That's a Scrap!: Preserving Your Disney Vacation Memories (Part Two)
by Bay Loftis, Guest Columnist and Scrapbook Aficionado
Before You Start Spending Those Disney Dollars
Now for the really fun part -- you've done your preparation in terms of camera choice and a list of photos you really want to get while you're in the middle of the magic. Now you get to think about shopping!
When I started scrapbooking, Disney offered two sheets of acid-free stickers that were appropriate for scrapbook use. That was it! They did have photo albums, but they were filled with the least archive-friendly PVC page protectors, or worse, magnetic pages.
Disney has caught on to scrapbooking, and there are now tons of products available in stores all over the World. You can buy albums, printed papers, pre-printed title blocks, decorative stickers, and even cute, Mickey-icon-shaped paper fasteners (often called "brads"). Entire scrapbook kits are available in an array of styles and prices, with colored, acid-free/lignin-free cardstocks (acid-free/lignin-free papers will not "yellow" or turn brittle as quickly as regular paper) and paper die-cuts of Mickey balloons and Cinderella Castle.
Keep in mind that many of the patterned papers and embellishments available in the World aren't available at your local craft store, so if you see something you just can't live without, go ahead and buy it while you're there. Worst case scenario, you can probably find it online or on eBay for a slight mark-up.
[Note from Jennifer: Another excellent source for Disney-themed scrapbooking supplies is Creative Memories, which has Mickey albums, a disney package of stickers and papers for quick scrapbooks, and a new Princess collection. You can get more information and find a Creative Memories consultant who has these supplies at
http://www.creativememories.com.]
If budget is a concern, you should know that you don't have to make your scrapbook using only Disney-themed papers and embellishments. You can find cheaper supplies close to home, and use your own creativity to make your scrapbook pages. The same applies to your individual taste -- if Pooh stickers aren't your particular "pot of honey", use colored pencils to sketch a border that suits your style.
Before You Fill Your PassPockets
The last -- and most critical -- step in preparing to scrap your dream vacation is collecting memorabilia to fill your scrapbook. I'll warn you -- Walt Disney World is full of things to cram into a book. Just the freebies alone will make your head spin and the binding on your album bulge and groan.
One memento to consider taking with you is your door decoration. If you're the sort of person who decorates your door anyway, think "archival" before you start. Using long-lasting, acid-free, lignin-free papers and decorations makes it much easier to pop that sign into your scrapbook. Don't forget to take pictures while it's on the door!
Also take some small envelopes with you for small items. You can buy pixie dust (Mickey-shaped glitter), but the sentimentality of actual pixie dust collected at the back of Cinderella Castle is unparalleled. If you put pixie dust in your suitcase, it may or may not make it into your scrapbook, but if it's sealed in an envelope, it's much harder to miss later on.
Similarly, a large manila envelope or expanding folio for large paper items is invaluable for keeping things safely flat and un-crinkled. If you're really picky, take a shipping tube with you and roll large menus and maps for shipping home.
[Note from Jennifer: Our readers tell us that PassPorter's PassPockets are also excellent for storing items during a trip, plus it keeps them organized chronologically for scrapbooking when you get home.]
A good rule to follow is the "rule of threes": If it's an item you may want to put on a page, get three -- one to cut up, one to mess up, and one to remain intact. Park maps, entertainment guides, festival guides, resort maps, and menus all fall into this category.
Many items that you just want to keep are not strictly archival and may, in fact, turn yellow and brittle over time, but I'm going to recommend that you get them, anyway, for sheer novelty in later years. Napkins, coasters, parking permits, shopping receipts, meal receipts, and paper or plastic bags fall into this category.
Once you get home, you can do several things to try to "fix" the acidity and lignin in these items, to varying degrees of success. The scrapbooking market has a spray that you can purchase (which is really very expensive) called Archival Mist. You can try to buffer these items (except the napkins, which would disintegrate) in a bath of one part water to one part Milk of Magnesia or you can color laser-copy the less "archive-able" mementos.
But truth be told, you can simply tuck these things into one of many clear envelopes or "sleeves" to affix to your scrapbook in its original condition.
Some things you might like to pick up as additions to your scrapbooks:
- Postcards
- World Showcase Passports
- World Showcase KidCot crafts
- Stickers (the individual sort that Cast Members give away all over the World)
- Character autographs
- Swizzle sticks from resort lounges
- Safety trading cards (We first encountered these during our November, 2003 trip and got them from Cast Members at various attractions -- they're illustrated safety tips on baseball-card sized snippets of cardstock)
- Character meal priority seating slips
- Attraction photo slips (the kind you get after you've had a photo taken on a ride, but haven't decided yet if you're going to buy it)
- Pleasure Island wristbands
- Special ticket event wristbands (Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, etc.)
- Pressed pennies and quarters
- Pixie dust
These are just a few things to help you get started. Your own tastes and fond memories should dictate what you collect for your scrapbook, so don't hesitate to start a collection that deviates from this list!
Websites & Other Sources for Scrapbooking Tips
- The PassPorter Message Boards have a forum devoted to crafts!
http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...-scrapbooking/
- An excellent beginner's how-to article by Maureen Spell is at
http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Scra...tting_Started/
- One of the most popular scrapbook websites, Two Peas In A Bucket --
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com
- Magazines and periodicals that you may want to read are often available at stores all over the U.S. Check out Creating Keepsakes, Better Homes & Gardens' Scrapbooks Etc., Memory Makers, Paperkuts, or Simple Scrapbooks for lots of advanced technique instruction and inspiration.
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Bay Loftis is a free-lance writer whose art and articles have appeared in publications such as "Better Homes & Gardens Scrapbooks Etc.", "Legacy" Magazine and "Memory Makers" idea books.
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