Wilkins and Kent stock some beautiful things. Kitchenware, ceramics, organic soaps and candles, and…read moreof course well-made and divine woodwork are scattered around the space. On my last visit I spent a lot of my time eyeing a long handmade redgum bench. Sleek and simple it stood in the middle of the store and radiated comfort. Unfortunately the price tag (well over $1000) and lack of space in my house meant that I didn't have a hope in hell. But I can dream. Wilkins and Kent have some great kitchenware ranges including the Nigella Lawson range, and some exquisite ceramic bowls. On my last visit I bought some ceramic birds that hang from the wall - glazed with beautiful colours they are beautiful little pieces of art and around the ($50) mark, weren't too expensive. The service at Wilkins and Kent is always great, although the store can get very busy so it may take a while to get some service. But friendly and well meaning, the sales assistants are helpful and knowledgeable about the products.

Wilkins and Kent is one of those must-visit stores for me on Brunswick street. Filled with a…read morekaleidoscope of products from pretty table ware to chic bakeware and printed lamps. This is also one of those stores that you need to slowly work your way through in order to appreciate it for what it really is. Incidentally, it would be easy to mistake this shop as a homeware store, but in actuality, Wilkins and Kent specialise in custom designed furniture. And from what we hear, the bosses Jeremy Wilkins and Stephen Kent are the actual furniture makers. If you're looking to create a custom designed piece or are just looking for something to complement your home with, check out this lovely store. Wilkins and Kent also carry a wide range of household décor items, stationery, gardening tools and other bits and bobs - perfect as gifts.

If you are in to Art & Craft, let me warn you right now to stay away from this shop if you don't…read morewant to spend a minimum of $50 as soon as you walk through their doors. You are first faced with a sea of discount bins that sell everything from bling, adornments, ribbons, kits to decorate, ink pads, paint tubes and more. There are rows of spectacular scrapbooking paper (which we buy to cut out and decorate cards), there are embellishments galore, and so many art and craft projects to decorate. I've take to buying the letters for my BBFs that spell out their names and then decorate in various bling and embellishments and brads in their favourite colours to give them for their birthdays. It's located on the same side as the entrance to Villa and Hut, only when you're facing the outside door to Villa and Hut, look to your right toward the other shopping centre entrance and it's there. The staff are friendly and helpful and you could go every week and see different supplies as they get the older stock from the main Kaisercraft stores. Happy art and crafting!!!!!

A lshop with a nice selection of Scrapbooking papers, stamps, and embellishments. I was surprised…read moreand delighted with the MDF cubbies, advent calendars & shelves- all perfect for dressing up with lovely papers. An expansive party decor section too.

Lock up the credit cards! You're going to want just about everything in this store to make your…read morebathroom smell better, your kitchen look pretty, your bedroom feel cosy and your loungeroom more achingly hip. From the rafters adorned with leather bunting down to the floors that hold baskets overflowing with nic-nacs and gorgeous items you simply can't live without, The Shelley Panton Store is an absolute delight to explore. I love the tables filled with colour co-ordinated items, the book selection (food, design and travel genres all well represented), hand-made ceramics and the items dangling from the roof (THAT bunting, light fixtures and even feather dusters!). There's complimentary gift wrapping too, which is perfect if you're in the market for a special gift. They'll offer a variety of papers and twines to match your purchase and the vast gift card selection makes this a one-stop-shop for all your gift giving needs.

Quick! Hide your credit card when you come here! It has an amazing array of home wares and art for…read moreevery single room of the house, and every occasion you can think of. This is my idea of heaven. Seriously. OK, I admit it. Sometimes it feels like us Southsiders are a little hard done by with a lot of cool crafty places north of the river. Shelley Panton helps to fix this with an eclectic range of products - whether you're looking to buy for yourself or for a gift, you're bound to find something here that tickles your fancy. The shop is beautifully decked out - visualise baskets of good overflowing with cute little pieces, colour coordinated products lovingly laid out on tables and also friendly service. Leading into Christmas and special occasions, they will have late night trading (complete with glasses of prosecco and a cheese platter - for real) and special dinners for events such as the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Best of all? Shelley who own the place also has her own pottery for sale (visualise gorgeous plates and kitchen goods) and Jess the resident rescue dog is a beautiful black lab that often wanders around for a little bit of customer love. OK, I admit it. I want to work here. I want to be surrounded by beautiful things, play with Jess all day and lovingly wrap presents and adorn them with ribbons

What a bloody great idea! I first stumbled across something pretty similar to this down Prahran way…read morea few years back and was enamoured with the concept. As it turns out, the Incube8r woman won some kind of business model award for this place because the concepts are so sound and the place just took off. It's the sort of thing you expect in Tokyo where space is at the biggest premium. But rather than people sleeping in drawers here, people show their art and craft wares in various sized boxes and booths. You get so much crammed in to the space that shopping becomes this little exploration mission and you can spend hours rifling through clever people's creations. The prices are reasonable also (for both goods and space), so it's a must-go for birthday/Christmas shopping if you're a bit in the dark for ideas. There are so many variants in terms of style and aesthetic here, you really can't go far wrong.

I was looking for a birthday present for C and I was thinking of getting her a piece of locally…read moremade jewelery. I like to support local jewelers and a get a really unique piece rather than mass-produced jewelery. And so I stopped at Incube8r Gallery because I knew that they specialize in the work of local jewelers, designers and crafts people. Incube8r Gallery is meant to be a bit of a business incubator for local designers, hence the name of the gallery. There are all these little cabinets and other display areas where each designer features their work and I'm looking at each of them trying to find something that would suit C's style. No, good but not C's style, oh! I like those cuff-links, not for C but for me. And it kept on happening, lots of good jewelery but nothing that was just right for C. and so many items that I really liked. I had to keep on reminding myself that I was shopping for C's birthday present and not for me. It was totally unexpected and in the end I couldn't resisted and bought myself a badge. It wasn't expensive so I can still afford to buy something C really nice for birthday.

If you're into homewares and colour, mud is definitely one to go and check out. Australian made…read moreceramics, they are rough and textured out the outside with super high gloss on the inside in a bunch of amazing colours. I love bright things around the house, so I came across mud when admiring some of their gorgeous mugs and plates. Unfortunately...a cup is going to set you back in the realm of $40-$50. Each. Ouch. I was too scared to look at the rest as this falls out of my price range. BUT if you have some cash to splash or are looking for a special present for someone, this high end range of crockery is gorgeous. I don't know how much the going rate is for nice crockery because I am clumsy and too scared to buy anything more expensive than IKEA for fear of destroying it. So while I may not purchase something here for myself, it is a lovely spot to look at and a great pick for a list of lovely mum gifts. The service is helpful, the displays are pretty and if you don't find something in the colour you want let them know so they can source it for you.

I am a sucker for ceramics and porcelain so when I came across the Mud store in Gertrude Street, I…read moreknew it would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. This is a brand that we can be proud of; Mud is made in Australia and has some beautiful colours including duck egg blue and soft coffee shades. This Mud store stocks Kobo candles as well (yay!). The setting is minimalist and sleek; the focus is all on the beautiful plates, bowels and cups as they sit on top of the surfaces. Like I mentioned before when I visited another ceramic store - take your bag off your shoulder and carry it low and steady, you really wouldn't want to knock anything off here. I thought the service was really good - the sales assistants were very friendly and happy to walk me through the products and give you some information about Mud.

This is such a cute boutique. My sister and I were in the area looking for a brunch place and we…read morestumbled upon this little gem. It's really cute and girly and there are plenty of things to buy here. I was looking for little gifts that I could bring back home to family and friends and found a lot of things I could get. For the most part, they have unique trinkets that you could buy. The prices are a bit on the higher side, but they do have some really cute things. If I'm in the area next time, I'll stop by again.

For the woman in your life that has everything, but still loves just that little something more,…read moreRose St. could be just the place to shop. The vibe here is luxurious and the price tags are just what you'd expect for a store that focuses on high quality items that you don't see in many other gift stores. There's luxurious floaty sweaters, rich candles, silky scarves, soft leather handbags and small decorative home wares that most Mum's and ladies of fine taste would enjoy. Make a beeline here the next time you need to say "I'm sorry" "I love you" or "Happy Birthday" to your favourite female.

My Range located near the corner of Bourke and Queen Street in Melbourne City is a narrow little…read moregift store with a big heart. Whenever I am last minute gift hunting (hope my friends don't see this) in the city, this is my go-to place. But be warned, there are heaps of gimmicks and clever little things so try and stick to your cause and buy you gift. I have to admit, I've been side tracked before and ended up buying some cheeky baby rompers for my nephew and a scarf for myself. That's the good thing about this store, it's stocked well enough to offer a wide range of products for all sorts of characters - from funky alternative sorts to mainstream lovers to those that appreciate a little humour. I'm a sucker for bird-motif items so this gets me everytime.

Pretty cool gift shop with a really adorable range of babywear. I bought my expecting best friend…read morean "as seen on Facebook" little baby jumpsuit thing. It seemed appropriate, as she's documented the entire process online. They've also got a range of rubber duckies in all sizes, colours and patterns, so you can have your very own Ernie impersonation party in your very own bath. Service is friendly and helpful, and the prices are definitely in the "gift" range rather than the "practical purchase" range. As I said, pretty cool, and worth a look around if you're after a gift for someone who already has all the practical things.

Looking for gifts for every kind of person in your life (especially yourself)? Then look no further…read more- Five Boroughs seemingly has something for everyone. From jewellery to children's books, to bike friendly backpacks and locally crafted furniture. I'm just a little bit in love with everything here... especially the custom Monsieur Truffe chocolate bars! Milk chocolate with popping candy wrapped in a Emily Green designed wrapper? YES PLEASE!

It's pay day, your best mate's birthday is this weekend and you're feeling particularly generous…read more If you've ticked all these boxes you simply NEED to come to Five Boroughs in East Brunswick. Here you will find all the finer things in life - locally designed jewellery, delightfully smelly soaps, adorable baby booties, Danish-style desks and coffee table books for days - I mean, the list goes on! I popped in to buy a 30th birthday present for my dear friend and instead walked out with a soft leather wallet from Melbourne label Status Anxiety for myself. WHOOPS. SOZZLE! It is simply one of those stores that you will want to buy everything but will become broke in doing so. But hey, if you want to shop hardcore you've got to pay hardcore.