What is Paper Ephemera?

Sometimes I think that the word "Ephemera" is thrown around so much in the mixed media and art journaling world that it can become a confusing "jargon" word for many people. So I wanted to take a minute to break it down and show you exactly what it is and what a great (and free!) supply it can be!)

Define it!

Ephemera is defined as 

Things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time.

Collectable items that were orgininally expected to have only a short-term usefulness or popularity

So paper ephemera is really things that you would collect that have only been created for short term use. Things like advertising literature (think brochures and leaflets), packing and wrappers, greeting cards and postcards.

Collect it!

So I am always on the look out for ephemera to collect and add to my stash. Heck when I was in work one time I saw a cool shopping bag with this awesome fly design on the front of it. You can bet I pulled it out of the recycle bin and took it to use in my art journaling!

I'm sharing with you my collection of paper ephemera and my entire paper stash in this video so that you can get some hints and tips on what to collect for yourself.

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Use it!

I'm always adding ephemera to my art journal pages. It could be a magazine image or a paper wrapper, anything at all that catches my eye. I am always on the look out for inspiration when I am out and about.

If you start training your eye to look out for interesting supplies when you are out and about you will be surprised what you may uncover!

Next week I'll be sharing some ephemera that I have found out and about this week and I would love to see some photos of yours! Tag me on instagram so that I can see them all!

Create journal pages in just twenty minutes

Yup that's right, just twenty minutes and you can check out just how that was done by enrolling in my new SkillShare class.

If you’re not familiar, Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes on everything from business to graphic design to fashion – it’s the Netflix of learning.

My class is on Twenty Minute Art Journaling, where you’ll learn how to organise your own art tool box, pull out the perfect supplies and create beautiful pages quickly. I’m proud of what I’ve created, and I’d really appreciate if you’d help me out by watching my class

By using this special link  sign up for a Skillshare Premium Membership, not only will you be able to enroll in my class, but you’ll also gain access to all other classes on Skillshare starting with a one-month free trial.