Disney Autograph Books

We recently went to Disney World. One of the most special things about the DW experience is meeting all of the characters. And of course, you must get their autographs. We saw many young children who were carrying around the official DW autograph books that really aren't very special. They are plastic-y and kind of cheap looking. My daughter and I planned ahead and made our own autograph book using scrapbook paper (including thick cardboard paper for the cover) and rings from a chipboard journal set (which cost $2 at Michael's). The benefit of making your own book, aside from the cuteness of it, is that you can add as many pages as you want and remove them if they don't get used.

All of the princesses loved our autograph book, especially since my daughter had chosen special paper for each princess. When we returned from our trip, we added pictures and dollar spot scrapbook embellishments. I know that it is something that she will always treasure.

My daughter's friends are visiting Disney World soon, so we made them special autograph books too.

This time we just used the cardboard covers that come with the chipboard journals. I cut paper to size and glued it on with spray adhesive (but I think I'll use Mod Podge next time). I used contrasting papers for the girl's book. She really likes zebra print, so we used that on the inside covers of her book. She also loves purple.

Both kids loved the fact that their books are personalized, and I added a tag or ribbon on the top ring to easily identify which way is up. Sometimes, books get all turned around in the excitement of meeting a character, and when your hands are full of Sharpies and books and drinks and bags and all of the other stuff you need for Disney World, you need a few identifiers to find the right way! That being said, somehow Mickey Mouse still managed to sign my daughter's book upside down...

I also added a pocket on the inside cover for the kids to store their passes and other small DW mementos. This is just scrapbook paper attached to the cover with double sided tape on the two sides and bottom. We added a little bling to the purple book.

For our boy's book, we selected scrapbook papers in fun, bright colors. We folded the paper over and used spray adhesive to glue it together, so each sheet is double sided. Some scrapbook papers are kind of thin, and you don't want Sharpie marker bleeding through. We used a corner rounder so that the pages match the cover. If you've never used a corner rounder, it just makes everything look better.

For the girl's book, we used a small scrapbook paper pad from Michael's. We liked the scalloped edges, and they were the perfect size for the chipboard journal. These papers are also nice and thick, so marker will not bleed through them.

Some of you might be thinking, "Why not use plain paper? Aren't all these colors going to take away from the autographs?" But plain paper is so...plain. And the characters at Disney see enough plain white books day in and day out. They all enjoyed looking at my daughter's colorful book, and Sharpie marker shows up on fun papers just as well as it does on plain paper. When the kids return from Disney World, we'll add fun embellishments and stickers to their books too. I'm hoping they love their books as much as my daughter loves hers!
--Melissa

We're making SWAPS and making friends.

Girl Scouts love SWAPS--
Special (or Silly) Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere. Each girl creates a homemade token that represents her troop or the activity the group is participating in. And then you make enough to hand out to every Girl Scout sister. My daughter and I recently made 24 SWAPS for our first camping trip. 

Comments about the SWAPS:

"It looks just like me!" (Yes, the hair was specially designed to match the girl, and my daughter chose the sleeping bag color and pillow fabric to match the personality of each friend.)

"Kindergarten girl, did you sew these?" (Yes, my daughter did play around with the sewing machine, and she turned out and stuffed each pillow. SWAPS are supposed to be girl-designed and created. Moms can help, especially when the girls are younger.)

"How long did these take to make?" (Honestly, we took a month and did a few here and there. The trick to SWAPS is not to wait until the last minute because you and your Girl Scout will be frustrated.)

"How did you make these?" (They are very simple to make). 

A-Tisket, A-Tasket, a Little May Day Basket

We love May Day! A thoughtful May Day basket brings a smile to any friend's and neighbor's face. Here's ours for this year...

This sweet basket is cute and easy to make.