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, December 17, 2009

An Lot of Random Stuff

Here goes a whole lot of random thoughts, stories and photos. Ready?

I've had these Santa's for several years, but thanks to Barbara I now know that they are Holt Howard Santa's. I love Holt Howard, but I never knew that these were Holt Howard. The very first vintage thing I remember buying at the Salvation Army was a set of four Holt Howard lettuce shaped plates with tomato shaped soup bowls for $1.00. I still have them and I still love them!

Annual photo of The Bean by the tree shows that The Bean is as tall as the tree this year. Not good for Mom. (Yes, he has on a t-shirt that looks like a doctor's uniform. He loves crazy t-shirts!)

As much as I love vintage things, sometimes a bright shiny new object will attract my attention. I found this wee Department 56 blown glass bunny in the ornament tub at the Salvation Army yesterday for 12¢. He had a $20.00 price tag on him. Vintage is best, but vintage inspired rocks too. He will most likely stay out and be put on my Easter Tree. Yes, I have an Easter Tree...don't YOU?
Another new to me item this year - this snowman was at Sam's for $4.81. He stands 15" tall and has crepe paper ruffles, glitter and a tinsel tree. Good, right?

I drug out all the crafty stuff earlier this week and made this shadow box. I've never made anything like it before and I don't even know where I got the idea. I just started putting things together and this is what I came up with - I like the way the vintage Santa and reindeer are coming out of the box. It has been gifted, but I may need to make another one for myself!

Stan Williams, The Elegant Thrifter, was nice enough to send me a copy of his book, The Find. The Find is a great book, lots of elegant things found in thrift stores and used to decorate very nice spaces. If you haven't read it yet, you really should. Thanks again, Stan!

The sunsets have been so pretty lately. No matter what I am doing, when I see the sun setting, I go outside and enjoy it. If you wait five minutes, it changes or it might even disappear. Life is too short to miss a pink sky!
I'll try to come back with a more cohesive post next time. Maybe.

8 comments:

  1. I don't know what it is about those Santas, but I had the urge to scream again when I saw them on your blog. When I saw that shadowbox I wondered right away where you got it - it's NICE.

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  2. Your shadow box is fabulous! You might have to do a tutorial on that one! I would do back flips if I opened that on Christmas morning!

    Anna

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  3. Anonymous6:58 AM

    I would love to see a tutorial on the shadow box. I can't believe how much older looking the Bean is this year. Handsome! :o)
    Have a Merry Christmas!

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  4. I checked that book out from the library a few months ago, lucky you!

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  5. That shadowbox is making me swoon, I wanna make one!!

    And Stan is the coolest guy in NYC...enjoy that book!

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  6. LOVE the shadowbox! Very pretty!

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  7. Your vintage tree is spectacular! Who was the lucky recipient of your cute shadowbox? I want to make one!
    rosie

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  8. love your shadow box... you did a great job!

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