Ephemera
(Vanity vignette.)
This winter was long and cold, and I found myself feeling really uninspired. Usually, blogging is my creative outlet, but I just didn’t have much to write about, besides my purchases here and there. I realized I was in need of another creative interest, and I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with product photography recently. That got me thinking about the things I like to surround myself with, and I realized that I could easily document the knick knacks and small items that find their way into my home, and my heart.
I like to decorate with small vignettes, grouping items of meaning together in a display, and I like the word vignette, too. In literature, a vignette is a short scene or description that gives a small glimpse into a character’s thoughts. When I display a few little treasures on my dresser or mantel, I often think about how I came to own these pieces and the significance they hold for me. I thought it might be fun to photograph them to share on my blog from time to time.
My small vignettes are fleeting, and I compose them to take a picture, and then disassemble them again. Sometimes, they are objects I gather in a hurry, sometimes they are fading flowers that I might want to remember before they turn to dust. In that way, they are ephemera, like a postcard or a receipt, not meant to be saved, but often, they are.
(Pieces of the Vanity Vignette.)
The vignette above actually exists on my bedroom dresser, and I have an antique compact, a vintage handkerchief, a tiny pair of shoes, and a small rosette ring I found on the ground at the park. The first two pieces were gifts from my mom, the shoes I found at an antique store shortly after my grandmother died, and they remind me of her, and the ring is a tiny treasure that brightened an ordinary day. Just small, simple pleasures that don’t hold much meaning to anyone but me.
I think that’s the point of ephemera, its fleetingness, and I like the idea of preserving it here, for just a bit longer, by sharing it with you. These little scenes make me happy, and I hope you’ll enjoy them, too.
I love that handkerchief! I have an old brooch of my grandmother’s — if I ever have a nice place to put it I’d love to do something like this.
Maybe you can wear it sometimes or find a way to use it. 🙂
So sweet! Reminds me of some of the things on my grandmother’s dresser that are now on my dresser. (Although my dresser doesn’t make anything look like vignettes).
The little shoes are too cute.
Thank you! 🙂