Paineland Ticket Books: Turning Teacher Appreciation into a Disneyland-Style Adventure
One of my favorite things about creating a themed Teacher Appreciation Week is finding ways to make even the gift card feel like part of the experience.
For previous Teacher Appreciation Weeks, we had tucked teacher gift cards inside themed keepsakes. For our Around the World theme, we used passport books. Last year, teachers received their gift cards inside our Grimmerie of Gratitude books, which also contained surprise prize pages.
So when I started planning Paineland, our vintage Disneyland-inspired Teacher Appreciation Week, I knew I wanted to continue that tradition.
Enter the Paineland Ticket Book!
Instead of simply handing teachers an Amazon gift card, I created a vintage Disneyland-inspired ticket book that became a little roadmap to all the fun waiting for them throughout the week.
And the best part? Every ticket actually had a purpose.
Heads up: this post contains affiliate links — if you shop through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I’ve actually used and paid for myself.
The Inspiration
I started with inspiration from the original vintage Disneyland ticket books. I loved the old-fashioned look of the covers and wanted our version to feel like something that could have come straight out of an old Disneyland souvenir shop.
Fun fact for anyone who's never used one: in the original Disneyland ticket books, the E ticket was the one everyone wanted. It got you into the newest, biggest, most thrilling attractions, while the A ticket was reserved for the smaller, more basic rides. That's actually part of why I made sure our E Ticket was the one tied to the teacher's gift card—it felt right to give it the same VIP status here at Paineland.
In case you've never seen one, here's a look at an original vintage Disneyland ticket book for reference.
I provided the inspiration and the Paineland-specific details, and ChatGPT helped me create the individual ticket designs to coordinate with the cover, including the colors and vintage style.
For the cover, we changed the wording from the original Disneyland design to fit our school:
- “Place” became “School”
- “Family” became “Classroom”
The result was a ticket book that looked like a vintage Disneyland ticket book—but was completely customized for our school and Teacher Appreciation Week.
A Tip for Creating Your Own
You don't have to make your ticket book exactly like ours!
If you love the idea but have a different theme, save the photos of my finished tickets from this post and use them as inspiration when working with ChatGPT.
You can tell ChatGPT what your theme is, what colors you are using, what you want each ticket to represent, and what activities or gifts you have planned. You can even give it pictures of your inspiration.
That's essentially how I created ours—I provided the inspiration and told ChatGPT exactly what I wanted each ticket to do, and it helped turn those ideas into a coordinated set of tickets.
This idea isn't limited to a school setting, either. A ticket book like this would work just as well tucked into a gift bag for a Disneyland-themed birthday party, with each ticket unlocking a different activity, treat, or favor.
What Was Inside the Paineland Ticket Book?
The really fun part was that the tickets weren't just decorative. Each one unlocked something different during Teacher Appreciation Week.
🎟️ E Ticket — Teacher Gift Card
Every teacher received an E Ticket, which represented their main PTO gift.
We purchased Amazon gift cards for all of our teachers, and rather than putting the gift card in a traditional envelope, we incorporated it directly into the ticket book.
The gift card was attached to the front cover behind the E Ticket using glue dots.
That little detail made the gift card feel like part of the whole experience instead of simply being handed over separately.
🎟️ D Tickets — Prize Promenade Entries
Each teacher received six D Tickets.
These were their raffle tickets for our Paineland Prize Promenade.
Teachers could take their six tickets and put them into the prize boxes of their choice. They could spread their tickets among several prizes or put multiple tickets toward a prize they really wanted.
The Prize Promenade deserves its own tutorial—and it's coming! I'll be sharing exactly how we filled the prize boxes, set up the raffle system, and kept everything organized with well over a hundred teachers dropping in tickets. Stay tuned!
🎟️ C Ticket — Paineland PhotoPass
The C Ticket was our version of a Disneyland PhotoPass.
We created a free online photo circle and added pictures throughout the week so teachers could easily see and save photos from Paineland.
The C Ticket included a QR code that took teachers directly to the photo album.
This was such a fun way to make sure teachers had access to the candid pictures we were taking throughout the week instead of having to track down the PTO later to ask for photos.
Want to Add Your Own Free QR Code?
Setting this up doesn't require any special software or a paid account.
- Create a free shared photo album with an app like PhotoCircle. The free Friends & Family plan is all you need—just create an album and grab the shareable link.
- Open your ticket design in Canva, click Apps in the left-hand sidebar, and search for QR Code Generator.
- Paste your photo album link into the QR Code Generator and click Generate QR Code.
- Resize and place the QR code anywhere on your ticket design, then download your finished file.
That's it! Anyone who scans the code can view—and add to—the shared album right from their phone, no app download required to view.
🎟️ B Tickets — Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Teachers received two B Tickets for our Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
One ticket was for a chair massage, and the other was for satin hand treatments.
Each ticket included a QR code that took teachers to a SignUpGenius where they could select an available appointment time.
This made the tickets functional and helped us keep the boutique organized by having teachers sign up for specific time slots.
Bonus: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Door Signs
I also created signs for the treatment room doors to help everything run smoothly, and I'm offering them as a free digital download so you can use them for your own event!
The signs had two sides:
- COME IN
- TREATMENT IN PROGRESS
We printed the signs, placed them back-to-back with each side facing outward, and laminated them.
Then I used a hole punch to punch two holes at the top and threaded a piece of ribbon through to create a loop, which I hung on an adhesive hook on the treatment room door—the same ones I used on our Ear Welcome Wall.
Teachers simply flipped the sign when they entered and exited.
It was a tiny detail, but it was really helpful. When a treatment was in progress, the sign made it clear that nobody should walk in.
🎟️ A Ticket — Paineland Emporium
The A Ticket was one of my favorites because it sent teachers shopping!
Teachers could redeem their A Ticket for a Paineland tote bag and a shopping spree in the Paineland Emporium.
Our Emporium was stocked with school supplies and Paineland swag that teachers could choose from.
Of course, the Emporium itself deserves its own post, too! On A Ticket day, the entire room was transformed into a shop—not just a corner of one—and I'll be sharing how we stocked it and what we filled the shelves with. Coming soon!
Making the Ticket Books
Once all of the ticket artwork was created, the actual printing process was surprisingly simple.
I do all of my printing on my EcoTank printer, and for a project like this one, it's honestly a game changer. Between the ticket books, the door signs, the ticket table sign and everything else I print for PTO events, I go through an insane number of full-color pages—we're talking thousands of prints a year—and I still only have to buy ink about once a year.
The ink bottles are so easy to refill, they last a really long time, and they don't cost much more than a single set of traditional ink cartridges. For anyone doing this much printing for school events, it pays for itself fast.
What You'll Need
- Paineland ticket book cover (Create your own with ChatGPT)
- Paineland ticket pages (Create your own with ChatGPT)
- Printer
- Cardstock
- Regular printer paper
- Scissors, paper trimmer, or paper slicer
- Glue dots
- Amazon gift cards
- Stapler or another preferred binding method
- Laminator and laminating pouches
- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique door signs
- Hole punch
- Ribbon
- Hot glue gun
- Adhesive hooks
- Ticket table sign
- Tabletop balloon stand
Step 1: Print the Covers
The front cover and blank back cover were printed on cardstock.
I used Canva for the final printing setup and resized the cover so that I could print three copies per sheet.
Using cardstock for the covers gave the book enough structure without making the entire book thick and expensive to print.
Step 2: Print the Tickets
The individual ticket pages were printed on regular printer paper.
This is another place where you can save money and make the books easier to handle. The covers provide the sturdiness you need, while the inside tickets don't really need cardstock.
Step 3: Assemble the Book
With 126 staff members getting a ticket book, that added up to a serious amount of cutting. I recruited about 12 members of our PTO board to help cut everything out, and having extra hands made quick work of it. If you don't have a group to help, a paper slicer can speed things up a lot when you're doing this much cutting on your own.
After printing, I trimmed the pieces and assembled the ticket books with the cardstock cover on the front and the blank cardstock cover on the back.
The individual ticket pages went inside.
The finished book had the look of a vintage Disneyland ticket book while still being practical enough to use throughout the week.
Here's a quick flip-through of a finished book so you can see how it all comes together:
@magpietayleetot Disneyland teacher appreciation week giftcard holder ticket books. Full template and tutorial on the blog! #disneylandparty #teacherapprecationweek #giftcardholder ♪ Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo - From "Cinderella" Soundtrack - Verna Felton
Step 4: Add the Gift Card
The final step was adding the E Ticket and gift card to the front.
I used these glue dots to hold the E Ticket in place over the gift card, and they were exactly what this project needed. They lay completely flat under the ticket instead of leaving a bulky bump, hold strong enough that nothing shifted while the books were handled and handed out, and peel away cleanly without leaving any residue or damaging the gift card underneath.
This kept everything secure but still made it easy for the teacher to remove the ticket and access their gift card.
And just like that, a regular Amazon gift card became part of the Paineland experience!
The Paineland Ticket Table
I didn't want to simply stack the ticket books on a table, so I made a coordinating Paineland Ticket sign for the ticket distribution table.
I'm also offering this sign as a free digital download so you can use it for your own Disneyland-themed event—or simply use it as inspiration for a sign that matches your own theme.
For our display, I printed and laminated the sign.
Then I attached it to a tabletop balloon stand using hot glue.
And here's the trick: there were no balloons on it!
I simply used the straight pole and base from the balloon stand to turn it into an inexpensive little sign holder.
It gave the ticket table some height and made the sign much more visible without requiring another complicated display.
Once the tickets were printed on three-per-page and cut apart, I stacked, stapled, and added the gift cards to each book, then displayed the finished ticket books on the table in neat rows next to the sign.
Why I Loved This Project
The Ticket Books ended up being so much more than a way to distribute gift cards.
They became a little Paineland passport for the week.
The E Ticket gave teachers their gift card.
The D Tickets let them play for prizes.
The C Ticket connected them to their photos.
The B Tickets gave them some well-deserved pampering.
And the A Ticket sent them shopping.
It also continued something I've loved doing with our Teacher Appreciation Week themes: finding a creative way to make the actual gift part of the theme.
Our passport books worked for Around the World.
Our Grimmerie of Gratitude worked for our magical theme.
And for Paineland, the vintage ticket book was the perfect fit.
Free Paineland Downloads
I've included free downloads below for the pieces I created specifically for our Paineland setup:
- Paineland Ticket Table Sign — Use this to decorate your ticket distribution table.
- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Door Signs — Print these back-to-back to create a reversible door sign that tells teachers when they can enter and when a treatment is in progress.
And remember—you can also use the photos of our finished ticket designs as inspiration if you'd like to have ChatGPT create a version customized to your own school, theme, colors, activities, and gifts.
You don't have to copy Paineland exactly. That's the fun of it!
Take the parts you love and make your own version.
More Paineland Tutorials Coming Soon!
The Ticket Books were just one piece of our Paineland Teacher Appreciation Week.
Next up, I'll be sharing how we created the Paineland Prize Promenade, including all of those fun prize boxes and how we organized the raffle.
And I'll also be sharing the details behind the Paineland Emporium, where teachers used their A Tickets to grab a tote bag and shop for school supplies and swag.
If you're planning your own Teacher Appreciation Week, be sure to follow along—the whole Paineland experience was built from lots of small themed details that came together to make teachers feel like they had stepped into their own little school-land adventure.
More From Our Paineland Teacher Appreciation Week
- From Disneyland to Paineland: Designing a Custom Teacher Appreciation Week Theme with ChatGPT and Canva
- How I Made a 7-Foot Mickey Ferris Wheel Backdrop for Less Than $15
- DIY Disney Teacup Photo Prop: A 4-Foot Foam Board Standee for Teacher Appreciation Week
- Our Paineland Ear Welcome Wall: A Disney-Inspired Way to Display Mouse Ears
- DIY Paineland Cast Member Badges for Teacher Appreciation Week
MagpieTayleetot is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All items used in this tutorial were purchased by me and I did not receive anything in exchange for this post.