Autograph book - help me decide!

[laurie31]

I decided to make my own autograph books for my dds using a Creative Memories 7x7 album. I want the autograph on one side and the pic of my dd with the character on the other. I thought perhaps carrying around 2 of those albums might be a bit cumbersome, so I bought a cropping cube of paper, let the girls decorate a sheet with stickers of each character (that I had stickers of) and I got a small clipboard. I thought just bringing the paper and the clipboard would be easier. I put the decorated papers in a coupon organizer with ABC tabs, so I can grab the one I need quickly. I have plenty of blank paper in the back for extra characters.

So...now I'm reading posts about characters liking to flip through the books etc. Would it be worth it to go ahead and mount the decorated papers in the CM albums and take them after all? Or just stick to my original plan?

Thanks in advance for your opinions

Laurie

 

[KatieKate16]

Twice before I've used the CM 5x7 album and will again this year (bought one before they went out). I have filled the album with a set of refills...hoping to see LOTS of characters. The first time I wanted them to sign every other page so I could include photos...but it's impossible to give direction in the chaos of everything. They wound up signing both sides, plus we filled the entire book! Worked okay, as I added another set of refill pages to put the pictures on once we were home.
Don't expect to be able to tell them how/where to sign, it's not worked for me. In fact, Goofy signed it upside down! Seemed appropriate for that character though!
One thing I want to try again is having Woody/Buzz stamp on the same page. Their signatures are so small and the pics are taken with them together, it would save a few pages.

Also I suggest taking some plastic protectors with you. Snow White kissed her book and her lipstick was rubbing off on the other pages. The plastic helped keep signed pages nice.
I would find it difficult to search for the appropriate page when you're seeing lots of characters (say the Epcot bus)...while taking color and black/white pictures...and video taping! ha, ha

 

[Memaw2Wm]

I struggled with this before I went to Disney this summer ... what type of book to use, whether or not to predecorate.

I ended up taking CM Razzy Red 5x7 albums (that I'd set aside) ... I didn't predecorate and planned on having the characters sign the front and back of each page, then inserting refills pages with the character signatures on them when I got home.

This sort of worked ... even though I handed the albums to the kids I ended up with at least one upside down autograph (although I'm not sure if the Queen of Hearts meant to sign it upside down or not, LOL) and Chip and Dale's signatures ended up in the middle of the Cinderella dinner autographs (how did THAT happen???)

We also ended up with FIFTY-ONE autographs so my 5x7's are stuffed and I haven't even added the refill pages for the photos!!! I am going to have to split the autographs into two albums for each g'kid.

For our next trip I've decided to buy 6x6 Cranson scrapbooks from Michael's ($6.99/80 sheets) and have the characters sign in those. Once home I'll cut the autographed pages out and mount them in 8½x11 albums so I can get the autograph and signature on a single page. Plus I can add additional pages for character autographs collected on future trips.

If you decide to take the albums, be sure and take page protectors and put them on the pages each evening, or if you decide to go with the clipboard, I suggest you get a clipboard for each girl ... the people behind you in line are most likely not going to be happy if they have to wait for you to switch sheets of paper so each child gets his/her own autograph.

Have fun!!! I love meeting and greeting the characters!

Cheryl

 

[Auggietina]

We just got back and I had bought a 7x7 CM (which was embossed on the front in gold with "My Disney Friends") and pre-decorated it with the snap pack. Everyone kept asking where I had bought it! My dd always had the page ready for the charater to sign and pointed to where she wanted them to sign. This worked out fine, exept for Genie who refused to sign on a page that had any girls on it! He flipped the page until he found a boy ( I think he signed on the Tigger page)!

It was a nice thing to do with my dd before the trip. We had fun decorating it and with the snap pack it was so easy

 

[JulianneP]

You must make one! We just got back last week and everyone went crazy for my Cm 7x7 album. My kids got lots of extra attention becasue of it and they added lots of fun designs around their names. I didn't think we would get as many characters as we did so if you are using the snap pack you also need to add some of the animal stickers to a page for the AK characters (Stanley, Timon, Rafiki, Lilo and Stitch etc..) The characters wrote really big but I still have enough space to add a few pictures or I can just add a new page (the beauty of flex hidge binging) I'm letting my kids (3 and 4).

It was a little heavy to carry around a 7x7 album but it fits nicely in a large zip loch bag with a round tip CM pen and I ended up keeping it in the back of the stroller because we saw so many characters. It was well worth it and my DD and Ds really got in to it and lots there fear of large characters. (Well as long as they did not touch them or jump out at them like Timon did.

P.S. On the front page I used the CM castle die cut and the mickey, goofy,pluto sticker from the snap pack and mrs. Grossmen pixie dust stickers. I wrote Dreams really do come true on yellow paper underneath

 

[bskts4bj]

I'm loving this idea - how did you emboss your album cover? Was it easy? I'm not a really talented person and I'm definitely artistically challenged!

Also - a general CM question - what if I don't like the white paper background? Can you cut a different color of cardstock & affix it? Will the page protector still slide over it then? I'd like to have pastel colored pages for the princesses, etc. not just plain white. Any and all offers of advice are greatly appreciated!

TIA!
Brenda

 

[nicki dahling]

Hi Brenda ,
I can't answer your question about embossing, but I "wallpaper " my cm albums all the time. Yes, just cut your paper to size and slip the finished layout between the page protectors on your album.

More details : click here for instructions -

http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=183171

 

[Auggietina]

I bought the book with embossing already done off of ebay -

So I'm not sure how it was done!

 

[laurie31]

Thanks everyone for your advice We leave in the morning! Woohoo!!

As for the embossing, I know CM sells an embossing tool (and I'm sure you can get them from other sources as well). I've seen it demonstrated at a crop and it looked easy to use, but I haven't bought one. Yet

Laurie

 

[Ryanzmama]

You can have your CM album professionally embossed locally- contact your (or any) CMC and hopefully they will have a source for you... Here in Tampa alot of us CMCs use the same person- he is the hubby of a local CMC and does a fabulous job!

I just had my son's baby album (the white one with the baby booties) embossed with his name and birthday on it and it came out gorgeous!

Hope that helps! The autograph albums are wonderful- I did one on our Disney cruise and will keep adding to it as we go back to Disney ..

Linda

 

[mommie2angels]

OK I really really want to do this for our next trip. Can I pretty easily get a 7X7 book from a CM consultant. What I mean is will they have them on hand or do they usually have to order them. I guess that depends on the consultant huh? I am so excited! This sounds great!

Julianne Pasco, could you please tell me where you saw Stanley at AK. Is he a regular there now? We have never seen him before except of course at Playhouse Disney. Thanks for your help!

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Mommie2Angels -- Stanley was at the Conservation Station/Rafiki's Animal Watch when we visited there in August.

 

[mommie2angels]

Thanks Memaw2Wm! We didn't go out there this last trip. We will be sure to check next time.

 

[Auggietina]

When we were at AK on 9-23 we saw Stanley at the front entrance

 

[mommie2angels]

I really wish I would have thought to ask if he was there and where when we were there. Next time I will be sure to do that.

 

[laurie31]

Hi - We're baaaaack!! We had so much fun! We ended up using the cards on the clipboard after all, but they worked out great. We had plenty of time to get the right card out while we waited in line, (I didn't have to worry about the character signing on the "wrong" page ) and then I did video while DH took pictures. We got tons of autographs. I can't wait to get them in my CM album along with the pictures

Speaking of Stanley, we saw him at Rafiki's Planet watch at AK along with Rafiki, and Flik. We also saw Baloo, Lilo and Stitch, and Chip and Dale in various parts of AK. This was Friday the 10th.

Laurie, off to work on her trip report!

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Glad to hear the cards/clipboard worked out for you! I've yet to find the "perfect" autograph/photograph album, LOL!