Victorian Scraps 2

The background of first 3 items is that in 2001 I found bags of scraps (all Vic chromos with some 1950s/60s butterflies and moths) in an antique shop in the small town of Woodbridge, Suffolk. They had been in a fire for they smelt of smoke and there was water in the bottom of some of the bags but for a few pounds I purchased the lot. As it turned out there were loads in good collectable condition and they went straight to my album. Some were irredeemable. But what to do with those in between with damaged edges? Decoupage was the answer, overlapping good edges on bad and finishing off with good duplicates. If I didn’t want to do this in my album then what to mount them on?

Rusting in peace in the shed were my father’s saws, not good enough to be classed as collectable but with my father’s name stamped in the handle I didn’t have the heart to throw them away. And so the 2 elements came together.

For me these pieces represent my father’s life work in the building trade, my beloved Suffolk that I had the good fortune to move to after accepting early retirement and the evenings of enjoyment with my lovely wife sorting the hundreds of scraps and arranging them on the saws. They form an eye-catching display in our living room - a talking point for visitors giving me an opportunity to introduce them to the rest of my ephemera.

Decoupage on small tenon saw Victorian chromos chosen in scale for the size of the saw. Finished with 8 coats of varnish	Decoupage on 2x medium rip saws Victorian chromos + 1950s/60s butterflies/moths scraps. Finished with 8 coats of varnish
Decoupage on 2 x larger rip saws Victorian chromos + 1950s/60s butterflies/moths scraps. Finished with 8 coats of varnish	types of boats Mounted on A4 size paper
Shipwreck Mounted on A4 size paper. This should tell a story but the order they have been stuck in the original album page shown here is somewhat muddled.	Auld Salts Mounted on A4 size paper
King Edward VII Mounted on A4 size paper	Queen Alexandra Mounted on A4 size paper. Queen consort to Edward VII.
All the King's horses Mounted on A4 size paper	All the King's men Mounted on A4 size paper. 1. Piper, Black Watch, Royal Highlanders, Review Order 2. Private, Connought Rangers, Review Order. 3. Royal Engineers, Captain, Review Order.
Framed female heads Mounted on A4 size paper	The end of an Ogre Mounted on A4 size paper. Some debate as to whether this was appropriate to the children's page. The accompanying rhyme runs: The land had an Ogre, well, Puss for a chouse, Persuaded the Master to change to a mouse, Then pouncing upon him, defenceless and small, He gobbled him up, Sir! tail, whiskers and all.
Children on Tambourines	Cornucopia