Sorting through and cleaning out a couple of large piles of papers today (thank you, Alice), I uncovered these decorative paper strips I bought in London years ago. I suppose I thought I’d decoupage something as a commemoration of my trip. But I’m pretty sure I never will. So now that I’ve scanned the sheets and posted them on my blog, I am happy to bid them a fond adieu.
Here’s a bit of history on scrap reliefs from the producer at Mamelok Press Limited:
“Scrap reliefs first appeared at the beginning of the 19th century in the form of simple black and white engravings; later they were often tinted by hand. By the 1820s, scrap reliefs had become more elaborate and were sometimes embossed to give them a raised, three-dimensional appearance. Many of the best quality scrap reliefs of this period were produced in Germany, where bakers and confectioners used them to decorate cakes and biscuits for special occasions. Mamelok Press, founded in Breslau in the 1820s, emerged at this time as the leading manufacturer of scrap reliefs.
Scraps, as they had become known, were pasted into autograph books, scrapbooks and diaries, onto calling cards and the extravagantly romantic valentines of the era, with scraps always featured as the central image. They were used in decoupage: an arrangement of scraps pasted onto a box, screen, chair or other surface, and then varnished many times. The final effect was as if the design had been painted on.”
— Mamelok Press Limited
Mary Maru
PS: If you like to decoupage and would like these four 6″ x 9″ sheets, email me with your U.S. mailing address and I’ll send them to you. They really are quite nice in person…embossed and a bit shiny. I found postage stamps today, too.
Mary, if you haven’t found a home for the scraps yet, I have a friend who’d give them a good home. Meantime, congratulations on finding these treasures and finding a way to keep them without cluttering your space. As an aside, I’m all for “extravagantly romantic valentines.”
Oh, and thanks for the link love!
I’m happy to send the scraps to you or your friend. Whichever you prefer. Just let me know!
Hi there, I just came across this site and was wondering if you have ever seen any Disney scraps?
My grandad owned a bicycle shop in Scotland and he sold these scraps at 10p a strip. When I was a child I had many of them and the girls in school would swap with each other for scraps they didnt have. I have been trying to find out about the Disney Scraps but cannot find any information on them. I called Mamelock, England many years ago asking if they had printed them at some point but I was told that there is no record of Mamelock ever making Disney Scraps.
I have a bag full of them including many of the standard scrap reliefs that were made at that time. These are very old. My mum gave me the bag way back around 1996 I think maybe before that but I have no idea where to get the information I seek.
Interesting to read about the history of them, thank you.
Kindest Regards
Val