Folksy Valentines Part I: Scherenschnittes for your Sweetie

Valentine's Day is around the corner, and I'd like to kick things off by posting a weekly round-up of some delightful hand-crafted and home-made tokens of affection.

Let's start by taking a look at some cut-paper love tokens.

Barbara Ardizone offers this breathtaking scherenschnitte heart with watercolor details. The intricacy is astounding and the darkness of the period frame sets off the silhouette so nicely.



How sweet is this set of cut-paper lovebird love tokens? Too sweet for words. Seller Peggy McClard estimates them to be circa 1840 -- a miracle that they've lasted so long!



Carlson and Stevenson offer a number of lovely and unusual antique Valentines and love tokens. My favorites are the woven pairs of hearts, such as this beauty:



I wouldn't mind a bit if my Valentine gave me one of these antique love tokens . . . but 10-1, I get the same ol' Whitman's sampler I get every year.

Scherenschnitte, Old and New

Scherenschnitte. Kind of sounds like a Germanic cuss-word. As in: "Scherenschnitte! We're out of milk again!"

But scherenschnitte is the intricate Pennsylvania-Dutch (or Swiss, or German) art of paper-cutting. And trust me, when I say paper-cutting, I mean something far more sophisticated than those construction-paper snowflakes you used to snip as a kid.

For instance:



This German example from New Hope Antiques has everything I want in a paper-cutting: an intricate symmetrical motif, set off by a killer antique frame.

Not impressed? Then check out this jaw-droppingly detailed scherenschnitte from Peggy McClard Antiques:



When I first saw this, I swore it was fine embroidery work. But it's paper -- cut in a basket weave on the edges. According to Ms. McClard, the swans you see in the picture are a mere 1/8" tall! Do yourself a favor and go to her site to view the close-ups, as they are ASTOUNDING.

Lucky for us, a new generation of scherenschnitte artists are keeping the technique alive and breathing new life into the form, like Pam Hults from Praying Mantis Folk Art.



I love the calligraphy details she adds to her pieces!