eBay Guides - Scrapping your Disney Vacation

Scrapping your Disney World / Disney Land Vacation

I'm relatively new to scrapping, less than 1 year. However, I've gotten into the "sport" with a passion!

I did my first Disney album last year and was pleased with my newbie efforts, but quickly realized it didn't have the "something special" that others had. For my next album, I decided to really put some thought into it before I started to cut or paste. First, I did my research and also used some good common sense.

Here are my steps on creating a great Disney Vacation Scrapbooking Album.

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1. It's all about the pictures - If you haven't been to Disney Land (California) or Disney World (Florida) before, then this step might be harder, but lucky for you I'm going to give you some tips.

The first thing you have to think about is what pictures you will be taking. For example, almost everyone takes pictures of Cinderella or Snow White's Castle.

Here are my ideas for picture opportunites:

* Castle pics (What a great Title page!)

* Picture in front of the Haunted Mansion - by the horseless carriage or the tombstones.

* Pictures of your group shopping, trying on silly hats, etc.

* Eating Pictures ~ the famous turkey legs, the corndogs or the nicer restaurants.

* Pictures of your Hotel room or views from the room.

* Pictures at the airport & Taxi / Shuttle rides.

* Pictures from the Disney Transportation Water Taxi's

* Pictures of everyone in the stockades at Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom

* Pictures waiting in line for the buses ~ there is a lot of waiting on buses or monorails.

* Pictures of the kids getting autographs with all the Disney Characters.

* Swimming at the resort Pool or the Water Parks.

* All of the Countries in the World Showcase.

And don't forget of all the pictures you can buy on some of the rides.

NOTE: Be sure to buy only the 5x7 pictures of the rides, as they fit better on a layout and you can give the 2nd picture away to grandparents or frame it for the desk at work.

Some of them are:

1. Rockin' Roller Coaster in MGM Studios.

2. The Tower of Terror in MGM Studios.

3. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in the Magic Kingdom.

4. Dinosaur in the Animal Kingdom.

5. The newest attraction - Everest in Animal Kingdom.

6. Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom.

7. Test Track in Epcot.

For the rest of the attractions, it's hard to get a great "money shot" of the ride. So, for my pictures, I've tried to take pictures of the rides 'Signage' and if possible, included some of my family in the shot too. For example, each Land (Adventure Land, Tomorrow Land, Fantasy Land, Toon Town, Liberty Square, Frontier Land & Main Street, USA) has an entry sign and if the crowds aren't too heavy, you can pose for a group shot under it.

For the most part, a lot of the pictures we had were varied and didn't really have much of a theme to them. Most of the attractions are in the dark and it's hard (if not even impossible) to get great shots of family on the rides. I've tried taking shots of some of the scenes in the ride, but honestly they are BORING! Avoid taking too many pictures of just scenery without someone in it... they don't make for great pages.

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2. Write it down - Now with an idea of what pictures you'll end up having, use this as a guide to plan your pages. Don't be afraid to write it down in advance. It's better to have a plan and reduce the amount of time you'll waste "looking" for that great shot. You'll definitely want to have a page of all the things mentioned above.

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3. Buy supplies ~ You'll find some great Disney Scrapbooking paper, embellishments and stickers all through-out the Disney shopping stores. There is even a Disney Scrapbooking Store in DownTown Disney in Florida. Before you buy, be sure the item will fit with your planned pages.

Next, check out eBay! You'll find so many great deals on stickers, paper piecing, pre-made pages, tags, embellishments and titles.

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4. Choose the right background - For the majority of my pages, I choose to use non-Disney paper. Look for papers that have bright, clean, simple patterns that will add fun, but not be too distracting from your photos.

I prefer 2 page layouts with one theme, but you can certainly have your miscellaneous pictures all grouped on two pages and the "theme" can just be a general Disney feeling.

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5. Grab the Extras! Don't forget to grab multiple (3+) copies of all the maps and daily events sheets, keep your Airline Ticket stubs, keep the printed napkins from restaurants. Keep ALL your receipts for that "Priceless Memories" page.

Be sure to look for really graphic postcards of some of your favorite topics. I was able to get some great postcards of Mickey, the Castle, several rides like; The Haunted Mansion, The Pirates of the Carribean, Everest. Most of these postcards look much better than any photograph you could take yourself.

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6. Autographs - If you decide to get autographs of the Disney Characters, you might want to consider making your own Autograph Book before your trip. Often times, the books you can buy in the Park are not scrapbook quality and the characters will sign it wherever they can find a spot. If you end up with an autograph back to back, then one will be lost when you scrap it. So, save yourself the hassle and just have your own!

Be sure to scrap a page that has picture of the kids w/ the Characters and a pocket for the autograph book too!

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7. Pressed Pennies - All over the Park you'll find machines that will press pennies or quarters. What a great embellishment for a page and what an awesome way to keep the kids busy when you're shopping! For example; in Disney World, in the gift shop for Splash Mountain, you'll find a penny press machine that has several designs to choose from. Choose several to add to that photo of all of the gang going down the mountain.

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8. Posing - Normally, I'm not a huge fan of posing for pictures, but when it comes to Disney World pictures, it's practically required. Candid shots are great and look for them at every opportunity, but what is a Disney Album without the cheesy picture with Mickey & Minnie?

Don't forget to grab shots of the "Grumpy" moments too! What a fun page you can create when it's filled with pouting, crying or just plain ole 'pooped' pictures! On eBay, I know I've seen some adorable Grumpy embellishments as well as some angry Donald Duck stickers too!

Don't let the rain stop the photos. You can create a whole page with a rainy theme. Keep your mind open to all the possibilites!

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9. Photo Pass - Be sure to sign up for the Photo Pass the moment you get to the Park. In several key areas, i.e.; Cinderella's Castle, Tree of Life, Mickey Hat in MGM, Main Street, you'll see a Disney Castmember with a fabulous camera ready and waiting to snap your picture. After your trip, you can go to the Photo Pass website and check out and order any copies you'd like.

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10. Journaling - I don't journal as much as I should, but I always try to include a few tags or lines to re-cap the moments. Be sure to leave space in your album for a little bit of information. The temperature, who all was there, Dates & Times are all little bits of information you can add easily to any page. While most people don't like to use their own handwriting to journal, (and I'm one of those people) I will still sit down and type it all up nicely and make tags to paper clip on to my photos.

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11. Embellishments - In addition to all the things mentioned above, don't forget to look for fun embellishements that you can add to your pages.

* Envelopes - to put tickets in, wristbands, pennies, etc.

* Colorful paper clips - great for attaching those journaling snippets to photos.

* Ribbon - look for all the basic shades to add bows and ties.

* Ink - to stain the edges to add a vintage or creepy feel to a layout.

* Bazzill paper - all colors, you'll find great deals on eBay for this!

* Mickey punch - great to add Mickey heads to many pages to give a consistent feel.

* Fonts - you'll want several different kinds to add to your album.

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