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.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Thursday Thrifting

I went to the Super Cheap Thrift Store this morning. I've really cut back on the thrifting, but the Super Cheap Thrift is so, well, cheap and I can usually find a goodie or two without breaking the bank or cluttering the house. We also went to a couple yard sales. I mention that because the first item is from a yard sale.

I got this bowl full of matchbooks for $3.00. (Banana not included) I couldn't find anything to sue for scale except this banana. Pretty lame. The point is, this is one mega glass bowl chock full of matchbooks. The bowl was worth $3.00, although I will most likely re-thrift it. I'd bet there is at least 300 matchbooks in there, if not more. I bought them to resell, but in the recesses of my mind I think I am remembering you can't mail matches. Hmm. I found brand new ones and old ones that go back to the old five digit phone numbers. They are from all over the USA. I found one from Heinie's Steakhouse. I asked to go eat dinner there on my 7th birthday. It was a bit pricey and you didn't get much, but I wanted shrimp on my birthday. I guess I wasn't always frugal and thrifty! Don't most kids want pizza on their birthday?

This vintage red wicker purse was $1.50 at the S.C.T. That's like a hundred dollars at any other thrift! It's just so cheerful. And vintage-y.
This produce themed apron was 50¢. I love the veggies with the big pineapple stuck in there like it belongs.

A hodge podge of items. The material is a floursack, but I'm pretty sure it is new. With the Mill around here (the one I have shown before) there are a lot of new floursacks around. Still, it is a sweet print and as big as a pillowcase. It was 25¢. The shadowbox with strawberries was 25¢. It will most likely be emptied, painted and filled with something vintage-y and kitchen-y. A bag of vintage robin's eggs for 10¢, a bag of old sewing items including these two sweet cards of old buttons for 75¢ and the two old song books for 1937 were the bestest price of all. Free. Our library has a huge section of books for sale - paperbacks 25¢, hardbacks 50¢ and then a cartful that is FREE. They usually put the "old out of date books" in the box for free. Where do you think I go first?


Here's my "I don't know what I will do with it, but I had to have it" purchase of the day. This is a huge and very heavy wrought iron candelabra. It is very well made and I love it. I, however, have no where to put it, so it will be a thinker. I'll have to think about what to do with it. It was only $4.00. I've seen these re-purposed with old teacups on the candle holder part and old enamelware hung from the rest of it. I'd love to have it on my big front porch over the old wrought iron bistro set with the big pot of geraniums on it. What's that? I don't have a big porch with a bistro set and geraniums? Bummer. It's in the garage on top of my cool bulletin junk board that I made that DH broke (Grumble. Grumble) and a blue train case that I bought because all the other bloggers are snapping them up like hotcakes. I have no idea with to do with it. It's a thinker too.

There's a sale on the next street over on Saturday morning. It is advertised as "lots of knick knacks". That usually means box of stuff for digging and hidden treasures. Maybe, maybe not. It's the thrill of the hunt, right?

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:38 PM

    there is a house by the square here that has an old chandelier fixed up with candle cups and tons of windchimes hanging from a huge tree in the yard. i too would love a large veranda to hange from!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That apron *IS* cute! And I really like the robin's eggs. I passed up on a chandelier like that cause I wasnt sure what to do with it either. I cant wait to see what you do!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lots of knick-knacks - that sounds dangerous! That chandelier is definitely a great find.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love that apron! I have a thing fo things with fruits and veggies on them. Who knows why...

    Love the idea for the chandelier. Would be cute in a kitchen with the tea cups too.

    ReplyDelete

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