Pre-make or not pre-make autograph book

[alabamaalan]

We will take my 5yr old DD to WDW for the first time in Dec.

I assume that collecting autographs is inevitable so I would like to make an autograph book for her instead of having the same one you can buy in the parks.

First of all realize that I am NOT a scrapbooker - not in the least

However, for those of you who make your own autograph books, do you put clip art on pages to take with you to the park or do you add it to the autograph after you get home (as recommended in the FAQ)

I read on another website where the characters really ham it up when they see their picture. On the other hand, if I made a card for every character I could find clip art for it would be a BIG book and we would have to flip to the correct page when we saw the character.

But it seems like it would be so much fun....

What have your experiences been and is this the best forum to post this question?

Thanks

 

[Suzy Mouse]

I made a wonderful autograph book for my children. They love looking at it all the time. In fact my daughter has brought it in for show and tell.

I'm running out of work now so I'll be back tomorrow with the details.
Sorry to tease you.

 

[piratesmate]

We thought about making one for DD when we went in 2001. I was glad we decided against it, though. DD would have been very disappointed if she had not been able to get autographs for people listed in the book. Also, we usually came across the characters "suddenly" which would have meant flipping through the book to the right page. We have a hard enough time getting DH to stop long enough for us to shop. I just didn't think it would work.

However, we DID buy an I-Zone camera. Someone on one of these forums had suggested using this to take a picture of the child & placing it on the opposite page. This would be especially good for very young children who cannot read. That way, they would be able to enjoy the autographs w/o adult help once they're home. If you do this, just make sure you try it out ahead of time - so you're not fumbling with the camera & miss a good shot.

Deb

 

[Suzy Mouse]

Here is what I did for the kids' autograph books. I was a little obsessed about it so I won't go into the specifics that I did.

I bought a little clipboard and attached a pen on a string to it. On the clipboard I had 5 x 8 index cards. When the kids where getting their autographs I took their picture. When I got home I put the book together with their picture opposite of the autograph. Then on the back of the autographed page I pasted the photo of the next character and so on. I laminated the pages and bound it together. ( I am teacher so I have these supplies-you could probably go to an office store.) It's durable and has so far lasted 2 years of constant flipping through.

Now of course there is one down side to this. There aren't any pages to flip when you are getting the cards signed. Therefore you'll have to change the cards for your DD. My DH and I worked together and it really worked out well. It was well worth all the effort put into it.

 

[Lainy67]

I would go with the Disney one. It is pretty cheap, and works really well. It is also very exciting for the kid to buy their autograph book and fat pen. Our daughter (10) had a fanny pack that was just big enough to carry it in, so she was able to carry it around and ride rides and not worry about it.

We had each character sign on a new page - not on the back of a previous autograph. That way I could use them later. We took a picture or several every time we got an autograph. Then when we got home, I cut all of the autographs out of the book, and did an autograph scrapbook. I mounted the autographs on one page and the picture or pictures on the opposite page of an 8 1/2 x 11 scrapbook. It is really wonderful. My 3 year old now looks at it and can see who the picture is and understands that Mickey signed the paper across from it.

 

[janette]

I made one but that was mainly to use for scrapbooks. I've posted pictures of some of the pages on this autograph book thread. Autograph Books

I had several pages with different characters and some generic. I still have the books and have used them for multiple trips. The characters did enjoy signing on their pictures and several made comments or gestures indicating their approval

If you aren't making a scrapbook I think it would be easier to just use the autograph books you get in the parks. You really don't know who you are going to see so it's easier to be ready with generic books. After you get home you can add some stickers or clipart to match the autographs you do get.