Harry Potter 7: The End of an Era

Very, very early next Friday morning, 12:01am to be exact, thousands and thousands of people will fill theaters across the country to watch the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, myself included. I am both anxiously awaiting it and dreading it completely.
I read the first Harry Potter book eleven years ago and I read the last one four years ago after attending a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows midnight book release party at Barnes & Noble. It was such a fun night. My dad and I got to the store about 7pm, making me number 183 in line to get my book at midnight.

I ran into Ben and Allison Walbrown there who were clearly more prepared than I was. They were number 92.

(I stole Allison's picture because I didn't take one of my own, shame on me.) They handed out bracelets to everyone to make sure everyone was in line correctly.
There were activities to keep us occupied until midnight, like wandmaking, fortune telling and a write-your-own-ending area.

There was even a parade of costumes. And the parade was longgg because so many people dressed up.

Moaning Myrtle, I think he was Nearly Headless Nick, the Fat Lady and Rita Skeeter. Brilliant.

And then just before midnight they rolled out the sealed boxes of books. I got mine shortly after midnight and started reading it the second I got home. I think I finished about 7 am. But then I read it several more times over the next week. I was in denial that it was over.

And then earlier this year, my family made the trek to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. I think my dad, who faithfully read every book along with me, and I appreciated it more than anyone, but everyone enjoyed it.

When it comes to crafting or baking, it's hard to pay homage to a favorite book. Most Harry Potter related knits turn out like this:

It's not that I don't want a scarf like that (but I don't) I was just looking for something a little less obvious.
So I've complied a list of a few of my favorite Harry Potter related crafts. Enjoy.

The Weasley Family Clock

I have always loved the Weasley's Clock that shows where each member is and what they're doing. I also love that Prison made the short list of activities. My freshman year of college, my RA had something similar, although unfortuntely I don't think there was an intentional connection to the Weasley's Clock. Prison was certainly not one of her options.

Sirius Stencil

The Leaky Cauldron website, where a lot of these ideas are from, has a whole collection of HP stencils. This is my favorite though. I love how sketchy it is. I could easily see this stenciled on a pillow made to look antique.

Gryffindor Apron

This apron is pretty outstanding. She went through a lot of trouble to make sure the apron was accurate. I just don't know if I could ruin something so great by baking in it.

Harry Potter Cupcakes

Maybe I could wear that apron if these were the cupcakes I were making... They're so simple and so perfect. The toppers are just made with chocolate. The combination of gold sugar and wings on the snitch is just enough to let you know what it is without going too far over the top. I love it.

Golden Snitch Necklace

Speaking of Snitches... I love this necklace. If you weren't a Harry Potter fan, you might never guess what this necklace was. Heck, even a casual fan might not notice the reference. This one's available on Etsy and I'm realllllly considering getting it.

Honeydukes Jar

If you've got a sweet tooth, what better place to hide your stash than inside a Honeydukes Jar? Another relatively vague reference. I love it.

Heather's Butterbeer Recipe

Last, but not least, Butterbeer, the most popular treat at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The almost sickeningly sweet drink is perfect while waiting in long lines at the park, but would be just as great at home during a HP movie marathon. Yum.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm working on a Hogwarts cross stitch.

Someday mine will look like this. For now, it's still a work in progress.