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, July 12, 2012

Thursday Junk - Baby Style

This morning I checked Craigslist and saw an ad that featured some of my favorite things:


Antiques
Baskets
TONS of fabric - never been used!
TONS of Christmas decor - a lot in original packaging


You KNOW the TONS of Christmas decor got me.  So, I went.  The sale was about five miles away and I only had an hour and a half to get there, shop and get back home.  But, I was determined to have a look!  

When I walked up behind the house I saw Christmas.  Lord, did I see Christmas!  But, it all looked like K-Mart and Walmart stuff - not completely new, but not vintage, neat or old in any way shape or form.  I bet there were fifty Rubermaid tubs full of Christmas.  Even though I could really only see new stuff, I dug in every single tub just to make sure.  And, one thing at a time, I managed to find a good amount of vintage.  Nothing stellar or spectacular - but enough to make me happy and to make me thing that this Fall I just might hit it BIG.  (I can dream, right?)

I got everything all laid out to take photos and discovered the camera battery was still dead from the Fireworks - so I had to use my phone and it just doesn't rake that great of photos.  I'm sorry.
Vintage Christmas - a plethora of old bells, a Christmas tablecloth, fun plastic poinsettias and holly, a couple candoliers, some fun old gift boxes, Santa's, a banner that reads MERRY CHRISTMAS made out of Yule logs, a sweet Christmas corsage, a great corsage full of Mercury beads, a Door sign, an angel topper, a strand of plastic walnut and a few other goodies.

There was a big outbuilding full of things but not the sort of things that interest me:

Tupperware
TONS of new dishes
Cookware
Small kitchen appliances
Small computer desk
Large computer desk
Glass top dining table and 4 chairs
End tables
2 cultured marble sinks
Counter tops
Shelving units
Rolling food cabinet
Lamps
Convection microwave oven
Jacuzzi tub
Flat bottom boat

I only picked up two things in the whole outbuilding before I moved back outside to dig in the bins.  Whoever owned this stuff was a crafter and heavily into fabric of all sorts.

There were tarps on the ground with piles and piles of fabric spread out.  This is just one area of fabric.  There were prices posted that seemed a little high to me (especially considering the sheer bulk of fabric they had in that yard).  I did hear them tell one lady that she could fill a bag for a certain amount, but I never got that offer.  I saw a few odds and ends I would have picked up as well as some vintage sheets, but I wasn't willing to pay the prices posted ($5.00 for sheets, $5.00 for large fabric pieces) and it was just too hot to stand there and dig.

Instead I decided to dig in all the bins of craft supplies.  I picked up one box - it was a box that holds a couple of sweaters - not very big - it had miscellaneous supplies in it but I figured why not get it all and sort it in the comfort of my home?  I asked how much and the guy told me fifteen dollars.  Now, there wasn't really fifteen dollars worth of stuff in there are full blown retail, so I asked if I could pick and choose items or if I had to take the whole box.  He told me I could pick and choose.  So, I pulled out a couple things and continued down the line.  I had brought my own shopping bag, so I filled it up.  I really wish I could have just bought all the tubs and looked through them later.  There were good things but here was junk too.
Some more of my prized waxy plastic flowers.  Some Fall mums and a little rose.

An old berry basket full of handmade strawberries.

A PINK tin iron, an old crib toy and a sweet Horsman doll.  I also bought an old Ventriloquist doll, but his head is off and he is in sad shape.  But, I think I can salvage him.  If not, oh well, his head is cool!

A darling piece of USA pottery.  A lovely shade of blue that I didn't already have in my collection.   The first of my favorite finds.

 Another favorite.  A doll roller skate.  Old school skates like I had on my feet for most of my teenage years.   I thought I had the pair, but when I got home I realized that one was an ice skate.  Dang it.  I LOVE this skate.
A found a tub full of baby and doll clothes.  After I took this photo, I realized that the pink and green outfit looked like the pink outfit the Horsman doll was wearing.  

It fit!  So, I assume it is hers.  I found the outfit in a tub and the doll in the barn.  So, if they really do go together - that was good luck!

Sweet yellow one piece with puppy embroidery.

White Swiss dot dress in pristine condition.

Sweet little dress that says BABY on it.  

Cute boys one piece with a train.  Too cute.

These are tiny doll outfits.  

Cute knit dress, sweater and cape.  

Three teeny tiny diapers.  The Bean never wore the tiniest diapers.  

Two doll outfits that were still in the packages.  Love that little polka dot dress.

 A sweet pair of shoes and three wee pairs of socks that remind me of the socks my baby sister wore.
Eight pairs of vintage doll shoes.  I thought they were all shoved full of tissue, but they all have teeny pairs of socks in the toes.

I love all this baby and doll stuff, but I know I don't need it.  That hasn't however, stopped me from hanging all the sweetest outfits with my ever growing collection of baby items.  No, I am not ready to be a Grandma. Not at all.  But, when I am a Grandma - I will have cool old vintage toys for the grand kids!

I managed to pick up all these items, drive the five miles home and even squeezed in enough time to pick up some Popeye's chicken for lunch.  I was one big hot sweaty mess but, I did it!

Happy Junkin' to you this weekend.  Hope you hit the Motherlode!

2 comments:

  1. Wow! You got great stuff (and were smart to pass on the fabric, I think.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks like you found some great stuff! I would have passed on the fabric also. I love some old baby clothes! Aww...so sweet! Hugs, Linda

    ReplyDelete

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