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Home / What to Collect

1st Annual Useless but Wonderful Contest

Pam Kueber - Updated: August 9, 2021

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

ranch-house-bread.jpg

Yesterday I was in a cleaning frenzy, and I got the idea to host this contest:

What is the most incredibly wonderful, but basically, utterly useless vintage whatever that you found this year?

For me: 11 feet of wax paper, for Ranch House Enriched White Bread. I just had to have it (from ebay), even though I have no idea what to do with it.

So, everyone: Make me feel better by assuring that you, too, appreciate wonderful yet useless items from our past for their simple beauty. I read recently, in fact, that our culture identifies “art” by the fact that it is “purposeless.” That is, it is beautiful for beauty’s sake. My bread wrappers…with no contemporary purpose…are art, and you must have some, too!

Send me your jpegs and your story — and I will post as many as I can. The contest runs through Dec. 31. If the web guru and I can figure out how to install a “poll,” everyone can vote for the final winner. If not, I will be queen and choose.

Email your entries to: pam@retrorenovation-com-staging.enwf9w61-liquidwebsites.com

The prize: hmmmmm. I haven’t figured that out yet. It’ll be something good, most likely useless but wonderful.

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What to Collect

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4 comments

Comments

  1. adam richards says

    December 1, 2010 at 1:00 am

    use the paper as shelf liner in your kitchen cabinets

Trackbacks

  1. Retro Renovation » Sarah’s got the beat - with another Useless But Wonderful contest entry says:
    December 27, 2007 at 3:07 pm

    […] your entries coming, readers! Only one more week to go – contest ends Dec. 31. Win the acclaim of all your fellow Retro […]

  2. Retro Renovation » Useless but Wonderful contest: Enter now says:
    December 12, 2007 at 12:57 pm

    […] your own Useless but Wonderful item for our competition: Email jpeg and blurb to me at: […]

  3. Retro Renovation » 1st annual Useless but Wonderful Contest: Entry #1 says:
    December 11, 2007 at 11:48 am

    […] you top this? Review the (not very strict) rules here. Then: Send your jpegs of the most useless but wonderful thing you’ve bought this year to me […]

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