PLACES: PAPIER MARCHE

GIANT-SIZED papier mache cherubs may be the stuff of some people's nightmares, but at Papier Marche, the funky craft shop off Clerkenwell Green, they're some of their best sellers. Here you'll find massive heart- shaped mirrors, spiky cacti and stylised animals to brighten the dullest corners of your home or to provide the ultimate quirky talking point. See scraps of chicken wire and soggy paper being transformed into colourful objets d'art in their on-site workshop. Mini piggy banks start at only a few pounds, or commission their artists to model your moggie for a more indulgent buy.

Papier Marche, 53 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1, telephone 0171 251 6311, open Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm