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.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Friday Finds: Baseballs and a Soda Fountain Stool

This morning we had a bright and early appointment with the A/C guy to check out our A/C unit before the warranty expires.  You know that is just when things go bad - as soon as the warranty expires.  Yesterday the temperature in the house was fluctuating a few degrees and it is always, always, always precisely 72 degrees in our house.  So, I was worried that it was the END.  But, everything checked out A okay, so that is good news in my book.  Since he was early, I was up and ready to go hit some sales when he left before it got really hot out.  It was 95 today.  Yuck.  It was the kind of heat that makes the top of your heat feel like the sun is leaking in on your brain.  I only went to three sales, then came back to pick up the boys and go to a sale in town that I saw on Craigslist, then out to eat, grocery shopping, a Goodwill run (I left empty handed) and back home to the nice cool house.  

First stop netted four pieces of jewelry and some Christmas Sheet Music that I completely forgot to photograph.  :(  The sale was in a neighborhood sale in the newer home subdivision and I really never go to sales there - everything is newer Kirklands, Pottery Barn sort of stuff or baby and kid related and I just don't need/like any of that stuff.  But, I drove through the streets, just in case it looked like someone was cleaning out Grandma's estate.  I finally found one sale that just had rows of boxes in the driveway and that looked mysterious so I thought I would have a dig.  I did find the few things I mentioned, but while I was looking, I got into a long conversation with the lady at the sale and it turned out that her Mother was in the same Rehab place where my Mom had been and they had been really good friends there.  When I described who my Mom was, I mentioned my Mom's back brace and neck brace she clasped her hands in front of her mouth and said, "Everyone talks about her all the time wondering how she is doing!"  So, that was the reason I stopped at that sale.  Small world, right?  

Stop #2 had lots of furniture and a few smalls.  Just as I was about to leave empty handed, I spotted this cool 1970's metal file box.  
For ten cents.  Yes, ten cents.  I tried to give them a quarter, but they insisted I take the change.  

Stop #3 provided a nice heavy angel food cake pan and a bundle of three old games strapped together.  Two Electronic Modular Science kits and a 1968 Cadaco Baseball Game like this one that sold for $96.00.  Total spent:  $1.00 for all four items.

Stop #4 was advertised as a Retiring Teacher selling off her school supplies such as flash cards, classroom teaching aides, classroom decorations, etc.  I had grand illusions of old flash cards, science posters, lab glass, pull down charts and the like, but it was mostly newer things.  She told me that she had sold a "ton" of things that morning, so I won't think about what I might have missed.  :(

I did get a Captain Kangaroo Matching Numbers game, Catching Fire and Mocking Jay (Hunger Games) 1st edition Hardbacks, another 1st edition Hardback book, a big vintage wooden magic trick set  and a Fisher Price sorting toy for $2.00 total.  Seriously, two dollars!

I also found three old slates - made from actual slate!  
10¢ for all three.
That is 3.33 cents each.  That is crazy.
Eighteen old crusty used baseballs for a NICKEL each.
I envision them in a big old wire basket on someone's porch or in a glass cloche.  
90¢ for eighteen balls is pretty cheap.  :D

And this great old drugstore soda fountain stool.  For THREE DOLLARS.  I know it's rusty and crusty, but I've certainly never seen another one for sale anywhere.  It needs to be cleaned and scrubbed and recovered in a cool retro vinyl.  I think it is fantastic.  I don't know if I will do the work to it, or just sell it all rusty and crusty and let someone else do the hard work.  I kind of like it the way it is for the Barn Sale, but we'll see.

If you get out this weekend - watch that heat and drink lots of water.  It's going to be a scorcher.  I have no plans to go out tomorrow.  But, a cup of coffee and a glance at Craigslist and my plans might suddenly change.  You know how that goes, right?  

10 comments:

  1. Last December, in an antique mall, a dealer had taken 5 old baseballs & completely glittered them before placing in a bowl - looked like snowballs! Just an idea. Mary

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  2. I love the idea of the baseballs in a wire basket on the front porch. Very Americana! However, it wouldn't work for me as I have three dogs:-)

    That stool is amazing. I think it would be the perfect addition to your barn sale completely as is.

    Have a great weekend!

    Erica

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  3. I love to see your finds. I'm not going to yard sales now since I'm downsizing, but once I get all moved in and see what room I have left, all bets are off!! Love the drugstore stool!!
    hugs,
    Linda

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  4. If the sun is melting into your head, then you're NOT wearing your floppy hat! Don't make me come over there! On second thought, DO make me come over there. I obviously need to be chaperoning these yard saling trips!

    I'm kinda surprised that stool hasn't made its way on to your front porch display.

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  5. I was in Baltimore for 3 days this last week. 95 every single day but did manage to get to a few thrifts. One I would go to more often if I lived closer! Love what you found even in the heat!!

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  6. question on the stool...if you were able to reupholster easy and CHEAP, would it bring enough to recoop what you spent? More than it would if you just left it as is? I had to cut my saling short yesterday and today, finished by 10 am with temps around 100. By 3:00 it was 106 and will be about the same today. At 6:30 pm it was still over 100. Cool front is coming tonight and temps will be in the low to mid 90's through next week. Still hot, but 10* WILL make a difference!

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  7. I used old baseballs to make a rack and those were the hooks. Stay cool..you are hotter than we are, but no ac in my house and I complain to the dickens!

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  8. Old baseballs are on my wish list. I love the way they look in an old bowl on a bookshelf. The slates are fascinating as well! I have started adding all of those retiring teacher sales to my yard sale lists because they usually have so much good stuff for the kids. We are in Little Rock this weekend and I had high hopes for big-city yard saling but kind of hit the skids. Bummer. Talk to you soon!

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  9. You need to wear a hat when you are out in the sun! A floppy hat, even a baseball cap. Just something to protect you from the sun.

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  10. Love the drug store stool just like it is. Let the new owner spend the $ to fix it up or not.
    I panicked when I couldn't find you on monkeybox. Just that go daddy site.
    Whew...thank goodness I checked facebook...I just HAVE to see what you have found!!!
    Stay cool

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