All About Ephemera - By: Audrey Stanley

If you're new to scrapbooking, you may be asking yourself, "What
the heck is ephemera?" Well I'm glad you asked! This article
will cover everything you need to know about ephemera and how it
relates to scrapbooking.

Lets start with a definition. Ephemera is the plural form of
ephemeron. It is pronounced i-FEM-er-a. Both of these terms
refer to items that are designated to be useful or important for
only a short time. This includes anything from pamphlets to
movie tickets to receipts, even that sticker on your bananas!
Anything that has a temporary purpose qualifies as ephemera.

If you look around your house I'm sure you have pieces of it all
over. Now, what is the link between ephemera and vintage
scrapbooking, or even scrapbooking in general? Well, I must ask
you this...Why do you scrapbook? To preserve your memories?
Right? Or maybe, its a hobby to see who has the best scrapbook
ideas in your circle of friends? Ephemera covers both of those
bases. Each piece usually has a date and/or time printed on it.
Not only is this helpful when you're trying to remember when and
where your event took place, but years from now someone will be
reading your scrapbook. They'll be saying, "My
mom/aunt/sister/grandmother...or even great grandma was here on
this date!"

Remember those stories your grandparents told you about their
childhood?...gas was $1.50 a gallon, cokes were 15 cents, and of
course, you never believed them. Now you have proof for your
grandkids!

Now on top of telling a great story, ephemera is the perfect way
to dress up your scrapbook. Going vintage is all the rage right
now. Why not use these simple items to add some flare to your
drab pages? Ok, so maybe your ephemera isn't old enough to be
considered "vintage." Not a problem! There are plenty of places
to find vintage ephemera from whatever decade you're looking
for. Ask grandma, go bargain hunting at flea markets, antique
malls, garage sales, resale and second hand shops, and of
course, never under estimate the wealth of the internet!

If you're new to scrapbooking, you may be asking yourself, "What
the heck is ephemera?" Well I'm glad you asked! This article
will cover everything you need to know about ephemera and how it
relates to scrapbooking.

Audrey Stanley lives in a small town in Texas with her dog
oliver and 2 cats, pita and yoda. She has been scrapbooking for
over 20 years and also enjoys bookbinding. Audrey currently runs
the lonelypaper.com newsletter and provides others with the know
how to produce beautiful vintage scrapbooks.