Harry Potter Halloween Costumes + Giveaway

Hi! It's Jilly. I am a bad blogger and never posted about my kids' HALLOWEEN costumes! I even did their little photo shoot several days before Halloween so I could post it "on time". But, I'm lame and I didn't. Life is just so busy sometimes! But, their costumes were so awesome that I can't go without showing them to you!

DIY Harry Potter-ish Magic Wands

Hi! It's Jilly. My kids love Harry Potter. They love to read the books and watch the movies, and even had a Harry Potter birthday party this year. So, it was no surprise when they announced that this year's Halloween costume theme would be...Harry Potter. #shocked

For their birthday party I made wands for all the kids to take home, but I never got around to posting the tutorial for the wands! I know, I know...bad blogger. So, since Halloween is coming up and I will have a little Draco, Luna, and Hermione running around, I figured now was a great time to post the wand tutorial. 

The wands are super easy to make and look so awesome! Seriously.

Supplies:

Chopsticks

Hot glue

Brown spray paint

Cornstarch

Directions:

1) Using a hot glue gun, add lines and dots of hot glue to the chopsticks in whatever design you like. 

Be careful not to burn your fingers! I hear these things are pretty awesome for protecting your fingers, though. (affiliate link)

2) Spray paint the wands and allow them to dry. I poked holes in a box and put the wands in the holes so I could get the best coverage while painting.

The wands took 2-3 days to dry. 

3) The wand still felt a little tacky because of the hot glue pieces on them, so my Hubby had the brilliant idea to dust them with a little cornstarch. It took away the tackiness, and it made the little details on the wands pop!

That's it! All the kids at the party loved their wands and how they were all so different. And, they were super cheap and easy to make...my favorite kind of craft! 

What do your  kids want to be for Halloween? Are you guys Harry Potter fans?

More Harry Potter stuff:

    

Last year's Halloween costumes:

  

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Harry Potter Birthday Party

Hi! It's Jilly. A few weeks ago the kiddos turned NINE! They've been loving Harry Potter lately, so I planned a Harry Potter party to celebrate their birthday! Before the party I showed you the invitations, and now it's time to show you how the party turned out!

"Wizard Wanted Poster" Photo Booth Prop for Harry Potter Party

Hi! It's Jilly. A few weeks ago I threw the kiddos a Harry Potter birthday party. I've shown you the invitations and the Sorting Hat. Now it's time to show you our awesome "Wizard Wanted Poster" Photo Booth Prop. I was inspired by the poster I saw at Trains and Tutus.

DIY Harry Potter Sorting Hat Tutorial

Hi! It's Jilly. At the kids' Harry Potter birthday party a couple weeks ago I wanted to sort all the kids into their Houses, but I didn't have a Sorting Hat. So, I looked at a few tutorials online and MADE one!

Father's Day Tie Bookmarks

Hi! It's Jilly. Still need something for the kids to make for Father's Day? Don't worry...you're not too late! Make some of these quick, easy, and personalized bookmarks!

I'm in charge of Activity Days at church (midweek activities for kids 8-11 years old). I needed something the kids could make that their Dads might actually use, and that the kids could personalize since my Hubby will end up with three of them!

I came up with these fun bookmarks! Granted, we made bookmarks last year, but these are a little different.

Supplies:

Harry Potter Hogwarts Birthday Invitations

Hi! It's Jilly. My babies will be nine tomorrow. NINE!! As you know, they loooove Harry Potter, so of course we have to do a Harry Potter birthday party. 

I'm doing a whole "attend Hogwarts" thing, so I needed to come up with the perfect invitations. I was inspired by Pieces by Polly's Printable Hogwarts Acceptance Letters, but I put my own spin on them. It says: 

"Always" Embroidery Project- Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Hi! It's Jilly. My bloggy friend Jenna at Call Her Happy has been posting pics on Instagram of all her darling embroidery projects lately, and it inspired me to pick up the needle again! I haven't embroidered anything in ages! I'm not very good, mind you, but it's nice to make something once in a while.

I wanted to add something to my Valentine's Day decor, and the wheels started turning! Since I'm such a big HP geek (and my kids are, too), I thought the word "always" would be a nice little thing to stitch. (If you don't know why "always" is important in Harry Potter, watch this clip.) Plus, Hubby and I like to watch Once Upon a Time together, and in that show Prince Charming and Snow White say to each other "I will always find you". I think it is so sweet! Any other OUAT fans out there?! Can I get a "Woot!"?!

To make this, all I did was use a pencil to write "always" in cursive on my fabric, then added a few little hearts for good measure. Then I...embroidered it. (Amazing, I know. I told you I wasn't a pro!)

Going to Hogwarts

Hi! It's Jilly. A couple months ago Polly at Pieces by Polly sent me an adorable Hedwig necklace from her Etsy shop. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, so I love it. She also sent a Hogwarts acceptance letter for each of the kids. I'd planned to put the letters in their stockings, but on Christmas Eve we decided it would be more fun to put them in the mailbox instead.

After Christmas we were so busy getting ready to leave for our trip that I kind of forgot about the letters. When we got back I remembered the letters were in the mailbox, so I sent Katelynn down to get the mail. She burst into the apartment SO excited and told Emma and Michael that they'd gotten letters, too. They started going on and on about how they've been accepted to Hogwarts and they can't wait to go.

It was so fun to see their excitement. I thought they'd like the letters, but had no idea how excited they would be. Michael insisted that we go to the store right away to buy as much as we can here from their school list. He said, "Where are we going to get the rest of the stuff on this list?". Katelynn and Emma chimed in, "Diagon Alley, of course!". Ha ha!

BUT, now it's getting out of hand! It's been over a week and they are still convinced that they are, in fact, leaving for Hogwarts the end of August!

They keep asking me all these questions about Hogwarts, and promise to write letters everyday, telling me about what is happening there and what it's like, since I can't go there because I'm a "Muggle".

Harry Potter Giveaway!

Hi! It's Jilly. Around Halloween I put together the Ultimate Harry Potter Round-Up, full of great Harry Potter crafts, recipes, parties, and Etsy shops. One of the Etsy shops I featured is Pieces by Polly. On her blog she has a ton of Harry Potter tutorials, like these Golden Snitch Cupcakes and super easy Hogwarts robes made out of a t-shirt!

 

In her shop Polly has Harry Potter themed ornaments, scarves, necklaces, and keychains. All of those things would be awesome stocking stuffers! They are super reasonably priced, too.

AND, all orders placed by the end of November will receive a FREE personalized Hogwarts acceptance letter included with your package! Those letters are not for sale in her shop, but are sold for $10 or more through other Etsy shops! Wow! Awesome, right?!

The Ultimate Harry Potter Round-Up!

Hi! It's Jilly. You guys may or may not know this, but I am a HUUUGE Harry Potter fan! Seriously. It's kind of sad awesome.

The first movie came out when I was in college. I was able to see a sneak peek before it came out. My friend worked at a theater and invited a bunch of us to come see "this kid movie with a bunch of hype." Well, I loved it! After that I read the first book and I was officially hooked!

I reread the first five books while I was in the hospital with the kiddos, and read HBP as soon as it came out during those long hours sitting on the couch nursing after the kids were born. (that's Half-Blood Prince for those of you who don't know Potter-speak)