DIY Character Autograph Book

Want to guess where we are headed for our Spring Break? Yippee...we are heading to California! We're planning to see family and of course, spend some serious time with our favorite mouse!

I loved getting character autographs as a kiddo when I visited Disneyland. I know my boys will, too...they both have their faves that they hope to meet in person. I wanted to create a personalized autograph book for them to carry around with them. 

I found these index card books at Walmart for $3.47 each (awesome since park autograph books are anywhere from $10-$20). They were perfect. The cards inside are nice & thick so the Sharpies won't bleed through (characters love using a good Sharpie...I think it's easier to grip with gloves on!). Plus, if I want to add photos of the kids with characters later, these are a good size for that. 

These were the other items I used for this project.

I measured out my cover (it gave measurements on the cover, but with the spiral binding, it extended a bit longer).

In Photoshop Elements, I created an image for the cover. I printed them (at Kinko's...they have great quality) on cardstock. I wanted cardstock so once they were Mod Podged the black from the cover wouldn't show through.

I used a different Mod Podge method...and loved it!! No bubbles! I used my foam brush to spread on a thin layer of the Mod Podge. Then I blew on it and fanned it for a few minutes so it wasn't too wet. Just really sticky/tacky.

Then I applied the image. I smoothed it out with my finger tips.

Then...the most IMPORTANT step....WALK AWAY!! Let this dry completely before applying your top coat. It was hard to resist. I wanted to pick up my brush and coat it up...but I didn't!

Once it's dry, it's safe to give it a top coat. I used my skinny brush to get between the spirals. I know this didn't have any of the actual image on it, but I wanted the entire cover to have a nice, even uniform look to it. 

I finished the rest of it with my foam brush. Then let it dry and gave it a second top coat. 

And there it is!! Bubble free and all! Ready to be filled with signatures from special friends.

UPDATE! Here they are in action at Disneyland:
My only other tip is that if you make this particular style of book, take a freezer-type ziploc bag in your backpack in the park, too. Would have been nice to protect the book on the wet rides...but it was okay...just got a bit sticky!

And the big clickable (non-cap) Sharpies worked fabulously!

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