Chances are unless you of German or Jewish heritage you may have never heard of Scherenschnitte which is the German art of papercutting. This folk art is over 200 years old but German imigrants brought this art form with them when they immigrated.
In theory it's alot like stencil cutting but in reverse, it takes a great deal of design thought and planning. Imagine creating, say a lace pattern in paper form. Some became very acomplished at this as a decorative art but little of it survives today due to the fact that these paper designs, even when framed were still fragile. Originals comand premium prices in the Antiquarian market.
There are several books on the subject with patterns if you would like to give it a try and recreate and perpetuate a lost art popular in the Victorian era in Cincinnati and other cities with a large German and Jewish population.