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.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Good Junk

I had a good junking day. The sales were plentiful and the junk was everywhere. I left empty handed at a few sales, but found goodies at most sales. Some sales didn't look worth stopping, but most netted something.
I admired an old handcrafted pulpit at one sale, but didn't buy it. It intrigued me, but I couldn't think of a good use for it. I got in the car to leave, and suddenly, I was compelled to run back and buy it for $3.00 I think it would look great painted white, sanded to look worn and then hold an old book or photo album. I don't know what will happen with it. It doesn't take up a ton of space, so I can store it until the idea comes to me. I've threatened The Bean that I will use it for stern lectures and home schooling speeches.
I bought this old child's tool set for $1.00. The blue paint is all worn and chippy and just too cute to leave behind. I don't know if I will sell it, part it out for crafting or what. That little robin's egg clamp was worth the buck to me. I cannot imagine giving a child a real actual sharp saw!
I've sworn off roosters, but I still love folk art and hand crafted items, so this big guy had to come home with me for $1.00. He is made out of a fence post so he is really heavy and well made. He has a $38.00 sticker on his tushie.
The big Nashco Tole tray was stuck under a table at a sale full of nothing but trendy clothes, DVD's and electronics. I love it when people don't appriaciate old stuff. It was $2.00 and is for resell. The painted white vase (50¢) is really just an FTD vase, but it is pretty enough to fit into my white pottery collection. The little pitcher is marked HH on the bottom and ws 50¢. The vase in the center is a nice piece of Nemadji pottery for 50¢. The white spindle candleholder (50¢) in on top of my bookshelves holding a red tin roofed birdhouse already. The golden glass bird is a Kanawha glass bird. I've never heard of Kanawha glass, but it seems to bring pretty good money - maybe $45.00 or so.
Another under-the-table find at the same sale where I found the Tole Tray. An Everedy Co. Chrome cake carrier in excellent condition for only $2.00. I was thrilled to find this little beauty. I'm not entiely positive the handle is original, though. It's okay with me though, I am going to use this to tote my cakes here and there in a fashionable retro way!
What's that? Cake you say? Another cake related item! This sweet little cake stand is pink and brown with the cupcake in the center and was $1.00. (That's part of the sticker on the front, not a chip.) I believe my new giant cupcakes will just fit on this smaller than average cake stand. Love it!
This old wooden fruit painted tray was $1.00. If I'd known I would find the tole one at the next sale, I might not have bought this one. But, you never know what's at the sale, so you gotta get it while you can. I do like it's chippy-ness. The old wooden Fisher Price Xylophone brought back memories of my childhood (although I don't think I ever actually had one of these...) for only 50¢.
The metal Daher tray was 50¢, the nesting dolls were 50¢ (oh, how I love nesting dolls!) and the vintage wooden watermelon with twelve wooden watermelon topped toothpicks was 50¢ (I am in love with this too). The four little bears were at a sale where the lady barely spoke English. She was from Germany. These little bears were in plastic cases with tag,numbers, etc. I hesitated to ask the price because I could tell they were handmade, signed, numbered and tagged. When she said, "50¢ each" and I may or may not have actually hurdled over a table of clothes to grab them. They are "Little Gem Bears" by Carol Stewart. They are handsewn and made of mohair and leather. They had teeny little tags on their backs that are numbered and hand signed. I haven't found these exact ones yet online, but some like then have sold for over $50.00 each on ebay. Yahooooooooo. These are one of those purchases that I am happy/sad to find out what they are worth because I love them and would keep them but money talk$, baby. That little box of tags is 1,000 tiny little jewelry pricing tags. They are so little and oh, so cute. Great for scrapbooking, emphera packets, etc. And, they were only 50¢ for all one thousand! What's that - like 50 for a penny?

Yes, it was a good junking day today. Stuff for me and stuff to sell. Perfect!

What did you get today?

8 comments:

  1. Boy, did you ever score! I'd have been fightin' ya for those bears!

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  2. As long as I've known ya, I am still blown away at the deals you walk away with.

    Let me know when you list that painted tole tray. I might not win it, but I will bid.

    I can't find mine, but I believe I have that EXACT wooden tray.

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  3. You always find the coolest stuff! Love the cake carrier and the tool set!

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  4. You did great girl! I love it all! I'm lovin' the idea of using the pulpit as your lectern for Bean's classes! LOL!

    Jan

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  5. Can't get better than that. Stuff to keep and stuff to sell. And the eBay-able stuff is pretty darn good!

    Love the black tole tray. I had someone come in the other day saying she collected black tole. Naturally I only had a green tray and a beige tray.

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  6. Ooo Shara, great junk! :) You have the eye, my friend! I can't wait to see the pulpit painted. What an interesting piece! Good luck with your reselling! You, like me, probably keep way more than you sell I bet. LOL

    hugs
    Rebecca

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  7. I was admiring one of those tool sets at the goodwill. Of course it was marked something insane like a billion dollars. Pity, Jack would have liked it. LOL

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  8. OOOO, nice finds! You always find the best stuff, love the pulpit!

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