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.
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Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
"Oh, No She Di'unt"
I grabbed my cell phone and called DH. He was on his way home from work and was actually at the stoplight only a block away, so he came on over in the truck. I was explaining to DS about how the top section lifts off to reveal a plastic tub to hold the dirt and I was showing him the drawer, etc., when DH pulled up about two minutes later. Then I went up to pay for it. But, I had to wait behind another lady. That's when I heard her asking, "Does the top lift off?" And the lady having the sale said, "Yes, there's a plastic tub under it to hold the dirt and there's a drawer..." Oh no, she didn't just ask about my Potting Bench!
I was good.
I was well behaved.
I used my manners.
I waited for her to pay for it.
But she didn't. She paid for the clothes and the other things she was buying. Then she said, "I'm going to go have another look at that bench now." Then she stepped away with her sacks in tow and glanced at me as I said, "Except, I'm going to buy it now." She looked a bit miffed at me. But, the lady having the sale laughed, took my money and said, "She beat you to it!" Mine, all mine! (*Evil, menacing laugh*). I was in line getting ready to buy it. I would have cried all the way home if she would have paid for it first. But she didn't so - na ner na ner na na - I got it. (The very same lady bought five cases of KING SIZE Kissables for 10¢ each at Wal-Mart two weeks ago as I stood patiently in line behind her hoping to get 125 packages for my Teacher's. But, she took every last bag of those Kissables. So, I had this one coming!)
Last Sunday I hung up this wreath that I had made last Fall. Today as I was walking around, I noticed this nest on top of it. It is such a perfect little nest all coiled up. And so natural looking except for the one lone string of what appears to be Christmas Tree tinsel wrapped up in it. Kind of glams it up a bit.
Here's my glider, chair and tables that I bought last weekend. I still need to paint the glider and the chair. I'm debating on a color right now though. I want to stick with the colors of the era. It was originally yellow and now it is black. I thought of a green - like a Martha Stewart seafoamy sort of green, but I don't have anything else that color inside or outside the house. I would really, really, really like to paint them a soft sort of 1950's Pink Cadillac pink. But, I don't think that would thrill DH or DS too much. I have a lot of blues outside - mostly cobalt blues, so I may give up and paint it some sort of a blue. But, I really want pink!
For about two weeks now, anytime you go out in our backyard you will see this little guy. He isn't very old and he isn't very big but he is very cute. His name is Mr. Bun-Bun. At least, that's what he told us, anyway. The neighbors behind up put up a new privacy fence the width of our backyard about a month ago, so we scored a FREE fence. Cha-ching. The neighbors on either side of us had fences installed over the years too. Last summer we had a fence without a gate installed on the front of the left side of the house to protect other people from seeing us in our pool. (It was for their own god, I promise.) So, this week we are putting up a fence and a gate on the other side of the yard and we will finally have a completely fenced in yard. Now, will Mr. Bun-Bun get fenced in or out? I'm hoping for in, but once we get our garden planted, I may be wishing otherwise. Mr. Bun-Bun might like salad too much.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Bluebirds of Happiness and Other Yard Sale Tales
So, sense he was feeling better - I schleped him out to some yard sales. My bad.
Here's the loot. Nothing overly exciting. The "Folding Nakins" book amused me at 25¢. I bought some linen naplkins to match my Spring tablecloth, but never got up the nerve to use them. Perhaps next years table will feature swan shaped napkins....
The books aren't in the best shape - but I just love the old illustrations. I thought I might use them in a craft project or something. That "thing" on the Ballerina book is actually a large chunk of rock with a group of quartz crystals attached. It is really nice. We have quite a rock collectoin too. (Collection #1002.)
This is my favorite "To Keep" find. It is a sweet vintage egg plate with a rooster motif. This will go on the shelf with my flock of roosters. It was priced $3.00, but when I checked out, I only paid $5.00 for it and a whole pile of other stuff that should have totaled $16.00. I guess they were clearing it out.
We found one of these Leo Ward birds at the first sale for 75¢ and the other at the last sale for $1.00. They are about 4" tall and we have never seen any Leo Ward birds this large before.
I think I have talked about them before - they are made near here and plentiful at every yard sale. We have nearly 50 of them. DH's Mother loved them and had them everywhere in her house. I even found one behind the stove when we moved it out. We brought home a huge box full of them, but I had dispose of a lot of them because they were broken. Some of them that just had chipped wings or beaks are in my yard to catch the sun. DS really liked the birds, so we brought them home for him to have when he is older and on his own. (Wah!) When he finds different colors or sizes at sales. We add to the collection. We have clear, blue, amber, green and red, not to mention animals of all sorts now. They are all in a glass case (so I don't have to dust them!) and will make a nice collection for him someday.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Pink & Green Swap Is In
My swap partner was http://simplygigidesigns.blogspot.com/index.html. Be sure to look at the pictures of her craft room. Wouldn't we all like want one of those?????
A lovely box chock full of swappin' goodies.
I got lots of fun goodies including a huge stack of vintage 1950's crafting booklets. There is even one with directions for making furniture out of egg crates. Okay..... They will be fun to peruse down the line. I got a pedicure set, bath salts, scrubbies, rubber stamps, Jolee's flower stickers, a luggage tag, wooden letters, a notepad, little paper sacks, a storge bin, a metal pail and a CD box. Everything was all packaged up and wrapped with lots of pretty pink and green ribbons. The pink and black woven ribbon pillow is the thrifted item.
S-String tags for a next yard Sale (I needed these!)
P-Pink Trowel
R-Rake
I-A wooden letter "I".
N-Notecards
G-Green Frame
I love these little strawberry boxes. Oh, what to put in them.....
Here is the handmade item - some of Jen's fancy handmade cards complete with a folder to put them in. So perfectly made. Thanks, Jen!
Here's what I sent her:
Pink and Green Shoes, of course.
Not sure if this will fit - Size 8 Liz Claiborne - but check out the serious Pink and Green Spring Theme. And it was thrifted and it was only a mere $1.00. It just had to be included!
I love this sweet little pink retro lawnchair. It is a photo frame, but I have one and I made a little cushion for it to just sit out as a chair. I have a collection of little chairs. (Collection Number 1,001). This is from the Dollar Tree - Shhhhh.
I had a comment from Lee-Ann on my Cookery Swap post - the little shovel spoon is for Jam and the salt shaker is a salt shaker - but is an old salt shaker - the new ones look like ours. And the best news - I spelled doiley correctly!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
By Crikey, My Swap Package is HERE!
I participated in a Vintage Cookery Swap over at Pine Trees a month or so ago. My partner was Lee-Ann in Australia. She sent me a very fun package of interesting and unique items. She is lucky enough to work in an "Op Shop" which seems to be a thrift store "down under". Check out her blog - she has wonderful collections. Her collection of biscuit cutters (cookie cutters) is to die for.....
Everything came so sweetly wrapped in Spring Colors. The magazine is from the 1950's and cost 9¢.
Among other goodies I received a sweet card, a cookbook from Australia, a tin that once held Aussie candies, a package of "Preserve Paper" from the 1940's to keep your preserves "fresh and insect free", a fun old glass jar with a tin lid that once held Stove Polish, a lovely little green creamer, a hand carved wooden spoon complete with a burn mark where someone left it in the pot too long, a box of "Campbell's Laundry Bar Soap" and two embroidered napkins with napkin rings.
This larger hot pad has a pocket that holds three other coordinating pot holders. These are a WIP (work in progress) as someone hasn't quite finished the embroidery work yet. I might finish it - Lee-Ann inculded the floss to do so. ;o)
This isn't the best picture. I was trying to show that the cut crystal glass Salt Shaker has one large funnel shaped hole instead of several small holes like I am accustomed to seeing. I suppose that is due to the humidity in Australia. I just never thought about the salt shaker looking different! I love the little silver spoon - I think it might be a sugar spoon, but I'm not sure. It's shaped like a little shovel. The S&P lids and the spoon have the same silver hallmarks.
This little doiley is crocheted in the tiniest stitches. Lee-Ann says this was a popular craft project iin the 1940's-50's. Back then, milk came in glass open topped bottles. You placed the doiley over the open top of the milk jug while it was at the table to keep flies and insects out of the milk. There are tiny glass beads at the edges to weigh it down. Isn't that interesting???? (BTW, "doiley" isn't in spellcheck - so I'm not sure how to spell it!)
I adore this sweet tablecloth. I seem to be hoarding a great deal of vintage tablecloths. I need to find a use for them. I am scared to "use" them for fear I will stain them up. But, they aren't doing me much good in a Rubbermaid tub, now are they?
This is a sweet embroidered apron. (Sorry I failed to flip the photo around.) Notice that the apron matches the tablecloth perfectly!
Thanks Lee-Ann, I loved everything!
Monday, April 23, 2007
1. Donate car full of ebay outcast items.
2. Attend Math & Science Night.
3. Weep knowing DS is watching the dreaded Puberty Video.
4. Volunteer 8-2 at the Arkansas State Special Olympics as a Record Keeper.
5. Organize paper goods and decor for a catered lunch for 150 teachers and admistrators.
6. Find caterer or plan menu for said luncheon.
7. Make 625 Goodie Bags for above mentioned teachers - one for each day for five days.
8. Finish typing and laying out WRB Newsletter - take to printer, collate, stuff envies, address and mail.
9. Run 5,000 copies for entire 5th grade.
10. Do my usual house cleaning, laundry, etc.
11. Tape Regis's return - YEA! (That's the day I go to the Special Olympics.)
Yea, I don't think much will get listed on ebay this week afterall.
This photo is very unremarkable, but to our family it is a one of a kind photo. This is the only known time that all three of our cats were within an arm's length of one another. I'm always envious when I see photos of two or three cats all snuggled up together sleeping. Our cats co-exist, but do not particularly care for one another. That's Tiger on the left. He's 21 pounds of pure flub. He is eleven years old, but only came to us a year and a half ago. Our neighbors left him behind so we adopted him. He loves Daddy best followed by my Mom. Little Lady is in the center. She's about six and she came to us one very cold wintry night when she was just a kitten. I got her in the house and she went into the closet in my office and hid for nearly three days. I thought she had died! But, she was warm, cozy and getting some much needed sleep. She is a sweet little girl. On the right is Pity. She came to us about a year after Litle Lady. I think she isa bout six too. When she first came to us she was a very odd cat. For instance, the first YEAR we had her - she never left the bedroom. So, we had cat dishes and a litter box in the bedroom. Then she decided she could go into DS's room, then she decided she could go into the bathroom and then the kitchen and living room. There was about a two month long period where she only slept in the shower. Thankfully, she is practically normal now and she too is a very sweet girl. Her purring can keep you up at night.
Hey, I don't have time to blog! Didn't you see that list?
Saturday, April 21, 2007
I got a lot of neat old things and it is mostly all destined for resell. I am going to keep the old kitchen scales - they were only $1.00 and they work perfectly PLUS they fit into my kitchen colors and fruit crate label theme.
When DH got home, we loaded up in the truck and went to pick up the glider. Trip #4: As we were loading it, I realized there was a matching chair for $10.00 and two side tables for $1.00 each. So, I spent an additional $12.00 that time. But, for a total of $37.00, we now have a fabulous cool old glider, chair and two side tables. The people that live behind us recently fenced in their yard, which resulted in a free fence for us. The ultimate bargain!
This afternoon, DS and I were out looking for a deal or a bargain or an adventure and didn't find much to see or do. We stopped by the Estate Sale one more time (Trip #5!). They had marked a lot of things down including a Raggedy Ann and Andy Record Player that was $5.00 yesterday, but only $1.00 today. They were also putting hte books out for FREE so I picked out a few to bring home. I realized that one whole box was full of all the Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume and all the other teenage books I read as a teen. I asked if I could have the whole box to donate to the reading class at school and they were delighted for me to take them. The Reading Teacher will be excited too.
Next week MUST be devoted to listing my treasures that you see pictured above and continuing my decluttering by taking out somemore unwanted items in the house. It MUST!
Friday, April 20, 2007
No, no, no.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Little Velma Jane Garrett is 96 Now
These birthday cards are all to "Little Velma" and "Sweet Velma" on her first and second birthdays. She was one special little girl to warrant cards from so many poeple on her first two birthdays! The one on the bottom right with the basket has glittered details.
I love, love, LOVE these holiday post cards. There is Easter with the chickies, Christmas with the glittered angels, Thanksgiving with the fat litle girl pulling the dinner bell and Valentine's Day. The little black and white card with the little girl on it has a funny inscription, "Velma, Come up and play with little James. He has a little carpet sweeper and he helps his mamma sweep." I am amazed that these cards have survived for nearly 100 years and I was able to save them for 25¢. Why do I have to be so sentimental about other people's old junk?
Tuesday I stopped by Hobby Lobby to have a look around. I needed some little decorative buttons for a pair of baby shoes I am making. I have a litle blue onsie that says "Got Milk?" on it and I wanted some little cow buttons to go on the shoes. I walked that entire store three times and I never found the buttons. How could they not have buttons???? I found the fancy little decorative ones for scrapbooking, but they were too expensive and no cows were to be found.
I really, really tried not to notice the 80% off Easter Merchandise sign. Really, I did. But, it called to me, "Come look, come look." I found a lot of cool crafting items that are not Eastery per say - trims, feathers, paper mache eggs and baskets, some springy flower blank cards and a variety of pompoms in all sorts of colors. The bags of pompoms were only 20¢ after the discount. Now I can make all sorts of animal shoes! If I can get my nerve up, I plan on making a red and green glittered watermelon out of the egg basket. Can you say, tacky? Or beautiful?
I bought a couple actual Easter items too. Yes, I know you are shocked. I love the chocolate bunny although it isn't really chocolate, of course. The white bunny is heavy like stoneware and is curently with my matte white pottery collection. When I stepped into the store they had a stack of flyers on a table. They keep something on it to weigh down the flyers so they don't blow away when the door opens. They happened to have that white bunny on the flyers. I noticed it was an Easter item and would be less than $2.00, so it "hopped" in my cart. The wooden platter will be a fun addition to my Easter decor too. The chocolatey sign had to come home too, right?
And, from the "What Was I Thinking" file.....I saw this Kramer poster at the thrift the other day for $2.00. It is huge and I actually have no where to hang it and it doens't exactly fit into my country/primitive decor. But, I am the biggest Seinfeld fan ever. I can see less than five seconds of any episode and tell you all the plotlines in the episode. Kramer just had to be a part of my home. I think I will hang him behind my office door to amuse me when I come and go. No one has to know he's there.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Went Trash Pickin' - Again
My first find was this terrible looking blow mold. I mean, it's in great shape and all, it's just scary! DS jumped right out of the car, grabded it off the pile, threw it in the back of the VUE and jumped back in the car all in about ten seconds. He's a Pro!
We drove up one very small side street and spotted a big pile out front. But, this pile was different - everything was displayed and set up like a garage sale - but it was the trash pile. I spotted a few things that I knew I wanted, so we pulled over. As we started looking thorugh the items, an older couple emerged from the garage and came out. I asked if it was okay if we took a few things and they were delighted. They told me what everything was and tried to give me a reason to take everything. They even had a chaise lounge lawn chair with webbing and they had attached two brand new packages of webbing to it. They wanted people to take things!
I got this fabulous chippy white chair out first. I can't wait to set a big pot of red geraniums on it this summer.
This is my very favorite find. This is a child's metal folding table and chair set complete with red top and seat pads. I adore it! What will I do with it? Who knows. Who cares? It was FREE and it is MINE. It willmost likely go in the backyard as garden decor too.DS helped me take a badmition set, some large clippers for the shrubs and a Kodak Reel to Reel Projector. I actually thought the projector was a case full of albums when I grabbed it - Whoopsie. I thought we got a small wooden spool suitable for a table, but somehow we left it behind. I really only had to find a home for the chair and the table set, so I didn't overpick. DH bought a new pick-up not too long ago so it is time for me to learn to drive it so I can do some serious pickin' next year!
Friday, April 13, 2007
No, that wasn't me in the trash, I swear
I bought this huge hammered aluminum ice bucket today for $3.00. I thought it was truly awesome, but when I got it home there was a rather large dent on the backside. Whoopsie. The Indian doll was $1.00, the roll of ribbon was 50¢, the Serta Sheep keychain was free and the wooden dog was 10¢. I also bought DS 20 brand new with tags Beanie Babies for 10¢ each. He loves them but refuses to buy the new high priced ones. Smart kid, eh?
This is the latest score at the Super Cheap Thrift. I spent $3.65 for everything. I normally keep away from souvenir plates, but these three were old and only 45¢ each, so I took a chance. The one from the San Diego Zoo has a monkey on it, so I needed that one, right? The purse is woven straw and handmade in Italy. The Bunny Book is now in the arms of my Annalee bunny that Heidi sent me. (Yes, my Easter deocrations are still up). The game is called "Song Bursts" form the 1980's. I am the expert on 1980's music (ha) so this will be fun. The silver heart is real silver and I love it. The wooden star shaped box had a facelift in a matter of hours.
I think our Saturday adventure this weekend will include cruising the trash piles. Uh, that's educational, I think. Saving our landfills? Protecting the environment? Yea, that's the ticket. Just call me Al Gore.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Spring Has Come Undone
It was spring in KS a week ago when this photo was taken of my new little chubbette cousin, Luke. He ws born in October and he looks like a royal cutie. I haven't had the pleasure of getting my hands on the little chunk yet, but I am itching to hold him.
I am having a slight case of baby fever lately. I want one! (But, that will NOT be happening, just wishin').
Monday, April 09, 2007
Easter is Over - A Few Last Photos
I made a little pair of white felt shoes and added ears and a bunny face to them. If I say so myself, they are just too darn cute. My cousin had a baby last week, so I am going to send Baby Jake a pair of bunny slippers.
I finally found some pastel glitter last week so I could work on some of my cardboard Christmas houses. Since they are pastel, I worked them into the Easter decor, but they will end up in the Christmas decor too. I'm still searching for pale aqua glitter. To the side there you can see a blown out egg that I glittered too.
This is an Easter tradition at my house - a Bunny Cake! I've been making this for about 20 years. Long before I had a child. Sad, but true. DS helped me decorate it and find appropriate candy to decorate his face. He has JR. Mint and Smartie eyes, a jelly bean nose, Twizzler whiskers and Eclipse gum buck teeth. I used a bit too much red food coloring making the pink coconut, but it still turned out pretty cute. To make this cake you just bake two rounds. Use one whole round as the bunny's head. Cut the second round into an ear on each side. The center then becomes a bow tie, which I didn'tuse this time because the bow tie crumbled when I took it out of the pan.
Part of my table decor - the carrots were in DS's Easter Basket - they are like fat Pixie Stix. I had little pails that look like chickens with candles in them on each side. Not too fancy - but fun.
We had a good day - Even the cat got tuckered out.