If you know what Kirkland’s is then you will understand my joy. Growing up in Tidewater, we had Kirkland’s in the malls. Lots of those potpourri packets that made it a little hard to be in, home decor items packed in every inch and good prices. I think they had them in Richmond when I moved there, but I can’t remember for sure. Then they closed. Closed! What the what?! I remember the day I was talking to my mom on the phone and she was telling me that they closed. I was so shocked. They were awesome! When Dan and I moved out to Southwest Virginia I wasn’t expecting to see one, nor was I really looking. We had *plenty* of home decor and were not in need of anything. I also don’t really frequent the malls here. I try to shop more local, handmade, cheaper these days and walking through the mall usually doesn’t tick any of those boxes.

I recently discovered a shopping center in Roanoke that I had no idea existed. I’m not saying I thought I knew all there was to know about Roanoke, but I was fairly certain I knew all the shopping centers. So, color me shocked when I discovered Towne Square over by the airport. Color me EVEN MORE shocked when I saw it… a Kirkland’s sign… in a shopping center… not shoved in a tiny space in the mall, but in its own large space.

As excited as I was to see it, I knew better than to venture in without needing a particular item. That is a sure ticket to “what is my total?!” Lucky for me a friend tasked me with putting together an Autumn Decoration Starter Kit (more on that later) and I *knew* I could find the perfect centerpiece makings at Kirkland’s.

So inside of the Kirkland’s I ventured. It. was. awesome. A huge space, lots of room to move and see and plenty of air so you weren’t smothered with the smell of potpourri packets. I found what I was looking for and so much more. Instead of buying everything (which was tempting, but I’m pretty sure Dan would lose his mind, I took pictures. I only have a handful of photos, because I shortly found what I needed and my hands were full. And I only covered on side of the store. When I am stronger (i.e. not looking at things with a “that would be a good Christmas gift for…” eye), I will venture back to Kirkland’s and check out the whole store. This time with a basket and not on my lunch break.

Let’s get to the photos:

How cute are these owl containers? Perfect kitchen colors. Or bathroom colors… some cotton balls, q-tips and bobby pins. Or maybe I just have more bobby pins than the average person.

This picture doesn’t do this painting justice. In person, those colors really pop and are shiny. (Fun side note: The only large painting I’ve ever purchased was from the Kirkland’s in Newport News many, many years ago. It’s currently on the mantel.)

So many cute owls! I love the large ones on the bottom. And those cute squat owls above those, to the right.

I couldn’t pull this mat out because my hands were half full, but how cute would this be on your doorstep? I am seriously considering talking Dan into switching ours to this.

If Kirkland’s is known for anything, it’s their awesome clearance deals. How awesome looking are these soap holders and dispenser. Doesn’t hurt that it’s my favorite colors.

These are those lotus flower/candle holders that I’m sure you’ve seen everywhere. These were a pretty silver glass kind. On clearance for $4.00. FOUR DOLLARS. I picked up two for a project I’m working on.

This guy… I can’t even explain how much I want him for the backyard deck. He is SOLID concrete. If I still had my concrete Buddha man (long story), he would totally need a friend.

Zen frog is zen. And also on clearance.

That ends our shopping trip to Kirkland’s. If you live in Roanoke (and who doesn’t?), go to the shopping center by the airport. If you don’t live in Roanoke (and really, who does?) go to the website and find a location near you. [http://www.kirklands.com/custserv/locate_store.cmd]

**I think it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway – I was not paid or perked in way to write this post. I just really love this store and sharing is caring, folks.

A friend of mine expressed interest in embroidery. If you know me, you know I will gladly tell you everything I know about a subject, whether you want me to or not. This time I did remember to pause and ask if she wanted me to impart my knowledge or let her discover the craft on her own. She asked for it so I emailed her my “What I Know and What I Wished I’d Known…”. I figured I’d share my email to her here, in the off chance someone else is discovering embroidery. It’s a lovely craft and I absolutely love it. Especially when I have time to sit and do it for a while.

Materials Books and pocket guides – I use this pocket guide more than anything. It is the best pocket guide I’ve found. I have several embroidery books and have flipped through a few at the library. Honestly, this is the best book I’ve found.

Hoops – Tension hoops are the best! They get a really good grip on the fabric and you don’t have to fuss with it. I recommend using a 7”. Anything bigger is hard to have a good grip on, too small is too small. I have a couple of these I use for projects and then the cheap wood ones for displaying when I’m done.

Floss – Do not, under any circumstances, buy one of those bags of floss. If you have good floss, you can’t go wrong. Those bags do not contain good floss. The floss in those kits looks very dull and cotton-y. DMC floss is very sleek and pretty. And when you’re pulling it through the fabric, it’s important to have good floss because it will start to separate and get fluffy looking. This is the one time when fluffy = bad. Buy your basic color wheel of thread and go forth. Sometimes Michael’s and Joann’s has them on sale. Sometimes people on eBay have lots of them. DMS is my favorite. There’s another popular kind that I can’t remember the name of, but I’ve never seen or used it so… go DMC!

In the store, you will see little white cards to wrap your floss around. Buy a pack. Those little things make not having a big pile of floss easy breezy. And they can be ring clipped together so they don’t run away.

Oh and floss is six strands of thread. Feel free to experiment with separating the threads. Sometimes you need the full six, sometimes two is better.

Needles – Any pack of embroidery needles will work. I find I like the longer ones, but to each their own. One thing to keep in mind is that most of the time you’ll be threading a full piece of floss through. That’s six strands of thread. Make sure your eyes are big enough.

Thimble – I hardly ever use mine for embroidery. Sometimes I use it, but honestly it just gets in the way.

Transfer paper – I have some. I’ve used it once when working with black fabric. Chalk would’ve been easier to work with. Not really into it.

Disappearing ink – Can’t live without this stuff. I have a pen that has a purple side and a blue side. Purple disappears in about 24 hours (depending on the moisture in the air), blue side disappears when water touches it. Aside from floss and needle, this is the most invaluable embroidery tool.

Fabric – Use whatever. There are no limits.

Scissors – When I started I didn’t think scissors was a big deal, I’d just use the everyday house scissors. Nope. Wrong. Those little embroidery scissors? Use them. I got a pair of awesome ones at my favorite fabric shop for like five bucks and I love them. They are pointy and sharp. I can’t imagine ever using house scissors again. And don’t use them for other things. Just like your fabric only scissors, these are embroidery only scissors.

Tips

* Don’t leave your fabric in your hoop after you’re done stitching for the day. If you leave it in, the fabric will never bounce back to its original form, no matter what you do. The point of the hoop is to open the fabric’s weave so you can easily embroider. You want your fabric to keep its tightness so when you’re done, it looks clean and smooth. Now if you’re going to keep the embroidery in a hoop for display then it’s ok, because it will always be stretched so it’ll always be smooth.

* Don’t use a water bottle to spray your work when done so as to wash away the disappearing ink. You will get water marks. Which are never good. Use a moist q-tip to get the marks you can see. Don’t worry about the ones you can’t, because you can’t see them so they don’t exist.

* If you’re moving from one part of your design to another keep this in mind – unless it’s only a couple of what would be stitches, then tie off and restart at the new spot.

* Some people run their floss through a wax before starting. Don’t bother. Just keep your strands to 18” or less. By the time the thread get tired, you’ll be tying off.

* Occasionally your floss will start to twist around itself. Let go of the needle, hold on to the hoop and let gravity do its job. If you just let the floss hang every once in a while it will untwist itself and you’re good to go.

* If you need ideas or tips or whatever, I’ve put together a very basic source for stuff on Pinterest. Feel free to click around and be inspired by the loveliness bloggers have stitched, photographed and blogged.

* If you don’t already know it, learn the quilter’s knot. I use one wrap around for embroidery. Maybe two if it’s going to be worn and washed. That knot will change your life. http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/photos/my_favorite_knot/index.html

* I keep a scrap of fabric in my embroidery box. I use it for testing out stitches and colors. It’s super helpful.

Just remember you can always undo what you done, there are no mistakes, just sections you get to re-embroider and that means more practice!

Today me and Dan’s mom went to the Blue Ridge Quilt Festival. It was awesome! Lots of talent there. I took a few pictures. I also picked up some fabric from a quilt shop out of North Carolina that I am looking forward to visiting.

Here are a few of my favorites

(I may need to recreate this one)

The rest of my quilt pics are on Flickr.

Picked up a freebie hexie kit

Batting samples

Bought some awesome fabrics

Red, white and blue were my favorites for some reason. It was a great show and I’m happy I got to go. Dan’s mom won a raffle prize! A pre-cut quilt set! Lucky lady.