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.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Friday's Junking Finds

This morning, as I trolled Craigslist looking for one perfect sale of vintage goodness, I spotted this ad:

Dealer's stash AND special guest star!

Antique dealer and flea market owner is cleaning house and friends and family have pitched in for a huge sale.

Unique and quirky items.  Lots of furniture, many antique and vintage items including beds, cribs, chairs, tables.  Garden and interior decor items, games, jewelry. Priced to sell!

Special guest appearance! The local man recently featured on TLC's Hoarders will be available to sign autographs!

Holy Moley - a possible Hoarder's yardsale?????  This, I had to see!  The prospect of seeing the contents of a house featured in Hoarder's spread out across the lawn intrigued, but also scared the beejeezus out of me.  And, it seemed sort of wrong that I was excited to go drag a bunch of their stuff to my house. 

When I got there, I was sorely disappointed.  It was actually the owner of a local antique store/ flea market having the sale and her husband had helped clear out the stuff in the house, so he was the person "featured" on Hoarders.   Boo hiss.  False advertising!  Not only that, but this particular woman that was having the sale is a known snoot.  Thinks she knows it all.  In fact, I have mentioned her in the past here.  She is so rude to me, but really, I think to everyone.  I found a wooden cutlery drawer without a price on it.  When I asked her, she hemmed and hawed and said, "Well, I am going to need at least six dollars for that - I planned on taking that to the shop."  "Well, then do."  I said.  Pbttttttttt to her.  Then I had three yard long prints that were rolled up and in a bedpan (I kid you not).  She said, "OH, those are going to be FAR MORE than you are willing to pay."  And, she put them on the table behind her where I couldn't get to them.  I wish I would have had a hundred dollar bill to whip out and said, "Would $100.00 be enough?"  Then I would put it back in my pocket and walk away laughing manically.  I can dream, right? 

My theory is that she sees me buying things and figures out I have a good eye and maybe she made a mistake selling something too cheap.  She did quote me a decent price on a set of old blue canisters with butterscotch bakelite handles and I really meant to go get them, but in the end, I was so PO'ed at her, I just wanted out of there.  Junking should be fun, not a headache!  I do wish I would have grabbed those canisters!

I did buy a few things, despite her nasty behavior.

The seven little wicker birds were 50¢ and they just make me happy!   The wooden rack full of old wooden plates came from a different sale for $1.00.  I've never seen anything like it before.

An old teddy bear with a rubber face (yes, he is missing his eyes, but I have a bag full of vintage animal eyes and he will soon he good as new - or rather, old), a pair of metal bookends in a wonderful chippy aqua color, a vintage handthrown vase, an old Valentine and a handblown paperweight full of seashells. 

The paperweight matches one I already had that I picked up about 12 years ago.  On the shell it says Souvenir 1908.  That's 102 years old! 
One of the silly birds.  Too cute!

I've been wishing to find one of these for a long time.  The side rail from a vintage crib.  I wanted one to hang my tablecloths on.  Now I think I will use it in the booth (which I am sure is completely sold out after two full days of business.  Ha ha) to display linens and such.  When I saw it leaning on the garage, I thought "YES!" then I remembered it was McSnooty's sale and figured it would be priced high.  But, for some crazy reason, she only had it priced 50¢.  Score for me. 

One last story about McSnooty.  Several years ago she had a warehouse sale at her business.  I found a row of twelve teeny little pieces of pottery lined up - all for 10¢ each.  I collect miniature pottery, so I bought them all.  A few years later I was watching Antiques Roadshow and they appraised a pair of Marie pots.  I thought that they looked familiar, so I had a look through my pottery and low and behold, one of those teeny 10¢ vases had a Marie signature on it.  The large ones on the Roadshow had appraised at $55,000 but I was still pretty hyped, even though my piece of pottery was smaller than a golf ball.  I put it on ebay and it sold for a little less than $400.00.  So, take that, McSnooty Booty!

I really don't usually hold a grudge.  She's just so darn MEAN!

Hope you all find some good JUNK this weekend!

7 comments:

  1. ah, for some people, knowledge is power. she feels she has the knowledge and probably likes to throw it around a bit. shame really...

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  2. McSnooty Booty!! Hah! Such is the life of a junker...we find cool things, strange people and slam on our brakes at a curb pile...& yet we keep at it and have lots of laughs. Happy junking, Shara *elaine*

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  3. Anonymous7:19 AM

    Just goes to show her that you do have a good eye. Let her take all of her "valuables" it to the shop and collect dust.
    Oh the teddy bear. I have one just like that (with eyes) from the (ah..em) 50's. His name is Wilbur!
    Happy junking and good luck with the booth

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  4. Anonymous7:46 AM

    Perhaps Ms. McSnooty is going out of business for that VERY reason? Looks like you scored, have a happy weekend anyway.

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  5. You still got some great finds. I love the idea of the old crib side to hand/display table cloths.

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  6. Haa haa, I have a woman I despise too! I call her my Nemesis as whereever I go she seems to be in front of me. Once I was looking at designer jeans and she appeared besides me , held up a pair and said, 'these are size 10 (6 US), they will fit ME!' And she turned and sneered at me is if I was twice her size (I'm a UK 10).
    I hate her with avengence.
    My dh reckons she needs a wash which made me feel better.

    Good luck with your booth.

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  7. Just had to say that "SNOOTY McBOOTY" cracked me up :)

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