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.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

The Week in Junk: Vintage Christmas and Dolls, Dolls, Dolls

It seems every time I come here, I begin with an apology for my absence.  I wonder sometimes if anyone even comes to read blogs anymore, let alone my blog.  But, then I start getting emails and texts from my reader friends asking if I am okay.  I don't not blog (whut?) just so I will get those thoughtful notes, but when I do get them, it sure makes my heart happy.  You like me, you really like me!  (Is that Sally Field thing from too far back to still use?)

My step father is feeling good.  He was so very dizzy for weeks, but it was the blood pressure meds and not even from the heart surgery itself.  So, his doctor took him off all the extra new meds and he felt better within a few days.  He drove himself to the doctor last week and then took my Mom to the dentist and out to eat a couple days ago.  That was nice for them to finally feel normal after the last two months.  He still can't lift anything over twenty pounds, so I am the grocery shopper for the most part.  He can do light stuff, but I have to do the dog and cat food, bottled water, juice, etc.

I deep in Operation Junk Ranch.  The Fall Show, for me is primarily vintage Christmas.  It sells well and it makes it easier for me to concentrate on one theme.  I do have a good amount of vintage Halloween.  As for vintage merchandise, I am trying to only take Farmhouse style stuff like red and green handled utensils, wooden bowls, milk bottles, etc.  I always through in my usual "cute crap" for which I am known.  So, that means I have A LOT OF STUFF!


Speaking of The Junk Ranch!  It was featured in the most recent issue of Flea Market Style Magazine which is SUCH A BIG DEAL.  I am a proud Junk Ranch Vendor so this was very exciting.  

Back to Operation Junk Ranch  - I don't have a lot of big vintage Christmas stuff - I have only found one set of blowmolds this year.  I think everyone else discovered them.  DAMN.  I have a small nativity set that I got in Neosho at the City Wide Sales, but that is it.  I do have several big old wooden cutouts of some carolers, but I bought those just to be nice at Christopher Shane's grandma's sale.  They are still old and kind of neat so I'm sure they will sell.  

Friday morning I went out to get the newspaper and spotted a yard sale sign on my own corner!  I thought it was at a house with young kids, so I didn't get in a hurry to get there.  I did go about 11:30 and OH MY GOODNESS.  I am SICK I didn't go earlier.  Now, when I tell you what was at that sale you will think I am crazy.  


LOOK AWAY EDDIE!

There must have been over 500 dolls and tables of Avon bottles.  Am I crazy???  It was at a different house and it is an older couple that have lived there for 45 years.  She collects dolls from yard sales, redresses them and then hangs them in all of the bedrooms.  I had no idea I lived up the street from the house OF HORRORS.  I like dolls.  But hanging them on your walls is just not right.  Ai-eeeeee!  I spent about an hour an a half there looking at each doll.  I got a couple that are probably a hundred years old, a Chatty Cathy, a Baby Crissy and several other good old dolls.  They will all go on ebay eventually.  


There was also a table full of Christmas where I grabbed anything and everything vintage.  Just as I finished, a car pulled up and they bought all the remaining Christmas.  I was so glad I got all the good old stuff first!  They had a full blowmold Nativity for $40, but I wasn't sure there was much meat on the bone at that price.  

As for the Avon bottles.  I do not do Avon bottles because they are too plentiful and people usually think they are worth more than they are in actuality.  But, they had some really unusual ones and the price was right  - $1.00.


They really don't even look like Avon bottles, do they?


I plan on giving them a Christmas makeover somehow.  Probably just a tree tied on top.  The Winnebago will get a very classy "Christmas Vacation" makeover - "The shitter's full" sort of makeover.  


One of the dolls I bought was a walker doll - toddler sized.  She was wearing these awesome vintage TufNut overalls.  They are dirty, but I think that adds to the charm of vintage overalls,  I will try to give them a soak though.  They date from the 1950's.  An adult size recently sold for $112!


She was also wearing these impossibly cute little plaid tennis shoes from the same time period. They are just the cutest.  (Yes, now I have a half  naked doll in my garage.  Aiieee!)


The Bean helped me carry my purchases into the house when I got home.  When I went into the kitchen, this is the sight I saw outside my kitchen window.  I may have dropped an F bomb.  Several f bombs.  

I have put myself on house arrest for the next few days to get the rest of my things priced and organized.  The Junk Ranch is Oct. 6-7.  Usually the weekend after is Pickin' Time on 59 which is a nice yard sale crawl through several small towns.  I love to go because the stress of buying for TJR is over.  But, this year it is the weekend of Sept. 29th, so I have to carve out some time to go then.  I am still on the hunt for more stuff, so why not?  

I'll be back before then come hell or high water!

14 comments:

  1. Bad boy! Scaring mama like that!! Lol!

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  2. Dolls creep me out when collected like that but I'm glad you found a few good one's. Love the overalls and shoes!

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  3. I'm not "are you okay" I'm a "chop chop with the new blog already". Plus I would've paid the Bean for a video of you jumping outta your skin. Love ya babes...make it rain!

    Chanelle

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  4. That is hilarious...and she lived down the street! You need to get up and out the door earlier...:)

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  5. Ok the doll at the window made me laugh out loud! That would have had the freak'n flip'n response at our house along with a few more F options : ) Junk ranch sounds like such a cool event

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  6. Blogs seem to have fallen by the wayside since Instagram has gotten so big. I know I take pictures solely to post to instagram and then later (sometimes MUCH LATER) post them to the blog. Sometimes I wonder why I still blog, but then you do have those lovely loyal blog only readers emailing you and you realize why you still do it! :)

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  7. Whaaaaaaat! I absolutely love the Winnebago! BTW - so glad you stopped by - you were missed Boo! I'm one of those sickos that LOVE watching people get scared on youtube videos - sorry if I'm amused that Bean got you!

    I'm so glad you found all that vintage Christmas! Don't you just love it when treasures come in a big pile?! I found a ginormous pile of rubber stamps at a pop up parking lot flea market this weekend. I buy stamps (and accessories) but I never make anything with them. Yup, I'm insane. The woman was giving up her hobby because she was going back to school. The ironic part of all this is that I know I'm developing an allergy to rubber!

    And I agree with Melissa that blogs have fallen by the wayside. (I read your blog too Melissa!) And that is a shame because I love reading about everyone's finds and learn so much. I see a lot of things via the blogs that I didn't even know existed or NEEDED. And Laurie of Magpie Ethel and you all have made me appreciate your collections and treasures. I love this vintage blog community. So thank you for hanging in there and sharing a part of your world with us. Life is so busy so don't feel guilty about not blogging - just throw us a bone now and then. We'll be here!

    Just know your faithful blogheads do expect a long blog post after the Junk Ranch with LOTS of pictures . . . hint hint.

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    1. Craft supplies are so easy to buy at yard sales and go overboard! I have to stop myself and say will I really ever use it? I have limited my self to punches - I do use those for a lot of things. I bought a big round punch the other day and made tags out of all my old beat up Shiny Brite boxes. They are AWESOME!! An allergy to rubber is crazy!

      I'll always blog - I started just for me and then these crazy wonderful people found me and started reading it. Whodathinkit?

      JR is coming and I promise there will be LOTS of photos. More than anyone really wants!

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    2. I love me some punches Boo! That craft seller also had one bag of punches and when she said $5 - I didn't even look - I just grabbed the bag. It had at least five Stampin Up punches. I have several die machines I never use - I always come back to the punches. If I do make something crafty, it's usually with a punch.

      My "funnest" punch is my Pick Punch. It makes guitar picks out of old gift cards, expired credit cards, or any kind of stiff plastic. People make some very pretty jewelry (and other things) out of colorful gift cards with these. I'll never look at gift cards the same way : )

      So glad you'll always blog! There's more crazy wonderful people out here looking for you.

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  8. Anonymous8:46 PM

    Long time, regular reader here, but I rarely comment. Love to go to yard sales myself. Please don't give up blogging. I love to see what you get in your neck of the woods. I'm in the Pacific NW. Marie

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    1. I'll be here forever. I love blogging even if no one were to read it. But, knowing nice people like YOU read it makes me very happy! Shara

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  9. Good Morning,,,,,,,,,, Love your blog and look forward to it !! Wish i lived closer I'd love to chit chat over coffee and talk about the best things we've found and the things we let get away :) !

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  10. I always look for new posts from you Shara. If I lived near you I would buy all your stuff. It's so cool. Alas, I live in Indiana. Keep the blog going!

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  11. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I would have to change my pants for sure if that was the view out my kitchen window. Please tell The Bean thanks for a much needed LOL!!
    Unless I have nightmares tonight. Then he's in big trouble ;)

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