Thursday, October 21, 2010

Make Your Own Antique Sheet Music

I love all the projects everyone is doing with sheet music. Besides ebay, I have no idea where to find vintage sheet music.  So...


I decided to make my own.  I just made photo copies of some sheet music I found at a music store.  I'm not sure about copyright laws, but the copyright date on this music was 1903, and since it's just being used for craft projects, I think it's ok.  Then I tea stained the music.  I used one family size tea bag in two cups water.  I poured the tea into a large pan and soaked the music for 30 minutes.



I removed the music and layed it to dry on some newspaper.  To get the darker stain spots, I sprinkled some instant tea on the newspaper and put the music face down.



It dries really fast and I love the way it turned out. I almost forgot to tell you, I did iron the music.  Put a paper towel on top, iron one side for a few seconds, then turn over and iron the other side.



I tried printing a botanical image on the music.  I think that look has possibilities as well.





I'm sure you could achieve different looks with stronger tea or different soaking times.


And I don't need to tell you all the ways you can use the music.  For now, I'm just enjoying it as it is.


Have you made any projects with sheet music?  I would love to hear you ideas.  Or send me a picture.

I'll be joining some parties, so click on Link Parties on my sidebar.

Janet

57 comments:

  1. Great idea! Vintage sheet music is really hard to find. I want to make some wreaths and holiday ornaments.

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  2. What a wonderful idea.These look beautiful. How very creative of you!

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  3. It is beautiful with the flower print on it!!

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  4. Great idea. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  5. This is a great idea! I've used tea to stain fabric but never paper. I love the flower print on top of the music too.
    xo, Sherry

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  6. I bought some shredded sheet music and I put it under a cloche. I need to take a photo!

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  7. Great job.
    Oh, here is another idea; You know that newspaper you laid your music paper on to dry?
    You can shred it and it makes great filler for things!

    And projects with music paper? I've done bunches.
    I'd love to send you links or photos if you'd like. (one is a free tutorial on a flower nest.)
    Let me know

    blessings

    barbara jean

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  8. Doing a good old tea stain is how I age paper, too, Janet! I've done many a school project that way when my kids were younger {even going so far as to hold a flame close enough to darken, as well as, take off a bit of the corners and edges}. Your sheet music turned out great and I just print out my own as well when I want to use sheet music for a project. Since I don't use it that much, this works for me.

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  9. Thats pretty authentic looking! Love the botanical too!

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  10. Awesome idea! I think yours turned out great!!!

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  11. Excellent idea!!

    I have been up to my ears in sheet music lately as I am decoupaging the doors for the new walls of my booth and making Christmas ornaments!

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  12. Hi Janet, I can't believe how popular sheet music is now--I've always loved it and we have so much old music from my hubby's grandmother. Yours is beautiful with the floral print on it! Have a nice day. Linda

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  13. Hi Janet! Thanks so much for visiting my blog and your comments! I love the projects you are doing! I've been hunting for sheet music as well. I've recently had some good luck at garage sales and our library's thrift shop. I'm hoping to start making some cute Christmas cone ornaments with them. I'm also wanting to get enough to 'wallpaper' my craft room ceiling- kinda like your fireplace insert :)
    Have a great weekend!

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  14. Omigosh Janet! I've often wondered how they did that project too especially coz I see them everywhere...even Pottery Barn. Thanks for sharing your secret with us. I may have another project to work on now.

    Happy Friday...stopping by from Feathered Nest Friday. BTW, I'm having a gift raffle, hope you can stop by and enter.
    -marie

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  15. Hi there- Love this!!!! The papers came out perfect! The tea aged them perfectly and I love how they look all rolled up together! Great project! Thanks for joining Feathered Nest Friday and sharing this!! :)

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  16. Amazing! What an easy project with great results. Thanks for sharing the tutorial too!

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  17. Love this idea...Thanks girl..Hope you have a GREAT weekend...Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

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  18. Great project! I did some projects this week using old sheet music. Stop by my place and take a look. I also found an old hymnal at the thrfit store for way cheap and have used it also.

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  19. Stopping by from the Shabby Nest. I have considered doing this so many times! Thanks for the encouragement. I just found an antique dealer downtown Denver that sold me books of antique sheet music for $1 a piece. I snatched up a bunch! And I made my first sheet music wreath with them this afternoon! I have tons of other projects I hope to use the paper for so maybe I should start making copies now before I run out!

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  20. Love your idea. I found an old hymnal at the antique store for 2.00 and it has about 200 pages of music in it! I was so happy to find that.

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  21. Hi. Your paper turned out great! Thanks for sharing how you did it.
    ~ Julie

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  22. Hi Janet! I linked over from the Frugalicious Friday party at Finding Fabulous and so glad I did! Now I'm your newest follower! I LOVE this tutorial, I use vintage sheet music all the time, it's my latest obsession I guess you could say. There have been several sheets I loved that I wish I would've copied so I could use again! What an awesome idea to print an image on it too! Love it, love it!!
    Blessings to you,
    Missy

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  23. Such a great idea and I love that it used stuff from around the house. This would be great for the holidays ... hmmmm ... you've got me thinking! Thanks!

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  24. I love your new antique sheet music. I see lots of possibilities! Joni

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  25. Great idea! Love your antique sheet music!!!

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  26. Great idea. I've been wondering where everyone gets their sheet music because I never see it anyplace. I like how you put the flower on yours for a different look too.

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  27. This is a great idea. I am thinking this would be great for Christmas decor!

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  28. Wow. I've died fabric with tea before but never thought to do paper. Great idea.

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  29. Great idea to "create" your own music. I've used coffee for my staining purposes. They both work the very same way. Visiting from Coastal Charm.
    :-) Sue

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  30. A wonderful idea! I have been fortunate in finding quite a bit of old sheet music in my area but I'm sure there will be a day when it becomes hard to find. Thanks for the info.
    Jane

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  31. Great idea! You did a really good job "aging" it
    *hugs*deb

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  32. Thanks for the great tutorial ! Have to try this.

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  33. well done janet! I found this on another wonderful blog "Miss Mustard Seed"
    http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2010/10/oldest-trick-on-blogs.html

    I am going to get creative with some instant antique sheet music of my own!

    Thanks,
    janet xox

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  34. Wow! That's fabulous! Thanks for the inspiration. I can't wait to try this. Thanks for sharing. Visiting from Coastal Charm. Happy Thrifting! Larri at Seams Inspired

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  35. absolutly fabulous!!.... these look beautiful....
    thanks for sharing:))).....
    best regards from croatia:))....
    M.....

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  36. Your music is just gorgeous. The botanical is so fabulous, you could pop it in a frame and have it anywhere in your house, but especially on top of the piano.

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  37. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. :)

    Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/sheet-music-craft-projects/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

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  38. Hi Janet from Perth, Western Australia. Lovely to see what you have done here. In the past I made note pads for the Mother's Day, Father's Day and Christmas stalls at my son's school with vintage sheet music on the front cover. Of course the message read - "Just a note for you."

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  39. What an awesome idea! Thanx for sharing!

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  40. Love your photos and all your wonder ideas..... your blog is so neat!

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  41. I am about to mod podge my dresser in sheet music and I'm going to tea stain. How many pieces of paper can you stain at a time?

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  42. Thanks for this great tutorial. Great ideas.

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  43. i have a file of white sheet music paper lying around for ages. Thanks for the dyeing idea, needed that to do something with the load....lol!

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  44. Your tutorial is so easy to follow, great stuff, I'm going to have so much fun making old music pages and dyeing them, I liked the floral overprint very much.
    thanks for your time and effort
    Kathy New Zealand

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  45. I have boxes of old sheet music I bought from an auction. I take it and put it in old picture frames and it is adorable. I had a lady buy a bunch off of me because she is going to paper her bedroom and it is a music theme. She bought one off the old picture frames with the music in it to accent her room. I love your ideas, however, since my music is the actual sheet music, I don't know if I would want to do the tea dye or not, but I do like the look of it. Thanks for posting.

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  46. Nice tutorial .... thanks for sharing! :-D

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  47. What kind of printer are you using? Mine the ink runs, so I tea stained my paper first, then printed on it.

    Love how you put the eat on the newspapers then lay paper on top. easier than sprinkling on paper.

    thanks for sharing your ideas.

    blessings
    barbara jean

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  48. Thank you for being so generous with your time to share this awesome way of making old out of new.

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  49. Thank you for being so generous with your time to share this awesome way of making old out of new.

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  51. I have found many old sheet music books in thrift stores, Salvationn Army, Good Wlll, etc. I papered my extra bathroom in those sheets and pages from old books. Turned out great! Guests thought it was wallpaper, even after I added the fake $20.00 bills to the walls. I have moved, so I'll be attacking another bathroom wall, after I unearth the plastered over brick wall in the media room. I'm 70 yrs old, and have to keep moving.

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  52. I love aged sheet music. I've taken 3 loosly rolled sheets and tied them together with ribbon or twine, added some dried flowers (or silk) and used them as center pieces on tables at church. Thanks for the ideas.

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  53. There are plenty of places online (Pinterest for one) with printable sheet music. You need to print it on a laser printer though so it won't run when you wet it. If not just print it then run it through a copier. If you have sheet music that is thin, and you are concerned it may not withstand a lengthy soak baste it with milk and bake it in the oven on low a few minutes. You can still add the darker spots with a little strong coffee or tea afterwards. Hope this helps someone. Thanks for reminding me about this process.

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  54. I love the idea of aging the look of any paper, not just sheet music!

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  55. Great project idea. i will definitely be trying this. Thanx for sharing

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