This part of the HP pages could end up very long and therefore may end up being split up. Linked to HP there are absolutely hundreds of blogs and websites with ideas as to what you can do. If your lucky enough to ever visit the studio tour you may well have taken photos that you can also use.
*House banners to represent the 4 Hogwarts houses. These can be bought but are not very cheap. You could make them from material in the house colours and add the house crest (if your good at sewing etc). Or you could do what have I have done and find the house crests that you like on the net, add them to paint/photo shop etc and "chop" them into sections, add to a word document and print them, cut them out, laminate them and stick them together. Below is my Gryffindor one. I have also done this for the main Hogwarts crest.
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| Printed pieces of paper in house colours |
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| cut, laminated and stuck together |
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| Gryffindor crest |
*Portraits of the Witches and Wizards of Hogwarts from the past. Again there are loads of them on the net that you can do the same as above with - "chop" them into sections, print, cut laminate and build together bigger. You can also print parts of old style frames to go over the top so they look framed. If you have lots of spare money you can buy portraits from charity shops/car boot sales etc and use those, but they will have to be hung on walls and not just blu-taked.
*Spiders and creatures these could be found absolutely anywhere in your house if you are turning it into an old castle etc. There were loads in the films. They can be picked up very cheaply nearer to Halloween.
*Broomsticks were used alot in the films and it is up to you if you use them as a decoration or have 1 for each guest etc. We have said no broomsticks are allowed due to the size of my house.
*Candles - Due to the fact that costumes can catch fire very easily if you want anything that resembles candles PLEASE use the battery tea lights for safety. You can make the floating candles by painting toilet roll tubes white, running fishing line through in two places, both as a loop tied and the doubl sided tape the battery tea light into one end. Hang up via the fishing wire.
*Witches Hats - can be bought cheaply near Halloween or may be able to be borrowed from friends etc. They come in all shapes, sizes, styles and colours and can easily be pinned to a wall in rows to look like a display of hats. They also could be hung with fishing wire.
*Crystal Ball - This is another of favourite ideas and is in the process of being made. I bought a small crackled glass candle holder, a circle mirror (bit bigger than the candle holder), some clear glass nuggets and a set of bright white battery led lights. The led lights were placed into the candle holder and the glass nuggets were poured in on top and left to fall/fill gaps as they went. a couple of the lights were moved on top of the nuggets in the opening of the holder. Do not insert the battery pack to holder but leave a length of cable and it outside. Using a strong glue place a row of it all around the edge of the candle handle. Place the mirror onto it and carefully tune so that the mirror is on a flat surface. Carefully apply some weight to what was the "bottom" (now the top) of the candle handle so that the 2 surfaces can bond. You can also add a layer of clear silicone round where they are joined to make it more secure. Turn the battery lights on and you have a crystal ball.
*Cupboard under the stairs as Harry's bedroom. If your cupboard is a long one with door at end or a long one with door at side it will work. If your cupboard is only small you cant use it. And if your cupboard is anything like mine it is full of junk and all sorts so going to have to be cleared first!!! This is very easy to do especially as most people have the bits you need for it - dustpan and brush to hang on the inside of the door, an air bed to use as Harry's bed with a sheet and duvet/quilt on it, a meter on a wall - you may be lucky enough to have it under the stairs but if not a cereal box painted will work. A pair of shoes, some toy soliders and don't dust it for ages!!! This is the basis of his bedroom. You can add other things if you wish, I have bought a metal bird cage (was tea light holder) and a small toy owl to go in the cupboard as Harry's pet owl.
*Platform 9 3/4 sign again can be bought or made. I am going for the made option (as cheaper and I like crafts and saving money!) I am going to do it in the same way the house banners have been done - choppped, printed, cut, laminated and put back together bigger. I also plan to get some thin pieces of wood that I can cut and fix round the sign so that it has the edging like the proper one does. Laminating the paper is essential if it's going outside.
*Railway lines - linked to the platform 9 3/4 you need a railway line. The easiest way to do this is black/silver duckt/gaffa tape in lines on your path. Fingers crossed it doesn't rain. You could also paint them on the path but i'm not sure HOW you would get them off!
*Luggage at the station - if you are lucky enough to have or be able to get some old leather effect, battered suitcases and you don't mind them being outside in the garden your doing ok. If you don't have any you mayy have to make from cardboard boxes which with UK weather sadly wont last. That is unless you cover them with sticky back plastic made for books (£1 shop sell it in various designs.) If you can also aquire an old shopping trolley (local dyke/stream maybe?) you can cut it down to make a luggage cart.
*Platform 9 3/4 wall - this is where the kids run through to get to the platform to go to Hogwarts. However, this isn't really going to happen and you don't want injuries. You could do it with a shower curtain that is in 2 parts and fixed over an internal doorway. You need to make it look like a brick wall by using a car sponge and brown paints. The other option is again using the painted shower curtain but fix it to the outside of your front door (which can be opened for them to go through).
*Books - you can make spell books and such many way - buy old books and cover them with paper march to look old and then paint/add writing to them, by making them from old cereal boxes and again paper marche and decorating or the simplest way and how I am covering my DVD shelves - find covers of old books on the net, add them to A4 word document and print them out. Fold them round the DVDs and you have lots of old style books easily. I do want to laminate them so that they last but the issue is going to be the folding of them, so this is still in thought.
