The clock is ticking down — voting for our winners in the Found Objects Found Art contest ends tonight at midnight. Results will be hidden until I announce the first and second place winners on Monday, Feb. 22. They can collect their yummy prizes, #1 a pair of pendant lights from Satellite, and #2 a pair of our “Retro Renovation bibles” from Schiffer Books.

Note: The poll software allows one vote per computer, but there’s no stopping you from launching your own mini-campaigns. Don’t curb your enthusiasm – spread the word to friends and family, and along the way, help encourage the preservation of these wonderful memories of our collective past.

Our finalists (in the order their submissions came in) with all links opening in a new window:

• Julie’s locket
• Catherine’s guest book
• Meredith R’s flapper photo
• Shawna’s toy behind the dryer
• Kevin’s Kokeshi dolls

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Two more entries in our contest. SO SORRY about that! Penultimately — here is Lisa’s entry in our Found Objects Found Art contest, an intriguing stash….
She writes:

Have you ever gone to a thrift shop and spent your entire time digging through one special box, and never bothering with the rest of the store? That describes two hours of my life spent in downtown Minneapolis on a snowy afternoon. On the floor in the corner was a wooden crate filled with book cover printing plates, in a complete jumble, covered with dust. To describe me as a junkie for books, as well as retro graphics, is a bit of an understatement. Trying to maintain my cool, I inquired about their history (and their price) at the front counter; the clerk knew nothing. I purchased what I could carry. They now hang by my bookshelves, loved and appreciated.

An internet search provided some history. The publishing company, based in Minneapolis, printed these Latvian books (mostly pulp fiction, science fiction, and mysteries) between 1961 and 1964. The Twin Cities is home to many people of Latvian descent, and these were sold both domestically and overseas.

Each brass plate is ink stained, and you can see how the two- or three-color process came together for some stunning images. The book’s front, spine, and back were printed in one plate, layer over layer.

This “found object/found art” really speaks to me, because it embodies so much that I hold dear. The graphics alone are gorgeous, but hey…books aren’t printed like this any more. These have a warmth, and a sculptural, dimensional quality as well. And I like to imagine a Latvian immigrant, a typographer/printer like my own Italian immigrant grandfather, lovingly packing these away as his portfolio. Now they’ve found a home in my 1962 tri-level split, admired by someone who cherishes them just as much.

Thanks, Pam!

Lisa … a.k.a. “Beverly Sills”

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Now … our final entry in the Found Objects Found Art Contest.  Judi aka Sumac Sue”s tribute to those days when there were only three network TV stations – so we played games…

This is our final contest entry – I think.  If I missed you, please email me, retrorenovation at gmail dot com. And get ready: Voting starts Sunday.

Judi writes:

Hi Pam. Here is my entry for the found objects contest. While I think there are other entries far better than this one… I want to contribute something to the contest, if only to show
how many different types of objects can appeal to us all.

My photo shows a couple of my favorite games, Yahtzee and Pig Mania. Yahtzee probably was played by Adam and Eve, it’s been around for so long.  I first played Pig Mania in the 80s, so I don’t think that game has been
around quite as long as Yahtzee. This particular Pig Mania game originally belonged to my parents, but, at some point it got passed to me. I found this old Yahtzee set at a yard sale a few months ago.

These two games represent the dozens of games my family played around the dining table over the years, a tradition that got started when my siblings and I were kids in the late 50s and into the 60s. My parents would have a game night with us at least once a week, and we would eat popcorn and drink Barq’s root beer  while playing Old Maid or board games often based on TV shows, such as the Concentration Game or Password. I was a terrible game player; I would get bored and quit paying attention, so I usually lost the game or got the Old Maid card. (I did pay attention when we played the Barbie game, because I did not want Poindexter as a date to the
prom.)

I always liked Yahtzee and Pig Mania because they are quick and easy to play. My Pig Mania game box still contains a few old score cards from past games with my siblings and our kids. And, this Yahtzee game contains a
score card showing that some other family was just like us — Dad, Mom, and Molly penciled in their scores when they had a game night.

Thanks Pam, for a great contest!

Judi

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