First of all, this place has a really good website as well as a good shop so if, for some reason,…read moreyou can't find what you are looking for, definitely do go home and try to find it online. The site is really easy to navigate. The staff in the shop, to get back into the thing that I am actually meant to be reviewing, are lovely. They all seem to be quite passionate about art and crafts, though I realise that that seems to be an odd statement. They all seem to enjoy art and crafts greatly is perhaps better? The prices are really good and the range is just fantastic so you're almost certain to find what you need. I did, as it happens but the staff are so good that I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping you out if you were missing something,

Now I'm not at all a crafty individual, however I can't deny that this shop even touches an…read moreartistic part of my soul. They have a massive selection of craft items such as ribbons, lace, stickers, stamps, and the most beautiful, delicate paper. The staff here are friendly, and even better are willing to offer advice on how to create specific items using these products. In particular I'd recommend this place for those of you who are clever (and frugal) enough to make your own cards.

This is the place where the hole from the polo mint ends up…read more Recreate is an Aladdin's cave of scrap, stuffed full of things that sparkle and crackle, plus cheap as chips arts and crafts stuff to boot. With boxes and boxes of industry offcuts from see-through acrylic sheets to extra long cardboard tubes. The Recreate motto is "Reduce, re-use, recycle" and that's just what I did on a recent visit, purchasing a carrier bag full of soft drink 'can pulls' aka 'dragon scales' for a quid. Recreate also offers a hire service, equipment includes a badge making machine, giant Jenga, parachutes, a smoke machine and more. You will need to become a member to hire equipment but it only costs a quid for schools or individuals. Recreate is great for Wombles and those in search of material for an art project. Fill up a colourful customised trolly and pay with a pocketful of change. Just watch out if you're a magpie and leave plenty of time for scavenging and thinking up weird and wonderful uses for the odds and sods you'll find. Top tip: Sign up for the Recreate online newsletter and get alerted when the latest 'goodies' come in. Open Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 10am - 5pm, Wednesday 10am - 5pm, Friday & Saturday 10am - 4pm

Good selection of items, always find what I'm looking for. Staff nice and helpful. Can get single…read moreitems when needed and not have to buy in bulk.

Crafty Sew and Sew has the dubious pleasure of being located directly next to the ultra pink adult…read moreshop Passion Online at the Newport Road end of City Road. Whilst this business has opted to carry a cheeky little name that may occasionally raise an eyebrow or two, they have definitely been upstaged, in the controversy stakes, by their immediate neighbours! In many other ways this is the ideal location for this old-style craft shop. It is surrounded by fabric stores, many of which are within a minutes walk from Crafty Sew and Sew, and with companies like Calico selling sewing machines, and Butterfly Fabrics carrying some fabulous materials, as well as some really large fabric stores with phenomenally extensive stock ranges like Fusion, Crafty Sew and Sew couldn't be in better company. All of these businesses support the fundamental drive behind Crafty Sew and Sew, offering patrons of the shop plentiful choice where fabrics are concerned. Crafty Sew and Sew offer a good range of craft items and ready-to-make kits of all descriptions. A visit to the shop is an inspiring experience, and the people that work there are only willing to help. If you are looking to take up a hobby, but are not sure of which direction to go in, I advise a trip to this little Pandora's Box of delights. The advice you will get will be invaluable, and the choices available are impressive, and cater to everyone's budgets.

There are not many button shops left in the world. This is sad…read more Claire Grove has been open for over 25 years as has become one of those well loved local establishments that has a stream of people goggling in the window. I would urge you to go inside. There are buttons from all over the world. Big, small, dull, colourful, fabric, glass... You name, you can buy it and sew it on to your jumper. They're a great idea for sprucing up tired items of clothing. There's also a wide variety of beads on offer. This is a fascinating shop which will throw something new at you every time you have a look around. Certainly worth 5 minutes of you time.

Unfortunately I'm not the most of artistic of people, nor do I have the patience to make my own…read morejewellery, my best mate on the other hand is obsessed and is constantly dragging me into this shop. As Tanya mentioned there really are buttons galore here, which you really just can't help looking at. When it comes to the beads available, they're rather traditional (think wooden), but I think it's rather nice that this place can still survive in this day and age. As Tanya said, you should really check this place out for yourselves, and who knows when the buttons on my Karren Millen coat fall off for the umpteenth time (inevitably causing me to loose them), I might be brave enough to buy some buttons from here and sew them on myself.

I word of recommendation about going in to Hobbycraft. Please don't go in if you don't know what…read moreyou want to buy beforehand. You need a plan of attack. Head straight to the help desk and then to where they send you with blinkers on. Hobbycraft is a massive warehouse of, well, everything that you could possibly need to any hobby ever. Their problem is certainly not being able to supply us with our needs, but rather, they over supply. You stand in the middle of this store and want to scream: Argh! I know I should be using all these creativity to make something, but I don't know what! It's all on overload. That being said, I know people who live in these stores. And yes, their houses are full to bursting with ribbons and gibbons and squibbons and such, but they're always prepared and kinda nifty with a needle. So, in short. Get in. Get out. Or pay the price. Dun dun duuun.

So this Hobbycraft gives you two floors of everything arty you can think of from standard drawing…read morematerials, to specialist model making materials, framing equipment, soft furnishing stuff and lots, lots more. It is a bit of a maze and they really don't make it easy for you to navigate this store. Apart from one sign by the stairs, they is no signage through the shop and that really annoys me. They obviously want to tempt you to buy other stuff but its so frustrating when your just after something specific. I spend a good 5 minutes walking around the upstairs with no sign of any staff members to help guide me. Eventually I found the section I was after but I was disappointed by how expensive everything was. I took myself to the checkout to pay and the checkout staff were busy chatting so I was barely acknowledged. Good selection but i'd rather get what I need online for cheaper.

We wanted to buy things for making a necklace. For Mother's Day. I was looking after a child that…read morewasn't mine or perhaps I might have encouraged the Mother's Day present thing more towards the edible. We went to Carole's Crafts, it was close and you can park. The shop's not huge but they've managed to cram quite a lot into it. We found beads and elastic and even a clasp and a very nice glass leaf thingy. I can't really vouch for artistic integrity of the final product but luckily mothers are usually grateful for any handmade trinket by their beloved offspring. Lot of stuff for paper craft, quite a lot for basic jewellery, not so much fine art supplies or sewing crafts. This used to be located inside the actual garden centre but has moved out and over to the other side. So turn left when you turn off the main road.

I have been visiting Carole's Crafts for a number of years now. In fact, spend that much I should…read moreown it! (he!he!). Always get a smile and a warm welcome from the girls, and it's a joy to go there. Always cheerful and happy to help with any problem and they know their stock. If they had a coffee shop within their premises then I would give it 5 stars and browse for longer! So well done you 'orrible lot!! and see you soon.

The Beads Nest is a lovely little bead shop occupying a prominent position in the Wellfield Court…read moreArcade. It is a small business run with loving care by the owner / manager, Vivienne Whitty, who is eminently knowledgeable, and ever enthusiastic. There's a great range of beads in the shop, with everything from dolly mixture sweet beads to Venetian and Czech glass, as well as a good range of findings and other jewellery making supplies. But you will find an even bigger collection on the easily navigated website, where you can also buy on-line. Nevertheless, I recommend a visit to the shop. It's in a pretty little mall with a great café, and the assistance you'll get from Vivienne will be invaluable.

Despite being rather on the small side, this shop contains a rather lovely selection of beads…read more The Beads Nest provides all the essentials for jewellery making along with a diverse range of beads of all different sizes, colours and styles, as well as strings of beads and a few ready-made pieces. It's not quite the treasure trove that Clare Grove Buttons is, but there is still plenty to choose from, and a lot of the stock is different so it's worth looking in both stores. As with most shops of this kind, there is plenty of assistance available, and The Beads Nest is rarely busy. Personally, I prefer the bigger bead stores in the city centre, but for anyone who makes a lot of jewellery, this shop is handy for grabbing the essentials, and there's always the possibility of finding something here that you wont get in town.

I must admit, although I've lived in Cardiff for a while now I hadn't visited John Lewis until…read morerecently (needed to pick up some wrapping paper for Christmas) and I'm really happy with my experience and would definitely be coming back. I'm not normally a big fan of massive department stores like this but John Lewis definitely won me over. ~ Atmosphere: This place is HUGE! I'm not not joking. The building is beautiful and the inside is massive with multiple stories of shopping. For Christmas, they even have a gift sections for generic gift ideas such as chocolates, sweets, and alcohol. ~ Customer Service: Given my inexperience with John Lewis, I definitely needed help finding my way around. Thankfully, there were loads of staff around and it didn't take long at all to track anyone down. With help, I hunted down wrapping paper and when I realised I needed some clear tape, another employee was not too far away for me to ask to help me find that as well. If you're like me and you felt a bit overwhelmed by how massive the store this is, the staff are all very friendly and willing to help. ~ Variety: With a store this big, it's hard to be lacking on variety. Even though I went in with a clear goal in mind, I couldn't help doing a bit of a browse for any gift ideas! ** Food ** John Lewis also has a restaurant called 'The Place to Eat' on their top floor. I'll be honest, my expectations weren't too high but the sausages & mash I had were actually pretty delicious considering they weren't made to order! (It's cafeteria style where you grab a tray and pick what you want). The prices weren't bad either and if definitely not a bad spot to grab a quick lunch amidst shopping. --- I'm really happy about John Lewis being in the heart of the city centre. With a great location, it's a great stop for all your needs since it well, just about has everything!

I went to John Lewis Cardiff having bought some wallpaper online which was absolutely nothing like…read morethe picture. having this experience, I decided to go into John Lewis. The sales assistant Henry could not have been more helpful, charming and he ordered my samples online in store. Has made me want to go shopping again, It might be convenient to order online certainly not convenient when you try to return things that are not what they appear to be. Thank you great experience

Knitting is sexy, did you get the memo? I did. I got it the first time round when I was living in…read moreLondon and the V&A were holding knitting-related parties. I bought Stitch & Bitch and got some needles and red wool and tried to knit. I was rubbish. You Tube didn't exist in my world back then. In the last year, thanks to You Tube video lessons and some real knitters I can knit. Not brilliantly. Not fast. But I'm on my way. Knitting is cool for the second time. Just google Yarnachy Swansea if you don't believe me. All ubercool knitwits need to buy, beg, borrow or steal wool. Charity shops are good for getting odd balls for stripy things but for bigger projects you need to head to a specialist shop. The Wool Pack can help you, they sell a myriad of wool types as well as patterns, needles and other useful knitting get up. Get sexy, learn to knit.