What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Craftapalooza

I've got that crafty feeling. I haven't made a lot of crafts in the past
few years. I usually do make a new wreath for the front door as the
seasons and holidays change. But, other than that, I haven't done much.
I do like to buy old wooden furniture and paint it white and distress it.
And, there is my watermelon fascination. I have painted several things
to look like watermelons. I need to take a picture of the side table I
have in the living room. I don't like bright garrish green and pink
watermelons - I like older looking faded folk art looking watermelons. I
did make a sock monkey this past summer and have plans to make more of
those. On HGTV the other day I saw them making little food for
dollhouses and that looked fun. My favorite was little cherry pies made
in bottle caps. I found a big jar old little round red beasd at Hobby
Lobby yesterday that will be perfect for them. Now I just need to find
some bottlecaps. I know you can buy them at the craft store, but, HELLO?
they have got to be free somewhere.

Speaking of pie - I made a lot of these pies when DS was litle enough that he could still sit in the high chair and watch me. Looks good enough to eat, hmmmm? But, don't try it or you will break a tooth. This is salt and flour dough colored with Wilton food coloring. I hand rolled all those little cherries. I won a blue ribbon for it at the County Fair
that year. I took it to the crafts table and they told me to go to the
food area. Fooled them, I guess.

I went to Hobby Lobby on Monday. The Christmas merchandise was 80% off. I wandered through it but most of it was not my style, broken, still overly priced ($80.00 for a huge ornate wreath? - That would still be $16.00!) or just flat out ugly. I
went through four aisles and only put one thing in my cart! Yeah for me! And that was only a pair of mercury glass ice cream cones to clip on a tree that cost 78¢.

But, then, I came across the Christmas Craft Clearance aisle. Tons and tons of scrapbooking doodads, papers, embellishments and stickers. And all at 80% off. Uh-Oh. I wound up spending $30.00 which was $150.00 worth at retail prices. Retail - whazat?? I never thought I would be a scrapbooker - per say. But, I like to do it my way - no layouts from books or magazines. I just like raw basic "ingredients", so to speakSpongeBob had made an appearance at Wal-Mart on this day. DH heard that he would be making a surprise visit so we dressed DS up in his SpongeBob regalia and took him. Christopher (have I ever said his name?) was about three years old and this was like meeting a real celebrity. He was speechless.
I dresed DS up in Daddy's work uniform one night. He was so cute I couldn't resist a photo. The clothes about swallowed him up, but he was still just too cute. I made the mini loaf of Wonder Bread and colored dots out of regular colored paper.


DS loved the Hulk when it was popular a few years ago. He still has the *Crash* *Boom* noise-making fists. The shirt was a freebie from PopTarts. It was his face that was priceless. He WAS the HULK that day. I got him the movie, but it was way to violent for a little boy. Why do they promote violent characters to litle kids? Batman, The Hulk, etc....

When DS was very little he would ask to "Smooch". That meant go to his room, get on the bed, snuggle up and read a book followed by a kiss. I do remember one day he asked me for a French Kiss. Turns out a French Kiss to a four year old is a kiss on each check like they do in France. Whew.


I love the way the water is dripping off his head in the shower. My grandmother, a once professional photographer said this was a mistake and a bad photo. I disagree. It is a fabulous photo!

So, I have that crafty feeling and now I have the supplies. I just need to get motivated and DO IT! Happy crafting!

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