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.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Dynamite Thrifty Finds

In my quest for more vintage Christmas items, I made a run to the Super Cheap Thrift this morning. I also spotted a Yard Sale, which was surprising since it was 32 degrees and a Thursday. It was a good one and I imagine it was the last one for awhile. That's okay, the thrifts seem to be stocked with plenty of goodies to tide me over until Spring.

My first find is not Christmas, but it is Vintage.

A Dynamite Magazine from my childhood. Everything came to an abrupt stop when Dynamite arrived in the mailbox. Who would be the centerfold this month? Leif Garrett? Shaun Cassidy? Jimmy McNichols? (Gawd, how I adored Jimmy McNichols......). This blast from my past was only a dime, so I had to grab it. Did you get Dynamite, Sveltestuff? My fellow 1970's child?

Now, on to the Christmas Goodies. This is a mix of yard sale and thrift find, so prices are a bit foggy, but rest assured, CHEAP.

A book of Fireside Christmas Stories for 25¢, a pair of Japan kneehuggers for $1.00 total and two battery operated candles for 35¢ each. They are actually wax, but the flame is plastic. I know they are fairly new, but they have a sweet vintage feel to them.

Yea, baby. This is what I've been looking for...vintage ornaments. I think these are my first with the indents. I've been looking, but I don't remember finding any in the past. These were 5¢ each, so a total of 60¢ for everything shown. Love, love, love that big pink one with the blue stone inset. Suh-weet.

More mini ornaments for my evergrowing collection. These were in a big box at the yard sale and the box was marked $3.00 for all. I really only wanted the ornaments, so the lady said I could have them for 25¢ each. Bless her heart. The other items were in the 5¢ bin at the thrift. That itty bitty Nativity ornament is an old Japan marked one and it is so very cute.

This old Candolier was still in the original box for 50¢. Truth is, I really like the box much more than the actual Candolier.
As I checked out at the thrift, the ladies told me they had so much Christmas in the back, they didn't know if they would ever get it out. Perhaps it might be time to volunteer my services? ;o)
And on the non Christmas front:


A sweet piece of vintage white pottery for my collection. A bit different from my others, but it grew on me - especially for only 35¢.

Another ruler. This one was $4.00 at the yard sale, so I had to think long and hard about buying it. But, it is cool and I am glad that I did. Now I have three stars in a row in the living room.
At the yard sale, I was talking with the lady that was having it. She has sales at three different houses in town and sells at the local flea market, so I run into her quite a bit. She asked me what I was interested in and she would keep me in mind when she sets up a sale. (A dream come true right?) I told her vintage Christmas and vintage tablecloths. She told me that her sister in law collects tablecloths so they all go to her. Bummer. Then she said that her sister in law is also super picky and doesn't like them if they have a stain or a small hole. Heck, my collection is pretty much all stains and holes (soaked and repaired, of course). That's when she pointed to a tablecloth hanging on the wall covering up the "Not For Sale" tools on the wall.
It was a sweet one, albeit with a hole, but not a bad one. She told her sister that I liked it and she said, "Well, she could have it for a quarter if we could get to it." It was on the wall with rows of storage tubs in front of it and a row of card tables in front of those. The husband suggested I stop by next week to pick it up while the other lady said she would hold it for me until the next sale. However, I already knew, I was not leaving without that tablecloth. So, what would you do? How would you get it? Would you make your son get on his knees, crawl under the tables, move the storage tubs and pull the tablecloth off the wall?
And then, after he crawled back under the table and handed you the coveted tablecloth, would you ask for his allowance so you could pay for your treasures? Yeah, me neither.

His and her vintage bloomer pillowcases for 50¢. Very cute, indeed especially with the red ric-rac trim. The bloomers are pockets, for what, I am not sure.
A fun morning of goodies to satisfy my thrifting mojo for awhile. Time to concentrate on Turkey Day and decorating for Christmas. What are your Thanksgiving plans? We are having my Mom and Stepfather over on Sunday for a dinner, then The bean and I will go to my Dad's on Thanksgiving Day while The Breadman goes to see his family for the day. I learned a few years ago that is is easier to divide an conquer rather than trying to go everywhere on one day as a family. Too stressful to say the least. Never fear, I will be back between now and Thanksgiving. You knew I would, right?

2 comments:

  1. It's good to see you've raised that boy right! And those bloomer pillowcases are fabbo. I'd guess the pockets are to keep your nighttime hanky in.

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  2. LOVE the bloomer cases and the table cloth, you have such great luck! Happy Friday! Make sure to join the flickr group for the VPCS I posted the link on my blog a while back.

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