For months, I couldn't figure out how to use them. I stitched them, tore them into smaller pieces, added them to collages, only to peel them off later. Their saturated colors stood out too much against my muted vintage papers. Then this morning, walking back from the bus stop, I had a vision...

Vintage sheet music is full of noise—plaid backgrounds, crooner portraits, cluttered designs. My first Art Playdate became an exercise in creative cutting to find the solid blocks of color hiding underneath.

Was my Victorian stamp purchase worth it when it turned out to be the wrong size? The answer involves a serendipitous thrift store find, rock-hard rubber, and a hard-won print of my own initials.

I opened a drawer looking for a sketchbook and found vintage sheet music instead—and remembered what play feels like. Welcome to Art Playdate, a monthly exploration of forgotten materials and rediscovered joy.