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, December 09, 2010

The Free Stuff

First, let me announce......commence the trumpets..... Do-do-do-DO....I have finished decorating.  I have been working on it for nearly two weeks.  I do love playing with my pretties and making new arrangements, but after awhile, I get cranky and crabby.  So, this year, I did it in small increments over a longer time and finally finished today.  I would have been finished a lot earlier, but the darn tree kept shorting out and blowing fuses.  I'd get one set of lights going and *pop* another would go out.  Finally, on Tuesday, I had all I could handle, opened the front door and heaved it to the curb.  As I drove off in search of a new tree, I saw something sparkling on the old tree and stopped to investigate.  It was our "First Christmas Together" ornament, so I am glad that I saw it.  When The Breadman saw the tree at the curb, he said, "Well, you made it a day longer than I thought you would."  Meaning, he knew I would toss it and get a new one.  Which is weird, because that is so not like me!

My woodland Santas.

So, I mentioned that I found an Estate Sale last weekend where everything was FREE.  The pickings were slim and a family ahead of me was grabbing things left and right, so I really didn't get that much.  But, I was happy with what I did get and thanked the man giving it away.  I do wish I would have found the sale when things were actually being SOLD, because the things that I did get make me wonder what I missed.  Lots of vintage goodness, I am afraid.

I did get a vintage Sorry game, a vintage Scrabble game, a big tin full of vintage Beistle and honeycomb Halloween decorations, a pair of vintage red garden shears, a signed Italian restaurant menu from 1970, some vintage Christmas cards, a logic puzzle, a plaque with a copper toadstool on it, a wood burned eagle plaque and a handmade penis.  Oh, you caught that last one, did you?  Just seeing if you are paying attention!  I really did get all that - including the last, ahem, item.  I pulled it out of the tin full of vintage Halloween stuff and my eyes about popped out of my head.  I'd put a photo on here, but there might be little eyes peering somewhere over your shoulder. 

On to the photoworthy items:

 An Acme Brick from 1976.   You won't believe what I am going to tell you, but I sort of have a collection of bricks.  So, this will go in that collection.  Yes, I collect bricks.  Whoda thunk it?
A bulldog from a letter jacket or maybe a uniform jacket. 

 An old metal Bus Stop sign from ????  I don't know. 

A cigar box full of bottle caps.

 This is something I have always wanted to find when out thrifting - a gum wrapper chain.  Why I wanted one, I do not know.  I just think they are neat.  This one is about 7 feet long.  There was also a shoebox full of vintage gum wrappers, so I can make my own (I took a few links off and it's surprisingly easy to make).
This vintage felt Christmas Card holder stole my heart when I spotted it under a table in a box.  There are Mercury Glass beads, jungle bells, a spun head Santa and other little treats on the pockets. 
 How can you not love this face!   The whole thing is nearly as tall as I am so I don't know if I can display it or not.  It is really enduring, though.   

Two weeks ago, I scored a bag of goodies at a sale for 59¢.  Last weekend I got all this stuff for free.  So, this weekend, I'm sure I will find a sale that will pay me cash to take things.  I'm sure that will work out...right?  (The fact that I am still finding an occasional yard sale this time of year is a feat within itself.)

6 comments:

  1. Free is definitely good.I saw a couple of those candy wrapper chains in an auction last week.Drat - I meant to go back in and bid on those.So many projects come to mind for which they would be fabulous.Enjoy and thanks for sharing.

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  2. I've never been where so much good stuff was free. Girl you are living right!

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  3. I found a gum wrapper chain in early July and I love it too! It started me collecting vintage paper garlands of all sorts. Fun!

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  4. I made a gum wrapper chain when I was a kid - wish I still had it. We used to especially prize wrappers from Fruit Stripe Gum because it had colorful stripes on it. (And I recently saw that Fruit Stripe Gum is back in a throwback version).

    The yardsale gods have definitely been smiling on you lately -great finds!

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  5. So totally not surprised that you have a brick collection! :-) Nice stuff. I love the bulldog. Free is always good.

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  6. wow! what a great load of goodies. Too funny about the brick collection:)

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