For the creative minds out there, head to Green Lane where you'll find the perfect place for you…read more It's a big, green craft palace called Craftys. Whatever your talent or hobby I'm sure that you're every requirement can be met here; Craftys stock allsorts from card making to flower arranging. There are two sections within the shop, the main being crammed with stickers, decoupage sheets, ribbon, and beads to name a few. Towards the back there is a room dedicated to paper and card, shelves stretching from floor to ceiling, neatly displaying all different types and colours. We've bought the paper for our wedding stationary from here, so I should know. We've also bought some of their decoupage sheets for my Fiancée's card making Nan and not only did she love them but they also look great on her cards. The staffs are friendly and are more than happy to help you in any way they can. It's definitely worth a visit.

If you are into Arts & Crafts this is the place for you. From top to bottom this store is crammed…read morefull of goodies. Believe me if they haven't got it then it possibly isn't available and they have some great bargains. They have an on line store if you are to far away but try to visit as the fun is in touching. A brilliant shop and great staff too!!

A must for emerging and established knitters, Purlesque is a gorgeous boutique that sells beautiful…read morewool, yarn, buttons and crochet books. If you haven't got the patience or fingertips to stitch yourself, they also sell adorable hand-made bags, accessories and homeware. I love the mix of DIY jewellery, tote-bags, scarves and cushions but it's the knitted cupcakes and tea-cosies that I have my eye on. You bring the jam and scones, I'll get the kettle on...

This is a lovely little haberdashery store. The staff here are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable…read more Amongst the goodies on sale there is wool, yarn, buttons, jewellery beads, crochet kits, knitting patterns, bags, cushions, fabric and scarves. Everything is arranged neatly and the shop is a joy to browse around. This is a great little shop for when you're feeling a bit crafty :)

Abakhan is hidden behind TJ Hughes and until today, I never knew such a shop existed as I seldom…read morewalk down this street. To my surprise, I was impressed to see how much this fabrics, hobby and home store had to offer. Inside is literally packed full of material in piles that look like an organised random mess! Most of the items they sell will attract the hobbyist such as arts and crafts material, stationery and needlework. They also have a variety of hobby books, cheap fashion jewellery and accessories. There is nothing really more you could ask for and for the prices they sell at, it works out a bargain apart from the more high-end material like animal fur. Common items, for example wool and cotton are inexpensive. If you are into any of the above criteria, I would highly recommend a visit to Abakhan's as the shop is jam packed with bits and pieces.

The small collection of streets of which Abakhan's is a part form what can be considered a textile…read moreand fabric centre of Liverpool and this place is the biggest of the bunch. Over two floors, Abakhan's provides reams and reams of all kinds of cloths, fabrics and textiles at very cheap wholesale prices. If you're the type who is in the business of dress making or interior design or just partake in such activities as a hobby then you can't go on much longer if you haven't found Abakhan's or one of the smaller stores along this road. Just because it is cheap doesn't mean that the quality is any less however you might have to look hard for any styles that are very stylish and modern.

I love this place!…read more It's one of the best places for craft supplies in Liverpool. It rivals Abikan because of it's huge variety of felt squares in more colours than you could possibly need. (Abikan never seems to have more than about 20 colours.) They sell buttons, beads, ribbons, lace, yarn and wool, sequins, stickers, embellishments for cards, crochet hooks, knitting needles, scissors, and all sorts of other craft items and tools. And the prices are superb. The felt squares are around 37 pence for the small ones and 55 pence for the large ones (last I checked.) Most of the wool is between 79p and £3 a ball. And there are always some sale items like wool that's really cheap, bundles of ribbon for a few pence, etc. Incidentally I have never seen any children try to grab things from this stall. I'm not really sure what that would be the only thing someone could think of to say about this perfectly delicious crafty wonderland.

Very nice little shops out front. Quaint museum inside with…read moreindependent art. Nice location. School has a great reputation. Little cafe inside is nice for a coffee and cake.

In contrast to the candy striped walls and myriads of bright colours in Purlesque, the Display…read moreCentre at the Bluecoat is a stylish shop with white walls and lots of natural light. Accessed through the Bluecoat's courtyard garden or the entrance on College Lane, it's an exhibition space as well as a shop with 10-12 different shows each year. In keeping with founder Robert Gardner-Medwin's original aims, the Display Centre displays and sells the work of leading designers, artists and craft makers. There's some beautiful ceramics, pottery and sculptures alongside cool and functional glassware, metalwork and home decor like cushions. I quite liked the blue and white striped ceramics, silver jewellery and silk scarves but it was David Mellor's playful cutlery that captured my imagination the most.

21. This is a great little shop, very arty and quirky, and unfortunately, very expensive!…read more They sell a range of items, from small and large sculpted pieces, to pictures and plates and decorative ornaments. One particular item that I fell in love with about a year ago was a wooden octopus, which was made so perfectly, I wanted it even though I really had no use for it other than sticking it on the mantle piece. So I turned over the price tag, to find that it cost nearly £800! If you're into your art and you can afford to shell out on one off pieces of fantastic design and craftsmanship, this is definitely the place for you. Alternatively this is also the place if you're looking for a unique gift for a special someone. After you've spend this month's mortgage on an item, you can relax with a coffee in the courtyard and work out how far you could have travelled for the same price!

If you love art, steer clear of Art @ Home…read more I haven't been to any of the company's other stores but can tell you their Bold Street branch is one of the most depressing shops I've visited. Following in the footsteps of companies like Ikea and John Lewis, they sell generic art prints that are produced on a massive scale. Whilst Ikea and John Lewis actually stock some pretty good photographic prints of New York and Tokyo, Art @ Home specialise in mainstream and unimaginative prints of sunflowers, roses, landscapes, portraits and abstract paintings. In short, Art @ Home sell framed and unframed prints for property developers, corporate offices and coffee chains!

One of the most thoughtful, and coincidentally cheapest, presents you can get somebody is a framed…read morepicture. To find a nice photograph of a happy moment or a poster and pair tickets from a concert you really enjoyed and stick it behind some glass in a black metal or wooden frame is both simple and effective. Art at Home is the ideal place to get hold of straightforward frames at reasonable prices. The staff are chatty, helpful and if you bring with you what you're trying to frame they will try their hardest to find a good frame to fit your needs. The art for sale in the shop itself is a little hit and miss, for every Gauguin print there are three or four 'pop art' silhouette canvases of Audrey Hepburn or John Lennon. They do carry an excellent selection of cards here though, blank on the inside with art and photographic prints on the front - perfect for any occasion - especially if you don't fancy giving your nan that card with the fart joke in that you've been keeping in your bottom drawer.