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, March 07, 2007


Mmmmmm...doughnuts....Don't you just LOVE chocolate cake doughnuts with vanilla icing and pink sprinkles? And don't you love them even more when they are made of felt and not even edible? I saw these felt doughnuts on several blogs and thought they were fabulous. I toyed around with a pattern and was making it way too difficult. As it turns out, it is really easy once I used my right brain and figured it out. Der. I made this one very, very quickly just to see if it was going to work out and Wah-lah - it did. I bought every flavor of felt, I mean every color of felt today along with some sprinkles, I mean beads and some icing - uh, I mean fabric paint. I'm going to make a dozen and enter them in the fair this year. I make these inedible cherry pies and enter them in the fair too. One year I was turned away from the crafting area at the fair and told to go to the food entry division. Guess I fooled someone!

I've been thrifting here and there over the past few days. I bought this Dumbo Record Album set for $1.50. In normally shy away from records, but these are the old thick RCA Victor records and they are dated from 1947 from the original Dumbo Soundtrack. I'm hoping a Disney collector will swoop in on it. I am certainly NOT supposed to be buying any stuiffed animals and I most certainly am not supposed to be buying any bunnies as my bunny collection cup runth over. But, seriously, both of these brand new irresistable sweet bunnies were just a mere 25¢ each. The bear is a Boyds and was 25¢ at the Salvation Army. I laid it on the counter and the lady behind me picks it up and starts "Ooohing" and "Aaahhing" - "OH! That's a nice bear! The ones that move their arms are VERY VALUABLE. Oh, And he has a HUMP that makes his especially valuable. I collect bears and this is a a really, really nice specimen..." I think she thought the lady at the counter would hear her and ring up some inanely high price and I would shreik and run out of the store. Then she would swoop in and get it for HER collection - nice specimen my rear! Anyhooo, the nice SA lady said that will be...drumroll...25¢ and the lady behind me did the old, suck air through your teeth in shock move. So, narnee-narnee nar-nar lady.

I went to my super cheap thrift on Saturday. DS and I gatered up an armload of items and went to check out. The girl announced my total was a mere $2.75. I said that certainly sounded too cheap. "Oh, the whole store is half price today." Boy, take those parcels to the car - we's gonna shop some more! So, we made another spin around and gathered up $5.00 more. This is the thrift that is so cheap in the first place, let alone HALF PRICE. I got these two handmade baby quilts for $1.50 TOTAL. The thing is at this thrift is they are putting things out all the time you are shopping. I literally have to put blinders on to get out of there. They also save all their holiday items and put them out a the right time of year. There are hundreds of bunnies there - must not look.....

And lastly, I spotted this half an egg wagon at the thrift yesterday. (Pardon the el crappo photo). It is a Dept. 56 item and cute as all get out. It was priced $3.00 and for me, it might as well have ben priced at $30.00. I am so tight. Squeak. Squeak. And like I already said, I do not need anything holiday or bunny related. But, it was sooo cute. Okay, I'll splurge and spend THREE big old dollars JUST THIS ONCE. As I set it on the counter, I had one last monent of hesitation and guilt. Then the lady said, "Oh 50¢ otta cover it." I damn near kissed her.

Lots and lots of garage sales advertised this weekend. Spring done sprung!

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:31 PM

    Oh you lucky duck--err bunny-err bear ball bustin' gal....I have NOT found a super cheap thrift in my area and have only a few scattered estate sales to go to. ENJOY and glad you got one over on that lady. Fun find on that amusing little cart.

    Chrisx4

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  2. Shara, your posts make me snort! In the best way possible, I mean. ;) I LURVE that little egg wagon...that's going to be so dang cute with some little bunnies riding inside! And that cheap thrift...oh man, if I'm ever within 300 miles of your town I'm making a detour. I don't know how you restrain yourself from just camping out all day long to see what they put out!

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  3. I'm right behind Heidi in the camper, we could make it a thrift weekend. I'm seriously thinking of taking a vacation the week they do the 150 mile long yard sale in the midwest this fall. My kids DO NOT WANT TO GO. Hmpph, fine with me, I'd rather go by myself ;)

    Super great deals, love the half price surprise you got when you checked out. I would have told my boys the same thing, Momma's going back in for round 2!".

    I hope Spring done sprung around here this weekend. I need some serious yard saling therapy!

    lucy

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  4. Anonymous3:50 PM

    You got some great things. Like Lucy said, I would have turned right around and gone in for round 2 also. We don't have a super cheap thrift around here either, so I do the best I can. Yard sales will begin soon and I can't wait.

    Lucy, I would love to do that 150 mile ys too. I'm in N.C. so one day I will since I would just have to go to Tenn. about 3-4 hours away. Maybe I'll run into you (not literaly!).

    Libby

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  5. Such great thrift finds Shara! I too wish we had a cheap thrift here. We have 7 Goodwills and 2 SAs, but not much else. I have discovered the Goodwill Clearance Center which is good, as long as you're willing to dig through big, cardboard bins of grungy stuff!

    I also wish I lived back that way for the 150 mile yard sale. I have an aunt in Chattannooga....maybe I'll pay her a visit! :)

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  6. You wascally wabbit!!! You have to best juju when it comes to bargains.

    Glad I am not the only one that snort laughs, Heidi. I don't do it for just anyone, someone has to really tickle my funnybone.

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