The Week in Junk: The Whole World

Guess what I did today?  Come on, GUESS!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you guess that I FINALLY got all the Christmas delegated to the garage?  Well, if you did, you are a WINNER.  This is the longest it has ever taken for me to get it packed up and out of the house. Mostly because The Breadman is home all the live long day sitting on the couch resting because he has to go to work at 4:00 (and just so you don't think I am a total b*tch  - I KNOW he has to go to work and it's a hard job and a late night so I UNDERSTAND that he can't do too much during the day.)  Having said that I do understand it, that doesn't mean it doesn't drive me straight up the freaking WALL that not only can't he help out, but he has to sit right where I was trying to do something constructive.  More often that not lately, I have just said the hell with it and left the house. That's why the Christmas tree was still up until Sunday.  ANYWAY, it's all back in the garage and most of my things are back in the house.  Let's see if I can get it all back where it belongs before it's time to put the tree up again.  I am totally not even kidding about that.  

So, since I have ran away from home a bit lately, I have junk to share.  Really, this is several weeks of junk combined.  Yesterday I dropped the boys off to see Star Wars, which just ain't my thang, so I went to seven thrift stores.  I will say that the thrift stores are brimming with things - stuffed to the max - but with VHS tapes, DVD's, old TV's, clothes, kitchen items, plastic bins and newer Christmas decorations.  Not my thang either.  I know people are culling things out to make way for Christmas gifts and that doesn't include Grandma's old crap, but I wish it did!  

I picked up two of these Waechtersbach cups after Christmas and listed them right away.  The pair sold for $24.99.  I also had a plate with the tree on it - it had been to The Junk Ranch and in my booth since then.  I put it on ebay and it sold overnight for $32.99.  Guess what my new favorite thing to look for is now?  Waechtersbach!

This snowman was an after Christmas find as well.  He is on ebay ending tonight.  It is salt glazed and hand made by Dave Eldreth.  There seems to be collectors of these pieces.  

These old metal fondue plates were at the SCT - this set of four sold for $12.99.

The green set didn't sell, but I think it still might.  If not, to the booth they will go.

The Bean spotted these on the cart at Goodwill - telephone pole climbing spikes!  Or tree climbing, but I thought telephone pole as soon as he showed them to me.  They are on ebay too.,  (This post isn't to get you to my ebay page, I promise.  I just seem to be in a selling mood!)

Last week at one thrift, all the Christmas grab bags were 25¢.  I did what any good junker would do and I bought all of them!  I spent about $5.00 in all.  I ended up re-donating about 75% of it and had a big bag of things to add to my wreaths for next year.  It was all usable things - but not my sort of usable things - ribbons and floral picks and those hideous bread dough ornaments.  

The only two things I kept were this pin and bead Santa boot and the bird.  I have a lot of these birds, so I was happy to find one more.  Still, pretty sad to only keep two measly things out of all those bags!

Last week I stopped at the library and they had a huge amount of books for sale.  These books were $12.00, there was an MCAT study set for $20.00, a set of encyclopedia's for $30.00.  Kind of crazy prices for the library.  Books are usually 25¢-$1.00.  I passed on all of them.  But, the next day I stopped in to pick up some DVD's I had requested and all the books were FREE.  Hey, that's a good discount!  I took all of the ones I mentioned, plus a stack of old pretty books for decorating.  I also picked up a copy of "The Poisoning Handbook" which I like to pretend to be studying hard around the house.  You would be surprised how fast people start being nice to you when they see you reading it. As it turns out, the book is actually how to avoid poisoning someone and how to treat them if they have been poisoned.  But, no one needs to know that.  :)

 

Oh, I did find these - maybe a few people are getting rid of Grandma's things!  A ready made collection of souvenir plates.  Lara and I have had luck selling these at our booth since the college kids shop there and they are from all over the US.  Lara and I had a killer month at our booth.  When the owner told me our total, I was sure he had me mixed up with someone else.  But when the check came through - it was true.  Now, it wasn't a huge amount of money  - but it was in the four digits. It was more than we have ever made in the past - almost double of our best month, in fact.  We have just been dropping things off and not really trying hard to buy things.  Just taking in random things. And apparently that plan has worked.  Except now we are seeing dollar signs and starting to THINK and SHOP just for that booth.  Eek.

Case in point, I picked up this metal stand for $1.00 at the SCT.  It needs to be painted and I should paint it, but EH I am just not a painter.  Since I paid $1.00 for it, I will sell if for $15 or so and let someone else paint it.  Besides, what if I paint it blue and then they paint it green?  That's a waste of time and paint.  Ain't nobody got time for that.

I'm not supposed to buy silly things to keep.  But, Mr. Bill just had to come home with me.  

This HUGE sock monkey was $3.00 and I was quite the talk of the line at Goodwill as I stood clutching him in my arms.  I bought him for our shared booth, but on a whim I looked him up on ebay and WOW!  One sold for $100 yesterday!  Not sure if he will, but I might was well try it.  He would squish in a box pretty well.  

This is such a bad photo, but it is such a weird packaging concept at the thrift.  It is an old Japan nativity set in a plastic race car.  Who thought of putting a Nativity in a race car?  Every time I see it I start humming "Jesus Take The Wheel".  I need to throw away the car, but really?  It's funny.  

My last stop on Star Wars day delivered the best find of the day.  This globe was sitting on the counter and I thought it had sold.  I took a chance and it was still for sale and the price was only $6.00.  CHA CHING.  I bought it to sell.  I really, really did.  Really!  But then I plugged it in and well.  You know the rest of the story.  That sucker isn't going anywhere.  It's my THANG.

These last two items were gifted to me by good local junking buddies.  

Lara pulled this squeaker deer out of her purse and handed it to me.  I mean, she just gave it to me. It's adorable, it's vintage.  She's the best kind of friend.  I would say that even if she didn't hand me adorable deer squeakers.  

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My friend Paula thought of me (I wonder why?) when she spotted this little cardboard bread truck at Canton.  Aren't those little loaves of bread just the best???  Junking buddies that share are the best kinds of friends.  I'm grateful to have them.

***I have also been sending bags and bags of donations off with the Breadman each day for about a month.  I have him take them to the next town over so I don't have to see them on the shelves.  Well, guess where I went on that seven thrift store day?  I think I was responsible for about a third of the merchandise on the shelves.  I felt like my things were holding bowls of gruel and calling out to me..."Mother?"  I got the heck outta of there.  Pronto.