. You can use all the tiny items in all manners of craft. I love it.

It's A Small World is unique to Edinburgh as the only shop specialising in dolls houses and…read moreminiatures. They stock everything form a box room to a Georgian Town House or Tudor Manor. Spiral staircases, stained glass windows, Turkish carpets, wallpaper, electrical lighting are just some of the things they stock. The staff are great and they helped my nephew build a WWII air raid shelter for a school project. They displayed it in their window when it was finished. Its for everyone why not enjoy the challenge of building a dolls house from scratch.

What a lovely little cozy shop. The shop owner is so very sweet. She had yarn from local hand dyers…read morethat was beautiful. Left with three skeins for a project. Forgot to take pictures, sorry, but worth a stop.

Visiting from California and conveniently just about finished w small project I had brought to work…read moreon so needed some new yarn. This small shop is an amazing jumble of fantastic yarns- many not or barely available in the States. She stocks many UK yarns and some further flung but all really beautiful. The shop owner was incredibly helpful in figuring out weight and yardage I needed for a pattern. The website gives an idea of some of the selection but of course seeing them in person is always the best way to know what calls to you.

I have to admit I'd never heard of this market before today. We stumbled across it quite by chance…read moreone saturday as we were wandering through Morningside looking for somewhere to go for lunch. On the one hand, it's always great to see local retailers and designers being supported locally. And although I'm no art conoisseur there was some gorgeous stuff on display - mainly paintings and sketches of Scottish scenery - and I was surprised at how reasonably-priced some of it was. However, I did get the impression that in the huge big room of stalls and stands there were only about 3 or 4 different categories of things being sold. If you're the kind of person who loves browsing stall after stall of almost identical-looking glass jewellery or silver-plated chokers with semi-precious stones on them then you'll be in heaven here. Otherwise, you probably won't need to spend mor than 15 minutes or so here. That said, if you're in the area on the first saturday of every month then you should pop in for a browse.

I have been to this market about 3 times now and I love the idea of local crafters being able to…read moresell their wares without necessarily having a shop to do so. However, some of the sellers are well established and also sell elsewhere in town. There are some lovely homeware and gift items such as art prints, lots of jewellery, knitted crafts, clever wooden items and ttweed purses, cafetieres etc. This market is not well advertised, as like others, I came across it by chance one day. The hall location is good for all weathers and for picking up Morningside foot traffic when the sign is out. However, the downside is that there are so many good home and giftware shops in the Morningside and Bruntsfield area, that they have a lot of competition.

Located in a far-too-easily-missable part of Stockbridge, this gift shop and studio is well worth…read moreseeking out. All the usual suspects of the art and craft world; photo frames, toys, jewellery, cards, candles, homeware and a grand selection of papers and things that glitter and sparkle. I was told that they also host birthday parties or just a relaxing, different evening for a few friends to get all DIY-ey in a more sophisticated environment than places that are only aimed at children (why do they get all the fun?) Staff are friendly and enthusiastic and really want you to get creative. I'm looking forward to getting messy!

This is a little art and craft shop tucked away from the usual Stockbridge strip and it's well…read moreworth the extra trek to find it. They're more an arts and craft studio than a gift shop and judging by what they sell it's the perfect place to bring your kids to for an hour or two. Paper mache, paint glitter and sparkly things are the order of the day and I can see how kids go mad for this stuff. It's certainly brought out the kid in me. I saw that they had some interesting classes coming up, badge making, card making and the like so it's worth checking out what's coming up when you're there. They also host birthday parties and I could see 10 kids sitting around the large table getting their art on. All in all a great place for adults and kids alike!

Hello! When did this wee gem spring up?…read more It's not really wee, and it looks new - I'm guessing it's only been on Cockburn Street under a month. Old Town Context is a refreshing, traditional store on Cockburn Street, steering away from the style of the tourist traps on the Royal Mile to offer alternative gift ideas. They have some old English, French and American advert poster art, cards, stationery, gifts, mugs with pin ups on them, clocks made out of recycled glass drinks bottles - a very eclectic and classy selection. Its inspiration is clearly from bygone era's, and I was very impressed with their postcard range. They also have some cracking cards and original prints with cats on them. These cats are wearing kilts and rugby shifrts, quoting Burns and other Scottish poets within the print. It's a very odd idea but entirely up my alley. Overall a very enjoyable shop for the family. It's difficult to walk out of here without buying anything.

I am glad that my 200th review is on this hidden gem... actually it isn't that hidden, but I have a…read morefeeling that lots of people just walk right on by. In a very different and almost vintage way, it is a souvenir shop. I say that because there were lots of prints, cards, coffee mugs of the city and various British 'things', but they are not the types of souvenirs that you would find in the every single store on the Royal Mile... yeah, you know what I mean. I loved the different prints of the city, my favourite was a very art deco-ish print highlighting the castle in a yellowy-orangish hue against a dark background. They had it as a large print, a card, and a coffee mug. I am now kicking myself that I did not buy it. If you love globes or tin signs, they have loads of them! If you are looking for a different kind of souvenir for someone... or just something for yourself, stop in here because they have some really wonderful items.