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.

Friday, December 21, 2007

End of the Year Thrifty Finds

Crunch Time. Only three more days to get the Christmas preparations DONE. We celebrate Christmas Eve at my house I have one less day than most people to do everything. Luckily, I am all done with the baking (Coconut Snowflakes, Gingersnaps), candy making (Cherry Almond Fudge, Black Walnut Fudge, White Chocolate Pretzels) and present buying. All that is left is the wrapping. A dubious job to say the least as we buy lots and lots and lots of gifts for everyone. At least I can employee The Bean as a giftwrapper this year. The only thing holding me back for completely enjoying my days right now is that I have a terrible head cold. I get dizzy when I turn too fast or look down. Or up. Not fun. But, this too shall pass....

Yesterday in the midst of my last minute grocery shopping I found some time to make my very last thrifting trip of the year. I believe all the thrifts close Saturday and don't reopen until at least January 2nd, if not later. After some fun digging in the thrift I mentioned that I had totally forgotten that I was sick while I was in there. Thrift Therapy is REAL!

When I walked in the lady told me that the Christmas stuff was 50% off, but then I heard her tell a lady a few minutes later that it was 75% off, then I heard her tell another lady it was "Make An Offer". So, I knew it would be cheap regardless. Lots of junky dollar store things and not too wonderful items. But, I dug and found a few treasures.



A wonderful handhooked rug with snowmen. Perfect for the bathroom with the snowman theme. $1.00

A sweet handpainted wooden bowl with a snowman.
Signed J. Walker which I found funny (Jaywalker). 25¢


Three big vintage glass pinecones with glitter and a few miscellaneous vintage pink, gold and aqua Shiny Brite ornaments. These are all in the big heart shaped wooden bowl I thirfted recently at the same thrift store. Under the ornies and pinecones are some hideous metallic plastic fruit ornaments from the 1970's - an apple, two pears, two oranges and two bananas. Gaudy, but fun. The pinecones and Shiny Brites were 50¢.


A non-Christmas item, but still a deal. I think this is a Nantucket Bakset. Handmade, tightly woven and very nice. $1.00.


This is my very best absolute fantastic find of the day. (Albeit a terrible photo). This litle felt elf with a glttered base marked JAPAN from the 1940's. 10¢. I looked for more as he was lurking under a bunch of handmade crocheted ugly 1970's bells. Greedy, eh? But, he was the only one there. He was a mere 10¢.

I have a tall woodsy looking tree that I got at the thrift for $10.00 last year. I saw one just like it for $129.00 at Hobby Lobby. Yikes. It is completely encrusted with my vintage ornament collection that I have picked up one by one throughout the past few years. I covet these little ornaments and I know I have been very, very lucky to find them one by one. I know I have paid litle to nothing for all of them, but I also know they are worth a fair amount of money. I have ten of the little glittery houses that I saw in a magazine for $25.00 each and I have about 20 of the little paper maiche instrument playing guys that I bought for 25¢. For ALL of them. I could sell them for $10.00 each. But, I love them sooooo much.

You can see the little elf man dead center in this picture. I also got the Santa under him yesterday for 10¢.

I love all my Christmas things so much. I always love seeing all my holiday decorations for each Holiday. I love them all and appreciate them so much. I wonder if I woud appreciate all my things more if I only saw them one month out of the year. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I suppose.

4 comments:

  1. Wow! All I can say is wow!
    I love each and every one of those ornies! You have found some awesome treasures!
    So, see ya. I'm off to catch some deals myself!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree, absence does make the heart grow fonder. With the Christmas holidays, I think it's the collections we've acquired whether it be by the tiny hands of our wee ones over the years or the special thrifty finds we've discovered, as well as, all the wonderful ornamental gifts given to us by our dear friends that makes our holiday collections so near and dear.

    Happy holidays to you :)

    Hey--if you have a minute, I need to make some fudge-please send me a recipe that you've used that's good.

    :)
    juicy

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will again say it's a good thing we don't live in the same neighborhood because there would have been some serious Thrift Store Smack Down over those pinecone ornaments! LOL

    Have a VERY Merry Christmas, my dear!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very cool finds!

    Hope you're feeling better soon!

    And I didn't paint the snowman, but I really am a J.Walker :D

    ReplyDelete

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