Shawnee Pottery Owl Cookie Jar...

Recently, two sweet gals from our church took me antiquing in McMinnville and Lafayette, Oregon.

Though only about 45 minutes southeast of Portland, I'd actually never been antiquing there before.

One of the places we browsed through was the Lafayette Schoolhouse Antique Mall.

Three large stories of things to see!

It was there that I saw him, this owl cookie jar.

Out of all the things I'd seen that day, this was the only thing that really, really tempted me.

I guess when he winked at me, I was smitten.

His price tag was $45 dollars...I looked at him, walked away, looked at him, walked away.

April has been one of those "some extra unexpected expenses" kind of months, 

so in the end I left him there.

But, I certainly didn't forget about him!

When I got home, I did some online research and found out that he was made by Shawnee Pottery in the 1940's.

I also found out that he normally sells online for $125 up to $225!

Then I was really sad that I had left him behind!

I also discovered that Anthropologie sells a reproduction of this owl cookie jar for $68.

 I began to be tempted with thoughts of going all the way back to get the flirty little owl at Lafayette,

since an original in mint condition worth almost triple of the asking price now seemed too good to pass up.

But then, two days later, I unexpectedly received a box in the mail from Lafayette Schoolhouse Antique Mall!

My two friends bought my owl and had him shipped to me as a surprise!

He looks right at home in my house and he makes me smile every time I see him.

I named him Lafayette, after the place I first saw him.

He's extra special to me because of the friends who were so sweet to surprise me with him.

 In further research about Shawnee Pottery I discovered that another of their pieces from the '40s is this smiley piggie creamer.

I've had him since I was a teenager.

(No, I was not a teenager in the '40s! It was the 70's!)

Mama gave him to me to water some little house plants I kept in my bedroom.

If I recall correctly, she had picked him up at a yard sale.

Mama wasn't a yard sale- thrifting type and did not really have a fondness for knick knack type things.

I think that's why I've kept him and been fond of him for all these years.

She was thinking of me and somehow knew that I'd like him.

So, the owl led me to discover something about another piece of Shawnee Pottery that I've had for a long, long time.

And that my friends, is how, if you are not careful, if you don't practice restraint, you can start a collection....

which I will NOT do, I will not, I will not...no siree, not me, nope, nada, not going to...

Still following,