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.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Free Stuff and More Bluebirds

The Breadman was on vacation last week, so we managed to go on three picnics, go to Sam's Club, go grocery shopping, visit to Terra Studios, go to the Clothesline Fair, visit the Apple Orchard, have The Bean's birthday, The Breadman attended two U of A football games, go to the MALL, eat at Chili's, take a trip out in the BOONIES on ten miles of dirt roads to look at The Breadman's Grandma's abandoned house, have FREE breakfast at Chick-fil-A and still fit in a little junking.  Vacations are very tiring!

On Friday, I passed this yard.  Can you read the signs?
 Every box was marked FREE. I slammed on the brakes and The Breadman said, "Seriously?" Uh, yea. It's all FREE! 
I think it was the contents of the shed or the garage or the weird things left after an Estate Sale.  In the end, I didn't find that much, but I did find a few things like an old Bushel Basket, an old rope jump rope, a big bundle of vintage bread ties that someone had methodically saved and added to over the years, a couple vintage plastic cat bubble bath bottles and a few other things.  I left behind about fifteen pairs of older used Reeboks - all in their original boxes.  They were dirty and worn, but weirdly enough, those things sell for $75.00 and up a pair, but I am just not into selling things like that.  The "eeeew" factor outweighs the $$$ factor.

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the tour of Terra Studios.  I forgot to show you what I bought!

I really hadn't planned on buying any Bluebirds since we already have 50+ of them, but I had to pick up a big pink one.  I have a teeny pink one, but have never seen any of the larger ones second hand.  The pink ones are for Breast Cancer.   This is a second, but you really cannot tell unless you hold it up to a top quality bird.  On this one, the tail has a bit of a lilt to it.  I learned that the seconds are not signed at all, they just get the Terra Studios sticker on the bottom.  So, if you ever find a Bluebird (or red, pink, gold etc.) that doesn't mean that it isn't a "Leo Ward" or a Terra Studios, it just means that it is a second.  Out of our 50+, we had about twenty that we thought were imitations, but now we realize they are actually just seconds but real "Leo Wards".

The second thing I bought was something that I wished they would have, but didn't really think that they would.

But they did!  Teeny Bluebird of Happiness earrings!  I love them!  I don't often wear blue, but I guess I will need to start so I can wear my sweet little birdies.

Since everyone enjoyed the tour so much - here are a few more photos. 
 Awesome tile mural.
Matching mural.
 Troll football player.
 Tile, mirror and glass mural with water feature.
 The water feature made music when it dripped.  Like windchimes, but with water.
 The Wuggytug. (On the left!)
 Another Troll.
 My blue glass wall and the restrooms.  I used the Vivid Color setting on my camera for this one.  Beautiful!

I could have stood in front of that blue glass all day.  In fact, I think I did!

Another mural made of tile, mirror and glass.

There were giant posts leading to the Gallery and each one was topped with dozens of blown glass flowers and bluebirds.  I can't imagine what the ice storm must have done to this place!

Funny highway full of pottery vehicles leading to the Gallery.

 Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!
Door leading to the Gallery - smaller door for Trolls (or children).

Gorgeous photo of a stained glass toadstool that I may or may not have taken while using the restroom.  :p

And, the Gallery full of Bluebirds.

Okay, no more Bluebird chatter - I promise!

4 comments:

  1. Fun and busy week! I am going to get one pink bird for breast cancer, it's a cause close to my heart as I have lots friends and an Aunt to this terrible disease. Love the bluebird earrings!

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  2. I love the tile and glass wall-it reminds me of Fiestaware! The earrings are really cute too!

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  3. One of these years, I'll get there. I absolutely love those precious earrings!

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  4. for my 40th birthday, a friend gave me 40 BIG pieces of glass for me to use in the garden that look like the glass used in the wall. she didn't know what they were from, she just bought them at a junk store in conway, arkansas. they are blue, green, pink and clear. i wonder if they have something to do with the birds?

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