Author: Disney Diva
We’ve all, at one time or another, been sucked into buying a pin or MULTIPLE pins at Disney World or Disneyland.
It seems around age 8 Disney goers suddenly discover the fine art of pin trading with cast members and parents around the world are forced to buy, at the very least, a starter set and a lanyard.
Diva son was a little jittery about riding rides. This made my rollercoaster-loving husband a little sad, so he decided BRIBERY was the best option. The plan? You ride the coaster, you get the pin. It worked… except for Tower of Terror… we’re still holding out on that one.
For a while these little 7-15 dollar pins stayed buckled in safely on the lanyard. Then they made their way to a little pin-collectors book, next my husband decided to take one of the bulletin boards work was trading out and put up the maps we special-ordered from Disney and marked the completed coasters by pinning the pins on each ride. But eventually this Diva couldn’t stand that massive ugly bulletin board a second longer and decided to get a little crafty and find a new way to enjoy our pins.
Its really not that hard to make these.
Item 1: You will need is a shadow box large enough to fit your map in. It DOES need to be a shadow box because the pin plus the map plus the foam board has a little bulk. We had to go 16 x 20.
Item 2: You need a Disney map. You could use the Disney custom maps or you could just be sure to get an extra park map each day for a souvenir and keep it in pristine condition. We’ve also used the new Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom maps.
Item 3: Some foam board. You can usually find this in the craft section of a Wal-Mart or in any craft or home store. We buy large pieces and cut them with a box-opener to size. It should be large enough to fill the entire shadowbox and have the map fit easily on top.
Item 4: Some glue or some other way to put the map securely on the foam board. 
Item 5: Disney Pins. However many you have however you want to use them. You could use them to mark character greetings or just the “home” of the different characters. You could mark the resorts you’ve stayed in. There are lots of options.
Just put them all together and find them a home in your house wherever you need a little Disney! Its easy to pull them off if you want to before traveling and add more as you collect them, and a great way to enjoy your pins ALL YEAR LONG!
