When S become old enough to want to start obtaining autographs from the Disney characters, I started thinking and researching different ways to collect autographs. I love the idea of the official Disney autograph books, however we usually see around 60 characters during our trips which means we would need multiple books and they are expensive.
I considered making an autograph book from scratch for S, but again 60 characters times all the trips we take started adding up to a lot of time. Then I found Brittish Designs and Sahlin Studio’s Project Mouse, which is a digital download of 3×4 and 4×6 cards (plus they have different coordinating items if you want to scrapbook your trip). Their “Characters” collection includes 4×6 autograph cards that have cute graphics. I ended up purchasing the Character collection and several others. I found that most of their collections contained 4×6 cards that would work also for autographs.
I decided to use a small binder to hold all the autograph cards while we were in the parks/on the cruise ship. The binder was approximately 5×7.
To print the cards there are handy printable sheets that you can go ahead and print with, however because I wanted to be able to leave a margin on the left for holes for the binder, I ended up making my own “printable” sheets with two 4×6 cards on each 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. I have previously printed these cards at home on cardstock paper, however for our upcoming trip (we were out of ink!) I sent my pages to a local printer. Then I cut the cards into 4 x 6 3/4 cards. Again, the extra 3/4 of an inch is on the left side of the card and is there to punch holes to place the cards in the binder.
I also decorate the binder cover for each trip for S. I usually include her name, the number this trip is, and our dates of our visit.
To carry our autograph book in the parks/on the cruise ship, I place it and two sharpie markers in a ziplock bag and place it in my purse/backpack.
What I really liked about using the binder was that when the card was signed we moved it to the back of the binder so we always had a fresh page. Then each night, I removed the cards that were already signed and kept them at the hotel and replaced with additional cards for the next day.
When we returned from our trip, I cut off the holes – making the cards 4×6 and scrapbooked them using divided page protectors. You could also add the autograph cards to photobooks with a photo of your child with the character. This makes a wonderful souvenir!
Tips for Using Cards for Autographs
- Make sure the cards are at least 4×6 inches, so that the characters have enough room to sign
- Make sure the characters have a hard surface to sign on, we used a binder, but a small clipboard would also work well
- Always keep your autograph book handy you never know when you might run into a character, especially on the cruise ship
- While waiting in line for a character, you could have your child flip through the binder and pick out a card for that character to sign – this will help pass the time in line
- Most importantly have fun collecting all those autographs
Does your child like to collect autographs from the characters?
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Very cute cards and I love that you remove them each night… keeping them from being damaged or over handled.
Exactly!
What a cool idea!! Super cute.
Thank you Lysha!
Genius and cute and a super fantastic idea. We always ended up buying the dreaded autograph books at the store… didn’t last long like you said..
The store ones are very cute though! 🙂
That was clever! Very organized and looks nice, not just a hodgepodge.
Thank you Skye!
That is gorgeous, Paris! I love the way you incorporated the pages into your scrapbook at the end–so much better than the autograph book I have on a shelf (and that’s been there since the ’90s) that I have no clue what to do with. Pinning this for when Britton gets a little older! 🙂
We are going to Disney World in January! So excited! Thanks for the book tips.
~ Ashley
You are going to have so much fun!
Love this idea and that you remove them from the binder and place them in a scrapbook! My 3 year old grandson asks if we can go back to Disney just about every weekend. He’s in love with that place!
Disney World is filled with so much magic!
what a cute way to store autographs for your daughter! I loved Disney as a kid so I can definitely relate 🙂 great photos ♥
Thank you Tianna!
What a great idea Paris! Last time we went to Disney my daughters didn’t want autographs or take pictures with the characters, they were so focus on getting on rides. SMH!
I know there will come a time, when S doesn’t care for the characters anymore too! The rides are awesome, so I totally agree with your girls!
This is so awesome! 🙂 I never thought about getting their autographs! Darn! I feel like I missed out 🙁
http://neatly-packaged.com/
No you still have all the wonderful memories!
this is really cute, I like them better than the ones they sell at Disney! 🙂
Thanks Lauren, so do I!
I’ve been crushing on several fonts lately, especially the handwritten one.
Little S has a pretty exciting life. I think I would have loved to see Snow White.
The handwriting font is Sacromento – love it!
This is a great idea! All families should make one of these before they go! The autographs were so much fun! Thank you for linking up to Show Me Saturday!
Thanks Lindsay! Collecting autographs is so much fun!
I love that you used Project Mouse for your autograph book – I’m going to do that on our trip next year. The kiddos will be almost three which is perfect for autographs.
They are perfect for autographs! I love all the designs that they have come out with! I believe S was just about 3 when she started with autographs – perfect age.
Such a nice idea! When my daughter is older I hope to visit Disney World, and this would be a great way to collect autographs! Thank so much for linking up with Merry Monday!
Thank you Danielle! Your daughter will love collecting autographs when she’s older.
Such a fun idea…. can’t wait to try it whenever we make it to Disney!
Thanks! We love using this method for all of our trips!
Awww that is the coolest! I need to get my mommy to take me to Disney World! (Hint hint Mom!) Thanks for linking up to Snickerdoodle Sunday!
Thank you! I hope she takes you soon! 🙂
This is a cute autograph book. We have been to Disney a few times and have done the official autograph book, a collection of index cards, and a calendar. I like that these can easily be converted for scrapbooking
Thank you Nicky! I love being able to add them to my scrapbook.
Wow !! That is a great idea 🙂 Love your scrapbook pages 🙂 Thank you for linking up at Home matters link up party.We would love to see you again this wednesday.
Thank you so much Sahana!
We love Disneyland! Fun. Pinned. Lou Lou Girls
There is something about Disney parks that is so much fun!
I love this! So did you just download and print these on an 8×10 sheet? The cut out and lunch holes? We are starting to rpep for our Christmas Disney trip and I really want to so this this year with my boys. I love that your book is easy for the characters to sign in and that you found a great solution to no page protectores while at the park. Thank you!!!
Collecting autographs is so much fun! Once I downloaded the files, there are PDFs of the images that you can print onto 8.5×11 paper. I used photoshop to create my own print files, so I had more room around the image.
Such a great idea! My Boy is still pretty young, and might not be into Disney princesses, but that would be a great idea for other things like sporting events or concerts that I know his father will take him to.
Great idea Sara!