Philomena and Ruth is the name of a newly opened shop close to St Louis.  They specialise in hand made and local products, everything from clothes – new and vintage – to soap, accessories and jewelry.   It is in the lovely town of Waterloo in Illinois and about a 30-40 minute drive from St Louis.  I have never been to south Illinois before and I enjoyed seeing the countryside on the way and checking out the old barns and pretty towns we passed.

We stopped on route at the fastest drive through McDonalds ever!  Filet o fish ordered and eaten within 10 minutes. We were hungry and on a mini road trip!  This time warp speed set the theme for the rest of the afternoon because we were on a misson, a mission to plant.

Elizabeth the gorgeous owner of Philomena and Ruth, needed us to fill and plant the enormous planters she has installed outside the shop on the sidewalk.

You can see the empty planters in the above photo.  They were crying out to filled with dirt and beauty!  Thankfully I had master ninja florist Kate to head up the planting misson (I was just along for the ride to be honest!).  Off we swept to Rural King to get soil and flowers.  Rural King had everything we needed along with a selection of kayaks, wheelbarrows, animal carriers and tubs of worms should you need them.  Rural king indeed!

Yes, you can buy a wooden wind tower too if you feel the need.  We had a car full of soil, so we had to leave it behind this time!

I grabbed two shopping carts which are pretty hard to guide by yourself!  That will teach me to be a smart ass and try to co-ordinate the impossible, I think it amused the local shoppers though.  Kate turned into super gardener woman and we were in and out of Rural King with a car full of plants and bags of dirt within 15 minutes!

Twenty two bags of soil later, we had developed a few more arm muscles and the plants were planted!  These are going to look so amazing as they all settle in and grow and bloom.

Once we had planted in record time, we had a browse around the shop which is spacious and airy with so much to see, you need to take at least two laps around and you will still see something new when you look up. Elizabeth has fantastic displays and of course her stock is all wonderful.  Makers and artists from across Illinois and Missouri are represented,  all with a great variety of wares for sale.

Elizabeth is also the designer and maker behind the Just Liv brand which sits alongside the other handmade products perfectly.

All of the decor is divine and has such a unique and stylish feel, I think I could move in!

This shop is welcoming and friendly and is the perfect destination for treats and gifts for everyone who needs something for friends, family or themselves.

I hope you are having a beautiful week, the sun is shining here and the plants are growing!