Ephemera Just Finds Me

Truly, vintage ephemera just seems to find me. Ok, I admit I am open to the possibility....I just love old paper.
Want to see some?

You can never really have too much wonderful old paper, can you?

September seems to be peak ephemera month.....There is this sale a friend puts on up in Marin and the Vintage Paper Fair (we all know how much I love that one) and the SF Public Library Big Book Sale ......

Old book parts anyone?

Tarot cards

And, let's not forget, the fabulous SFPL has an outdoor library "Steps" sale every week -- $1 for any book your heart desires. I have posted a lot of photos of these on Instagram #tornandtatteredbooks
(PamelaArtsinSF)

My favorite spot for .25-cent postcards and this year I found eight passports.
I will show you those in another post -- they are amazing. I cannot wait to alter them.

Look at these beauties! I collect them for the beautiful cursive writing, the stamps and the postmarks.

No Sharpie cancellations here.

That cursive....

This one I didn't get -- it was in a set of six called "Spy Passports" and the guy had a bunch of UK passports with all different information -- only $600.00 for you to bring home....

Peek-a-boo!
They just don't make postcards like they used to. People keep asking me where I get ephemera....
Maybe I should be a PERSONAL SHOPPER? You think?

Look around for library book sales, old foreign language dictionaries, 1950's National Geographic magazines, thrift shops, estate sales....ask your old relatives if they have any stacks of old letters in the attic......
The Big Book Sale is THIS WEEK -- Wednesday thru Sunday and everything is $1 on Sunday (always good stuff to be found). So, if you're near SF, you can go.
Anyone want to go with me?
A few more old books just might find me this week...

SEND GOOD MAIL --  GET GOOD MAIL

Too Much of a Good Thing?

This has been a good week for paper -- a wonderful ephemera sale in San Rafael...and five days of the Library Big Book Sale. (No, I didn't go all five days but I did go twice!).

I bought two old ledgers...

The more I look at my own photos, the more I wish I bought more of this fabulous paper.....

I feel happy just being around paper ephemera like this....thank God others love it and preserve it too. With everything on hard drives and in clouds now I wonder if future generations/artists will have any luck finding beautiful paper ephemera for art-making.

If this wasn't enough excitement for one week, then there was the San Francisco Library Big Book sale...

I always go to the members preview and then back on the last day (today!) for  Dollar Day.

Today you just couldn't get me out of this section -- Foreign Language Non Asian. (I went to the Asian language section too).
Nature and Birds and Garden sections were pretty picked over today but this table still held fabulous finds.

I mean -- just look at this cover! Doesn't it make you wish you could read Russian?

Score!
1927. Amazing vintage ads and recipes inside -- of course, all in a language I don't know. In fact, I can't actually tell what language it is but I love it. $1.
(anybody know the language?)

Another fabulous Russian cover!

This one is Hebrew and lovely, aged, foxed pages....

I loved seeing the various book plates inside many of the books too. I figure I should just go and photograph one day......nah.....

This one is Russian/German! A useful combination to someone I'm sure.....

The Reference section is always fun too. Even on the first day of the sale, the dictionaries are only $1. They seem to think no one wants dictionaries and outdated atlases but I know for a fact a lot of us DO want them.

Ok, I am wiped out. 93 degrees again. If you don't think Global Warming is real, think again.
A lovely sushi lunch and a chance to think about all those books and all that wonderful paper.
And, to think about what I'm going to do with all I've got.
25 Dollar books today -- I cannot resist.
But I have lots of ideas for them. I will show you what I bought and a terrific new collage book (that suggests tearing up old books) next post. I can't bring myself to tear them ALL up but I will certainly use at least half in collage making and altered books.
I think I have enough material to eep me going till the next book/ephemera sale, don't you?
What would you do with them?
Too much of a good thing??? No, I don't think so. But I hope to stay in most of next week and make things.

Repurpose/Recycle/Make Stuff