I'm looking for a word 'loosely' meaning paper (i.e a document/photo
etc) that sounds like 'efemery'.  I heard the word 'efemery' used in
this context (i.e. paper) but cannot find it in any dictionary and am
not sure of the spelling..  Thank you

You're probably thinking of "ephemera."

Here is a definition from The Ephemera Society of America:
"Ephemera is a term used to embrace a wide range of minor, everyday
documents, most intended for one-time or short-term use, including
[Cameo]  postcards, broadsides and posters, baseball cards, tickets,
bookmarks, photographs-and the list goes on."
http://www.ephemerasociety.org/

Use this Google search for other useful links: ephemera paper
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&client=googlet&q=ephemera+paper&btnG=Google+Search

I hope this helps.

Very thorough answer...gave good details and the answer had depth. 
I'll use this google feature again.  It was definitely worth $10.00!!!

The similarity in sound you're seeking might be the plural form of the
above word, ephemera, which is, ephemeris.

See the pronounciation guide and definitions at Dictionary.com:

http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=ephemeris

~L

Actually, ephemera is already plural.
http://www.xrefer.com/entry.jsp?xrefid=393388

If you're talking about two groups of ephemera, the plural is
ephemerae or ephemeras.
http://www.xrefer.com/entry.jsp?xrefid=393383

You're absolutely correct, juggler - ephemeris is a collective word
rather than a plural. My bad.

Actually, an ephemeris is a table or a book of tables, used by
astronomers, navigators and astrologers, that lists the position of
all of the heavenly bodies at specific intervals.

http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=ephemeris

beth

By the way, "ephemera" is related to the word "ephemeral," which
means, literally, "lasting a day," or more generally, passing,
transient, or short-lived. Something which is ephemeral would be an
ephemeron. Ephemera is the plural form, and can refer to anything
which lasts only a short period of time, or is meant only to be used
for a short period of time, though it is most often used to refer to
paper objects.

Usage example: Much of what we know about the Revolutionary War has
been learned, not from permanent records of that period, but from
letters and other ephemera that were never meant to survive this long.