A while back I came across some old rolls of music for player pianos in a local antique shop.
I opened up the boxes and fell in love with the look of the old paper and the titles on them. ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ indeed!
It was time to get creative and find a use for them.
At first I just used some of the paper for wrapping gifts.
Some of the rolls are more delicate than others, but you can give your package more structure by layering the player piano paper over brown craft paper.
Or how about using a roll as a table runner?
It would definitely make a great conversation starter! And if you get a tear or a spill, just roll out a clean section of paper!
I ended up deciding to ‘wallpaper’ a portion of my dining room wall with strips of the paper.
I love the aged patina and the randomly spaced holes.
Some of the rolls have notations on them, and some even have the lyrics printed on them which adds a bit of whimsy.
I used a staple gun to attach the paper to my walls rather than any kind of adhesive. This way when I get tired of it I can just pull out the staples and take it down. I may have a few small holes in the walls, but that’s easier to deal with than glued on paper.
If you aren’t quite ready to commit to covering an entire wall, how about just using one strip of paper behind an old window?
Or maybe just display some rolled up paper in a pretty ironstone pitcher
Not inspired enough yet? I found tons of great ideas on pinterest, check out my player piano music board for many more creative ideas {here}. It includes some great ideas for wedding decor, lamp shades, altered art … even Anthropologie gets in on the action.
Reclaiming Beautiful has a limited supply of vintage rolls of player piano music for $4 per roll, so be sure to stop in and check them out this weekend!
Reclaiming Beautiful 