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.

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

The Week in Junk: One Ringy, Dingy

The junk has been few and far between here as of late.  Mostly it was so very, very hot.  Then it rained every day for a week.  Now it is hot AND rainy.  What the heck?  Also, I am trying to be good and not buy much because in two weeks it is the BEST DAY EVER!  Bargains Galore on 64.  I have always wanted to go, but until last year I hadn't made it.  But last year, I went and it was the best fun I have had in a very long time! Here is the post I did last year after the trip.  I bought one thing here and one thing there and when I got home and unloaded - I had a lot of great stuff!  The old cake decorations turned out to be my most profitable items and I still have two giant bags left to sell!  The Teletubbie cake toppers sold from $22-$27 each set and I had dozens of sets.  Oh, that was a good find.  I am anxious to see what is waiting for me to find this year.  There is one specific sale I want to head to first then we will just wing it from there.  Yippee!

Anyway, I have bought a few things here and there lately.


Antlers for a pickup truck.  Yep.  You read that correct!  They are in the college booth waiting on a frat boy with a truck.  *Fingers crossed!*


This is a beautiful print.  I don't do well with religious prints, but this one was just lovely and under a buck, so I grabbed it.  I will take it to the Junk Ranch.


This old print has metallic PINK embossed foil in the background and an gold metal decorative frame.  It was at the SCT and the price sticker said FREE.  I debated whether I should take it or not. But I decided I had the best chance of getting into appreciative hands.


Advertising on the back.  Hopefully I can find someone to appreciate it.  (And I just might give it to them.)


This Dachshund condiment dish is funny. 


It's even better with all four pieces.  Ketchup, onions, mustard and relish for your hot DOG?  This might go on ebay although the idea of mailing it is daunting.  Maybe to the Junk Ranch.


A small child's wicker chair.  It isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn cute.  Nice and sturdy for a kiddo or teddy bear.  Or my cat as it seems to be so far.  


This silly little pumpkin head was 35 cents.  I'll transform him somehow before Halloween.  It'll be here before you know it!  


I found one of these vintage hand painted plates on the shelf at the thrift, then I spotted and another and then another and before I knew it, I had a dozen in my arms.  They are quite lovely and well done.  I don't know if they are great sellers, but I had to rescue them and try to find them a new home. To the booth they will go.  


A repro tin tray - to the booth.  


I found this old Redmon picnic hamper at the thrift yesterday.  It has some condition issues, but since I had never seen one before - I had to bring it home to put in my pile of baskets. It's the size of a cooler, so it will make great storage.  I don't buy much to keep anymore, but this is a keeper.



Now, let's discuss these little darlings.  Tiny salesman sample telephones.  Seriously.  Have you ever SEEN anything so damn cute?  Saturday the family was with me when we stopped in at the Super Cheap Thrift.  A huge storm came out of nowhere and we were trapped in the thrift for about an hour. It was THE BEST DAY EVER.  :)  As we looked out the window at the storm, we were all pawing through the big toy bin.  The Breadman pulled out the beige phone and said, "Need a tiny phone?" and THREW IT BACK IN THE BIN.  Well, DUH.  Yes, I dove in headfirst after that phone!  Then he pulled out the BLUE phone and then the GREEN phone.  It was the hottest, sexiest thing I have ever seen him do.  HA HA  He is NOT a thrifter and he found the best find ever.  That particular thrift is funded by the local telephone company and I have HIGH HOPES that they donated a truck load and I will slowly find them one by one.  I really, really, really NEED to find a PINK one.  Really, really!  I need to sell them, but come on -three is a COLLECTION. (And they were only a quarter each....so I am not even out the price of a candy bar....)

(I still have then lined up on the coffee table so I can just stare at them all the time  Do you do that with a new find?  Keep it close and just admire it?)

11 comments:

  1. Those phones! I will often hang on to an item until "the next show" ...my fostering program. By the next show, I am usually good with letting it go and hubby is used to seeing it so no longer an issue. If I "forget" to bring it to that next show, and he mentions it I say "dang! Next time"

    Chanelle

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  2. Do I keep my new finds close and admire them? ALL THE TIME, SHARA!!! I don't get rid of hardly anything :-)

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  3. Oh, I am so stealing Amber Rose's "fostering" of items. Now when I talk about my hoard of things, I will say I am "fostering" them until I find a good home or use them in my creations. Uh, you know the phones are now a collection and they MUST stay in your home. The little pumpkin face looks like a Blythe doll.

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  4. I want those phones and a pink one would be a dream come true! Yay for the Breadman! Its almost to hot to thrift but I've still been stopping on occasion. Love the big picnic basket also.
    hugs,
    Linda

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  5. Those little phones are amazing! Like the find of the century, but then again you had that aluminum Christmas tree, so they might be tied for the finds of the century!

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  6. Love those phones. I once found a set of salesman samples of bath tubs. They were cast iron and would fit in the palm of your hand. Cool find on those religious prints. The first one is St Therese of Lisieux, who is a very popular saint. You should have no trouble selling her, I would think. I think you ought to hang on to the cool Jesus pic because of the pink foil. You need a pink Jesus item. You know you do.

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  7. OOOH! Tiny phones!!! I hope you find more of them, they are wonderful. The picnic basket is great, too - even with condition issues. I love the little pumpkin face just the way it is. Yes, I keep my newest finds close. I love looking at them. I haven't been able to go saling/thrifting much this summer since my husband is ill, so I'm enjoying the heck out of your finds.

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  8. Holy bat phone you find the neatest stuff!! Coincidentally I had an experience with a phone yesterday. I have a push button turquoise phone in my booth. Alas - the tag came off or was pulled off. Someone wanted to know the price and the antique mall called me. But I was away from my phone and couldn't give them the price in time. I had it priced high because I wanted it to hang around (such anti-entrepreneurial behavior). I'm going to stare at some Schmid Porcelain Demitasse Cups tonight . . . so yes, it's a thing gurrrrrl.

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  9. Oh yes, sometimes it takes a while "get my eyes filled up" with a favorite find or project!

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  10. Can I PLEASE purchase the tiny mint green telephone from you? PUH-LEASE?!? :)

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  11. Our cat started doing the window thing at night too. He sits and howls and I know he can't see much because of how the window looks over the roof. I have to open the blinds every night or he'd destroy them! What is up with that!

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