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, November 12, 2012

The Week in Junk: Vintage CHRISTMAS

I am getting a jump start on Christmas this year.  I have to package all my items, decorate my booth, put out all my vintage items for sale, cull through my things and decided what's to keep and what's to sell and then decorate the house inside and out.  I have been sorting things this week and pricing them at night while we watch bad TV.  (The men of the house think we watch good TV.  They are mistaken except for DWTS, Survivor and Modern Family.)  I sit in the floor of the living room and price everything, when I get a box full, I take it out to the car so it is ready to go to the booth on my next trip.  I am trying to be calm and organized because I HAVE to get things sold at the booth so I HAVE to decorate and set it up.  But, I WANT to decorate at home and see all my lovelies.  No, I haven't forgotten about Thanksgiving!  The house is peppered with leaves, turkeys, acorns and squirrels.  I'm not jumping ahead.  I am just making preparations. 

I bought all this stuff at Goodwill and an an Estate sale run by some lovely ladies that read this blog.  (HI LADIES! 

Remember that PINK shelf?  Well, now it is all white and pretty.  I love the darn thing.  It's going to the booth, but I makes a great place to stage my Week in Junk photos!  

Nice older flocked tree to display in the booth with my ornaments that are for sale.  
You can see the flocking better in this photo.  (What is up with the sun going down at 4:30 and interfering with my photo taking??)  I think all my vintage ornaments will show up better on this old tree.  Plus, it was priced at a great price of $6.00 versus a new green tree the exact same size for $19.99.  

Yes, it's nearly Thanksgiving and Christmas is around the corner, but honestly, it will be Easter before we know it.  Okay, maybe not really.  But, I cannot leave behind a chippy old glittered bunny, so I had to bring it home.  
Old hurricane lamp with a bubble light - headed to the booth, sweet pixie planter - my second pixie item in less than a week and a wonderful old cellophane Christmas wreath.

The wreath is vintage, has a spun head angel, mercury glass pick, foil leaves and a wee Shiny Brite.  That, is perfection in a vintage Christmas item to me.

A long, long piece of a strange sort of garland.  It's scrunched up paper, I think, but I'm not sure.  It was given to me when I bought the wonderful old tree topper and the two old bottle brush trees.  I love the old trees with the red bases.  
Model train trolley for the booth, a Bucilla Stocking kit headed to ebay and a box of old fraction flashcards to be sold at the booth too.  Bundles of flash cards are good sellers for me.
I spotted this Longaberger wine caddy basket complete with liner and cloth bag on the cart that was being wheeled out at Goodwill.  Luckily, they don't mind if you take things off the cart there, so I grabbed it.  The small crystal vase was taped over and held all those little forks and such.  I have a drawer full of those darn tiny forks and knives.  I have no idea why, but I do!
Inside the vase with the tiny forks, I found a very sweet surprise.  A tiny set of sterling silver sugar tongs.  They are only about three inches long and simply adorable.  Don't you love it when you find something that you didn't even realize you were buying?

The thrifts are bring out the Christmas stuff like crazy and I LOVE it!  Loads of absolute junk and regular old Christmas crap, but occasionally a TREASURE!  Is the junk still running strong in your area?  

4 comments:

  1. I love that little shelf!! Are you keeping it or selling? It's just so perfect as a display piece! ANYWAY...I'm in love the Pixie planter! Oh those little guys always get me! The tree topper is wonderful also. OH, OK...I love it all! Hugs, Linda

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  2. I'm a pixie planter lover, too! Just got another one the other day. There is tons of Xmas stuff out at the thrifts of course but nearly all of it is new with Made In China stickers. I've found some good stuff at our local flea market, though. And yes, it's a happy day when you get something extra-special that you didn't realize you were getting. Which is not like the time I thought I was bidding on a rhinestone necklace at an auction, won the bid, and watched them hoist a dining table into the air that I'd just won! Surprise!

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  3. I have a big stash of that paper garland. I have found it in red, green and cream.

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  4. I agree-the wreath is perfect vintage Christmas!!!

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