Diagon Alley - Eeylops Owl Emporium

Each student is allowed to bring, if they desire, an owl, cat or a toad and the place to do that is Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Eeylops Owl Emporium at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I thought that by this time in the party we should have some kind of activity so I tried to come up with an easy craft where the girls could make either an owl, cat or toad.  I knew it had to be something easy, rather quick and something the required the same materials.  I finally figured that a toilet paper roll craft was the way to go.  I searched the internet and found instructions on how to make all three.

I collected toilet paper rolls all summer long and got the required materials:  construction paper, googley eyes, glue, tape and scissors.  I made examples of each and used them as decoration for the shop.

I knew that this craft would take up some time out of the party so I wanted to make it as simple as possible so I precut all of the construction paper.  All the girls would have to do is assemble everything with the glue and tape.

I had no idea which pet each girl would choose so I precut six of each animal, figuring that they would each choose something different.  I played the odds and got lucky.  We had plenty of materials.

TOILET PAPER ROLL OWL:

MATERIALS:
1 Toilet paper roll
3 white cupcake liners
tape
glue or glue dots
white paper
orange paper
2 googley eyes

INSTRUCTIONS:

First fold in the top of the toilet paper roll, to make the ears (you can secure with tape if needed).  Then take your cupcake liners and fold them all in half. Tape one on top of each other on the toilet paper roll.   Use the white paper and cut circles for the big eyes.  Using glue or glue dots adhere the googley eyes in the middle.  Use the orange paper and cut a triangle for the beak.

TOILET PAPER ROLL CAT:

MATERIALS:
1 Toilet paper roll
glue or glue dots
tape
black construction paper
white paper
pink paper
2 googley eyes

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wrap the toilet paper roll with the black paper.  Cut out a circle for the cat’s face, two triangles for the ears, and a tail for the back. Use tape to adhere everything together.  Cut a skinny triangle on the bottom to make it look like the black cat has legs. Using glue or glue dots adhere the googley eyes. Add some whiskers, and a pink nose to the face!

TOILET PAPER ROLL TOAD:

MATERIALS:
1 Toilet paper roll
glue or glue dots
tape
pen or black marker
green construction paper
pink paper
2 googley eyes

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wrap the toilet paper roll with the green paper.  On the green paper draw the legs.  Make sure you draw a little "extra" on the side that's going to be glued to the paper roll.  You will fold that part so that the legs can stick straight out of the paper roll.   Use tape to adhere everything together.  Using glue or glue dots adhere the googley eyes. Draw a mouth and cut out a tongue on the pink paper.

After pre-cutting all the paper I put the materials for each animal into a separate ziplock back.  I put all the toilet paper rolls in a big basket along with the other materials and set the examples, glue and tape on the table. 

For additional decoration I used Bug-A-Boo's stuffed Crookshanks (Hermione's cat) and Pigwidgeon (Ron's owl).  I adhered the sign to foam core, duct taped it to the basket hung Pigwidgeon's small cage to the handle and that was it. 

The girls had so much fun making their pets and they all turned out so cute.

Another easy and cheap craft.

Eeylops was our last stop on Diagon Alley.  Next the girls would go to King's Cross Station where they would go through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 and end up on Platform 9-3/4 where they would take the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

All aboard!

Diagon Alley - Flourish & Blotts and Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop

The next two shops were to give the girls the materials they would need for the rest of the party.  Our Hogwarts classes. 

First up was Flourish & Blotts book shop.  This is where Hogwarts students get their textbooks.  For the party it is where the girls would get their "Standard Lessons, Year 1" workbook.

Flourish & Blotts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Bug-A-Boo in front of a Gilderoy Lockhart window display at
Flourish & Blotts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I set up a table and mounted our sign to foam core.

On the table I included a framed, autographed photo of Gilderoy Lockhart, along with 3 of his best selling books, Gilroy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, Travels with Trolls and Year of the Yeti.  I found three books that we never looked at and measured them.  I then put the book covers in Photoshop and resized them so they would fit the books and printed them off.  I wrapped the books with the covers and used them as decoration.

Next I started to recreate a Standards Lesson book that I found on a wonderful blog, Sweeten Your Day Events (about 75% of the ideas for this party came from that blog).  More on the book coming up in future posts.

Right next to Flourish & Blotts is Scrivenshafts Quill Shop.

Scrivenshafts Quills at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Window display at Scrivenshafts Quills at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Again, I found a table to act as our shop, mounted the sign to foam core and set up the quills for the girls.

I used some old books and candles for display on the bottom shelf and put the quills for the girls on the table top.

I made the quills using a paper template from Prop Printables and I bought a box of cheap pens that are able to come apart.  I printed the quills and laminated them, then I took apart the pens and taped the pen well to the back of the paper quill.  Cheap and easy!

If you would like to purchase the template or the Standard Lesson Book or $4.00 you can PayPal me at kellyldriver@yahoo.com.

Next stop...Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Diagon Alley - Ollivander's Wand Shop

"The wand chooses the wizard."  -  Mr. Ollivander

Ollivander's at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I really wanted the wand experience to be a fun one for the girls.  I kept trying to think of a way that "the wand could choose the wizard" but I could not come up with anything.  I stumbled upon a blog with a great idea that I decided to use.

I planned to use Bug-A-Boo's light up goblet from Disney World.  I put the wands in the goblet.  If the cup holding all the wands lights up, then the child selected the wand that was meant for them.   Once the wand chooses the wizard present a box for keeping it in.

I began gathering my supplies.  I bought a a couple of bags of wooden dowels from Michael's to make the wands.  I also bought brown poster board to make the boxes.  

Wand boxes at Ollivander's at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

To make the boxes you need the following materials:

- 14x22" posterboard
-  ruler
-  a scorer
-  adhesive
-  tape
-  quilt batting
-  fabric

Step 1

STEP 1:

Cut two 5x15" rectangles from the pasteboard.

Be sure to label one rectangle as the bottom so you can keep track of each piece.

For the bottom, mark out a 1-1/8" border all the way around the rectangle.

For the top mark out a 1" border.

Step 2

STEP 2:  

Score the borders you made on each rectangle.  If you don't have some sort of scoring tool, don't worry!  Just take a dried out ballpoint pen and your ruler and go over the lines 2 or 3 times.  Be careful not to press to hard!

Step 3

STEP 3:

Cut along the line on both ends of the rectangles.

Then fold the box along each score line.

Step 4

 STEP 4:

Using your adhesive glue the tabs to the ends of the box.

Tape the ends on the inside of the box to make sure they stay secure.

Step 5

Step 5

STEP 5:

I wasn't too concerned with this part being perfect because it was inside the box.

Cut a piece of bating about the same size as the bottom box.

Then cut a piece of fabric slightly larger than the batting.  I had some scrap fabric already, so that's what I used.  You can use whatever you have.

Next wrap the batting up with the fabric.  You can use tape to keep it together, although you don't need to.

Step 6

STEP 6:

Attach an Ollivander's wand label to the top of the box with your adhesive.

Step 7

STEP 7:

Attach a wand number label to the end of the box with your adhesive

Next I needed to make 12 individual wands.  I used hot glue to make designs on each of the wooden dowels and then painted each one a different color.  I attached a wand description card to each wand with twine and placed them in the light up cup.

Next I created a booklet that each girl would get with their wand, Your Wand & You.  I used text from the Alivan's website.  I used the information and created the booklet in Mac Pages/Microsoft Word.

Your Wand & You booklet

I printed the Ollivander's sign from Prop Printables and mounted it to foam core.  I put the cup with the wands, the boxes and the booklets on a table and each girl began her wand journey.

I held the cup in my hand and each girl would choose a wand.  I would let me pick once or twice and when the "wand" chose them I would flip the switch on the bottom of the cup and it would light up.

After getting their wand I would read the card and let them know how long their wand was, the type of wood it was made of and what was in the wand core.  I then put the wand in a box and they put their boxes in their cauldron.

This was a big hit with the girls and it was so much fun!

If you would like to purchase the 3 pdf files (wand number labels, Ollivander's label and wand description cards) for $6.00, you can PayPal me at kellyldriver@yahoo.com 

Next stop...Flourish & Blotts Bookstore!

Diagon Alley-Madame Malkin's Robes & Potage's Cauldron Shop

After visiting Gringotts Wizarding Bank we moved on to Madame Malkin's Robes.  This is where Hogwarts students get their uniforms for school.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley

Madame Malkins Robes at the Wizarding World Diagon Alley

I printed off the sign from PropPrintables and mounted it to foam core.  Then I grabbed an old cedar trunk that I have had since college and made that our Madame Malkins.

With possibly 10 or more kids coming I didn’t want to blow the budget on robes.  I also didn't want to spend a whole lot of time making them either.  I went to JoAnn's and purchased Men's L and XL plain, black t-shirts when they were on sale 3 for $9.  It was so easy.  All I did was cut them in the front, right up the middle.  They fit the girls perfectly.

Bug-A-Boo was Hermione for Halloween last year so she just wore her own robe.

Next stop...Potage's Cauldron Shop.

Potage's Cauldrons at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I knew that the girls would be receiving a lot of things to use during the party as well as to take home so I wanted to make sure they had something to carry it all in.  I thought a cauldron would be perfect. I found 8" cauldrons with handles at carnivalsource.com and they were only $2.04 each.  The only catch was that in order to make an order at the website you had to spend at least $45.00.  It is a party supply site so I figured I would be able to do that and I found some great stuff that we will introduce later in the party.

After getting the cauldrons I printed out the sign and mounted it to foam core and found a small table to display the cauldrons.

The girls were so excited to get their cauldron's.

Next shop...Ollivander's Wands.