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, April 23, 2009

Thursday Estate Sale

I found myself out and about on a Thursday in a different part of town today thanks to meeting family passing through from Kansas (HEY Aunt Dodo). We met at Cracker Barrel for lunch, did a little nostalgic shopping - I bought a big Mason Jar full of Jawbreakers and then went our separate ways. I had just happened to sniff out an Estate Sale in that general area, so off I went. Trying to do my part to save the planet - you know, making the most of my trips out and recycling and all.

This Estate Sale was reasonably priced. There wasn't the sheer massive amount of items lie there was at the last sale though. The rooms were sparsely furnished with only a smattering of things here and there. I was about to think all hope was lost when I stumbled into the garage. Most of the junk I like is usually in the garage. That's where I spied the Christmas stuff. Zoink!
Under the table I spotted a box under some boxes and I decided to have a dig and see if anyone had missed a treasure or two. They had! I found a box of old blown glass ornaments. Most of these have indents or are figural. That's a pinkish vintage angel in the background. All of these cost a total of $1.00.

There were a few special ornaments....
A pipe!
A large pink and blue vintage mushroom!
This large pink ornament has a huge indent with silver twisted tinsel in the background. Oh, but that dancing googley-eyed cat! What is up with THAT? I really don't think it came that way. Yikes, what to do, what to do.
I found these in a box of random ornaments. Three sequined birds and a fish. 25¢ each.
These five little girls make me happy beyond happy. They were worth the trip alone. I especially love the one with the accordion for some reason. They were 25¢ each.
A few more random treasures - some glass hand painted beads on a string for 25¢.
I found this in the 50¢ kitchen drawer - the lady having the sale hadn't ever seen it. I seem to have a knack for that sort of thing. Whatizit? I think it might be a ravioli cutter or a pie crimper. Any ideas?
A fun old green metal file box for $1.00 that will soon be holding some pink geraniums on the table by my pink glider.
My favorite photo of the day - some miscellaneous vintage office supplies. I have a growing collection of chalk boxes and I didn't even realize it. Two vintage boxes of chalk, two boxes of vintage Dennison gummed stars - gold and silver and a box of Swingline staples. That is an old Notary Public embosser from Texas in the center. It works great and leaves a big star embossed in the center of the seal. Now I can send out some official lookin' Junk!

This weekend is County Clean Up weekend. The bad thing is, you have to take your junk to them, so no curbside piles of goodies. The house down on the corner cleaned out their garage today and loaded up their truck to go to the dump.

Get a gander at the size of that teddy bear! Man, oh, man. I don't want it, but I hope someone stops and asks for it instead of throwing it in the dump.
And, "What is in that truck?" the junker in me wants to know. I considered a midnight run with a flashlight, but see the guy standing there? Well, he just happens to be the Chief of Police, so I don't think a junk run at his house would be wise. That also explains the slightly hideous photos. Junk Photography on the move!

6 comments:

  1. I hope someone rescues that bear too, don't people know about freecycle? I love love love the ornaments and the green file box will look sooo great with fleurs in it! I am going to check craigslist now to see what is going on in the way of sales:) Happy weekend.

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  2. Good lord that is one big bear. Imagine the mice that could nest in that in the garage! LOL

    Those beads are gorgeous, gorgeous.

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  3. That was a great Christmas ornament find...really good..i can't believe all the figural ones! And that googly eyed cat???...what were they thinking? Love that you realize you have a chalk box collection - I have one too. Picked one up today for 50 cents. Love the graphics on the boxes and when you display them all together they look great.

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  4. I must say I am LOVING that googly eyed cat. I might just have to be sending you an email about it!

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  5. I don't know which would have made me happier, the little mushroom ornament or the set of girls - great stuff!

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  6. LOVE the ornaments--the mushroom one especially! I wonder what that kitchen tool is--it looks familiar to me, but I can't quite place it. My vote is for pie crimper.

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