Jim On Film
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Disney CDs
If you have a ton of Disney CDs--soundtracks, collections, etc.--you can create a collection of your own by using a CD burner. As long as you are burning your own CDs for your own use, you are within copyright laws to create a best-of collection. This can be handy for the car when you want to hear your favorite Disney songs without bringing fifteen CDs along for the ride.

Of course, you can put whatever music you want to on these collections, but I like to use a theme. Some possibilities are music from feature animation, live-action musicals, Disney/Pixar films, stage musicals, or a potpourri of your favorites from anywhere.

The only Disney collection I’ve created was a four-disc collection of my favorite songs from the Disney animated features (unfortunately, there are a few features for which I could not find music on CD). I burned them in order of release and then created covers for the CD cases. Double-disc jewel cases allowed me to store them compactly, but they don’t usually come with paper for liner notes. With the package of blank discs, however, there is usually paper for liner notes. On that, you can tape pictures from calendars and the other sources listed above. Inside, you can type (using a computer and by taping it into place) or write a list of films and the songs on the CD from those films.

Fun with Frames
You can also be creative with picture frames. Over the years, I have saved Disney advertisements from magazines. For example, the advertisement above from the great Annette CD boxed-set was pulled from a Disney Channel Magazine many years ago. At antique stores, there are often sections of magazine advertisements, and for under $10, you can find some great advertisements from old Disney movies, taken from old Life, Look, or other magazines. After finding a great one from The Sword and the Rose, I found a great document frame that fit the picture perfectly.

I have also bought old Disney picture books at garage sales and thrift stores. Much of the art, while not reflective of the final film, has a special charm all to itself, and was sometimes created by Disney studio artists. These can be great for using as beautiful framed art. For an extra touch of charm, leave the words with the picture.

There’s nothing like spending $40 on a great book on the making of Disney films, and two years later, finding it at the Barnes and Noble clearance section for $10. But you don’t have to pass up on the great deal! Buy a second copy of the book when it hits that clearance shelf, and in the future, you can chop it up to use for decorating. One of my great finds was the wonderful Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston book The Disney Villains. The pictures were printed on high quality, glossy paper, and I have read it and re-read it a million times. But a few years ago, I bought a second copy on clearance, and when I’m ready to use it, the pictures will come in handy for decorating.

Before recovering from eBay addiction, I found several great pictures for reasonable prices, such as the That Darn Cat! window card framed above. For oddly-sized pictures such as this, you can often find document frames that fit perfectly. By finding and framing these older pieces, you add variety to your collection.

I’ve also found special Disney greeting cards that work well. At a gift shop, I once saw cards made of storyboard art from classic Disney shorts. I bought one, and I found a simple black frame for a panel of Minnie from the 1939 short Mickey’s Surprise Party.

I’ve also used pictures from the Disney Days calendars. For one, I found two pictures from two different years’ calendars of The Black Cauldron. One was a picture of the trio of characters, and another was a picture of a kiss just seconds later. I used black colored paper as a backing and framed the two pictures together.