Create a custom Autograph Book or Buy One?

[crowbar7]

I've heard that getting autographs from the DW characters can be a wonderful acitivity for my DD (5 yrs old) & DN (7). I've heard people talk about making their own. (If you have - where can I find suggestions & how tos?) Others buy theirs at DW.

Can anyone share their suggestions on this important question? Please!

This will be our first trip (coming from California) & I want to do my part to make it magical.

Crowbar7

 

[going2wdw]

I made books using Disney scrapbook papers and some other generic papers and die-cuts. My girls were 9&6 and the 9yo didn't enjoy getting autographs but my 6yo collected several. I have completed a few scrapbooks pages using the autographs and pictures for my 6yo DD's book. The book is going to be worth the effort! Here's a link to some pictures I posted on the scrapbook board: Autograph Scrapbook pages

<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC size=4>Janette</font>

<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC>WDW ~*~ Offsite ? - 1976, Vistana - Jun 1988
Vistana/Contemporary - Jun 2000, OKW - Feb 2001
BWV - DIS Convention Nov 2001</font>
<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC>Disneyland ~*~ Apr 1998</font>

 

[JSR]

We bought an inexpensive journal with a coil binding at Wal-Mart last time. Our DD (then 5 1/2) collected autographs and wrote journal entries at the end of each day after the autographed pages. When we returned home, we added the photos of her and the characters on the page opposite the appropriate autograph. It also served as a great show-and-tell project for her school when it was completed.

 

[jshare]

I made autograph books for my 6 and 4-yr olds last summer. I went to Kinkos and used brightly colored card stock and they bound it with a plastic spiral binding. I made a special cover and had the front and back pages laminated. They were bright, fun, light and easy to put in their waistpacks. I gave them some disney stickers to decorate with. My son took an Izone camera with on our trip and he included sticker pictures we took of him with the characters.

 

[savannah]

We are going in May and I made my 3 kids their autograph/scrapebook/journal. I got the 5x7 size books at hobby lobby, $1.99 each. Then for my older two, I wrote, Day 1, may 4th, are airplane left at __________, we ate _________, we got to Orlando at ______, you get the idea. I then left a couple of page blank for pictures and autographs. Then day 2, things I want to do _____, we ate ______, favorite ride_____, scariest ride...ect. Since I have it planned what day we are going to the parks, I left about 8 pages for autographs or pics. I'm going to draw a pencil line where to hopefully have the character sign and then take a picture and put it there. There were 30 pages in the book. Since my kids are 7 and 9, I thought they would need prompting on the journaling. I had a page left at the end of the book and wrote the ABc's with a line. My idea is to have them write down something they see at Disney with each letter, kinda like a game. For my 3 year old, hopefully this works out, Each page is a letter, A,B, ect. and I'm going to try to get a picture of her with the thing, character, whatever that starts with that letter. Since I get doubles when I take pic's I'll still have the originals for when I'm old and more gray to do a family vacation book. I spent about 1 hour, maybe less on each book. I plan on having them decorate with disney stickers, ect. Hopefully they work!

 

[crusoemom]

I picked up a spiral notebook with Pooh on the cover from either Wal-mart or K-Mart. It's about 4x6 inches, and fits into DD's fanny pack nicely. We also brought one of those fat pens for the characters to grasp easily. Notebook was less than $2.

Off-site before 1989
CBR 1990
PO/Contemp 2000
AKL/BWV April 2001!

 

[Camping Griswalds]

a little different idea, but I bought plain white t-shirts, and wrote 2001 on the neckline with permanant sharpie markers. Then the kids took them to get them autographed. We used several different so the shirts are quite colorful. Also the fat sharpie pens are easy for the characters to use. The autographs combined with the t-shirt make a great ssouvenir. I also saw someone post this idea with a base ball hat, but I was unable to find a plain white one, or even a Disney white one before we left. Any idea is great but I really recomend using different colored pens or markers!! It looks so much more Disney. Plus the characters liked picking out the color to use. Good luck!!

 

[crowbar7]

Can anyone share their pro's & con's of the ones at DW.

I love all of the make-it ideas! Thanks for the fat pen tip, too!

You're wonderful.

 

[PattiPB]

My suggestion is to use a cheap autograph book/journal/poster board for the autographs, and then create a scrapbook later. The reason I suggest this is we go in June, and I would hate to make an elaborate scrapbook/journal, only to have it ruined by a quick thunderstorm.

I LOVED the idea of making a sort of fill-in-the-blanks journal, but I won't carry that in the parks.

Patti

 

[fostrmom2mny]

My 1st visit to WDW was w/ my DS. As a souvinir (SP) we bought one for him at an Epcot outside cart. It was only $5.00 and had a picture of Mickey and Minnie holding an autograph book. It also says Walt Disney World on it. We went back on another trip, we had my DD with us and we bought one for her that was simular but noticably different. It was also $5.00. I was surprised that with the increase in other prices that these hadn't increased. For us, the autograph books served it's pupose and is one of my kids most covented souvinir. They have many pages, and a quick note. The first trip my son had autographs from some of the same characters as he did the 2nd trip. I started dating the autographs.
Granted, the home made autograph books a absolutly gorgious! But I'm not either crafty, and I'm extremely limited on the time to make. Either way you go, I know your kids will be happy.
Gerri