autograph idea...Cheep idea too

[bigfish2215]

This was a huge hit when we were at Disney a few weeks ago. We had the characters sign a picture frame. It was 5x7, white, heavy duty almost canvas like. We brought it at a walmart for less than $4.00. It had big wide sides and you could slide the photo right in. The characters seemed to love it Baloo gave us the thumbs up and Minnie kissed it. We carried it in a backpack all over and had different color sharpies for them to sign with. Because it was heavy duty you couldn't bend it at all. At character dinners we had it set up right on the table for all to see. A lot of people liked the idea. A cheep way to frame your free 5x7 with your Disney visa.

[ilandrazdsw]

We used a 8x10 mat for a 4x6 picture. It fit all the signatures we wanted and it is a souvie that will not just be closed up and put on a bookshelf/box.

[bigfish2215]

that was my plan too. Now it sits on our fireplace mantle too reminds us four weeks ago you were in a warm place. lol

[Kblue]

I LOVE this idea. My DFi doesn't want us to get an autograph book for our Disneymoon because there won't be any kids with us. So I will def try to convience him to do this for our character meals. :rotfl:

[scraphappyjones]

OK I totally love this idea. We did a 8x10 one for our engagment and we love still looking at it. I think that I will get one for both of my kids rooms!

[Oceans]

o man this is an absolutely amazing idea.. My DGF nd I will definitely use this idea. What do you have the characters sign with?

[heaven2dc]

That is a fantastic idea (why didn't I think of it lol)!!

Do you have a pic you can share of what it looks like? I'm trying to envision how the characters signed it. Thanks!

[poohfriend77]

How many autographs could you fit on there? I love the idea but was a little worried that some of the characters would have a hard time seeing where they should sign if there are already autographs on there. Did you have any problems with that?

I'm thinking maybe we'd have one (probably just mats, not whole frames) for princesses, one for Mickey and gang, etc. I can already see them lining my entry hallway. :)

[ilandrazdsw]

we had them use a click Sharpie (different colors)

i'll try to get a pic when I have them framed (next week)

on one frame (4x6 pic for a 8x10 frame) we have all the populars (Mickey & his gang) and the princesses. The characters didn't seem to have a problem signing them. Just have characters with smaller signatures sign first to start the trend...some of the characters reall take advantage of the space and sign bigger than I would have liked, therefore limiting a few signatures.

I like the idea of having a separate mat for each "bunch" of friends (mickey, pooh, princesses, etc)

[phins_jazy]

That sounds like a great idea!

[bigfish2215]

The autographs are every which way. I think it looks special that way.

[bigfish2215]

http://i553.photobucket.com/albums/jj384/bigfish2215/th_103_5032.jpg (http://s553.photobucket.com/albums/jj384/bigfish2215/?action=view&current=103_5032.jpg)

[phins_jazy]

That looks so cool!

[bigfish2215]

Thanks a lot!! My kids had fun doing it. The only thing I should of done was to buy 2 of them, one for each. Oh well it will be something for them to fight over when I'm dead and gone.(lol)

[sueh]

What a great idea!

Thanks! I will have to do this on our trip in December.

[poohfriend77]

Bigfish-- thanks so much for posting the pic! I love it.:thumbsup2 I'm not sure my kids will want to give up their regular autograph books, but I'm definitely doing a frame/mat too. Guess I'd better head to Wal-Mart to check them out.

[KJ and Crew]

I LOVE your photo; that's one of the best ideas I've seen! We're leaving in 40 days or so, and I'll have to put that on my shopping list! I'll take your advice and get 3, one for each kid.

THanks,

KJ
__________________
Feb. 20-27 2009 POR
Aug. 2008 (off-site) MK and Sea World

[bigfish2215]

I found our frame in the craft section at our local Wallyworld. It was by the wooden little bird houses, and easy crafts. It fits a 5x7 pic and its about half in thick, so its very strong and can with stand the backpack.

[michmatt25]

That is such a great idea- thank you for sharing!

[heaven2dc]

Thanks for posting the pic! What a cool idea :thumbsup2

[momminnie]

That's a great idea! I made a scrapbook last time (07) The characters really loved it. It was a really neat idea also. I would like to do something different this trip later this year. The frame looks great. If you don't mind I would like to use your idea.

[vivinmich]

What a great idea - I was just trying to figure out if I should do the autograph books for our first visit with the kids. this would be much better!

[DisneyKings]

great idea--very cute!

[yrdlyprincess]

i love all the ideas!! Maybe we'll do another one next time we go down!

[Kion10]

I love this!

[ryan840]

I love this idea! I'm going to get one for us and my friends who are traveling with us.

I should know this, but how do you get the Disney Visa 5x7? What else can you get with it? I keep up with so many other things that aside from the rewards I know nothing about my Disney Visa perks!

[PrincessMickey]

I have a question about doing this. This is our first trip so my kids will want to autograph books. But this is a great idea so do you think I could have them do both. Or would I get dirty looks for the characters to be doing so many autographs.

[Kion10]

I have a question about doing this. This is our first trip so my kids will want to autograph books. But this is a great idea so do you think I could have them do both. Or would I get dirty looks for the characters to be doing so many autographs.

I know we will see some of the same characters more than once b/c we have 7 character meals so I am just going to alternate between meetings what I am getting signed.

[Lori1960]

You can have the kids get the books and you can have the frame signed

[MEG&MINNIE]

I did this 2 yrs. ago with dd,then 11 yrs.old. She was getting too old for the regular autograph books ,which she had done before.

I bought 2 mattes 1-5x7 and 1-8x10. We took one in with us for Mickey and Friends at the Disney Visa photo in Epcot and the larger one 8x10 to the Princess Breakfast @ Akerhaus in Epcot.

We carried them with us on just those days and I brought a "Clipboard" to hold them on so the characters had an easier time holding them. I also used "clickable Sharpies" in about 5 colors .

I got my idea off this Disboard site just about 2 years ago and it really worked out well for us...Good Luck !:thumbsup2

[WishingAndDreaming]

I love this idea!

We will be celebrating both of my dd's birthdays on our trip. They are 3 days apart. I know that my girls will want to do autograph books. But I love the idea of displaying the signatures. We have a 1900 Park dinner scheduled for my soon to be 4 year-old's b-day and a Storybook Princess dinner for my soon to be 7 year old. I think I will do one for each and then I can put in a birthday picture from the dinner in it for their own special memory. Now I need to figure out which size would be best.

[dannewi]

Our friends recommended t-shirts which I thought would be a cute idea... but I like the frame idea better !

[Peanut&Piglet'sMom]

Great idea!!!!!! I'm totally doing this!

[Lori1960]

To Wishingand dreaming
Are you just going to do the frame at the restruant for the kids birthday meal or are you going to tak it inside the parks.Do you know how many characters will be at the restrurant.I would get either 5X7 or 8X10

[gigi729]

LOVE this idea! Can't wait to try it out on our next trip. It has always seemed like such a waste with the autograph books, we go so crazy to get all the signatures and then it just sits on a shelf and the kids look at it maybe once or twice a year. How great will it be to see it everyday. Thanks for the tip!!!!:thumbsup2

[candance2]

A cheep way to frame your free 5x7 with your Disney visa.

How do I get a free 5x7? I have a Disney Visa and didn't know I could get a free pic. I would love to know about this before we leave on Friday. Thanks!!

[Wigit12]

Go to the website:
View Disney Offers---Select Card Benefiits

Character Meet 'N' Greet
Character Meet 'N' Greet photo opportunity offered daily between 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM at Innoventions West at Epcot®.
Must present a valid Disney Rewards Visa Card for admission (limited to 6 people per card).
Enjoy a personal photo experience with some of your favorite Disney Characters and receive a complimentary 5 x 7 photo. It's one of the most unique benefits of being a Cardmember at the Disney Parks.
Separate Theme Park admission required.
Operating times, days of week, and appearance of Characters may vary. See Guest Relations for more information.

There's also now a code for a discount for items on the Photopass site.

[bigfish2215]

Look at your Disney visa online and it will tell you all about the free photo. You can get one everyday that you are there. Its in Epcot. all you need to show is your disney visa card and your in.

[WishingAndDreaming]

To Wishingand dreaming
Are you just going to do the frame at the restruant for the kids birthday meal or are you going to tak it inside the parks.Do you know how many characters will be at the restrurant.I would get either 5X7 or 8X10

That's the big dilemma now... the size of the frame. I don't want anything too big, but I want enough room for the characters to sign. That's why I was thinking of limiting it to the characters at the specific dinners instead of the whole park. We actually have two other character meals planned (Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's - I'm debating about getting one for these restaurants too). We are going to 1900 Park for dinner for my soon to be four year old - from what I have read the characters include Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia. For my soon to be seven year old we are going to the Princess Storybook - so five assorted Princesses is what I am expecting. I have to get to the craft store to see the mats to figure out what works best. But I am leaning towards an 8X10 mat with a 5x7 picture. I also need to figure out where I will hang them. I was thinking their bedrooms, but I might want to put them in a more visible spot. Depends on how well they turn out. I only want to do one mat per meal because I know that the girls will want to have them sign autograph books as well and I don't want anyone getting frustrated.

[WishingAndDreaming]

I did this 2 yrs. ago with dd,then 11 yrs.old. She was getting too old for the regular autograph books ,which she had done before.

I bought 2 mattes 1-5x7 and 1-8x10. We took one in with us for Mickey and Friends at the Disney Visa photo in Epcot and the larger one 8x10 to the Princess Breakfast @ Akerhaus in Epcot.

We carried them with us on just those days and I brought a "Clipboard" to hold them on so the characters had an easier time holding them. I also used "clickable Sharpies" in about 5 colors .

I got my idea off this Disboard site just about 2 years ago and it really worked out well for us...Good Luck !:thumbsup2

Do you have any pictures? I would love to see what the Princess Breakfast one looks like. I am thinking of doing this during my dd birthday dinner.

[momtoemma1]

This sounds like a great alternative to a regular autograph book!

[Clupaczyk]

Cool! Someone had told us to bring an autograph book with us so we'd be prepared, but I like this idea way better! Like someone said, it wouldn't be closed up somewhere for years but out on display for all to see. Are sharpies big enough for the characters to hold? What else have people used for them to sign with?
Carrie

[swtp143]

LOVE this idea!!! I'm heading to Walmart to pick mine up this weekend! Thanks for the great tip! :cool1:

[IMwink]

I was thinking of making my own books until I seen some pictures with the autographed mats on another site.

Gotta say that this has got to be the best idea for a keepsake that I can think of. It is something that you can admire everyday, especially after the kids have moved out of the house.

Besides what do people do kids do with those books anyways?

I think the mat idea is better than the frame idea. the frame would be just to much to carry.

[mommymeg]

I'm loving this idea too...I'm just wondering if I should get a mat for each of my kids, or have the younger ones carry the book and the oldest the mat and then put a family pic inside...
Heading out to Walmart today to find it!!!

[IMwink]

A tip that I recently picked up applies to this situation.

If you are going to do the photo mat idea, then I suggest you get a Ziploc bag, probably 2gal, to keep them in while you are in the park. You wouldn't ant the rain or wet cloths from a ride ruin all that work.

[CSS1996]

LOVE, LOVE this idea for autographs, thanks for sharing:worship:

[TxRabbit]

Thank you all for sharing. I LOVE this idea.

We are going to so many character meals on our upcoming trip, I will have to think about how I am going to tweak this for our vacation, but I absolutely love the idea of being able to SEE it and not having another thing on a shelf taking up space.::yes:: Awesome!

[Lori1960]

If you have a party city they are selling photo mat for $4.99 and its by the graduation things

[DisGal520]

This was a huge hit when we were at Disney a few weeks ago. We had the characters sign a picture frame. It was 5x7, white, heavy duty almost canvas like. We brought it at a walmart for less than $4.00. It had big wide sides and you could slide the photo right in. The characters seemed to love it Baloo gave us the thumbs up and Minnie kissed it. We carried it in a backpack all over and had different color sharpies for them to sign with. Because it was heavy duty you couldn't bend it at all. At character dinners we had it set up right on the table for all to see. A lot of people liked the idea. A cheep way to frame your free 5x7 with your Disney visa.



bigfish - we want to try your idea. Just asking if it was an actual frame you took or was it a mat for photos? Will run to WalMart soon as you let us know. Thanks!!

[IMwink]

bumb

[turtlegirl1]

DD has done the standard autograph book every time we have gone to WDW. Last year I made personalized autograph books for both DD & DS, the characters loved them. The kids seemed to have gotten some special attention because of them as well. I'm going to do them again this year PLUS this. Our office is totally decked out in WDW pics, this will be a great addition. Great idea!! Thanks for sharing!

[IMwink]

I am stealing an idea from another post and applying to this situation.

Bring a clipboard to attach to Photo mat to. It will be easier for the Characters to hold and sign.
I was going to bring a folder to keep it in while it the park, but I was still worried that the mat would get bent. Problem solved.

And you can decorate the clipboard. Characters always give extra attention with touches like that

You know the characters like to see guests go the extra mile to make it easier for them to do their job of making it special for you.

[lizet313]

subscribing

[IMwink]

subbing, because this is what I'm doing

[DisGal520]

thanks to all for the ideas on this. Just returned from my shopping. Here is what I bought for this project.

Michaels
two autograph 8X10 mats (came with a black ink pen) @ 4.99 each
ON SALE one pack 4 Clickable Sharpies 4.99
ON SALE two green metal frames to eventually hold the mats @ .99 each


I plan to use a piece of masking tape to cover the central located spot I'd like Mickey to sign. Will peel it off when we get to meet him, otherwise its covered with the tape so no other characters sign there. Also will place a piece of tape in lower right corner so after the trip I can write in the dates.

If there are any blank spots on the frame after we get the autographs, maybe I'll place some Disney stickers to fill in.


Also there was a large display front of Michaels where they had unfinished wooden frames for 5X7 or 4X6 photos. These frames were all only 1.99 These might work well for getting autographs also. May go back for some this week.


Enjoy your autograph hunting everyone! :dance3:

[bigfish2215]

The mat I used holds the photo and has its own back to it, so I don't have to use a frame. I has a thin plastic piece to act as the glass. The frame is about 1/4in. thick the whole frame is 8x11, it holds a 5x7 photo. It has the arm to hold upright. I had it standing on its own for all the character dinners. So everyone could see it. Its really sturdy and it did not bend at all in the camera bag which is backpack. I hope this helps

[DearDaisyinDurham]

http://i553.photobucket.com/albums/jj384/bigfish2215/th_103_5032.jpg (http://s553.photobucket.com/albums/jj384/bigfish2215/?action=view&current=103_5032.jpg)


Ours was like the very nice one above except it was a princesses picture, it was about $5 at Michaels. We took it for just Akershus.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn139/peartreetravel/P3281887-3.jpg

[bwmetts]

Thanks for sharing! :flower3:

One more idea to add to my list of things to get (already have the click sharpies) for our trip in "16 sleeps"!!! :woohoo:

DGD's 1st Disney experience princess:

[cwy_chu]

This is a great idea! However, this is our first trip, I don't have a picture to insert into the photo frame or mat, should I give them a blank frame to sign?!:confused3

[DisGal520]

This is a great idea! However, this is our first trip, I don't have a picture to insert into the photo frame or mat, should I give them a blank frame to sign?!:confused3



first of all welcome to the DIS!!!! :welcome:



Don't worry about having a photo to put in the frame before you go. My photo mats will be just blank mats and your frame can be a blank frame to start out with. The photos go in after you get home.

[WizardLarz]

This is a great idea! However, this is our first trip, I don't have a picture to insert into the photo frame or mat, should I give them a blank frame to sign?!:confused3

You can always print a photo from the web if you want to have one behind the mat! I'm planning on using one of the castle from my last trip!

[cwy_chu]

Thankyou! I started feeling a bit of magic already...

[bigfish2215]

Do you have a Disney Visa?? If you do you get a free 5x7 in Epcot. That was the photo I used in the frame. I had everyone sign it with no photo, since that was our first trip I didn't have anything to put in it and that way nothing happened to the picture too.
ps welcome to the DIS!!