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.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Weekend Finds

I had lots of plans this weekend....Yard sales, the Super Cheap Thrift, the Haunted Battlefield Tour at the Civil War Battlefield and a few other things.  But, rain moved in Friday and all day Saturday, forcing me to stay in my own cozy house and make Red Hot Cinnamon Apples and all PINK Shiny Brite Wreath.  Sometimes, a change in plans isn't such a bad thing after all.

I did manage to find one yard sale on Friday before the rain started.
I think this picture is funny - I am not a fan of gold, but all my purchases were gold.  Two small gold wooden frames (to be painted white), a gold tree topper, a gold owl bookend and a nice old book full of gold accents and photos.  Each item was 50¢.  I find that owls sell well on Etsy, so I generally pick them up when I find them cheap.  I don't think the tree topper is old, but I still like it.

At this particular yard sale, they had shelves full of Christmas items, but it all appeared to be newer things.  Lots of Hallmark items, light strands and those cheesy singing Christmas animals.  I did spy a plastic baggie full of miniatures for 50¢, so I decided to grab it without even looking at it.  There had to be something in there worth 50¢, right?

I ended up with this cute little vintage wooden village - eighteen buildings and three cobblestone streets. The houses are only about an inch square and all hand painted.  There are also a few teeny bottle brush trees lurking in the background too.

On the bottom of each house, it says, "Made in GBD".  I think.  It's hard to read.  I'd love to learn more about them.  I wonder if they were for a Christmas Village or a train set or just toys.  It really doesn't matter what their original use was, I think they are adorable. 

8 comments:

  1. No yard sales or thrift shopping this weekend. I will have to share some previous finds this week! Love the owl! obitif

    ReplyDelete
  2. Are you sure that says GBD? Looks like GDR to me, which would make them German and kind of makes sense. They are awfully cute. Don't you love the accidental finds like this?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well that was a great sale before the rain came in. Love the picture fames.
    cathy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:44 AM

    The wooden village is Erzebirge (or what they used to call 'Erzebirge sensibilities') awesome! I have several sets of wooden villages from my time living in Germany, and your maker's mark appears to be GDR (German Democratic Republic). That you still have the original box is an equally fantastic find in itself!

    And the *cobblestone* streets? Wow, I've never seen those before! Quite the find, yes siree!

    And your set of wooden figurines that are holding large wooden flowers? Those are Erzebirge, too (children's wooden folk toys) named for the region where they were/are manufactured.

    So you have, yet again, created another accidental collection of Erzebirge tiny toys!

    Lucky duck.

    Aimee Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  5. We had one of those little wooden sets at Christmas when I was a kid--the larger house and the church. I don't know where they came from but I remember them!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love the little wooden neighborhood you found! And that owl too, although it also makes me sad. I saw one alot like it at Goodwill, but it was sitting on a book, and I didn't get it. Went back the next day and of course it was gone!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous2:48 PM

    You got some great stuff - Here's some houses on Ebay that sort of look like yours - I agree with EM and Aimee Suzanne, they definitely look German - I have some newer ones with the little black windows!

    http://tiny.cc/tbigp

    Lynn

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous2:51 PM

    The link didn't translate so look up erzgebirge German wood village on ebay and you will see the listing. They have 4 houses and a church listed for $59.95!!

    You did good!

    Lynn

    ReplyDelete

I love my comments. I'd love to respond to everyone, but if you don't have an email address tied to your ID, please sign your name so I will know who you are! It makes it nice to know who is saying what. Now, leave a comment! Please? ;o)

I Can See You!



Look at my Visitors!

Fellow Junk Followers