One of the most affordable Disney souvenirs that I know of is to create a scrapbook of your vacation memories when you return home. While scrapbooking certainly can be complicated…and expensive….it absolutely does not have to be either. In fact, anyone can really make a simple scrapbook made with not much more than pictures, items you collect at the parks, and the most priceless things you have…your memories.

Don’t be afraid to try this. You don’t need a design degree, and you don’t have to be especially artistic even. Simply concentrate on what you ultimately want to do: creating a keepsake of those magical memories of your Disney World vacation. Get your children involved too, as this can be a wonderful way to re-live your Disney vacation together, and kids love to help create scrapbooks.

So where do you start? You start your scrapbook while you are still at the parks, because you want to be gathering items to put in your scrapbook while you are there. Free items. You are not going to spend a lot on this album, because we are talking about affordable Disney vacation souvenirs here. So throughout your trip, watch out for things that cost you nothing that you can put in your book.

What kind of things? Well, pretty much everything! Things we have used in scrapbooks in the past include: park maps, napkins, postcards in the rooms, parts of Disney bags, photopasses, Fastpasses (sometimes the castmembers have let us keep them once the time is expired), park tickets, Key to the World cards, receipts, even pixie dust (Mickey sequins that are part of the Magic Kingdom daily opening celebration). That is, of course, just a start. You really can…and should…use your imagination here. Nothing is off limits, as long as it can fit in a book. Oh, one more thing you absolutely will put in your scrapbook of course…pictures.

Once you return home, you will take all these wonderful items and put them together in your scrapbook. Now there are a couple things that are important to keep in mind here. The supplies, album, paper, adhesive, stickers etc. can cost a fortune if you are not careful: there is some really cute stuff out there and it is easy to get carried away. So my recommendation is to set a budget that is affordable to you and stick to it. The most expensive item will be the album, but you can get a smaller one to save money here if necessary. Now Disney does sell scrapbooking supplies at the parks, so if you want to splurge you can get a Disney album…but don’t feel as if you need all the other stuff that they sell too! Remember, your memorabilia and pictures are what will matter the most here.

As to other supplies, you will need some decent adhesive. Glue sticks will work on most paper items, but for anything that is heavier, you will want a stronger adhesive. Be sure to ask an associate in your local craft store for assistance if you need to. Beyond that, get maybe a dozen sheets of solid color cardstock: if you can get a pack or find a sale, this should cost no more than $5-6 tops. Make sure you have a decent pair of sharp scissors or exacto knife, and a good sturdy ruler. And that’s all you NEED for your book.

And then you can put it together any way you like. Don’t make this hard or complicated! Instead of focusing on “how it looks”, concentrate instead on telling a story. You had a fantastic vacation at Walt Disney World, and made some amazing memories. Use those memories….helped by your free memorabilia and pictures….to tell the story of your vacation.

Don’t forget to leave space on each page to write. You want to include the story of your vacation. Journaling really “ties it all up” so give this part some thought. You can hand-write your memories on a piece of cardstock and glue it onto each page…or if you don’t like your handwriting, consider typing it out on the computer and then printing it out to add to the page.

And that’s really it! Take lots of photos, collect lots of free Disney “stuff”, write down your memories, and put it all together in any way you like. When you’re done, you’ll have a Disney souvenir that costs next to nothing…but is truly priceless.

When not writing for chipandco.com, Nancy shares tips and information about planning affordable Disney vacations at her blog, theaffordablemouse.com. Patiently waiting for the chance to move closer to Walt Disney World, Nancy and her equally Disney-obsessed family currently live in Maryland.