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.

Friday, October 17, 2014

The Week in Junk and An Adventure Too

There is a huge craft fair in the area this weekend  - a couple hundred thousand people come for it.  It is MEGA.  You can get there from two different directions  - a country route and a lake route.  The country route that I take is chock a block full of popup craft fairs, antique sales, garage sales and swap meets.  Lara was out hitting some sales Thursday morning and sent me a text that I should stop at a little swap meet along the way.  Just as she was hitting "SEND", I walked up and knocked on her window and scared the beejeezus out of her.  Sorry about that, Lara.  (It did give me a chuckle, though!).

I didn't buy anything at the swap meet, but I did stop at a big sale up the road.  They have a sale every year during this weekend.  They have a ton of junk.  Lots of it is junk - new Christmas, clothes, toys, etc.  Not my type of thing.  I think they go and buy out sales at the end of the day or something - they have a huge shed full of stuff they drag out.  My first purchase was there and was something I have not ever bought because I just don't get the whole crocheted afghan thing right now.  Vintage crocheted afghans are HOT.  
This bright pink one afghan was the first one to ever tempt me.  When given a price of $1.00, I bit.  It smelled a bit funky - I think it was from being in that shed all summer.  I washed it and will put it outside to dry tomorrow.  

It takes many hours to do the four HUGE tents on one side of the Mill and another hour or two to do the tents on the other side - so we had to get out there pronto.
The best part of the day is the picnic I pack and we eat on the riverbank.  We watch families as they sit and get out their purchases.  We also love seeing what people go get to eat.  Sausage on a stick.  GIANT Turkey legs that no one ever finishes.  Strudel.  Funnel Cakes.  Funnel Cakes.  Funnel cakes.  Corn on  stick.  Mammoth hotdogs. Giant hamburgers.  There I sit with my PB&J, Pringles and Grapes.   None of those food truck things sound good to me and they are SO expensive.  I sweat spending money on food, so we always pack.  
Look at all the people headed over the bridge.  It is insane.  

After the craft fair, we found a swap meet up on a hill, so we stopped.  

I got the bow tie quilt for $2.00.  It's not great and not that pretty.  But a handmade quilt for $2.00 always comes home with me.  The cats like sleeping on them.  You can take them on picnics, use them in the car to cover up junk.  Lots of reasons to buy a $2.00 quilt.  

I also bought these new in the package vintage socks.  I think they are women's size.  They are small but they would fit me.  There is a certain demographic on ebay that will like them.  (Can you say ADULT BABY?)

I bought a few more things, but they are mixed in with the other stuff from this week.  

I picked these up today for the booth.  I sold a pair at the Junk Ranch, so I know these should sell too. The lady told me that they were VERY OLD.  And they were on her husband's porch his entire childhood.  Well, the big UPC sticker on the back and the polarized plug say otherwise.  You would think with a story like that the price would have been more than the $5.00 I paid.

I picked this little one up at Goodwill earlier in the week.

I found this old fishing basket thingamajig today.  Usually when I see these they are about $20.00.  This one was 50¢.  I am picturing it chock full of Shiny Brites.  Wouldn't that be cool looking?

Finds from here and there.  Wooden serving spoon and fork.  Old rolling pin without handles.  I keep buying these.  I KNOW there is a use for them somewhere.  THINK WOMAN, THINK.

The box is cool - I want to paint if and use it in my vintage market set up somehow.  I'm thinking of standing it up like a door and using it for pendants.  

OH MY GOD A TAMPON COMMERCIAL JUST CAME ON MY COMPUTER FROM NOWHERE.    

Heart attack.  

Cute vintage frog planter for me.

Kokeshi dolls that I cannot seem to pass up but have a terrible time selling.  

Vintage toadstool planter and a handful of old tarnished spoons.

From Goodwill - cute little coffee set with a kitten wahing his mittens on it.  The peculator top was missing - can you tell it's a pushpin?
Diecast Construction toy.  It was 25¢.  I think I can Christmas it up somehow.

And now it is time for  SHARA'S BULK BUYS OF THE WEEK........

Eighty five corks.

A gross of Miley Cyrus Foam finger cupcake picks.  :)

And, a gross of vintage gold bells. 

I have no idea what to do with the corks, bells or fingers.  But when I see it and it's cheap, I buy it. 

But, you already knew that...... 





14 comments:

  1. That sounds like a day in heaven to me. I have not been out thrifting forever (hubby is on vacation and that totally throws a wrench into my thrifting plans :). Great Christmas candles. BTW, I think they invented UPC codes in the late 1800's :)

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  2. A guy at the flea market was selling a "vintage" Santa blowmold for $40 last weekend. He was telling me how they were all the rage back in the day and that they are highly collectible now. I told him that if he wanted to pass something off as vintage, he should remove the Walmart sticker on the back. He was a condescending ass so I didn't mind being a little snarky to him.

    ~Erica

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  3. The blow mold story cracked me up! Nice haul.

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  4. Ditto on the blow mold story. I am always amazed at what people try to pass off as old and with a price tag to match. Sounded like a great day and the weather glorious!

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  5. Anonymous3:04 PM

    I've seen ideas on how to make cork doormats (sarahracha is one site with instructions).
    A friend gave me over 200 corks...will make that doormat one of these days!

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  6. I would love to shop with you. I love the funky stuff. Corks are a great buy, so many people craft with them. Love the little coffee pot and the fish basket thingy...so many fun finds. Oh yes cheap quilts are always a bargain. I do love the PINK crocheted afghan! Most of the one's I see are all the browns and golds from the 70's!
    hugs,
    Linda

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  7. Finally! My 90 year old auntie is sitting on a mountain of those crocheted afghans! She is rich really rich!:)
    Love your stuff as always
    Cathy

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  8. Crochet is my art form. The afghans are generally meant be used and they are extremely warm. The earth tones are generally from the 70's or thereabouts. I'm enjoying the fact that it's so popular right now, it's a cycle and things will be in then out then back in again. It seems like quilts were popular for a while and then out, but I'm seeing more of them lately. And there is never enough crochet for me!

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  9. My good friends sister used to sell every year at that craft fair (she had 8 different booths!) she sold her packaged mixes and she always talks about how huge it is. Good finds, I happen to think that pink afghan is charming! I can think of a ton of things for your corks but none for the fingers...hmm. Love that tiny tin tea set, so cute!

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  10. Love all the things you found, Shara. I know you'll come up with some great ideas for all the "bulk" items you found... Too funny about the candle story. Did you put the push pin in the coffee pot? Great idea - it looks like the real thing..

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  11. You crack me up especially with the socks. I like the child's dishes and the frog planter you got.

    Danielle

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  12. Awesome buys!!! Good grief - I wanna shop with you! Have you thought of booking a tour bus and selling the seats to go shopping with you? I bet you'd sell out!

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  13. MILEY CYRUS!!!! LOL!!!!! That guy at the yard sale on the hill said he sold $200 worth of fabric the first day... the day I drove right by and didn't stop. *sad face* I did get that book though, and a couple of other goodies. And "freshly dug" sweet potatoes. :)

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  14. I'm catching up on some blog reading and I about died laughing (at work!!) about the tampon commercial thing. You crack me up!!

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