In this layout ephemera was used to help tell the story. Ways of doing this is to take tickets, pamphlets, maps, anything and casually put it on the layout. You can even hide the ephemera in pockets or envelopes if you don't want it to show.
Another way to use ephemera is as the main focus of the layout. This is a great example of that, there are no photos only tickets and receipts to describe what this scrapper had done the past year.
This layout is an example of using ephemera as an embellishment or paper. Even ordinary everyday items can be used to do this.
The most important thing to remember when using ephemera is that most items are not acid free. There are several ways of fixing this:
1. Use an achival mist to neutralize the acid.
2. You can make a copy of the ephemera and print it on acid free paper or photo paper.
3. You can take a photo of the ephemera and put it on your layout.