I'll be honest with you I've only been here twice and both times it was shelter from the rain…read morewhilst I waited for my bus to turn up at nearby Colmore Row - both times it reminded me a bit of my time at Athena (I know this ages me somewhat but I loved working at Athena) - the artwork for sale here is all very nice and discrete and would probably look lovely in a show home but therein lies the problem - it's art designed to go with your sofa. A visit to their website confirms this - they offer an art consultation service which promises advice on what art work to acquire for your home or workplace, which given the photographs seems to depend on what shade of wallpaper you own. I'm sorry to sound sniffy but this really isn't my cup of tea - and this is from someone who rather likes L'enfant prints (we're back to my time at Athena again) and the odd Monet. Still, its a nice enough place to spend a few minutes and if you find yourself left stranded by the 22 bus and without an umbrella its definitely worth a look.

I left a recent trip to the an art gallery rather creative. After stumbling upon the Whitewall…read moreGallery I was extremely inspired but I didn't know what to do with it. The gallery is home to a variety of high end art pieces from all around the world They offer an art consultancy service which helps you find that special investment art piece for you or a gift for a loved one. They specialise in providing fine contemporary art which represents individuality and quality. If you're a true art love then this gallery is definitely worth checking out.

Had my first visit to the Old Print Works last night. What a lovely place! A mixed use creative…read morespace, it's filled with workshops, a courtyard, a shop (selling local crafts) and the wonderfully chilled Ort Cafe. Easy to get to on the number 50 bus, there is a whole range of classes and events put on at the venue, so check the website listings regularly. It's a airy, light venue (but the toilets are a bit like an indoor outhouse sans spiders). The Cafe sells a range of herbal teas, different coffees (a full 4 cup caffetiere is a £5 a pop and the coffee is wonderful) and snacks. Last night they had a sweet potato and coconut soup on that sounded simply divine. The Ort Cafe also puts on events such as "swap shop" where you can take things that you no longer need and swap it for something you do. They are currently looking for spare cassette tapes to make lamps for the venue, so a good excuse to go down, donate your tapes and grab a coffee.

Ooops! is a new artisan gallery & Gift shop opened on Sandon Road by business woman Jacqui Chana…read more When you step through the front door, the cool, crisp white decor provides a contemporary look with splashes of colour. The walls are adorned with tattoo-inspired stained glass panels, the handcrafted cards are quirky alternatives to the more "acceptable" ones found on the High Street and the gifts range from small bespoke pieces to large upcycled items. It doesn't just stop there. Downstairs is the gift shop but upstairs is a small area which offers an excellent, intimate space for independent artists/photographers and the ilk to stage their own exhibitions. Beyond what is the "artist's gallery", there are two rooms which will have the capacity to provide workshops, a meeting space and hold small events. This is a great little gift shop, which is sure to inspire and attract not only the "creative types" but also the discerning customer and supporters of independent stores. Ooops! is a welcome addition to Bearwood.

An atmospheric glimpse into the lives of the ordinary people who helped make Birmingham the city it…read moreis today. On a fascinating guided tour, we stepped back in time at Birmingham's last surviving court of back to backs. These houses were built literally back-to-back around a communal courtyard. Moving from the 1840s through to the 1970s, we discovered the lives of some of the former residents who crammed into these small houses to live and work. With fires alight in the grates, and sounds and smells from the past, experience an evocative and intimate insight into life at the Back to Backs I would certainly recommend the guided tour which brings the houses and characters to life. Make yourself at home, warm up by the fire and make sure you visit the adjoining sweet shop for even more nostalgia.

Really facinating!! The tour takes you around these tiny houses and the guide gives you all sorts…read moreof info. You can touch the stuff too, so its not so museum like. The yard has the old toilets and wash house and then there is a little discovery centre type thing inside. There is also an old sweet shop which is open to anyone. There are some steep steps and low ceilings. Very interesting and well worth a visit. There is something available for those who cant do the steps.

Despite many great events popping up at The Bond this year, I only managed to get down to check it…read moreout this weekend. When I heard that a Gin Festival was hitting Digbeth, there wasn't a chance I was going to miss out. So, the Gin Festival was planned over the same weekend of City of Colours which meant that Digbeth had one buzzing weekend planned. I had hoped to get out on Saturday, but after hitting a nightclub on Friday night for a friends birthday; I was a little worse for wear in the day and didn't make it. It did mean that I had a rather special Sunday instead (which ended up being an even better choice than originally planned). Enough with the wittering and down to business... The Bond is located off the main drag of Digbeth and the other side of Heath Mill Lane from the entrance to the Custard Factory. You can walk down Digbeth High Street to get there, but we found it significantly quicker to walk down Fazeley Street from behind the back of Hotel La Tour. It's not that obvious when walking down from Fazeley Street, but one you get outside it there is a big iron sign which tells you that you have arrived. I imagine the building was once a warehouse used for stocking barges (as it's well positioned right next to the canal with a small area for boats to pull in), but it's now an events space. First thing of note... it's pretty big. There is plenty of outdoor space both covered and uncovered and a couple of buildings that were being utilised for the Gin Festival. It may be even bigger than this, but we only saw what was being used on the weekend. It has a large conference style room with a toilet block towards the back, a further indoor space with a smaller room and another toilet block and a large "car park" style area and another largish covered area outside. There is a cafe onsite (which was serving hot dogs on the weekend) but I'm not sure what the permanent fixtures of the site are as I have only been for the one event. I have to say, I really liked this venue. I liked the layout, the mix of outdoor and indoor spaces and the plentiful loos. Seeing as the event was held on a scorching Sunday afternoon, the shaded areas were very welcome and everything was laid out very sensitively. I would definitely attend another event in this space! I can't comment on drinks prices (as I was at a drinks based event), but I'll have to update this review if I get back to more events here.

I nice venue tucked away in Digbeth. There is a lovely courtyard area on the canal which is great…read morefor outdoor event. The are also two big rooms which can be hired out for weddings or markets. I came to a wedding in October and it was warm and cosy and the food was great. This weekend I came along to a winter food market. They had plenty of temporary food shacks set up in the courtyard selling waffles and burgers etc but inside there was stalls selling breads, pies, beers, as well as goods like cards and jewellery. It was a cold but sunny day and a pleasant place to be in. Only a ten min walk from the City Centre I would say.

The Gallery space at the Library of Birmingham is one of the city centres hidden gems. You can…read moreeasily miss it - tucked away in a corner on level 3 of the Library - but it is well worth a look. In my opinion its one of the best features of the new library building. The space is home to the GRAIN photography hub, a network for photography and photographers in the region, working with national and international photography collections. GRAIN curate photography exhibitions in the gallery space, which is really contemporary and versatile. GRAIN's current exhibition explores the work of photographer Daniel Meadows and is well worth a visit. The exhibition takes you on a fascinating journey through Meadows' early work of from 1971-87. Its full of hair, flares and a double dekker bus converted into a mobile studio. Look out for the screen showing some of the people 'then and now'.

If you are looking for artists materiels and certain craft supplies this is thye place to come to…read more Limited parking just outside by The Clarendon pub.

With stock ranging from paintbrushes and model kits to photographic canvas prints and fine art,…read morethis New Oscott-based Arts and Crafts centre houses everything you'll ever need for a bit of hands-on creative fun. As a quaint, converted house, the store has its own small, off-road car park and houses an extensive selection of art equipment. Staff are welcoming, polite and always willing to help and as part craft centre and part print shop, the business also offers a broad range of printing services for business customers, specialising in leaflets, business cards and flyers.

I've never studied art and I didn't really know what my options were. A friend of mine recommended…read morethat I try my hand at painting. At first I had visions of drawing scenery which I didn't really fancy. But afterwards, I thought perhaps I could use a variety of colours and make something abstract! So I went along to Vesey Arts and crafts and I I ended up purchasing a large blank canvas and a number of brightly coloured paints along with a paint brush. As well as helping me buy the equipment, the assistant recommended some techniques and an inspirational web site to check out some similar work.