Reindeer Cookie Jar(?)

Today Alice and I woke up and went to an estate sale in a nearby neighborhood. Most of the furniture was a bit traditional for my taste - about 30 years too old for my liking. Ha.

I did find one thing I had to have...

Eeeeeee! I can hardly stand it - he's so cute!

Vintage + Italian china + reindeer + cookie jar(?) - "A Mottahedeh design". Mottahedeh china has been around for decades and hold licenses to make reproductions and adaptations from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Colonial Williamsburg, Winterthur, Monticello, Historic Charleston, Historic Natchez, and the National Trust. Mottahedeh china has been made for the President, the State Department and for the Diplomatic Corps.

Somehow it seems appropriate that I scored him at the same sale where I took home most of Elton John's vinyl catalog and I believe all of Linda Ronstadt's. Not sure yet what one [cookie jar] has to do with the other [vinyl] - it just feeeeeeels right. 

I'll tell you another thing about feeeeeeelings at estate sales. I find that the energy (literally how the air feels when you walk in the door) is usually palpable and specific. Something about the house we were in today was very sad. Alice and I were exploring and I felt a change in the air and I said "Hey Alice, it's sad in here isn't it?" and she said "Yes Mommy, it is sad in here." At one point I felt like I could cry.  Some other people heard me say that to my toddler and probably thought I was a nut case - but it was true - plain and simple.

You really never know - hell, they could have won the lottery and decided to get rid of everything else but that's not the sense I got today. I always try to be extra respectful and sensitive when I'm shopping a true estate sale. The family is usually not present - they've given some company permission to sell off everything with no financial expectation - 'just send me what you make, minus your (hefty) fee.' I often wonder if they get half the money they should have. BUT - that's kind of a downer now isn't it? 

To end on a happy note, here is some super fun vinyl art from today's bounty. Oh Elton, how we love thee...