Call me crazy - you wouldn't be the first - but I tend to go a little mad when I walk into shops…read morewhere cute / quirky things that I can add or turn into other cute / quirky things can be found. So, Chung Kee Ho, with it's rows of funky buttons / beads is right up my alley. I got tiny little pencils, butterflies, soccer balls, elephants and slightly more sensible white crystally ones. There were also badges galore - flags and patches, princesses and cats, all bases covered. I also picked up a whole roll of simple lace for HKD20 and another of narrow elastic for the same price - did I mention that when visiting SSP you should bring your wheelie shopping trolly or bag? Well I have now.

If you can't find the button you want for whatever job you need it for here, well then quite…read morefrankly, you just didn't look hard enough! I came in with a specific project in mind - thank God or I would have gone a bit button crazy and stocked up for life - and still came away with three different sets. A girls got to have options you know. The stock is cunningly displayed on panels which slid back to reveal the actual 'stock' on slaving units behind. The look is clean and far less cluttered than in many of the neighbouring stores and it makes it much easier to find what one is looking for. The staff were helpful and patient. When I changed my mind about a particular button after deciding it didn't go with my fabric sample, that was no problem, even though Michelle had just spent about 5 minutes trying to find the thing. As I said - three different sets to do the same job, so two sets will ultimately be redundant, but I'm sure I'll find a use for them in the next couple of years or so.

You know you've probably been walking around Sham Shui Po when HKD34/m for lace sounds a bit dear,…read morebut PITC is an embellisher's paradise. The place says it specialises in trimmings, and does it ever! It comes with the lot. Lace, beadwork, ruffles, fur, feathers and Pom poms, I saw it all, and walked away with a fair bit of it too ..... If you're the kind of crafty sort who likes to add collars to old t shirts or cardigans to jazz them up again, or if you're clever enough to make your own, this is the shop you need to know to find those small pieces that really are the finishing touch - fabulousness. Honestly I saw enough stuff I liked in here to want to come home and start attacking almost every item in my wardrobe with a glue gun or needle and thread. But I restrained myself and settled for a metre of demure lace, a metre of pink sequinned chain link embellishment, and a metre of lace and woven beadwork trim. Now to just settle on what to do with them ... Aaaaaa the possibilities ....

Sham Shui Po is the sort of place sartorial dreams are made of. Literally, these streets sell…read moreeverything from fabric to fasteners and trims, all in every hue design and material imaginable. This is where clothing manufacturers come and choose the actual stuff that make their designs a reality. Fortunately, you can also but 'retail' ie, not bulk, and make your own design dreams come true. In my particular case, I want a calf length, cream leather coat.  I took along the black woollen coat I intend to model said garment on and headed off in search of the leather to make it happen. Fortunately, I found Yuen Kee Leather Goods. The staff were a bit surprised by the scale of my project, but recommended a tailor and even called in advance to make sure it was all doable and that they we selling me the right amount of leather (at least I assume that's what they were talking about). That's one of the problems with shopping in Shan Shui Po generally, many of the vendors - especially the street stalls- don't really 'do' English, so you are relying on holding up fingers to indicate yard length. Needless to say, with the complexity of this particular project I was very happy to encounter good spoken English. Highly ironic as I am having real trouble with the shop's business card .....

The first time I got to know this snug art supply store tugged beneath the foot bridge connecting…read moreFa Yuen Street to Mong Kok East (KCRC Mong Kok station back then) was when I needed some Copic Markers for my school works. Not a lot of places sells these expensive marker pens (well, to a poor student, at least), let alone one that allows you to order the the spray-paint mount that turns each Copic marker into an Air Brush, how novel (back then again)! From this story, you get the idea, Arts Supplies is the one that you can find more 'exotic' type of unconventional art wares. Most of the times when I can't find the stuff at other shops (well, I look at other shops first usually 'cos it isn't exactly the cheapest around town), or when I needed something that is going to be phased out soon - and hence the need to stock up your favourite weapon- you know how frustrating that is. I often can find all those here, probable because it stocks up quite a bit itself too! Physically, the shop itself is so cramped that you can hardly move when there are more than a few customers inside. So this isn't the place you want to just hang around and browse through stuff leisurely. It's a grab and go shop for sure. The best bet is to know what you want exactly, the preferred brand and ask the shop keeper. They have amazing memory and can locate the stuff you look for within a minute or two, without the need to check the computer for stocks. Sometimes they can also tell you outright that a product is discontinued and recommend a close alternative to your choice, excellent service I'd say~~