May 31st....22 years

It's our 22nd anniversary today. 

 A perennial favorite is the story of how we met. 

May 31st

P.S.  I was NOT a fan.  

Tuesday's Thrifty Find

 Popped into a thrift today and nearly left empty handed.  

OH NO. 

That can't happen!

On my second trip through I spotted this adorable heavier than hell concrete kissing Dutch Couple.  

$3.99 each and in almost perfect condition. 

 I don't think they've ever been out in the elements.  The paint is pristine.

One chip on his head is the only imperfection I can see.

Now, what to do with them?  Are they too old lady for me to keep?  

I am not an old lady.  

*cough*

Or are they cute enough?

I can't imagine anyone buying them at the Flea Market because they weigh about 20 pound each.  

Either way....

it's another vintage rescue!

The Week in Junk: Bunny Shoes, Free Stuff and a Curb Find

I was hoping to find another sale at the same house I went to last week, but there wasn't one.  Crossing my fingers for next weekend, though!  She said she would have another one within the month, so I am rat holing all extra monkey for that day.  It was that good!  I vowed not to go to any sales until then.  But, I did end up going to a couple of thrifts and a few yard sales this week.  I can't be expected to go cold turkey, now can I?

I always think I will take photos of each days finds, but it ends up being more interesting to mix it up and make little vignettes with my junk.

An toolbox*, chrome serving tray*, white tablecloth, four old bake King loaf pans, two bottle brush trees, a crystal decanter, five old fishing tins, a small Craftsman toolbox tin and a set of gold Monopoly pieces.  *The wooden toolbox was blue and had COUNTRY written on it.  A quick coat of paint and it is current again.  *The chrome tray got a coat of Chalkboard paint and now it is a menu board.  I still need to glue a Scrabble tile holder to the bottom for a chalk holder.  (That black in the background is my kitchen door which I painted in chalkboard paint in 2002 WAY before chalkboard paint was cool.  Thank you very much. :) )

I stopped at a sale and they had row after row of old tackle boxes full of lures and fishing items.  I was looking  at the old tins just because I had never seen fishing tins before.  The man asked me if I was a fisherwoman and I told him that I just liked old tins and I had never seen fishing tins.  He walked over to the tackle boxes and started dumping out the contents and handing me the tins.  "Take them" he said.  "No one wants the tins."  There were lots of different ones, but I didn't want to be greedy, so he picked out the three round ones and I picked out the two small ones.  The small ones are about an inch long.  

The small Craftsman tool box tin is just right for my business cards.

Saturday I went to a Boy Scout sale where they handed you a bag and you could fill it up for $5.00 or pay the prices marked.  The only thing that I could find was a pile of old white honeycomb bells.  Twenty two of them, in fact.  They were 25¢ each, so it only made sense to put them in a bag.  And, since I had room left, I grabbed the white tablecloth in the first photo, a Boyds Bear tree topper (which I already put away), the green wooden toolbox from the first photo and a few more things.

 This vintage card game was at Goodwill.  Love the box and the cards inside are fun too.

This is a tiny model kit for a Viking Ship.  The box is quite small and is fun in it's own right.  

Now, this doesn't look like anything I would buy, does it?  This metal candle holder was at the Boy Scout Sale for $1.00.  It reminded me of those great old floral chandeliers.  I'm hoping to think of a way to re-purpose it. Any ideas?  I love the Hydrangeas.  

I stuffed all this in the $5.00 bag too.  I think I can use the papers and corrugated cardboard to make tags or signs.  Each pack is marked $4.00 and that is just crazy. 

 Vintage baby shoes that look like bunnies.  

My personal favorite find and the only real keeper of the week. 

I went to a sale Saturday (and all I bought was an arsenal of Nerf guns for The Bean.  $110.00 retail for $7.00.).  Across the street from that sale I spotted this table sitting bear the curb.  Not close enough to the curb to scream FREE, but close enough to look a cast-off.  I drove by it once, twice, three times.  Later that afternoon I made a Redbox run and drove by it twice.  Sunday night at 9:00 pm, I stood up and said, "Let's go see about that table!'  So, my junking companion and I headed out to see if it was still there.  It was!  And, this time it was truly at the curb.  With a trash can sitting beside it.  

It's white and all chippy and just totally the sort of thing I LOVE.  

I'm sure I could sell it for a pretty penny and fairly quickly.  But, sometimes, you just have to keep the best stuff for yourself.  Especially when it was FREE.  A special thanks to The Bean for jumping out of the car and loading it into the back of the car.  When we got it home, he looked at it for the longest time and I was just waiting for him to say, "Why did you want that old thing?"  But, you know what he said?  "Why would anyone throw this out?  It's perfect!"  I sure do love that junking buddy of mine.

**I've started replying to the comments that you leave me.  But, I don't know if you see those comments.  Do you?

***Thanks for all the ideas and help with my Market selling adventure.  I am writing everything down and making lots of lists.  Keep the ideas coming.  You can always email me at monkeybox@juno.com.  

Have I Told You

Have I told you that I am selling at my very first Vintage Market this Fall?  I started seeing things on Facebook about the "Farm-Fresh-Barn-Sale" that was going to be held in my area.  I "liked" it and was thinking it would be fun to go there and shop.  I mentioned it to my friend Lara, over at Pretty-Quirky so she could "like" it.  She decided that she would set up and sell some of her vintage wares.  She mentioned that maybe I should set up with her and sell some things.  I decided that I really didn't have time to get ready or to plan, or to hunt and gather things or to make things or to get ready in anyway, plus I have The Bean, The Breadman, my Mom and my Dad to worry over.  I really just didn't think I should so it.  I mentioned it to my Mom and she said, "You should do it."  So, what did I do?  Did I decide to set up with Lara like a sane person?  Oh, noooooooo...I decided to get my very own space and even request a BIG space.  What was in my brain that day, I wonder?

 A lot of the things I got last weekend will go to the Barn Sale.  In fact, this very picture was featured on the Fresh Barn Sale Facebook Page this week.

The sale isn't until the end of September, so in actuality, I have plenty of time to get ready.  I want to have a mix of vintage goods, ephemera and handmade items.   I sell quite a bit of Ephemera, so right now I am focusing on that aspect.

I jumped in on the jewelry making bandwagon.  I've been making glass tile pendants.  But, instead of scrapbooking paper, I have been making mine with vintage feedsack material.  I think they are very unique and each one is completely different.  I have been wearing a lot of them and I get a lot of compliments on them.  A couple of years I bought a huge baggie chock full of tiny scraps of old feedsacks and vintage quilting pieces.  I think they were for a postage stamp quilt, because each piece is only about an inch and a half square.   They make perfect pendants.  Each one has a silver bail and a ball bearing chain.  How much do you think I can price them?  I'm thinking $5.00 each.

I ordered a deck of playing cards with my header photo on them, punched a hole through the middle and hung the pendants on the cards, placed them in cellophane bags and taped them shut.  I'd show you a photo, but I already have them all packed away for the sale.  Doh!  Maybe someone out there could shoot me a photo of one "if" they get any Happy Mail from me this week........:)

I sell a lot of Scrabble Tile words in the booth that I pre-make on cards.  But, I can only think of so many words to make, so I want to just put out my bulk tiles and let people make their own words - like kid's names, last names, etc.  I bought a couple old muffin tins, painted them with chalkboard paint, put each letter in it's own muffin hole (?) and then wrote the letter in chalk above it.  (If you are doing the math, that's 24 holes and 26 letters, but I put X-Y-Z all in one hole.) I have hundreds and hundreds of Scrabble Tiles but I only have ONE "K".  If, by chance you sell Scrabble tiles and have a surplus of "K's" in your stash - let me know and maybe we could trade for them.  I sell a lot of ArKansas and RazorbacKs.  So, that takes a lot of "k's".

I put all of those neat old flash cards in individual cellophane sleeves and priced them individually.   I have tried framing a few, but the unframed ones seem to sell better since people want to put them in specific places with certain color themes.

I took that old unabridged dictionary apart page by page and made bundles of pages.  I tied each one up with Baker's Twine and priced them $2.00 a bundle.  I had a few other old dictionaries with great old patina on them, so I did that with them too.

Boy, this post would be better if I would have taken more photos before I packed it all away!

I want to set up a table with all my loose items - keys, chandelier crystals, dice, game tiles, skeleton keys, game pieces, milk  pogs, etc., in glass jars with scoops like a Candy Bar.  Price each item individually and have little sacks available to fill up.  Sounds good, but will I do it?

I have tons of things to sell, but I also have tons of things that I only want to use for display - like my old wooden ironing board, an old metal drying rack, vintage printers trays, etc.  I am hoping people won't wnt to try and buy MY STUFF all day long.  And, I HATE haggling.  So, I hope they don't haggle.  *Crossing fingers.

Since the sale is in September, I will take vintage Halloween and vintage Christmas too.  I want to make some wreaths and other unique things.  The things I tend to like aren't like the things that everyone else makes (those big mesh wreaths, painted furniture, etc.) so I want to be unique.  BUT!  Not so unique that no one "gets it".

So, what other ideas d you have for things I can sell?  What do you look for when you go to a vintage market place or flea market?  I will have a large mix of vintage, I just don't know what until it gets closer to the date.  I need to keep the booth stocked too.  I plan on ransacking the booth the seek before so I can clear some things out too.

Okay - what kind of ideas do you have for me??????

Last Night

Last night I had texts from New York, Texas and California asking if I was okay in the storms.  People I've never even met in real life - worried about me.  You guys are so sweet.

We had some heavy rain, damaging winds, lots of hail and flooding, but no tornadoes.  Thank goodness.  Scary stuff those tornadoes. 

  The TV is full of news from Moore, OK.  I had to stop watching yesterday afternoon when they reached the school and started pulling out kids.  I didn't want to see them pull out a body, plus it seemed like a very, very personal thing to broadcast on TV.  I just didn't want to see anyone before a family member even got to see them.  

 This morning I felt guilty laying in my warm bed and got up to see what the news was saying now.  Terrible stuff.

These photos were all taken from my front yard in a span of five minutes.  It changed really fast.  T hat first one made the whole neighborhood an eerie green color.  I know before a tornado comes, the skies get green, but this was different than that.  It was pretty, but scary too.  

This photo is all over Facebook today.  Normally, I hate these sort of cheesy signs because you know I DO love my junk.  But, today, it is so true.

Stay safe, my friends.

Day 2: Deja Vu

I went to sleep last night thinking about the sale I went to yesterday.  I woke up in the night thinking about it.  I woke up this morning thinking about it.  So, I got up and went back!  I got there about 10:30, which I know sounds really late, but the lady at the sale had told me that she would start taking things out about 10:00 or so.  

When I got there, I started seeing all kinds of new (old) things, so I knew they were bringing things out.  I started picking things up here and there and putting  them in my tote bag.  When I got one bag full, she said - "Start your pile over here."  So, I did.  There was a younger guy there and he had a pile going too.  He was digging in the jewelry boxes so I waited until he was done with one before I started digging through it.  He made remarks like, "I don't like reselling costume jewelry" and "it's too hard to photograph for online" and "it just gets stolen at the flea market."  I just let him talk because I knew he was slitting his won throat by saying he was a dealer.  Yesterday she had commented about the re-sellers coming early and trying to deal her down on things.  She said that she didn't mind people reselling it, but she really preferred that people appreciated her Mother's things too.  She could tell that I was over the moon about certain things and she loved that.  She said that I was buying all of the things that she thought she would have to throw out and that made her happy.  (Note to self:  Drive by the house on trash day).  I told her that I do resell some things, but mostly just to cover my expenses and to allow me to keep the things I love.  

When the guy was ready to deal on his pile, I hung close to see what she charged him.  I actually had more items than he did, but mine was all tidy and concise in my tote bags and a box.  His stuff was strewn all over the driveway and grass and he was buying these giant four foot tall table lamps with these huge ugly shades.  I mean, they were a monstrosity and I cannot imagine anyone actually wanting them in their house.  She had already told me that she really thought she could get about $60.00-80.00 for the pair, but I didn't say a word.  Of course, she remembered them in her house growing up, in the living room by the TV near the Christmas Tree - you know - she was really sentimental about those hideous lamps.  I suggested that perhaps she should take them to her house and she said she didn't want them.  I tried to get her to keep so many things!  She had about five jewelry boxes sitting out and people were just digging in them.  She said they were full of her jewelry from her teen years.  I said that she should dump them all in one box and take it to her own house.  I mean, how much room would that take up in your house?  Again, she said no.  I did find an 18K gold little bracelet that I handed  back to her.  She did remember that from her childhood and stuck it in her pocket.  

So, I suppose you didn't come hear to listen to me yak about it.  You came for the pictures and the deets, right?

These bowling balls didn't make the "big" picture.   The black one says "Dick" and the green one says "Ester".  I was so tired and hot when I left the sale that I couldn't think of making one more trip to the car so I hired a third grade boy named Sawyer that was shopping to carry one of those balls to the car for me.  He was thrilled with his dollar and I was thrilled with the help.

Okay, here's THE BIG PICTURE:

Lots and lots of goodies.  Again.

A wicker mirror I will paint for the booth, a little china girl holding a basket, an old Max Factor compact, a little glass dog shaker bottle, lipstick holder figure  and a wee pair of mittens.  

Close up of the tiny mittens with baby ducks on them.  If you are thinking those are the tiniest mittens/gloves you have ever seen, well you are WRONG.

These are, in fact, the tiniest gloves ever.  One has a squirrel on it and the other has a bunny eating an apple on it.  I guess they are for dolls, but I don't know.  (Excuse my "I used a can of chalk paint the other day and had to use a SOS Pad on my hands to get if off" manicure.  I still have chalk  paint on my feet....)

A turkey planter for my collection (and to replace the one The Breadman broke last year) and an old slinky.  

She hadn't found the Christmas after all, but she did bring out these three boxes for me to see.  That other guy heard "vintage Christmas" and swarmed in for a look, so I took them.  Those red ornaments in the middle are about eight inches long.  There are two tree toppers in that box too.  The wooden tray will get a coat of paint and a decal or something added to it.  A wooden toy from the Smokey Mountains, a little plate from Santaland, two old Little Golden Books, an old birthday invitation from 1962 and that wee teeny pair of gloves.  

A set of three old metal nut bowls with cool graphics, tiny Salt and Pepper shakers on a tiny cutting board, a red and while crocheted potholder and YES a watermelon potholder (I had to rescue it), part of an old chopper, an old metal napkin holder (I've seen these used as frames), a glass egg cup and a wrought iron frame.  

An old doll cradle full of plastic child's dishes that look like pressed glass and milk glass.  

Four more old confectionery tins.  She came running out of the house and thrust these in my hands - "You bought the other ones yesterday!" she said.

I was hesitant to look in the jewelry because so often is it picked through or high priced.  But, when I spotted all those flower pins - SWOON!  She said jewelry was 25¢ or 50¢ each, so I grabbed all the pins.  One of those charm bracelets is a vintage Disney with character charms, the other has little telephone of all types throughout the years stopping at a Princess phone.  The necklace has a little vial of Mustard Seeds on it.

A matte white pottery swan.  I have a strong aversion to swan items, so it is booth bound.  But, I just couldn't leave any piece of vintage pottery!  

There were tons of books, but I am trying SO HARD not to buy any books.  But, old children's books and cookbooks are good sellers and fun to look at, so I grabbed all I could find.  The box of History flashcards is packed with a thousand cards.  

American History up to 1898.  Really old book that I had to get.  I love old books.  A fish wall pocket, more cook books and a wheeled plant stand with mod graphics.  I looked at it yesterday and a couple time today and she said, "Just put it in your pile already."  Ok.  

Six old pie pans.  Some have names on them, others are blank.  I want to make one of those tiered dishes or  put them on wooden candlesticks to make different height levels for display.

More dolls.  I had picked the toy box clean of dolls yesterday, but it was reloaded today. I think those old plastic faced dolls are neat.  Can't really figure out he one with the green hair though.  

I've never seen one like this before, so I think she is extra special.  That little naked doll has the funniest face - I swear he looks like an adult in the face.  

So, today was fun.  She's having another sale within the month, so I will most likely be driving past that house a couple times a day just to make sure that it's not that day!  She still has storage sheds and the attic to sort.  The good stuff is usually in the attic!  Ack!

Note to self:  Must win Powerball tonight to make make enough money to buy it all.  

It was a "Magpie Ethel" Kind of Day

Every week, I see Laurie's post over at Magpie Ethel and wonder how on earth she finds so much fabulous stuff every,single.weekend.  I have longed to have my very own "Magpie Ethel" Day.  Guess what?  TODAY WAS THE DAY!

First stop of the day - the one and only Church Sale that is ever in my town - always the weekend before school gets out for the summer.  Prices are still 5¢, 10¢, etc.  I can always find some good tings there.  Today, someone had donated a plethora of vintage Easter items.  Vintage Easter rates right up there with vintage Christmas and is actually harder for me to find.  After the Church Sale, I went to three more yard sales then I stopped at one more sale which would provide to be one great sale for me.  Lots of vintage being pulled out by the box load from the house and sheds.  The lady having the sale didn't really know what all she had - it was her Mother's house and she was cleaning it out.  Nothing was priced, so I gathered up an armload to get a feel for pricing.  She quoted a fair and inexpensive price, so I started my "pile".  As I shopped, we visited more and realized that our paths had crossed in the past.  She also realized that I knew what things were and that I appreciated them.  So, she started giving me even better prices.  :)  

After I loaded up the car, I went home to change since it had gotten into the 80's and was super humid.  I picked up the boys and bribed them with a trip for pizza if I could just stop at another (neighborhood) sale.  I left off the "neighborhood" part.  Ha.  I found a bit more there and then we went for our pizza.  Dirty and sweaty.    

Are you ready to see the whole Enchilada?

Are you sure?????

 Boom!

 Vintage Easter including two old sawdust stuffed bunnies, some plastic springy toys, a spun cotton bird nd two big chenille chicks.

Two German paper mache eggs, a pompom bunny, chalkware bunny head and squeaky chick.

 Old Starex metal bottle opener, sweet crocheted dress potholder, two silver baby forks and a baby spoon. That teddy bear is an old baby powder bottle.  The lady said her Mom used it on her as a baby, then she used it to powder her dolls bottoms.  "Don't you want to keep it" I asked.  "Nope."

 Donkey Party Game, old metal Chinese Checker game, Cribbage board, tiny Hearts card game, Car Bingo card (more on that later), Bingo Game and Flash Cards.

Old wooden toy tools, Pipe Cleaner Art kit, a Japan Angel, plastic elephant, a new silver tree and some plastic poinsettias.  The poinsettias were inside a big glass ball that I had plans for, but when I picked up the box to carry it, the glass ball crushed.  

Kewpie Doll, Tupperware cookie cutter set, lime green wicker purse, neat old basket purse and a non-working West Germany cuckoo clock of sorts.

Big old tin and an assortment of old dolls.  Don't say they are creepy - they are sweet!

 Lots of old Little Golden Books and other vintage books.

 Pottery!  Woot!  Love them all.  Plus an old street map book of Los Angeles from the 1960's/

Love this little fat pottery pot most of all.

 Pefumes from Paris - la la la - Jadeite ashtray full of a dozen pearl necklaces with old rhinestone clasps.  The necklaces were in one of those old tins you can see in the back.   There are some pretty ones in there.

Three old confectionery tins, a china cat, a box of over 100 old clothespins, an old red transistor radio and a bunch of old cookbooks.

 Like a LOT of old cookbooks.  I love looking at these old books and reading the old recipes.

Four vintage chalkware fish in perfect condition.  They usually have broken fins when I find them.

Here's that Find-a Car Bingo.  You look for different colors and models of cars while you are riding in the car.  I need a two tone Studebaker to win!

Two of my favorites - the tiny Hearts game and German wooden guy.

Always happy to find some of these eggs.  

 They are NOT creepy!

Crocheted potholder dress, two pieces of needlework and a tablecloth.

 A dandelion tablecloth to be exact.  Achoo!

What a day!

And, guess what, guess what, guess what?  

She's bringing out even MORE tomorrow and has promised to keep the Christmas back for ME.

*Thud*

Hope I live through another exciting day!