Scherenschnitte

I came across the word 'scherenschnitte' recently in a book I was reading (The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards) and had never heard of it before. When I looked it up I found to my delight a whole new craft that I did not know existed.

Sweet Dreams By MySerenityWay - Etsy

This craft is basically a paper cutting art using very small, sharp scissors. It appears originally to have been started by the Chinese in 200BC, then is later seen throughout Asia until the seventeenth century and much later adopted by the Dutch Pennsylvania Ancestors as a cheap and cheerful way of providing art for their homes. Nowadays the craft is kept alive by the Amish who use this as a simple way to decorate their homes and also as a method of sending love letters - or beautifully cut love knots - to their loved ones.

What a lovely and simple craft idea!