TK Maxx open their first new NI store in 11 years tomorrow morning, 9am, bright and early, in Ards Shopping Centre.

The store is in the previous Tesco location, with a huge major refit having taken place in the past few months as part of a wave of new retailers arriving at the centre.

Smix & I went along for a nosy this evening, and here are my 13 top kitsch picks spotted in store, counted down.

13. The Entire Halloween Department.

Halloween only started to get big here about ten years ago. We always had parties, but now the UK is swaying towards the full on, decorate the whole house, celebrate all of October, type Halloween season. I remember 8 years ago when I was just married and had a house to decorate, travelling to the big Boucher Road TK Maxx to buy their imported Halloween Homeware. Candles, ornaments, prints, cushions- of course many of the pieces were used all year round as back then I was a little more rock and roll than I am now. So skull print everything wasn't just for Halloween!

Top choices from this year's selection of home wares? The light up signs and skulls for sure. Those Halloween print tea towels I wouldn't be afraid of using all year round either.

12. The Stationary.

Lots of notebooks, crafting items, and down in the second pic, very cute storage pouches.

11. Retro Bins.

We are living in a time where even a bin can be retro! I love the blue especially.

10. A Rainbow of Blankets.

You would have a hard time choosing. They have autumnal oranges & russet tones. Beautiful teal throws and peacock blue blankets.

9. Tiny Little Cat Shoesies.

These little felt slippers make me jealous I'm not a five year old girl. Cosy for winter or even as part of a show stopping Halloween outfit.

8. Macarons.

So many flavours. I think these were £2.49 because I remember thinking they were prices really reasonably when I picked them up. They even had my favourite- pistachio.

7. Kitschy Cute Bags.

I think the accessories have to be my favourite part of TK Maxx. It's where you'll most readily find something designer that you can buy without it being the same price as that month's mortgage payment.

I thought this was a school bag, but I imagine I might get a phone call from the office if I sent in a bag with 'nice junk' on it. Doesn't stop us big kids having it for the gym or university though.

6. Moroccan Tea Glasses.

I literally haven't seen these for sale anywhere else. They had several different designs too. I think I would feel like royalty having a cuppa in these, although I might ruin it with my tea preference for lots of sugar and milk. How uncouth!

5. Kooky Phone Cases.

They've a good selection of Skinny Dip London cases. I discovered Skinny Dip on our last trip wandering round Soho trying to find Yo Sushi. Everything is neon, glittery, furry, sparkly, in other words- every single darn thing I love.

4. Designer Scarves.

A designer scarf is a great accessory if, like me, you can't afford designer clothes. You could be wearing a Primark outfit but adding a fancy scarf can make you look a lil' bit more expensive.

The new TK Maxx has your full on designer name print scarves where there's no doubt about who made it, but also more subtle but well known lines like Love Moschino's Olive Oyl prints. Both these scarves were under £50.

3. Unicorn Armour Purses.

If unicorns needed armour I bet it would look like these purses. So shiny. I want.

2. Mega Kitsch Fake Fur Scarves.

These scarves would make any old coat look crazily cool, and they were only £9.99 each.

1. A Three Foot Flamingo.

My top pick from the new store. A lifesize flamingo. I think I know what to ask Santa for this year now.

But what did I buy? Well from the beauty department I picked up a Sanctuary Spa candle for £2.99

All TK Maxx store are having huge beauty events right now, so there are lots of bargains to be had.

I couldn't resist these socks either. £3.99 for three pairs. Cats and pugs and sailors.

My major purchase I was talked into by my little shopping buddy.

This Little Moose satchel style handbag. RRP £50 but I got it for £29.99

Look how cute!

So get yourselves down in the morning to be some of the first to grab the best bargains. If you find anything particularly cool- tweet me so I can see! My username is @rudedoodle

'Grotto Off' doesn't have a very appealing ring to it, I am aware of that, but just in case we end up visiting a selection this Christmas, we might as well post about our visit today, at Ards Shopping Centre.

Ards Shopping Centre always put on a good show. Their yearly 'mountain' display is immense. There have been DJing elves and the infamous 'Puffing Billy' who I captured in 2010 on video.

We pitied those working in stores in earshot of that song, on loop, all day, every day for over a month. The woman at the till of the butchers' definitely had a thousand mile stare on the go. I could imagine coming in one day to find her with a kebab skewer in each bloody ear due to her aural torture.

Apart from being impressive, the whole grotto set up is hard to beat. Free visit, free chocolate lolly for each child, and one free photo printed instantly for you. So no monetary outlay, and no having to wait around for an hour, or even call back another day to claim your Santa photo.

Ards' grotto was actually the first ever Santa visit had, December 2007, a month and a bit after he was born.