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, December 14, 2015

Christmas: It's The Little Things

When I decorate, I usually put the same things in the same places, but try to mix it up or arrange it a bit differently.  The Santa collection always goes in the corner bookshelf, but I try to make it look different from the last year.  The funny thing about all my collections and decorations - no one ever sees it but the three of us (and the Breadman in oblivious and has never as much as put an ornament on the tree).  I never have company, the neighbors don't come over and we don't entertain family other than my Mom (who LOVES my decorations).  So, I truly do all that I do just for me.  The fact that you guys like it and want to see it is my saving grace!  But, this year something magical happened.  Lara came over and looked at every single thing and clapped her hands and squealed and made my heart very happy.  She gets it!  She likes it!  I'm not completely insane for having all this stuff!  Yay!

So, on to part One of the House Tour - The Little Things.


This shelf is new and holds my miniature pottery collection throughout the year.  I have enough candy containers to fill it up, so I did.  


I should have taken a photo of the backs of those devil elves in the center.  Baby got back.  Those guys have the BIGGEST butts.  Cracks me up.


Gurley Candles.  I don't have a huge collection of these like a lot of the IG'ers and bloggers.  But, I love the big three matching Santa's and the two smaller ones.  I had plans to print out an old Gurley Candle label to put in the blank space, but I could never find a good scan on the computer.  The blank space was driving me crazy, so I stuck the "holiday Cheer" sign in there.  


The Dime Store Decor.  I'm not sure I added anything new to this area this year.  But, it is different than last year and really one of my favorite areas.  I would leave it out all year long if I thought I could get away with it.  


Wait!  I did add those three angels in the front this year.  Found them for 25¢ at the SCT.  Back when I was having such a bad time with the Breadman's job loss and my Mom's accident and my Dad's heart - man that was a bad few months - many of my lovely blog reading friends sent me little packages and pick me ups.  In three of those packages were those Scotch tape tins.  I loved it that three different people saw them and thought I would like them.  And I do!  They still make me smile.    (Bad photo due to bad lighting due to 8" of rain in two days and no sunshine.)  


Miniature ornament boxes, angel hair, ornament hanger boxes and a few other fun things.  Those Egg Nog cartons - you've seen them before.  They are one of the very rare things I have ever ordered on ebay - most of my things come to me locally at sales and thrifts.  But those egg nog cartons are just fantastic and I am so happy that I bought them!  


More fun stuff.  The angel in the middle reminds me of one of my favorite stories from all my years in blogging.   If you have a few minutes, here it is. 

I'll be back with more.  There's always more....:)

14 comments:

  1. Reading along...coveting your egg nog containers...expanding pictures to ooh and aww. Then...bawling like a big old baby. Dang it Shara, I've got a big meeting this morning!
    Love it
    Chanelle

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  2. The 'Creepy-BIG-butt-Pixies' are The.BEST!!!! They are a definite KEEPER whenever I find one 8-)!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  3. Lovely! I am really enjoying looking at all the other bloggers' Christmas home tours, as I am not decorating this year. We'll be on a 3 week vacation over Christmas and New Years, so it didn't make sense.

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  4. Lovely Xmas decor. I love all the attention to details.

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  5. I feel the same way you do - I decorate for me and my daughter. I've started doing a little IG and it's fun to find other people who "get" my style because most people don't. Merry Christmas! Mary (masteinbrink at msn.com)

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  6. I love seeing your collections and what you add each year! So much fun! Of course Lara gets you!!
    hugs,
    Linda

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  7. Holy Hannah, I have known you how long and I do not remember reading that blog entry. I need to go back to the beginning and see what else I missed. That was a heart warming, eye leakage one.

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  8. Your last line in this post sure did make me smile!! Ahhhh...more! I follow my favorite blogs via Bloglovin and you should see how happy I look when it lists a new post by you. You're so generous with your photos.I really enjoy seeing your "stuff" and the cute ways you display it.

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  9. I adore your decorations and so happy Lara could come over and enjoy them with you and "validate" the collections!

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  10. Not a lot of people will see my decorations either. Thank god for IG!! Then it's like we have a million people touring our awesome stuff, huh?

    I must find some of those egg nog cartons. They are awesome!

    Erica

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  11. I love your stuff and the way you display it!!! Thanks for posting the link to the angel story again. I needed that today.

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  12. I'm so jealous that Lara got to see it in person. No one sees my crap except people online either :) Husband is oblivious to any decor changes I make unless it involves power tools.

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  13. I love all your displays--both holiday and every day! You really have a great eye for it. I wish you did it for a living--i would so hire you in a heartbeat to help me with my cool things that just never look great no matter what I do--aargh! You could commute to Colorado, right? ;) (I cant figure out how to make my email show so Ill just stick it here--Linda cowlesmail@gmail.com

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  14. I just love all your goodies and the way you display them. You can see the love that goes into the displays...even if nobody sees them but your family. In my case, nobody would see them but me! My hubby wouldn't notice if you hit him over the head with a four foot, rubber faced Santa. Thanks for sharing...

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