Post #3: Progress and Plan

PROGRESS:
I've officially started my project! In my pitch, I shared that I would be cataloging and researching all of our Disney pins on and online database and making a display board for them. Up to this point, I have primarily been working on cataloging our pins. This has actually been really fun! So far, I've cataloged 224 pins. (Actually, that number is higher because there are some duplicates and some pins that I cataloged as sets.)  I began cataloging them on February 2 and having been working on it a little bit each night since then. Below is a screenshot of some of the pins I've cataloged thus far.

As I've begun this process, I have found that it is quite easy to find and catalog some pins and harder to do others. For example, it took me quite a while to find this pin:

As you can see, it doesn't even really seem Disney related. I typed in phrases like "red and blue face" to try to find it and really struggled. I contacted one of my mentors who thought that it might be from "It's a Small World," which was unfortunately another dead end. Finally, when looking for another pin, I came across a pin that looked similar to this one. That led me to finally discover that it was an Adventureland Tsum Tsum Tiki God and was part of a set of six. I just got lucky finding that one because I still have no clue what it really is. Needless to say, I'll be trading this one! Hopefully this will be the most difficult one that I encounter.

I have researched the pins a little bit as I've cataloged, but not much. I decided that after I have all the pins cataloged and organized, I will do more research on each pin.

In addition to cataloging pins, I contacted two potential mentors, Lindsey and Anna Bellotti. They have been collecting pins for years and will be a great resource for me.

PLAN:

There are three aspects of my project that I intend to work on in the next two weeks:

1. First, I plan to finish cataloging all of our pins over the next two weeks. I have completed most of my own pins and Lindsey's. For the most part, all I have left is cataloging Anna's pins.
2. Next, I plan to research each individual pin. I would like to determine which ones are limited editions, parts of sets, or rare.
3. Finally, I will research DIY pin boards to determine what materials I will need. I will need to first determine what board I want to make and then go from there.

SOURCES:
1. www.pinpics.com: This is the pin database that I am using to catalog our pins
2. www.pintradingdb.com: When I couldn't find a pin on PinPic, I used this website. They don't have as many pins in their database, but it did help occasionally.
3. www.distradingpins4u.com: This is just a website that sells pins, but it turned out to be very helpful for finding the names of some of our pins.
4. www.picclick.com: This is another website that sells pins. It was a very odd website, but it had some unusual pins and helped identify some of the difficult ones.

CLOSING STATEMENT:
I feel that I have made solid progress on my project. I have added more pins to my database than I expected at this point. I should be done with cataloging by the end of February, so I'll be able to move forward with making the pin board in March! 

My Pitch

For my 20Time Project, I plan on cataloging all of our Disney pins and creating a Disney pin display board. There are many reasons why I would like to do this project. First, I love all things associated with Disney. My daughters and I, as well as other family members, have been going to Disney World every year or so for over 15 years. We also love Disney movies and music. Another reason I would like to do this project is that our pins are currently quite unorganized. We have no idea how many we have, and they are in about six different places right now. We really need to get a handle on what exactly we have. A final reason I would like to do this project is that I am curious about valuable pins, the various series of pins, limited edition pins, and other aspects of our pins and Disney pins in general.

My intention for my final product is twofold: a database of our Disney pins and a DIY display board for our pins.

In order to create this final product, I would need the following materials: PinPics account (free), Disney pins (already own), corkboard ($30), glue gun/glue sticks (already own), black spray paint ($5), Tomart's Disneyana book ($35 - optional).

As part of this project, I will research the history of Disney Pin Trading, including but not limited to how it started and why it started. I can use websites such as www.disneydaybyday.com to help with this research. In addition, I will research how to make the display board. I have no experience with this, so I will need to research what type of pin board I would like to create. Once I figure that out, I will have to research how to make it. I can use the website www.style.disney.com and various how-to YouTube videos. Next, I will have to research each pin that we own by using Tomart's Disneyana book and online pin databases such as www.pinpics.com. Finally, I will research rare pins and the story behind each of them. I will use the pin databases and the Disneyana book. To help with all of this, I hope to work with two mentors: Lindsey and Anna Bellotti. They each have many years of experience in pin trading.

In thinking about how I will accomplish these goals, I created a timeline. In February, I will research pin trading and rare Disney pins. I will also organize our pins and set up the online database account and create an Excel sheet or Google sheet if I decide to go that direction. In March, I will begin researching our pins and cataloging them either online, on a spreadsheet, or both. In April, I will continue to catalog our pins. I will also research how to create the pin board and will obtain the necessary materials to make it. Finally, in May I will create the pinboard and finish our pin database.

Although I believe this will be fun, I do anticipate some obstacles. The first obstacle that I might encounter is an inability to figure out what some of our pins are. When researching, sometimes all I will have to go on is a description of the pin. This can be difficult if I don't know who the character is, for example. Another obstacle for me will be figuring out the dimensions of the pin board in order for it to accommodate our pins. It's possible I might have to make more than one pin board. A final obstacle that I might encounter is that I'm not especially crafty. I am creative, but not crafty. In other words, I can come up with some really great ideas; I just have trouble executing them! It always looks great in my head. Anyway, I will need help creating the pin board.

In conclusion, I look forward to cataloging our Disney pins and creating a Disney pin board!

Well, it's here! My favorite time of the year! It's time for the 20-Time Project!

**Note for readers. This post is a sample for my students.**

My initial reaction after 20-Time was introduced was hesitation. The project sounded kind of fun, but I could tell it was going to be a major undertaking. I was really confused about what topic I could choose, and that made me frustrated. Now that I've brainstormed ideas, I feel more confident about what is expected; however, I'm still a little bit nervous.

The most difficult part of the process so far has been choosing a topic. I have a lot of ideas swimming around in my head, and part of me wishes I could do all of them. The brainstorming helped me come up with ideas, and I have it narrowed down to three ideas. Those three ideas are dog training, cooking, and math.

The best part of the process so far has been hearing all of the other ideas that people have. There is a wide variety of projects!

As I proceed through the project, I anticipate some challenges. First, I think that organizing my time will be a challenge. I have 3 jobs and 3 kids, so free time is difficult to come by. Somehow I manage to find time to play stupid games on my phone, however, so I plan to replace the time I waste doing that with working on this project. Another challenge I foresee is possibly failing to reach my goal.

I've told my family and some friends about the project. In fact, they helped me pick my topic after I did the brainstorming. When I told my daughters that I was starting the 20-Time Project, the first question they asked me was what I was doing for my project this year. They honestly get just as excited as I do!

In general, I prefer to work alone as opposed to in a group. I like to bounce ideas off of other people, but I like to execute those ideas by myself.

Overall, I'm excited about 20Time, and I'm looking forward to starting the actual project!