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, November 28, 2015

The Week in Junk

I haven't had a junk post in a long time!  Part of the reason is that I have been sending more junk OUT to the booths and donating junk to the thrifts than I have been out looking for junk.  I sent a huge truckload of stuff to the thrift with the Breadman the other day.  He works in the next town over, so I send him my donations to take to a far away thrift store.  I do not like going thrifting and seeing my rejects on the shelves.  Sometimes I make decisions to let things go, but then I see them.  Just sitting there on the shelf all sad and I feel bad for them.  Yes, I know.  This is a bit of insanity on my part.  But, the struggle is real.  Also, I don't like to donate my things and then see it show up in the booth next to mine.  It has happened - I promise you.  ANYWAY.  For some reason that I cannot comprehend since he knows my RULE, he took it to the Goodwill that is right up the street from MY HOUSE.  WTH was he thinking?  I stopped in the other day and there was my stuff and more over there and that was mine and that and that and on and on and on.  It was AWFUL.  So, I can't go to Goodwill for the next month or so since I don't want to see it.

So the point of this post was junk, am I right?  Let's see what I can scrounge up.


I bought this at the last yard sale I went to - probably the last one this year.  I loved the patriotic feel to it.  I posted it on Instagram and one of my followers told me that her brother designed it.  Isn't that weird?  And wonderful?


I found this large old JAPAN Nativity set at the Super Cheap Thrift.  They are larger than the usual ones I find  - the largest one is 8" tall - they all have a 29¢ price on the bottoms.  


These camels were with them.  They are made of a different material, but have the same 29¢ price on them.  


I bought this old tree topper at my friend Paula's booth.  It has five little paper mache angles flying around the edges.  It is fabulous.  


This huge old oil painting will go to Lara for one of her gallery walls.  It is a great old painting.  I know a coat of chalk paint will really make it pop.  And, it was only TWO DOLLARS.  


A bad photo taken too late at night.  But then again it's "night" at 5:00!  The two candle blowmolds were from one thrift and all the rest was from the Super Cheap Thrift.  I saw the chairs in a cart beign carried out so I tailed the lady until she put them on the shelf.  The smaller green one isn't much, but the taller black one is pretty sweet.  They were 25¢ each!  I have been on the hunt for an Elf on the Shelf book since they came out.  I don't want a new elf - just the book to put back.  I've seen them at thrifts, but always in the special section priced $6 or so  I knew I would find one - and I did!  And for only 50¢!  The bells came out of Bunco sets.  The SCT sells all games for 25¢ so I love finding games I can part out.  Bunco comes with a bunch of PINK dice, which is cool.  Plus, each game has one of those cool bells in it.  I sell the bells for $5.00 in the booth.  

My very best find are these great old biology lab stools.


And, I did not "find" these at all.  Lara GAVE them to me.  She recently bought 35, yes, thirty five. of them and has had them in both of her booths.  I went on and on about how wonderful they were and she gave me two of them.   I said, "No!" as she carried them down the driveway.  And, "You mustn't" as she loaded them into my car.   If you ever meet Lara in person, NEVER comment that you like something or she will give it to you.  Act like you hate her stuff.  (It will be hard, but remain strong. You hate it.  ICK. Got it?)  She has given me so many things, it's pitiful. She's just the nicest person. EVER.

That's not much junk, is it?  Or even that great of stuff (except for those swoon-worthy stools).  But, that's all I have found.  I have been to my local Goodwill three times in a week and left empty handed every darn time.  What's up with that?  They have about twenty Christmas items on any given day. Where is all the Christmas, I ask you?  I have found very little vintage Christmas this year and I am selling a ton of it at the Fall Junk Ranch.  So, I NEED to find more or I will be forced to start selling off my collections!

HA HA HA HA

Not.  Happening.

So, have you found any good junk lately? 

PS PrincessShezzy - I left you a message on your last comment.  You made my day, girl!


11 comments:

  1. I'm with Princess Sherry, love when you post, check almost every day. Plus you are my gateway drug to other bloggers...
    In yet another case of our copycat lifestyle...yesterday when I needed my thrift break, I stared at a bag filled with most of your Japan nativity set. Now I will run back tomorrow ( closed today) and swoop it. There was an ox in there too...I know fancy.
    Chanelle

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  2. I'm super impressed with the fact that you are still able to blog with that blasted IG making it so easy to just show everything with one pic! And after reading Lara's post that she did on her home decor, I will tell you that there is NO WAY IN HECK I will be able to tell her I don't like her stuff with a straight face. Sorry, Shara. Not happening :-)

    ~Erica

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  3. I did not know I could be in love with . . . of all things . . . stools . . . mwahahahahahaha. But I am. Don't judge.

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  4. I so relate to seeing my donations sitting on the shelves of the thrift shop, but I'm too far away from any out of town. I also haven't found much vintage Christmas. I'm hoping as people start decorating and donating what they don't use that some will pop up this coming week. I do love those stools, omg she is amazing isn't she. I've found the 'elf' from elf on a shelf cheap but not the book.
    hugs,
    Linda

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  5. I have exactly the same rule on donating. I never donate to the places I shop because I'm afraid I will buy back my own junk - lol!!!

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  6. I thought I was the only weird person about not donating to my local thrift stores. I want to BUY IT BACK if I see it on the shelf! Not good!

    I'm hoping this week will be good for Christmas stuff at the thrifts. People putting out their decor and realizing they can part with their Great Aunt Martha's aluminum tree and stuff like that! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, I'll be forcing myself to weed out some my Christmas stuff so I can buy more Christmas stuff!

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  7. BTW, it makes me sad when I see people on your sidebar over there <- - - that I used to follow and they haven't posted on their blog in months and months. Where do all the good bloggers go? Wonder why they stopped? Do they have a life outside of blogging? OK, done being Debbie Downer :(

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  8. It makes me so sad to see my stuff on the thrift store shelf. I'm glad it's not just me.

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  9. Those stools are fabulous and yes Lara is the nicest person (but so are you). Love that patriot milk bottle, I can just see it on your holiday white shelves filled with flags! I haven't posted in forever, must get on it!

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  10. Haha, that is so funny!! I squealed to my boyfriend ¨ I GOT A MENTION ON THAT BLOG I LOVE " he just frowned at me and said ¨... that´s cool...¨ I don´t think it was as sincere as my delightful squeal!
    <3 <3 <3
    You have made my day also!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Haha, that is so funny!! I squealed to my boyfriend ¨ I GOT A MENTION ON THAT BLOG I LOVE " he just frowned at me and said ¨... that´s cool...¨ I don´t think it was as sincere as my delightful squeal!
    <3 <3 <3
    You have made my day also!

    ReplyDelete

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