We’re a big fan of Etsy, Big Cartel, Folksy, etc., but sometimes it can feel like you’re wading through loads of crap only to find the occasional gem.  Never fear, weary Etsy travellers, we’ve found yet another cracking local jewellery seller who has some absolutely awesome products – Maria Allen:

A: Clock Locket, £20.50 GBP

B: Knotted Necklace, £16.50 GBP

C: Hoot Necklace, £11.00 GBP

D: Deer and Bird Silhouette Necklace in Silver, £19.00 GBP

E: Kingfisher Bird Locket, £24.50 GBP

F: Ampersand Necklace, £13.50 GBP

G: Paper Crane Necklace, £16.50 GBP

H: Sunglasses Necklace in Gold, £11.00 GBP

Scottish readers be alert – an awesome craft fair / winter market is going to be on at the Grassmarket tomorrow, with free entry for all!  There’ll be all sorts available for sale, and it’s the perfect opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done, so make sure you pop along and say hello!

Being located in Edinburgh ourselves makes us all too acutely aware of what I like to call the London-vacuum – all the fashion mags, big labels, cool indie start-ups and major agencies are sucked into this London vortex that leaves only a few individuals floating around the rest of the UK.  That’s why when we find other people located outside of London doing great things with fashion and the like, we get excited.  Case in point – Laura Baillie Designs, located in Glasgow:

A: Gold Pearls of Wisdom Necklace Set – Friendship, £22.00 GBP

B: Silver Tea Cup Necklace, £12.00 GBP

C: Silver Pearls of Wisdom Necklace Set – Friendship, £22.00 GBP

D: Amethyst & Gold Charm Bracelet – Lily, £15.50 GBP

E: Silver and Red Charm Bracelet – Amy, £10.00 GBP

F: Simple Pearl Necklace, £8.50 GBP

G: My Pink Heart Bracelet, £14.50 GBP

H: Gothic Noir Charm Bracelet, £18.00 GBP

If you’re looking for fantastic handmade handbags, jewellery, gifts and accessories and you don’t want to pay through the nose, the obvious solution is to shop local – and one of our favourites is Kitty and Polly:

A: Handmade Tea Cosy, £20.00 GBP

B: ‘Milky’ Tea Towel, £7.50 GBP

C: Vintage Purse, £8.00 GBP each

D: ‘Ella’ Grey Handbag, £50.00 GBP

E: Tweet Cushion, £36.50 GBP

F: Double Heart Necklace, £36.00 GBP

G: Handmade Clutch Bag ‘Delilah’, £36.50 GBP

H: Hair Accessory – Hot Summer, £14.00 GBP

I: Lacy Bird Brooch, £20.00 GBP

Perfect for Christmas presents or for a little treat for yourself, Funky Junk Jewellery has kitschy, funky accessories that are bound to cheer up any outfit.  They’re based out of Edinburgh (just like Desirable HQ), so they are clearly very cool, clever people.

A: Rose Teapot Necklace, £11.00 GBP

B: Tea Mismatch Earrings, £6.00 GBP

C: Vintage Acrylic Boat Earrings, £6.00 GBP

D: Tiny Red Rose Studs, £6.00 GBP

E: Blue Bow Necklace, £9.00 GBP

F: Matroyshka Charm Necklace, £8.50 GBP

G: Classic Chic Pearly Bow Necklace, £12.50 GBP

H: Bowtiful Ring in Blue, £6.00 GBP

I: Gold Teacup Ring, £7.00 GBP

As our regular readers know, we here at Desirable HQ love shopping locally and promoting local talent – we feature British-based independent craftspeople, artists and designers every Sunday in our ‘Shop Local Sunday’ spot.  You can imagine our utter joy, then, when we came across this website:

We’ve only just discovered Find A Fashion Shop.co.uk and we already think it’s the best thing since sliced bread.  Not only does it allow you to sort the listed boutiques and stores by style, BUT you can also sort by location.  So we can look at all the lovely shops listed for Edinburgh without having to feel depressed about what we’re missing out on elsewhere.  Great idea, and makes shopping locally so much easier!  Bravo, FindAFashionShop.co.uk.

Let’s face it, even the most glamorous stay-at-home mums can struggle to find the time or creative-juices to come up with beautiful cake decorations every time the need calls for them, and presenting a store-bought cake can be a bit like cheating.  The solution?  Professionally-made cake toppers and decorations, perfect for cakes both big and small.  You bake the cake and ice it, and let these gorgeous decorations by Salon Glace (handmade in the UK) do the rest!

A: Hearts & Roses, Set of 24, £28.50 GBP

B: Bete Noire, £7.00 GBP

C: Marie Antoinette, £10.00 GBP

D: Millefiore ‘50′, £26.00 GBP

E: Bete Noire Hearts, Set of 25, £5.99 GBP

F: The Belle Epoque Fan, £26.00 GBP

All available from Salon Glace Decorations.