Tips on picture frame mat autographs?

[Puffy2]

I've seen that some people have the characters sign a picture frame mat instead of an autograph book. This seems like a good idea, but does anyone have any tips on carrying a mat like that around with you in the parks and still keep it protected as you do the rides, etc...?

Suggestions on what size of mat?

 

[rebekahw]

I was curious about this as well. I was thinking of getting a photo shipper (fairly rigid envelope) to put it in. I figured I would buy the biggest shipper that would fit in my bag and the biggest mat that would fit in the shipper.

 

[fla4fun]

How about one of those plastic frames that you just slide the photo in or out? You could carry the mat in it for protection, and the characters would have a hard surface under the mat when they sign it. I have a couple different types - one that just has sort of a cardboard "box" that fits into the plastic frame to hold the photo, and one that has sort of a "foot" at the bottom with just a slot to put the photo in or take it out.

I would be concerned that anything that was very flexible would allow the mat to bend when you least expect it - especially on rides.

As to size, I would think about what size photo you want to display and buy accordingly. Of course, the smaller the mat, the easier it will be to transport - but the harder it may be to sign.

 

[Ali0812]

We did this on our last trip. I bought photo mats from Michaels for around $4.00 each. They were 8x10 photo mats with a place for a 4x6 photo. To keep ours safe and dry I double bagged them in gallon sized zip lock bags and kept sharpies in the bag with them. I carry a backpack, so I just stuck them in there. Everything stayed safe and dry.

 

[Ali0812]

How about one of those plastic frames that you just slide the photo in or out? You could carry the mat in it for protection, and the characters would have a hard surface under the mat when they sign it. I have a couple different types - one that just has sort of a cardboard "box" that fits into the plastic frame to hold the photo, and one that has sort of a "foot" at the bottom with just a slot to put the photo in or take it out.

I would be concerned that anything that was very flexible would allow the mat to bend when you least expect it - especially on rides.

As to size, I would think about what size photo you want to display and buy accordingly. Of course, the smaller the mat, the easier it will be to transport - but the harder it may be to sign.

You can buy the photo mats that are made for signing at Michaels. They are kind of thick and not bendy. You would have to try to bend it.

 

[Alessandra Gabriel]

I did this on our last trip and kept the mat in a ziplock bag as well along with a separate bag full of color sharpies...I had a color sharpie for each character I felt associated with that color (Blue for Cinderella, Red for Snow White, etc) and kept the mat in our bookbag that we carried along. It stayed perfectly flat the entire time.

 

[redheadedmermaid73]

I did this with my nephews last September. We got an 8x10 mat with space for a 5x7 picture. Plenty of space for all the autographs. We did the same as PP and purchased a bunch of different color sharpies and had the characters sign in "their" color.

When we weren't using it we just kept them in the shopping bag we bought them in and put them on the bottom of the stroller. This worked to our advantage because no one bumped into it and we didn't have to carry it.

 

[mom2rtk]

If you're afraid of carrying it in the parks, just take it with you to a character meal outside the park.

If you're carrying it in the parks, try to get all your autographs in the morning then store it in a locker.

 

[Puffy2]

What size markers do you take? The thick ones or the thin ones? These are all great ideas !

 

[mom2rtk]

What size markers do you take? The thick ones or the thin ones? These are all great ideas !

Retractable Sharpies work great because you don't have to worry about losing the caps.