Alton, Illinois - Antiques

Imagine, the craziest horror set.  Then think about the sort of place the creative directors would have to purchase props from.  There were moments when I wasn't sure if we would ever make it out of Alton, Illinois.  Without doubt the most horrific antique shopping experience of my life.

Clock - $32/ £19.42

Dining set - $160/ £97.11

Two Giant Lamps - $12/ £7.28

Nick had spotted these lamps listed on Craigslist, they were at the time being held at a flea market outside of the city and a fair way into the country.  There really are some peculiar places in Missouri you know.  The pictures displayed in the advertisement were somewhat misleading as it wasn't until we made a bee line for the lamps that we could appreciate the sheer size of them! As it turns out we both love these lamps and cooed over the "perfect" ambience that they created for several evenings. 

The sofa - $100/ £60.69

The sun room sofa.  Craigslist booty.

The Salvation Army - Bedroom Set - $115/ £69.80

So after waking up at some silly hour and traipsing around just about every thrift store in the St Louis area we finally struck gold at the Salvation Army on 3949 Forest Park Avenue.  We must have waited a good two hours for this bedroom set,  witnessed some petty theft and made small talk with a lady that was requesting a trip to Hawaii and a steak dinner from Nick.  It was worth it.  That's the guest room taken care of!    

Twirly Jake - $10/ £6.06 + pot

We spent a vast amount of time this summer in Home Depot.  So much so that the workers had begun to comment.  Nick had been looking for a house plant, a palm.  Finding one that would survive without bright light became harder than you might think.  Eventually we had the choice between two, a straight legged palm or a twirly one.  Together we are quite useless at these sorts of decisions, so it was a tough going for a while.