More Santa Scraps For Christmas

 

Aren't these great images?  The Victorian Santas have a charm you just don't see so often today.

German Santa Claus Paper Scraps

 

These are perfect for Christmas card making, scrapbooking, making ornaments - so many projects!  We have over 500 styles on the website and in our Etsy store.

We're Having a Giveaway!

Journals in detail.

What's this mosaic, you ask? Why, it's a group of detail shots of the three handmade journals we're giving away!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
Please leave a comment telling us your favorite item in our etsy shop or on our website.

ENTRY DEADLINE IS MIDNIGHT THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010 (Pacific Time) The three winners will be randomly chosen and notified on Friday, June 4th (be sure to leave a way for us to contact you if you win.) Please note that you must live in the USA to win.

The first journal up for grabs.

No two journals are alike. Each measures 9 3/4" x 7 1/2" with 100 sheets of wide ruled white paper made from 80% sugarcane pulp.

The second journal features pretty flower girls.

We created these journals using supplies offered in our etsy shop and on our website, which include authentic gilded Florentine paper from Italy, paper scraps from Germany and England and gold foil Dresden paper trims.

The third journal has an extra large pair of angels.

The inside covers are all lined with c. 1930s sheet music and the inside front covers each have a unique scrap or dresden as well.

A peek inside.

Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday weekend! And be sure to visit Mary at Little Red House for more mosaics.

A Brief History of Paper Scraps

What we refer to as Victorian paper scraps were initially used in German bakeries to decorate cakes. They soon found their way to family albums and personal journals, as people used them to decorate the chronicles of their travels, visitors, their daily lives and important events of the day. Colorful paper scraps and Dresden foil die cuts were also used to embellish greeting cards, valentines, and ornaments to celebrate important holidays, such as Christmas and Easter.

Assembling scrapbooks was a popular pastime in the Victorian home and these small colorful paper scraps lent themselves to other craft projects, as well. They were included in decoupaging of trays, screens and boxes.

Most paper scraps are chromolithographs, stamped with embossed reliefs. They have a coating of gelatin and gum that gives them their glossy finish. When they are passed through a special pressing machine that punches and stamps them, it cuts away the extra paper and leaves them connected on the sheet with small paper links.

Vintage and new designs are still being printed in Germany and Britain, in the same manner they have been made since the 19th century. We use them constantly in our own projects, and are happy to provide you with a large selection of traditional Victorian paper scraps from both Germany and Great Britian and a wide variety of the finest authentic Dresden gold and silver foil embellishments available today.

Easter theme with children and bunnies ~ Made in Germany.

Vintage babies in flower blankets ~ Made in W. Germany.

Pretty floral letters ~ Made in Germany.

Heavily embossed angels ~ Made in England.

Colorful nursery rhyme scraps ~ Made in England.

Esther Howland - Mother of The American Valentine

Esther Howland was born in 1828, the daughter of the owner of the largest book and stationery store in Worcester, Massachusetts. She was a contemporary of poet Emily Dickenson, attended Mt. Holyoke Women's Seminary College and graduated at 19. Shortly thereafter, she received an ornate English valentine from a business associate of her father. Said valentine sparked an idea that created an industry.

Convincing her father to order paper laces and colorful paper scraps for her from London and New York City, Esther set about creating valentines of her own. When next her brother set out on a selling trip, he took along a dozen samples of Esther's creations, which she hoped might garner some interest. The cards were popular beyond her wildest expectations, as her brother returned with $5,000 in advance sales.

Esther enlisted friends as employees, created an assembly line and manufactured hand made valentines. She ran her first ad in 1850, in her local Worcester newspaper, and developed her line of greeting cards into a business that grossed $100,000 annually. Her company continued to thrive and she eventually sold it in 1881.

Pictured are three of Esther's valentines.