Surprise find while thrifting!

I’m not much of a shopper anymore, but I do love rummaging through thrift stores, flea markets, and estate sales. You never know what you’ll find—sometimes nothing at all, and that’s perfectly fine.

Recently, I went to Estate Treasures and Services in Middletown, CT—a massive warehouse packed with everything from furniture to rickrack. Tucked along a back wall, I spotted a bookcase stacked high with the largest collection of piano roll paper I’d ever seen in one place. My first thought? You already have two boxes—you don’t need more. But, of course, curiosity won, and I had to take a peek inside a few.

​To my surprise, these rolls weren’t just the usual light tan I knew of. These were manila, white, translucent white, and even a darker tan variation. I bought 5 boxes - they were only $2 each!
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​In the photos above and below you can see the variety of punched slits and holes. Each one so unique. Two have words which I'm assuming are the song lyrics and notes about tempo.  

  
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​I’ve loved using piano roll paper in my collages, and now, with these new colors, the possibilities have expanded. The sturdier manila and white rolls are especially exciting. They are less brittle so I’m already imagining them as pages in future bookbinding projects.

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Below are the 2 rolls that a friend gave me a year or so ago and some examples of how I used them.
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The holes, slits and printed dots on these papers are great elements to work with. I've used the slits to weave through and the holes and printed dots as inspiration for stitching french Knots.

​This one of my favorite book binding projects. I randomly glued the piano roll paper onto two large sheets of printmaking paper. 

​Then cut them into smaller pieces to become the pages for this book.