Wednesday, November 9, 2011

I Heart Ephemera

Today's homework, tomorrow's ephemera
Ephemera by any other name would be... trash.

But not on eBay.

On eBay, you can buy ephemera, and I do. Lots of it.

I buy cast-aways and cast-asides from a generation back, sometimes even two or three.

I like the milk caps and the jelly molds, memories of kitchens and routines that are no more.

I savor postcards written to someone else with mentions of a mundane trip to Florida to visit relatives, or maybe to see an old friend in Nebraska.

I lovingly turn the pages of yellowed scrapbooks with ripped pieces of magazines pasted in alongside greeting cards for birthdays and anniversaries, where I know neither the giver or the recipient.

I buy stacks and stacks of photographs of families that aren't mine.

These things come here to my somewhat crowded home, and I try and find a perfect place for them.

And I think of them as beautiful and meaningful, this ephemera.

But deep down I know: I buy a lot of trash.

________
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9 comments:

Stasha said...

One man's trash is another's treasure, right? Do you display it or use it in craft projects?

Annie Shultz said...

This was such a fun post! I personally would much rather sell my junk and not buy another person's. There are a few things that hold memories though, and those I love!

blueviolet said...

As long as you're storing it in a non-hoarding fashion, I say keep on with it!

Kelley said...

I think that is really cool! I like old postcards, too. My laundry room has a lot of old soap boxes, advertisements for old soap, etc. I'm obsessed with stuff like that!

Glamamom said...

Yeah, that sounds a little hoarders to me ;)

RandomHandprints said...

the man who owned our home before we did was a collector so i have shelf after shelf after shelf of space in a climate controlled attic. lucky me!

RandomHandprints said...

your laundry room sounds awesome! i love old advertisements.

RandomHandprints said...

shhh, don't tell or my husband will be on to me to stop!

RandomHandprints said...

mostly i pack it in carefully labeled boxes, but a few favs are on display. and when i realize i have really over-bought, i let the kids use it for crafts - which they love.

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