ephem*era–something of no lasting significance; usually used in plural
Paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use, but have since become collectible.
As a public school teacher, I’m naturally drawn to school and office supplies, especially paper and writing instruments. I was an avid scrapbooker and paper crafter for many years before the thrill of the hunt for of finding vintage papers and ephemera. Ephemera? What is that? People ask me all the time; sometimes they look at me and nod like they know but they don’t, and, “ok, weirdo, what’s with you and all this paper?” Because I have a LOT of paper. I mean more than a LOT.
When Instagram was the place to be for new side hustles and hobbies, I found myself hunting sisters in crime, the ones that had all the paper and stamps and inks and pens and glues. I found them. And then I found two that had VINTAGE paper. What?!? I can use old paper in my crafting? Oh, boy. I loved that. I ordered from a little shop called Boston Bag Lady as she listed her finds on Instagram for a small sale, and I went all in after the first order arrived, and ordered some more. I believe my first order included some Hallmark kitty cards from the 50s plus some old game cards and “ephemera,” and that is when I learned that strange word, “ephemera.” I didn’t know how to pronounce it either, so don’t feel bad. I used to say eff-meera. oops. That’s not it. It is e-fem-era. Got it? E-fem-era. But, I digress. Many people say it many different ways, but we all get it. You know, those of us that love it as much as they do.
So now that we know how to say it, what in the world is it? Trash? Emotional support trash? Well, yes, and no. Ephemera is usually scraps and bits of paper and other items such as old greeting cards, office forms, tickets, playing cards, stationery, envelopes, receipts, candy wrappers, clothing tags, and more! Do I have all of those things in seriously ridiculous quantities? Yes! I’ve been collecting for 15 years, and though paper is easy to store, when you collect too much (is there such a thing?), it takes over your extra bedroom, the formal living area, and formal dining room, too. You could also explain it this way: this is my craft room, this is my storage, and this is my Etsy shop. It works.
How did I find all this stuff? And why do I have duplicates or almost exact replicas of so much of it? First, my husband and I had already started hitting the estate sale circuit for mid-century modern furniture, and we just added ephemera to the list. It’s usually the stuff estate companies throw away, hence the name, until they figure out you are a repeat customer that asks for the old note pads with advertising and somebody’s used Rolodex. Oh, they have pastel pink typing bond? I’ll take that, too. It didn’t take long until we had a mutual agreement that is still in place, and some of the companies ask me to help with figuring out what is valuable and what is not. (Really, that depends on the buyer, but it IS different.) The seller usually bundles it up in big piles or in grab bag Ziplocs, and I’m on it. Years and years of collecting, though, have made me quite picky. I’ll leave it right here for now….
but stay tuned for Part 2!