Inexpensive ways to store Disney trading pins


We are buzzing with excitement over our upcoming Disneyland trip!  We don't leave for several days yet, but I'm already thinking about all the things we have to pack: the basics like clothes and toiletries, plus all the special Disney items like Mickey ears, lanyards, and trading pins!



We discovered the joys of Disney pin trading two years ago, and the kids' collection has grown to about 15 pins each.  That's not a huge collection, but it's too many pins to display on their lanyards.  I considered buying them a pin trading case at Disneyland (you can also buy them online at DisneyStore.com), but I couldn't justify the $27 price times 3 kids.  The case is adorable, but I'd rather spend the money on trading pins!
You can also buy unbranded pin trading cases for about $12 on Amazon, but I've come up with even cheaper ways to store and display the kids' Disney trading pins.  Here are 4 inexpensive alternatives to the traditional pin trading carry case:

Zippered pouch
The simplest way to store your pins is in a pouch or box.  It's a great place to store your first few pins, but as your collection grows, your pins will tumble all around and scratch each other unless you have little plastic bags for each pin.  The kids have little zippered pouches that attach to their pin trading lanyards, but they only use the pouches to store pins that they want to take into the parks that day and trade.



Bead box
Bead boxes are great for storing your pin collection because they have built in compartments and they come in many sizes.  The one in the photo below is small enough to slip into a purse, backpack or fanny pack, so you can easily fill it with pins you want to trade and take it into the park.  The disadvantage to these boxes is that they are made with hard plastic, and they could crack or shatter if they fall or slam against something hard. Also, I don't trust the lid to stay shut, so I would secure it with tape or a rubber band.

CD Cases
You remember those old zippered CD cases that you've been meaning to throw out?  You can reuse them! You can secure your trading pins to the plastic sleeves for display, and easily remove them for trading.  The zipper is a great way to ensure that you don't lose any pins whose pin backs accidentally fall off.  Try to leave 1 page in between pins so they don't get scratched, or position your pins so that the pin backs don't touch the pins on the next page.  



Make your own pouch from a zippered cosmetic case
The disadvantage of storing your pins in a CD case is that the pages are made of thin plastic, so they could easily tear -- but if you're the crafty type, you can make your own pin trading case like the ones they sell at Disneyland!  I bought 3 zippered cloth pouches for just $2.50 each on eBay (see photo below).  Each one measures about 4" length x 6" width x 1.5" thickness, so it's small and lightweight.


The pouch is probably intended for storing makeup, hair ties, school supplies, and other knick knacks.  I made "pages" for the pouch by covering foam rectangles in satin cloth.  I made 3 pages for this pouch, and I can probably fit one or two more pages into the pouch as the kids' pin collection grows.

I sewed the top end of the pages into the lining of the pouch, and presto!  Each of the kids has a nice pouch for storing and displaying their pins.


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