If you love shabby chic décor, country cottage style, and just plain, old fashioned cute, then you…read moreneed to have a nosey around Lifestyle Outlet in West Kirby. They sell everything from candles and cards to home décor and furniture, and the variety they offer is enough to keep you happily poking around for a while. I loved the shabby chic furniture, like the wood hutches and side boards, and the cute animal decorations like the colourful cat mobile I spotted, and some plush chickens that would look really great in a farm themed kitchen, or on a window sill. The prices are very reasonable, and if I weren't so hard up myself, I could easily have come home with five or six little decorative items and not spent more than £40. My friend found some really great prints of photos and paintings and wound up buying one to add some color to her living room. The prices were really reasonable for the size of artwork, and there were some pretty quirky choices if your style of art tends toward fun, conversation pieces. I'll definitely be having another poke around next time I'm over that way.

What a lovely little shop! Gorgeous location; quaint store; friendly owner; all sorts of craft…read moresupplies: Klara's speciality. There's a mix of sewing and cross stitch materials and resources for handmade card and gift making. Supplies are available specifically for children. Workshops are frequently held at The Well Barn teaching craft skills such as jewellery making and decoupage. Klara's is also involved in community events such as the Summer Fete held in Little Crosby recently; while I was browsing, Klara was approached by a fundraiser requesting Klara's participation, by all accounts she is very active in community projects. I particularly like the fair trade gifts available at Klara's Crafts, they'e wonderfully made and quite inexpensive.

I love craft shops although they always leave me wondering exactly what to make. Klara's has an…read moreimpressive range of craft supplies for making everything from Jewellery and cards to sewing items such as cross stitch, threads and silks. They also have a selection of handmade gifts and bags. Based in Little Crosby the shop has now been open for over a year. Klara has a BA in Fine Art so will certainly be able to help if you need some advice with materials for your own projects. My favourite product has to be Fimo which comes in 24 different colours. It is like plastercine but sets hard when baked in the oven. A cute little shop if you're feeling creative whether its doing some crafts with the kids or showing off your artistic side. There's also a nice collection of unique handbags to be tempted by and ladies you won't find these on the high street! Its always nice to know you have something that's not mass marketed.

Handy little shop for all occasions for balloons etc. Have used it a few times for various…read morebirthdays. Would have given 5 stars but for the sullen staff member that served me, didn't raise a smile once even though I was very pleasant, didn't advise me of prices before inflating balloons, didn't ask me what coloured ties/strings I wanted or in what order I wanted the balloons on the ties. When I had paid she didn't even look up when I said thank you and goodbye. Not great customer service really. The other times I have gone I had been served by someone else and they were very nice and talked me through all my options with the balloons. 1 metallic helium balloon and 2 pearlized happy birthday balloons on the ties with weight cost £8.10.

Housed in the courtyard of the Bluecoat, Landbaby is a studio shop selling home decor and jewellery…read moreby local artists and designers. Everything they stock is hand-made giving the shop a warm, homely feel. Whilst I prefer Purlesque next door, I can imagine Landbaby appealing to people that buy French furniture and Farrow & Ball paint as they stock lots of cushions, tea-cosies and tote bags made from cream, beige and stone fabrics. They also stock soft toys for kids and a cute range of purses, ear-rings, scarves and throw made from recycled fabrics and vintage buttons.

Landbaby is an absolutely beautiful little handmade boutique that sells jewellery, accessories,…read moretoys, and home décor made by local artists. The style is shabby chic, and sometimes just chic, and the shop smells and looks so delightful. I kept turning and turning wanting to take in every little owl and every pretty cushion tucked into every corner and displayed in the little wood box shelves and on the mantelpiece. There is so much to see and so much to want! This is a must-see shop for all handmade enthusiasts, and certainly for those visitors to Liverpool with a taste for the finer things. :) Landbaby also offers regular classes and workshops for all kinds of different handmade projects. The prices range from around £15 to £25 and always include all your materials, tea, and cakes. To find out more, search for Landbaby on Facebook. :)

Well it's certainly not the great place I remember coming as a child. I remember really fun candle…read moredipping workshops (which they still do) and these beautiful handmade candles that were truly works of art. Sadly, the latter are no longer available, which makes the whole place rather unremarkable. They now only sell ugly nick knacks and organise all kinds of crafts upstairs for things that are much uglier than what your child would bring home from school, all very cheap looking. Much better off encouraging artistry in school. Really, teachers will send your child home with the most amazing things and you're already paying tuition fees anyway, so why bother coming to the Cheshire Workshops and pay for something ugly? Such a shame that they've gone through such a drastic change!

This really is a great place for both adults and children…read more Our kids thoroughly enjoyed the experience of making their very own candles to take home. There is a gift shop where you can take home souvenirs and a lovely cafe located in a large conservatory overlooking the beautiful countryside. You can enjoy a delicious family meal before returning home with your happy children.

Warrington Market runs Monday to Saturday in Warrington town centre, a couple of minutes away from…read moreGolden Square Shopping Centre - it has both an indoor and outdoor market, although the outdoor area does seem much more popular in terms of business but I just don't see the hype sadly - with huge crowds, queues at certain stalls and people just walking past fresh produce smoking (I hate the smell and sight of smoke especially in a market which is supposed to be quality - surely areas like this should have a smoking ban like indoor locations are smoke-free in the UK?) The indoor area isn't much better it feels a little old - the dirty floor and horrible, rancid smells inside don't help - as soon as I entered I was forced to persevere past the horrible wind as you entered which blew the horrible smells right into your face which was simply vomit-inducing. It really does seem the growth of supermarkets which has had a bad effect on markets has affected this one - reviewers state this place was even in decline around ten years ago and by the looks of things, it seems to be surviving by the skin of its' teeth and it's really far from the place it once was. 1*

There are a few very good stalls of note in the market that have stood the test of time but…read moreunfortunately there are some not so good ones. That and the fact that more than a third seem to be empty means that the market is getting worse not better. It seems to be going in the direction of the rest of Warrington town centre, Downwards. Well done to the handful of good stalls on there. Notably the Game and Fish stalls along with a good veg stall. Mr Tasty brightens the place up and now has the largest stall in there. If a fraction of people in Warrington stopped using the supermarkets all the time and paid a Weekly or even Monthly visit to the Market then it may be able halt the decline and improve. The Stall I like include the following. African/Jamaican produce Caribbean Hot food store Cheese store Sausage Store Mr Tasty Butchers and cooked/roast food Veg store Game Store Fish monger For others there is a sports/angling store A cafe' Lots of clothes, shoes and bag store. A pet shop, hairdressers lots of place open and close in a short time. Last time I visited one of the three halls was almost empty.

How do you like your tea? With milk and sugar? Then you'll like it here. For those of you who…read morehaven't heard of this place, (I hadn't 'til yesterday!) It is an exhibition space (at the moment it is host to some restoration photography) a specialist book shop (crammed with architectural, arty hardbacks) and a seminar room which is available to hire out for anything from gigs to meetings and it's all kitted out. The vibe in here is modern and relaxed, it's a clean cut space which would be good to sit and do some research if architecture is your game. Or just to have a mooch round the wooden floored rooms echoing round browsing the current exhibitions.

Based in the ever son posh and stylish 'Ropewalks' area of town, halfway down Wood Street and next…read moreto the lavish delights of the 'Swan' biker pub, Milk and Sugar lies in wait. I say it lies in wait because I've never seen anyone in here and it seems to be poorly located in terms of attracting a market, it also doesn't seem to advertise that much as the first time I heard of it was when I walked past it. It's basically a posh specialist book shop and a seminar room in the heart of the city centre. The seminar room is fully equipped with all the latest audio/visual technology so it's a great venue for businesses to rent and is well worth getting a quote on if you're pitching or trying to impress clients or potential clients!

Don't let the name confuse you, this isn't a pompous exclusive private gentlemen's club, at least…read morenot anymore. These days it is a small independednt family run hotel, bar and restaurant. The restaurant which comes with a rather cool name, "Ziba" caters for all your boutique hotel dining needs. The produce is locally sourced from a farm owned by the same family and the menu is described as English with a modern twist. I am yet to dine here but have frequented the bar lounge for a few at a birthday bash. There are also gym and spa facilities and for art lovers they also have a gallery room where local artistic talent is shown off from time to time. All in all a very hospitable destination, whether it is for a night's stay or a nice meal. An independent family run business always carries browny points from me as I always feel they are more welcoming. Don't take my word for it, check it out yourself.....los gentes

Continuing my reviews from last Thursday when I took Australian members of my family for a whistle…read morestop tour of some of the restaurants, bars and cultural hotspots of this great city of mine... I wanted to take my uncle and his girlfriend to The Racquet Club as I have always had a very soft spot for this incredibly elegant venue in the heart of the business district, having been to a couple of beautiful weddings here and also having produced a tea dance event there myself several years ago which was just lovely. I also wanted to take them there as I was looking for somewhere classy that did cocktails (our first choice, Panoramic, was fully booked with afternoon tea takers). I remembered the stunning tea inspired cocktails the bar staff had created at my tea dance event so I thought this was a great second choice. Sadly, what I had forgotten was that The Racquet Club only does cocktails for special occasions and not during normal service as their bar is not set up for it! We were so disappointed! However, having had to go down the route of more standard drinks I must say we were very pleased. My uncle loved his half pint of Bombadier (they don't get beer like that in Australia!) and the glasses of wine his girlfriend and I had (a French Rose and a white) were chilled to perfection and delicious. The only other thing I would say is that even though the surroundings of the Racquet Club are beautiful and quietly elegant I do think they could get away with playing some classical music or other quiet, appropriate music if only to give a little atmosphere and cover the noise of the girl cleaning the glasses behind the bar! I will continue to have a soft spot for the Racquet Club but I must remember that they don't do cocktails and that it can be VERY quiet at times!