Seeing Red

The color red draws me in like a moth to flame. This is never more apparent than when scrolling through my camera roll after an antiquing trip.

The day I found the lunchboxes, I also found this adorable kiddie tractor.

Nifty wall art, reproduction but cute for a kitchen.

This fabulous red typewriter that I badly wanted. It’s the sort of typewriter that great novels should be written on!

A great Coca Cola cooler.

And an even better Coke machine.

Of course, I bought none of these things but they made for great study during my little field trip.

Is there a color or a type of object that catches your eye?

There Was A Time

There was a time you could pick up a cool old coffee can for under $10. I have a few in my collection of random stuff – two hold flowers on the back porch and there are two or three in my kitchen too. All are missing the lids so they came for the bargain basement price of about five bucks.

I’ve seen many coffee cans lately but they’re going for upwards $20 and sometimes $30-$40 regardless of condition. These were over $50.

The market drives the prices but it’s shocking how quickly the tide turns and the prices rise.

Another item that has become almost too expensive to collect is records. In one of these bins, I found a Nat King Cole album that I purchase a couple of years ago for $2. Here it was $18.

The average album price in this antique mall was about $13 but many reissues of albums go for about $16. Since all the cool kids are going vintage I’m guessing prices will only continue to increase.

What do you collect that has seen a rise in prices?

Vintage Postage Machine

This is something you don’t see every day. Here’s a closer look. Check out those six cent stamps!

Midcentury machinery is always interesting to see and this is especially great because it contains stamps! I found this little beauty at a Dayton area antique store last month. I have no earthly reason to own it but it’s pretty fabulous.

A Signed Rolling Pin?

Occasionally you stumble upon something in an antique store or thrift shop that makes you ponder its origins. I love a good mystery and recently found something that has my imagination hard at work.

Check out this vintage rolling pin that is signed by a whole lot of people!

The ink pen signatures are still easily discernible but there are several in pencil that are darn near impossible to read.

I wonder who these people were and why they were signing a rolling pin. Perhaps a bridal shower gift or a going away present? It’s hard to tell but I love it.

It’s interesting, the difference in the way we value things. The seller had several vintage rolling pins valued at between about fifteen and thirty dollars.

This one was just eight- presumably because of the signatures. However, it was worth more to me than the others because of the signatures and the mystery that they provoke in my mind.

With a vendor sale that day I got this treasure for about six bucks. I don’t need it and have no idea what will become of it in my house but it needed to be rescued and added to my collection of randomness.

Do you have thoughts on who would sign a rolling pin and why? Was it a tradition? Does it have significance? I would love to hear your ideas!

The Nutcracker Family Restaurant

I don’t make it to Pataskala very often but always want to eat at the Nutcracker Family Restaurant whenever I’m in town.

It’s a locally owned place with a fifties motif, a whole lot of Coca Cola pieces and a collection of nutcrackers in all shapes and sizes.

It’s not an old restaurant and the exterior of the building is a little plain but the interior is a feast for the eyes for those of us who like that sort of thing. It’s really well done.

There’s a gorgeous counter with stools and lots of interesting things to see on the walls including gas and oil memorabilia as well as Coca Cola collectibles. The black and white tile floor, jukebox and working mechanical horse are simply perfect. At the cash register you’ll find a nice selection of vintage candies too.

They even have beautiful homemade desserts in a rotating case. Everyone knows that dessert from a rotating display tastes better!

The service is always good and the food is pretty tasty too. They serve breakfast all day and have everything from fish and fries to prime rib.

Meatloaf? You got it. A burger and fries? No problem. A club sandwich? Just ask. They even have a quinoa cauliflower burger which I want to try next visit.

The place is always busy and they have a lot of regulars which says a lot about a restaurant.

If you’re in the area I suggest you stop by and check ’em out.

Follow the Nutcracker on Facebook. From there you’ll find a link to their website which is packed full off good stuff.

Did you read about The Oasis Diner in Indiana? Man, I love a good diner!