Making things from scrap and Dresden trim.
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Dresden trim is made of embossed paper, gilded with metallic foil. This type of trim has been used as ornament in reliquaries from the 17th century, especially in Italy, although the Germans specialized in its production since the 18th century. Popular holiday uses include the application of trim on hen's eggs, or glass and papier-mache orbs to create Faberge-style ornaments; it has also been applied to garments worn by statues of saints, Neapolitan creche figures, or as embellishment upon Christmas cards and so on. Scrap is similar, again embossed paper figures depicting almost anything - from insects to people, buildings and flowers, but instead of the metallic finish, these are colorful. Uses for these materials in crafts is almost limitless.
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I have trouble finding these little treasures locally, although I have found several resources online. The best happens to be Blumchen's Dresden Trim Shop. Another very good resource is Victorian Scrap - their inventory appears to be a bit more extensive. The term "scrapbook" derives from this material. It was a popular hobby to collect scrap and arrange it in a book, with poetry, stories, and reminiscences.
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Image: A page of Dresden Santa's, the stamped, die-cut figures need to be cut and trimmed from the stock.
So......I get my new issue of Victoria and they have a whole story on Blumchen & Co.
ReplyDeleteI never heard that trim called Dresden trim. I am very fond of ephemera of all sorts and love trimming and decorating stuff.
I collect paper like crazy for decoupage. Victorian are my favorite. Life got really good once I discovered the secret of spraying the paper with clear varnish on both sides before cutting and glueing.
....and I've also gotten into decals that I get from Instar
ReplyDeletehttp://www.instardecals.com/
They have tons of Victorian stuff for dirt cheap. They are designed to be fired onto ceramic but they can be just as easily applied to wood or metal and sealed.