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, February 21, 2014

*BREAKING NEWS* Around The Globe

I went to a GARAGE SALE today.  I KNOW!  That means....THEY ARE COMING!  

Okay, so the truth is that it was advertised as a Garage Sale, but it was in the parking lot of a now defunct flea market where they were selling everything off before the building is demo'ed.  The guy in charge of selling things was nice enough, but my LORD he could talk your leg off.  I asked the price of something and he practically gave the history of that item including how he came to own it and why he was selling it.  I would have $2.00, but really $1.00, in mind as a price to pay and he would quote $10.00.  That's when I knew I was in trouble as far as finding a deal.  But, I found a few things.

I did find this old crock with the pretty flowers painted on it.  I'm not usually a fan of painting on old stuff, but this is Spring-y and well done.  I'm trying to look for Spring and porch things in case I do the Barn Sale this year.  It had an old garage sale $2.00 sticker so he let me have it for that price.  Otherwise, it might have been $20.00.  

I spotted this box of yard on a table and I was interested it from the start.  I've been looking for some yarn in different colors for the little pompom guys I make.  After MUCH conversation and drilling by HIM as to what it was worth, we decided on $5.00.  He started at $20.00.  Uh- no.
 I, of course, wish that I had paid less, but when I got home and sorted it out there were 98 balls of yarn in varying sizes, so I think I did pretty good after all.  

I found this beautiful piece of McCoy pottery sitting on a table.  It was filthy dirty and I wan't sure if it would clean up.  He told me that the Vuh-ah-z was $2.00.  I've really never heard a local hillbilly say Vuh-ah-z.  
I'm happy to report that a Magic Eraser and a Brillo Pad cleaned it right up.  It is a wonderful piece of McCoy pottery in a soft buttery yellow.  A happy find for me!
The last thing I found was this thermometer from a Dentist in Kansas.  Can you read it? "Turn me over to see someone important to us."  Turn it over and there is a mirror on the bottom.  I think I'll try this one on ebay.

We stopped at the thrift and I found a few things.  I never buy plates, but this one is hand-painted and signed and just really sweet.  I'd love to eat a lovely slab of pink birthday cake on it.  Heck, I'd eat birthday cake off the floor.  But this plate would be nice too. :D

A book with the oddest title ever - it is signed and has some uber sweet illustrations in it - the tiniest Dennison labelmaker ever and the biggest tea infuser ever.  The tea infuser looked like it could be a project of some sort.

A book of Fairy Tales that I bought just for the cover and an old school reader that has seen better days. I like old readers with torn pages and names written in them with notes scribbled in the margins and old library card pockets in the front.  

A vintage toaster cover.  I know a lot of people don't like this sort of thing, but it's vintage and people used to use them.  So, to the booth it will go.  

But, my best find is this:
A giant huge globe on a lucite stand.  

I can just barely get my arms around it.  It's a National Geographic Globe from 1976.  I won't show my stupidity here but there are countries on there that I have never heard of before.  (To my credit I was in the 3rd grade and we didn't do a lot of World Geography at that age.)  It stands about three feet tall.  It's really wonderful.  If my house wasn't so small ans so crowded, I would SO keep it.  

I posted it on Instagram and it got a lot of attention.  I hope it gets that much attention in my booth.  

So, have you seen any garage sales yet?

13 comments:

  1. No garage sales here we can't even find the garage under all the snow.
    good finds as always love the vase
    Cathy

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  2. no. like Cathy, we can almost see our Garage though 8D !
    THANKS for letting us live vicariously through you ~ as always ~ THANK GOODNESS Somebody has a Thrift Life!!!

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  3. I went to 4 garage sales yesterday, 3 of which I probably would have passed on during the regular season, but I was DESPERATE! I did awesome at the first one and now am chomping at the bit for more.

    Love the globe. My sister has decided that she wants to start collecting them but I don't know enough about them to know if they are old or from Walmart.

    Your comment about eating cake off the floor cracked me up. An awesome way to start my day:-)

    Have an awesome weekend, Shara! Btw...did you watch the Tonight Show last night? Someone we both love was on it.

    ~Erica

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  4. Lots of countries have changed names since 1976, which may be the ones you don't know.

    By the way, I had a Procurnious Fleeker infestation in my shower once, but a little Lysol cleared that right up.

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  5. You are patient to talk that guy down! I would have left I'm afraid. But I love love the yellow McCoy!! Sooo pretty! Great finds for the booth and yourself. I'm thinking yard sales will start soon!

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  6. Eddie's comment made me snort! I love the yellow McCoy pot too but I'm sure I would have been scared off by the stains and would have left it behind! Now I know better!

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  7. Not a garage sale in sight here. Your toaster cover looks like a doll that someone gave me when I was a kid. You would flip it upside down and there was a doll with blonde hair, pigtails a different dress underneath it.So run and check out if there's another girl hiding in her dress!!!

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  8. went to each and every sale I found listed and a few by just following signs. I could have stopped after the first two b/c they were the only ones where I purchased anything. Total spent $7 and not much to brag about.

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  9. I've been to a couple of sales in my area but I haven't found anything at any of them. Although it looks like the trend in my area is that people are selling things to make money - which means that things are overpriced and frequently junk that is worthless to anyone. You got a good deal on the yarn.

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  10. Hitting estate sales out west. Did well this weekend. Loving that dentist mirror/thermometer. Nice to get back in the swing of things huh?

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  11. Great finds! That goofy guy's prices were high even by Portland standards but you clearly brought him to his senses! Big high-five on that McCoy vase!

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  12. Some interesting finds...I can't tell you how many globes I have passed on. Now my daughter says she wants one! You know I won't be able to find one...at least for a price I will pay! Although if it's for the kids, I tend to spend more than I would for myself!

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  13. Below zero temps here in Massachusetts, so no sales here. Absolutely love, love, love the McCoy vase. The style and color are beautiful. Nice score!

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