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.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

What Are The Odds?

There is a major craft fair in my area Labor Day Weekend.  And, it happens to be in the very tiny town where I have my Flea Market Booth.  From here to there along eight miles of highway there will be yard sales galore, a big tent sale, yards full of junk and collectibles and tables full of new things too.  In that town there will be even more sales and activities going on plus the actual craft fair.  Downtown is a long quiet small town street with nothing but flea markets and antique stores stretching down both side of the block.  Downtown is always bustling with bargain hunters, but on that particular weekend, it is crazy, crazy busy.  So, we are all stocking our booths in anticipation.  I got my booth pretty well set up last week, but, and this is a GOOD thing, a LOT of it has already sold.  So, I am hunting and gathering more and more to get it FULL.

Since the bulk of the people are there for the Craft Fair, it is the perfect time to make some things and cross your fingers that they like them.  I have been making and creating a LOT this past few weeks.  My house has glitter in the air and glue gun drops everywhere.  I have made my Kitschmas Wreaths encrusted out of vintage ornaments. Not Shiny Brite breakable ornaments, but old flocked and wooden ornaments.  I cram those wreaths full of stuff, put them away for a few days, then get them out and cram even more on them.  I mad two wreaths completely out of old Christmas bulbs too.  I made glittered cookie cutter ornaments.   I made a dozen of my "Little Ladies" for Halloween, Christmas and the 4th of July.   

I made vintage Birthday corsages like the one I made for my Birthday.  I love them.  Will anyone else?  Who knows!

One thing that is a certain sell is anything with a Razorback on it.  Now, much to the chagrin of the Season Ticket holder in the house (NOT ME), I do NOT like sports, football, the Razorbacks or red hogs decor.  Spit-tooey.  But, I kid you not, that stuff SELLS.  Like proverbial hotcakes.  One lady makes these wooden cutouts of the state of Arkansas, paints them with a Chevron design (anything Chevron sells like crazy too,  I just don't get it) and then puts a little heart over our part of the state.  People buy them out of her hands when she walks in to display them.  So, even though Razorback stuff isn't my "thang," money is my "thang"!  So, I figured out how what to make that was still "me" but still Razorback.  I used Wordle to make a bunch of different Word Clouds featuring all things Razorback related.  BTW, it says right on the Wordle website you can sell them and get rich if you want.  (It actually says that!).  I only printed the words in black, gray and red.  I framed them in black frames and they look great.  I just hope other people think they do too!

After I made those Birthday corsages, I thought that maybe I could make some red and white corsages and make them football themed.  I think they would be adorable.  I have a ton of boy and girl spun heads, so I am going to incorporate those into them as well as some sort of a Razorback emblem Modge Podged onto a wooden disc.  I bought a lot of 75 Horse Ribbons on ebay.  When I mentioned to the seller that I was happy to have found the red ones, he told me that he had over 200 more ribbons he could sell me.  So, I now have about 300 horse ribbons coming to repurpose, sell and swap!
I needed something "football" to add to them, so yesterday I looked on ebay and ordered these FOUR vintage football charms.  I think they will be just the perfect touch.  They are perfect and what are the odds that I could ever find anything just like that around here on such short notice anyway.

Well, after my trip to Goodwill today, I would say the odds were pretty damn good.  I spotted a bag of 85 silver footballs in the jewelry case.  Eighty five!  And for three bucks.  What are the odds of THAT happening? Now I can add multiple footballs to each corsage.

I'll put some photos up after I get all my things displayed at the Flea Market.  I'm renting a new space just for my creations.  I'm nervous but excited!



***Thanks for all the Birthday wishes.  I had a good day and I had a BUTTERCREAM cake.  Mmmmmm!
Winner will be announced on Monday.  Good luck to everyone!

10 comments:

  1. What wonderful creative ideas Shara! I love it! And your cake is so beautiful. Happy (belated) birthday!
    Much like your football charm story, I needed a replacement vintage ruby glass votive cup for a religious piece I was selling. I got one on Ebay for $8. Next day I found one at a flea market for 50 cents. What are the odds? :)
    Lorraine

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  2. KUDOS to whomever did this years cake! - definitely NOT a 'cakewreck'! ;-)

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  3. Shara you are so busy! I think your creations are wonderful and you should have good luck with sales. The birthday cake is yummy looking! Hugs, Linda

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  4. Talk about serendipity! (I thought the same thing as Sue about the cake, by the way! This one is very pretty!)

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  5. The odds are... your going to make a killing on selling those :-)
    big hugs,
    Cheryl

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  6. Shara,
    I am from Kansas City area but my son is going to University of Arkansas this year (in fact, we just got back from taking him). Where is the craft fair? Is it the giant one in Bentonville?

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  7. Shara,
    I am from Kansas City area but my son is going to University of Arkansas this year (in fact, we just got back from taking him). Where is the craft fair? Is it the giant one in Bentonville?

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  8. Happy Birthday! I know I am late but better late than never I say.
    Love the idea about the crafts good luck.
    Cathy

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  9. That is one GORGEOUS cake!! Yum.

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  10. We are down in minneapolis after spending 2 whole days talking to relatives and eating at our family reunion. Your crafts all sound great and Im sure you will sell a bunch. Tonight we are going over to the mall of america so the grandkids can do nickelodeon world. Tomorrow we fly home TO REST........

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