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.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Thrift Therapy - Do You See What I See?

We got Grandma home.  (I do not call her Grandma, so that sounds weird to me).  The nursing staff was there and they told my Mom and me that our "job" now is to be a daughter and a granddaughter and let them handle her meds,  her bathing, her housework, her quirks and her moods.  Whew.  My Mom is spending a night or two with her, just in case something happens before her Lifeline is installed.  But, hopefully that will be installed by Thursday and she can get back to her house and her life too.  It has been all consuming lately and hasn't left a minute to think of anything else.

This morning even though I was on a tight time crunch, I got myself out of the house early enough to treat myself to a 30 minute trip to the Super Cheap Thrift.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.  I needed that!  I didn't really find anything stellar.  But, I found a few things.
A hand turned wooden vase.

A lady Liberty for The Bean's Monument collection.

A baby cup.  It has a hallmark on it that I need to research.  Not sure if it's silver or not. 
Some wee bottles for my collection of the same.  I have a slew of these that I won out of the crane machine at the carnival when I was a kid.

Miller Studio 1968 Mermaids.  Cute, huh?

A rather garish tablecloth.  Not my usual style, but I was desperate for a thrift fix and a vintage tablecloth always "rocks my world".  So, home it came.  I do like it, it just isn't my norm.

A miniature dishwashing detergent apron. 

I did discover that thrifting under pressure and under stress my cause my judgement to be wonky. 
Case in point.  I discovered this little milkglass compote on the shelf for 50¢.  I do not like milk glass as a rule and I usually do not buy milkglass.  But, I do have a couple other miniature pieces of milkglass.  So, I thought this little compote would fit in perfectly.

And, it does, see?  Three sweet miniature pieces of milkglass all in a row.  There is just one slight problem.  That little compote? 

It's a candlestick.  Dadgumit.  When I bought it it was sitting like a compote.  I didn't even see the old candle stump sticking out the bottom.  Or maybe that would be the top.  Oh well. 
I think I will just call it a compote and go with it.  What do you think?

Everything is Etsy bound except for the mysterious milkglass piece, the Statue of Liberty, the bottles and the tablecloth. 

As soon as I have time to get them listed. 

Sure, no problem!

9 comments:

  1. I am laughing and loving it. I would make that candlestick into a mini compote! I think it is very cute like that! Oh I know how the junking fix can skew your judgment!

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  2. I have never seen those mermaids before! To Cool, you got quite a lot from your trip!

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  3. Well being a lover and collector of milk glass I would be so excited to have that candle stick that I would use it as it was meant to be. However, if you like it better turned upside down then I say that is what you should do.

    I can't seem to find any milk glass that isn't the price of an arm and a leg any more at my thrift stores. So I'm jealous of your find.

    I also love the tablecloth. Again another collection of mine is vintage tablecloths.

    SO to me, you scored big time!

    Glad to hear your grandmother got home and it sounds like things are going to work out just fine.

    Hugs,
    Joanne

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  4. I'm fairly certain that little candlestick is "Old Quilt" by Westmoreland Glass which means it's worth a bit more than what you paid for it. Look for the "WG" logo, probably on the underside of the base. It's one of my favorite Westmoreland patterns. Lucky you!

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  5. Those mermaids are The Best!!!! Loving them!

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  6. I like it much better as a compote, Shara. The thrift store had it "right" in my opinion!

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  7. Definitely a compote - I think the person who used it for a candle had it all wrong!

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  8. The compote candlestick is Westmoreland, however the vase with the ruffle is the GOOD Stuff (Fenton). The wooden vase is really neat, I'd love to find something like that. And more Fenton, of course.
    I'd love to see pictures of the Bean's monument collection, that sounds really fun.

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  9. I have some of those little bottles too - the ones that are marked Wheaton (or Wheaton NJ) are more collectible than unmarked or marked "China"

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