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.

Monday, January 02, 2012

My 2011 Top 10 Thrift Finds

Every year I do a little recap of my years events and my best thrift finds.  I've noticed that a lot of blogs are doing a Thrifting Recap now, so I guess I better keep up with the Jones's and do one again this year!

In no particular order......

 A wonderfully chipped, rusted and worn stool.  This sits outside my garage and helps me, aka Shorty, reach the flagpole each and every morning.
This great old wooden cupboard - handmade and heavy as heck.  It's on the porch holding my vintage lawn sprinkler collection.

I scored this large lot of vintage padlocks this summer in Topeka on the Pickin' Event during  my family reunion.  The price tag said $25.00 for the lot, but when I asked how much to buy one or two, the lady told me I could have them all for $6.00.  Bargain!  
A wonderful and incredibly old gathering basket.  Snatched up from the toy department at Goodwill - chock full of plastic fried chicken and plastic vegetables which I promptly unloaded and re-donated.  This basket is a treasure.


 

This wonderful old photo of Aunt Marge and Uncle Bill.  There is a local family that has sales and keeps selling off items that belonged to marge and/or Bill.  I have rescued many of them, including Uncle Bill's purple heart and personal papers from the Army.  When I spotted this photo at their last sale, I asked if they knew who it was...when I heard the names - I knew I needed to add them to my family since thier family obviously doesn't care about them.

High on my Thrifting Wishlist this year was a tin dollhouse.  One Saturday morning I spent a couple hours looking at dollhouses on ebay, but decided the shipping was prohibitive for ordering one.  I left the house, stumbled upon an Auction and scored this dollhouse for $2.00.  It isn't perfect, but for $2.00 - it's good enough for me. :)

Another big wishlist item for years has been an old metal tin picnic basket.  I finally found one this summer at the thrift for $2.00.  It isn't perfect either, but that's kind of my thing, apparently.

I bought of this high priced glitter for 50¢ a tub with the intentions of repackaging it and putting it on Etsy.  But, I really hadn't thought about the possibilities of having literally POUNDS of high grade glitter available to use any old time I want.  Once I started using a bit here and a bit there, I knew it had to be MINE.  All mine! I use this stuff on an almost daily basis. 

Since I had found the dollhouse at the auction a couple months earlier, dollhouses were no longer on my radar.  But, when I did spot this jewel of a PINK dollhouse at Goodwill a bit later - I freaked!  Tin - vintage - PINK!  OH my!  It is pristine and only cost $5.00.

 And now. The Holy Grail.

The. Pink. Evergleam Aluminum. Christmas. Tree.  Ta-da.

A moment of silence to revel in it's loveliness.

I paid $45.00 for a grocery sack full of vintage ornaments, this pink tree and a silver aluminum tree.  I resold the silver tree for $80.00, so the rest is gravy.  I love this tree.  I want to marry this tree.   It is dreamy.  

But, I have a confession. Don't hate me.

I didn't even use it this Christmas.  

Can you believe it??????

I'm hoping to fall out of love with it and sell it since a similar one recently sold for over $600.00.

But, that seems pretty unlikely - the falling out of love with it part.  

Time will tell......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My New Year's resolutions are to get back on budget, bring home less and organize what I do have already.

On the getting back on budget part - yesterday I ordered an Iphone and today I bought a new piece of furniture (at a retail store!). 
Whoops.

But, the Iphone will help me look up things when I am out shopping rather than just buying them willy nilly.  And now I have a mobile hotspot, so we can get Netflix on the TV, internet on the laptop and lots of other cool useful uses.  (Plus, I just really wanted it!)

The piece of furniture will help me get organized.  

As for the bringing less home - well, yesterday I bought thirty troll dolls at Goodwill.  Whoops again.  Better get them priced and OUT of here!

What did you find this year?


16 comments:

  1. Wonderful finds! Isn't it amazing that a pink Christmas tree can sell for $600?

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  2. When did you get the red Redman?

    Green?

    Whichever color it was...wasn't that this past year, too?

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  3. It would be so hard to part with that amazing pink tree...but $$ so I would have to 'think' about it...lol. Love all your thrift finds, you really are the best finder of wonderful awesome stuff. I am trying to keep this years stuff coming in to a minimum, so we will see also...hugs, Linda

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  4. Is your tin doll house still missing windows? If I can find my bagful of them I will send them to you. But I'm not promising I can find them....Sheesh. Does your basement look like MY basement?????
    rosie

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  5. Since that beeyouteafull pink tree missed out on Christmas at your house this year it sure would look nifty gussied up for Valentine's Day!

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  6. Ooh, yeah--Maureen has the right idea! Put that pink baby up for Valentine's Day!

    I have to say that now I LOVE having a smartphone with me while thrifting! I resisted it for so long and Quin finally had to put one in my hand and shove me out the door. LOL Now, I LOVE it and wouldn't want to be without it!

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  7. Pink tree.
    Glitter.
    Marge and Bill.
    those are my favorites for your year.

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  8. You ALWAYS have great finds! I've seen things you have found, and realized they were never on my radar when I was thrifting! You have educated me! :)

    I LOVE the pink tree! I'd never be able to get rid of it-no matter the price!

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  9. I'm so jealous of your pink tree! I thought of you when I was in antique store and saw a silver one marked $125. I thought "Shara sure is lucky to have the even cooler pink tree!" :)

    I hope that iPhone is on Sprint. ;)

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  10. Think of the pink tree as a retirement savings account, if absolutely necessary later you can part with it. For now it is happy in your possession. This is a decision you can change any time. Versus selling the tree and regretting it afterwards.

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  11. You will LOVE the iPhone, I promise!
    I use mine a ton for practical things like grocery and other shopping lists, calendar and have saved a lot of money not buying dud books for resale.

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  12. Love all your finds but the pink tree and the story with it has to one of the best!

    You step stool is infinitely cuter than my stack of cement blocks I stand on to put up our flag.

    Thanks for posting all this thrifting goodness.

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  13. Anonymous8:10 AM

    Love your blog! And I love your finds....I'm glad we aren't thrifting in the same places...You would be my competition!

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  14. love all of your amazing finds. i think you're one lucky gal. i've a few things i'm always on the look-out for, maybe this is my year.

    xo
    molly

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  15. "Vintage lawn sprinkler collection"?

    Isn't that code for "It's time to stage the intervention"? :)

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  16. wow the dollhouses are so pretty :)..

    I'm liking your finds!

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