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, October 03, 2011

The Weekend in Junk

This weekend was the Grand Daddy of all weekends for yard sales in my area.  The Apple Festival and the Bikes, Blues & BBQ were being held and all the traffic going to and from each event leads right past my house.  So, that means lots and lots of sales everywhere plus just random roadside heaps to dig through.  In the past, I had a big sale every year on this weekend too and usually made about a thousand dollars.  But, now I have discovered it is more fun to go that to have one myself.  (Although, I could use a thousand dollars!)  I had promised The Bean lots of motorcycle rally time, so my yard saling time was limited.  But, in the short amount of time I had, I think I did prety good!


One of the roadside piles turned out to be an Estate Sale of sorts.  There was an old building that was chockablock full of stuff.  Mostly pottery and glassware.  They had about twenty pieces of pink pottery - McCoy, Shawnee, Haeger - all good stuff.  But, they knew it and had it priced accordingly.  Actually, it was all priced really high - starting about $25.00 a piece and most of it wasn't worth nearly that much.  I only bought a few things there since the prices were so high.  I'm hoping they will have the sale for the next few weeks and start lowering their prices. 

 

I did spy these two huge old chalkboards leaing against the wall without prices on them, so I decided to bite the bullet and ask how much. "Aww, two bucks each...I just want this stuff GONE", she said. Well, howzabout not pricing everything so ding-dang HIGH then....right? Anyway, chalkboards are all the rage right now, so I am either going to put them in my booth or put them on Craigslist. I think the one with the %'s on it is sort of Mathmatically geeky in some ways and might appeal to someone. I am kind of crshing on that smaller one with the chalk tray, but I really don't have the space for it. Would it be wrong to take down The Baby Bean's photos or The Stacks Wedding Portrait and put up the chalkboard? I kid. (Sorta).  (Since I wrote this, I found a spot for it in the kitchen.  Yeah, me!)


There is a certain lady that has sales at her house, her firends house, her sisters house, her son's house and at the Flea Market so I can usually find her sales about every few weeks.  She has cool old stuff and prices most everything a quarter each or a big grab bag full of stuff for about that.  I got this neat old sewing box for 25¢ and the big mix of bias tape, lace and ricrac along with a lot of buckles for 50¢ total.  75¢ for everything above - what a deal!


A few fun old Beistle Jack O Lantern cutouts and a vintage, albeit creepy mask sort of thing (there aren't any eyeholes) - I think it might be to wrap around an actual pumpkin.  Nothing makes me happier than vintage holiday stuff. 

Love, love, love this funny old doll with his big old wooden shoes. I htink I will doctor him up - maybe for Christmas, I don't know.  He just so darn cute - 25¢ at her sale.

Several old Pilot manuals from 1949, Golden Books on Fishes and Non-Flowering Plants, an old photograph and well, I really don't know what that other thing is - a paperweight, I suppose.  I don't know what "Adlake" is.....hang on, I'll Google it....Okay, they are in Elkhart, Indiana and they make lanterns, locks and latches.  Good to know, good to know.  Oh well, I liked the graphics of it - and it is 54 years old now.
Tiny globe for a craft idea, a pie bird, fun turtle inscribed "To Joe, Love, Mom" and a PINK Candy Thermometer.  (Pink, I say!  Pink!) 

I loved this "Mood Barometer" - Moody, Malicious, Very Loving, Tender, Affectionate - ha!  What shall I be today?   Hmmmmmm.  This reminds me of the set of dice The Bean picked up.  We like to buy dice and play Monster Farkle.  I don't know if you play Farkle - but it's a dice game that takes five dice and you play to 5,000 points.  Well, we like to play with oh, twenty or thirty dice and play to 200,000 or more.  So, the Bean picked up a pair of dice and threw it on my pile, only seeing they were DICE, not S-E-X dice.  Holey, moley, me oh my - when I opened them, I saw "Rooms" listed like the Kitchen, The Closet, The Bathroom and "Positions' like....well, I'm not going to say those positions, but Wow.  So, you do this postion in that rooom......okay........needless to say, those dice have mysteriously disappeared.  :)

Lastly, what I have waited to find all year long.  Vintage Christmas.  Not much, but it's a start.  And one of the items makes my heart sing.
A few miniature Shiny Brites in aqua, some bell shaped Dresden, a funny snowman and a tiny plaid stocking and...........

A Roly Poly Chiming Santa.  LOVE.  I found this at a digger sale and clutched it to my chest all the way to the check out table.  If I had only found him all day, I would have been a happy camper.  I'm hoping he is just a hint of what is yet to come for the rest of the month.  Cross your fingers and wish me luck!

So - what did you find this weekend?

5 comments:

  1. Oh wow so throughout this week... I've looked at every single post you've ever written.
    (Exciting live I live I know.)
    I'm 19 and live in Australia, but you have me so excited to go to America and go to the thrift stores!
    Seriously, here in Australia whatever you pick up is like $2.00 even for the smallest item.
    The fact that you've bought several things for 10 cents... and 25 cents blows my mind.
    For 25 cents here in one of those shops... You could maybe, just MAYBE buy (Hmm i'm finding it hard to come up with something because nothing is ever that cheap.) :(

    But I'm so excited as I'm going to America this month and OHMYGOD.... I want to go shopping! :)
    I'm so excited.
    Thank you for all your lovely stories :) and what not!

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  2. do you Really want to see another VERA photo for lack of 'NOTHING NEW'?!!

    You got some VERY COOL stuff though!! THANKS for letting me live vicariously through you - yet once again ;-) !!
    S~
    (glad you and the Breadman are having fun with T.B.'s toys!!)

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  3. I'm so glad you'll have a roly poly chiming Santa this Christmas! It practically ensures merriness. The pie bird and the suitcase full of sewing notions made my heart skip a few beats.

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  4. I am so crushing on those chalk boards!!!!!!!!!!!! Very awesome finds as usual. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am so crushing on those chalk boards!!!!!!!!!!!! Very awesome finds as usual. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete

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