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!