I quite often get asked where I get my materials from as they can be hard to find in Dubai so I thought I'd share the love and let you know where to shop here and also where to order online that delivers here in another post.
Some people say shhhhh don't share, people will copy- but really- we all have our own creative eye and will not end up making the same thing. I have taken inspiration from things I see on the internet but they never end up an exact copy.
I want to help fellow crafters be able to find what they need in Dubai to get their creative juices flowing. So here goes...
This is my all time favourite shop dedicated to scrapbooking, card making and all things paper. I go here at least once a month otherwise I get withdrawal symptoms. The staff are great- so helpful and knowledgeable and passionate about what they are selling. They will quite often call me to tell me when they have got new stock in that they know I will like.
They stock my faves- 7 Gypsies, Tattered Angels, Graphic 45, Tim Holtz, Martha Stewart, We R Memory Keepers, Smash Book, Project Life and more.
They also do lessons in their craft space on different techniques for adults and kids. They have great prices and if I go crazy I quite often get a small discount- which I really appreciate. I know they value my custom. It's like the mothership for paper crafters!
My score: 10/10 they can do no wrong!
Here's a link to their website creativehandsdubai.com
You can also find them on Facebook>>
Location: Their shop is in The Green Community and there's a map on their website- note they are not open on Fridays.
Paperlane, again, is a really amazing shop for paper crafters- as the name would suggest. It's also a really beautiful store- very bright and well laid out and they also have their own craft space for lessons. I do find them a little bit more expensive- but I guess that's because they have to pay Jumeirah rent prices.
They used to do a loyalty card but have now stopped- so unfortunately I'm only going there now if I can't get what I want online or in Creative Hands. That little bit of discount did make a big difference to me and I've bonded more with the staff in Creative Hands too-here I find them that little bit less knowledgeable of the products and the industry.
But, hey, that's just my opinion- it is a really great shop with tons of product to choose from- with great ranges of stamps, inks and tons of paper packs or single sheets to choose from. especially great if you live in the neighbourhood too.
My score: 8/10 lovely shop but bring back the loyalty care
Here's a link to their website mypaperlane.com
You can find them on Facebook too>>
Location: They are based in Town Centre Mall, Jumeirah... the one next to Mercato
Creative Minds is a very mixed bag of a shop- it sells craft supplies as well as fancy dress costumes, educational supplies, teacher supplies, toys and party supplies... sounds exciting huh! From the craft side they cover a very wide range of crafts from modelling to painting to silk screen printing and everything in between. As a scrap booker their specific scrapping collection is smaller than the two shops above but that is because they are more specialised.
So for general craft supplies Creative Minds is very strong. I usually go here to my non- scrapping specialist supplies like glue, paint, cardboard, plain paper, canvases, note books etc.
Creative Minds really comes into its own for Hallowe'en too- they have a great selection of costumes and decorations at great prices. I generally find all their prices OK except for the specific scrapbooking stuff- seems to be a little bit higher than the other places I go to.
The staff are fairly knowledgeable but not as strong in product knowledge as others and have a tendency to say no... when they do have what you are looking for... bit of a language barrier sometimes.
My score: 4/10 for specific scrap booking supplies but 8/10 for general craft supplies
Here's a link to their website www.creativemindsdubai.com
Here's their Facebook page too>>
Location: They have 2 stores- one on Umm Sequiem Road- just further down than Mall of the Emirates and one in Jumeirah in the Beach Centre. Their largest store is the Umm Sequiem Road one just fyi.
Well this is a new shop and is dedicated to all things decoupage- which I love! I haven't had chance to pop down there yet but wanted to list them as they are super specialised and not many people know about them yet.
They sell the materials you need for decoupage- blanks, glue, varnishes, paints, a wide variety of really lovely papers etc. as well as finished items.
Will update when I've been for a visit!
Here's a link to their website www.creativamiddleeast.com
They are really active on Facebook too>>
Location: You can find them in Times Square on Sheikh Zayed Road
Daiso is an odd one for here but it is such a random store that you never know what you are going to find in it. It's the Dubai/ Japanese equivalent of a pound shop. I've found it really good for unusual and low cost embellishments like tiny pegs, small gems, paper umbrellas etc. They get new things in all the time- so if you see it buy it!
It's also a great place to buy things to display your wares on at a craft market and for low cost packaging and gift wrapping. So worth a visit if you're passing- you never know what you might find!
My score: 10/10 for sheer randomness of products! 1/10 for specialisation- just don't go with anything in mind and see what you find!
Here's a link to their website www.daisome.com
Location: you can find them in Lamcy Plaza, Arabian Centre Mirdiff, Oasis Centre, Reef Mall, Al Fahidi Street, Mirdiff City Centre, Al Barsha Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall
If you are into fabric crafts like sewing, quilting, knitting and crochet you need to get yourself to Craftland www.mycraftland.com they are in the same mall as Paperlane actually- handy! Daiso sometimes has cheap knitting supplies if you're just messing around.
Small independent book stores- there's tons of book and stationary stores all around Dubai- pop in- you never know what you mind find and they do tend to be cheaper.
Spinneys stationary department in their supermarkets also tend to have some surprises... I can get the artists notepads I use 3 times cheaper in there! I always tend to have a quick nose when I'm there.
Paperchase also has some cute things that can be incorporated into your paper crafting too. You can find them in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall and more locations through out Dubai. Here's a link to all their locations>>
Dragonmart can be a wonderland of bizarre things most of the time! they are really good for jewellery supplies... which I use as embellishments on my scrapbooks. Definitely worth a visit every now and again just to see what you can see- you may have to use your imagination but that's half the fun! Here's a link to their website www.dragonmart.ae
Well I do hope you found that useful and helpful... it's taken me ages to find some of the secret places so I'm happy to save you time and to share! If you know of anymore please add them to the comments below :)
Happy Crafting!
Some people say shhhhh don't share, people will copy- but really- we all have our own creative eye and will not end up making the same thing. I have taken inspiration from things I see on the internet but they never end up an exact copy.
I want to help fellow crafters be able to find what they need in Dubai to get their creative juices flowing. So here goes...
Creative Hands Dubai
This is my all time favourite shop dedicated to scrapbooking, card making and all things paper. I go here at least once a month otherwise I get withdrawal symptoms. The staff are great- so helpful and knowledgeable and passionate about what they are selling. They will quite often call me to tell me when they have got new stock in that they know I will like.They stock my faves- 7 Gypsies, Tattered Angels, Graphic 45, Tim Holtz, Martha Stewart, We R Memory Keepers, Smash Book, Project Life and more.
They also do lessons in their craft space on different techniques for adults and kids. They have great prices and if I go crazy I quite often get a small discount- which I really appreciate. I know they value my custom. It's like the mothership for paper crafters!
My score: 10/10 they can do no wrong!
Here's a link to their website creativehandsdubai.com
You can also find them on Facebook>>
Location: Their shop is in The Green Community and there's a map on their website- note they are not open on Fridays.
Paperlane Dubai
They used to do a loyalty card but have now stopped- so unfortunately I'm only going there now if I can't get what I want online or in Creative Hands. That little bit of discount did make a big difference to me and I've bonded more with the staff in Creative Hands too-here I find them that little bit less knowledgeable of the products and the industry.
But, hey, that's just my opinion- it is a really great shop with tons of product to choose from- with great ranges of stamps, inks and tons of paper packs or single sheets to choose from. especially great if you live in the neighbourhood too.
My score: 8/10 lovely shop but bring back the loyalty care
Here's a link to their website mypaperlane.com
You can find them on Facebook too>>
Location: They are based in Town Centre Mall, Jumeirah... the one next to Mercato
Creative Minds Dubai
Creative Minds is a very mixed bag of a shop- it sells craft supplies as well as fancy dress costumes, educational supplies, teacher supplies, toys and party supplies... sounds exciting huh! From the craft side they cover a very wide range of crafts from modelling to painting to silk screen printing and everything in between. As a scrap booker their specific scrapping collection is smaller than the two shops above but that is because they are more specialised.
So for general craft supplies Creative Minds is very strong. I usually go here to my non- scrapping specialist supplies like glue, paint, cardboard, plain paper, canvases, note books etc.
Creative Minds really comes into its own for Hallowe'en too- they have a great selection of costumes and decorations at great prices. I generally find all their prices OK except for the specific scrapbooking stuff- seems to be a little bit higher than the other places I go to.
The staff are fairly knowledgeable but not as strong in product knowledge as others and have a tendency to say no... when they do have what you are looking for... bit of a language barrier sometimes.
My score: 4/10 for specific scrap booking supplies but 8/10 for general craft supplies
Here's a link to their website www.creativemindsdubai.com
Here's their Facebook page too>>
Location: They have 2 stores- one on Umm Sequiem Road- just further down than Mall of the Emirates and one in Jumeirah in the Beach Centre. Their largest store is the Umm Sequiem Road one just fyi.
Creative Middle East
They sell the materials you need for decoupage- blanks, glue, varnishes, paints, a wide variety of really lovely papers etc. as well as finished items.
Will update when I've been for a visit!
Here's a link to their website www.creativamiddleeast.com
They are really active on Facebook too>>
Location: You can find them in Times Square on Sheikh Zayed Road
Daiso UAE
It's also a great place to buy things to display your wares on at a craft market and for low cost packaging and gift wrapping. So worth a visit if you're passing- you never know what you might find!
My score: 10/10 for sheer randomness of products! 1/10 for specialisation- just don't go with anything in mind and see what you find!
Here's a link to their website www.daisome.com
Location: you can find them in Lamcy Plaza, Arabian Centre Mirdiff, Oasis Centre, Reef Mall, Al Fahidi Street, Mirdiff City Centre, Al Barsha Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall
Notable Crafty Shopping Mentions
Small independent book stores- there's tons of book and stationary stores all around Dubai- pop in- you never know what you mind find and they do tend to be cheaper.
Spinneys stationary department in their supermarkets also tend to have some surprises... I can get the artists notepads I use 3 times cheaper in there! I always tend to have a quick nose when I'm there.
Paperchase also has some cute things that can be incorporated into your paper crafting too. You can find them in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall and more locations through out Dubai. Here's a link to all their locations>>
Dragonmart can be a wonderland of bizarre things most of the time! they are really good for jewellery supplies... which I use as embellishments on my scrapbooks. Definitely worth a visit every now and again just to see what you can see- you may have to use your imagination but that's half the fun! Here's a link to their website www.dragonmart.ae
Well I do hope you found that useful and helpful... it's taken me ages to find some of the secret places so I'm happy to save you time and to share! If you know of anymore please add them to the comments below :)
Happy Crafting!
No comments:
Post a Comment