Paper Love ~ Ephemera

{rolled vintage sheet music}

Welcome to the PaperLove blog hop! Thanks for hopping over from UK artist, Liz Plummer. If you have gotten this far along on the hop, you already have discovered so many that love paper and the many different reasons why. I'm excited to participate and can't wait to see what others find lovely about paper too!

I have to admit I had trouble limiting myself ~ I really love all sorts of paper ~ from humble cardboard to expensive textured papers as well as beautifully lithographed papers and antique illustrated books. Being a designer and a collector of many things, I thought I would share my passion for paper ephemera and how I use it in my work and for inspiration. Below are some of my favorite paper finds from my personal collection ~ it's no wonder I cannot pass up an antique show or flea market!

*GIVEAWAY! Make sure to leave a comment with your contact info below for a chance to win a handmade paper ornament similar to those shown. I will draw a name and post the winner on March 15. If you would like to keep up with me and my work, please like my Facebook page or follow this blog.

 {collection of stamps ~ more here}

{antique book ~ inside pages here}

{lovely die cut & embossed wedding announcement}

{laminated, embossed & printed cardboard box}

{group of sympathy letters}

{page from Mabel's scrapbook ~ one of my best finds of all! See more here}

Below are ways I incorporate my finds into my work. Sometimes I will use a piece of sheet music, a handwritten letter or a page from a ledger book as a background for a piece of jewelry or bauble. As I find it next to impossible to cut or glue ephemera or my old books, I scan these things instead and manipulate them digitally. As I have no problem using newer books of no value (mostly romance novels!), I do cut them up and use them to make various paper ornaments, functional pieces and paper sculptures. See more of my work here.

{sheet music cover used as background}

{practice writing exercises used as background}

{surface design digitally created using antique book endpapers and antique lace}

{surface design digitally created using antique book pages, chipboard texture and carved mother of pearl buttons}

{Paper ornaments made from folded book pages ~ see more about these here}

{paper sculpture made from folded books and punched paper}

Thanks for visiting ~ I hope you find old paper as exciting as I do!  Make sure to pop on over to Michelle Reynolds ~ she is next on the list of PaperLove participants.

The PaperLove Blog Hop is a celebration of all things paper! Follow the links to discover more bloggers who love paper and use it to inspire and delight. And if you want to explore a whole world of paper, and stretch your paper passion further with a host of creative projects, why not join the innovative new online course PaperLove (starts March 31). Led by book artist Rachel Hazell, PaperLove is a five week creative adventure for paper lovers. Find out more here.

Majo Bautista / Tona Bell / Louise Best / Cathy Bluteau / Jennifer Bomgardner / Giova Brusa / Lindsay Buck / Beka Buckley / Joanna Caskie / Jonathan Chapman (Mr Yen) / Halle Cisco / Sarah Clare / Cathryn Clarge / Dawn Clarkson / Rhiannon Connelly / Jenny D'Fuego / Molly Dhiman / Ian Dudley / Ayisatu Emore / Akmal Farid / Monika Forsberg / Claire Fritz-Domeney / Louise Gale / Chrissy Gaskell / Julie Hamilton / Emma Hawman / Rachel Hazell / Holly Helgeson / Claudine Hellmuth / Kim Henkel / Sarah Hoffman / Joanne Hus / Paula Joerling / Beth Kempton / Julie Kirk / Eos Koch / Katie LaClair / Kristy Lankford / Michelle Manolov / Doreen Marts / Rosie Martinez-Dekker / Tori Mears / Maria Mederios / Lise Meijer / Debbie Miller / MaryJane Mitchell / Suzy Naidoo / Grace Noel / Hannah Nunn / Camilla Olsson / Jo Packham / Rachelle Panagarry / Monette Pangan / Melanie Paul / Nicole Piar / Jen Pitta / Liz Plummer / Julie Reed / Michelle Reynolds / Lisa Rivas / Angee Robertson / Natalie Ryan / Aisling Ryan / Elisabet Sapena / Kyrrha Sevco / Jamie Sprague / Elizabeth Steele / Terri Stephens / Juniper Stokes / Mary Tanana / Maike Thoma / Linda Tieu / Gabrielle Treanor / Tammy Tutterow / Deborah Velasquez / Jordan Vinograd Kim / Cat Whipple / Brooke Witt / Katie Wood / Amelia Woodbridge