Saturday Snapshots

 Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home with Books. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
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My friend is a Harry Potter fiend and I had fun making her some recent Christmas crafts. The creative ideas are endless so I've had fun making some more. I've been wanting to try painting mugs and saw some terrific ideas on Pinterest that I modified a bit. My new Sharpie markers are so easy to use but not as effective as paint markers. I got one package of markers as a gift and bought another on sale and had a coupon so the total for 30 Sharpies was $1.00!! Each mug was also $1.00. Isn't that a terrific deal? And it's fun too! I'm still playing with the idea (there are a few kinks to work out) and have made two more since these.

I also made her an invitation to Hogwarts (Harry Potter's wizard school). I copied it from the book and typed it in an appropriate font, soaked the paper in tea to age it then pressed it between heavy books for several days to flatten it. I made the envelope from brown paper and added address labels that I also typed up on my laptop. The wax seal, owl, train ticket & ID card were designs I printed from various places on the internet then glued to stock card and trimmed. This was all made from materials I already had. I was very happy with the results and I left them at her house on two separate days. After some stressful weeks at work she loved them even more!

Total cost for both projects:
2 mugs = $2.00
Hogwarts invitation & extras = $0

Harry Potter references on the front

Fun designs on the back

More fun on the bottom

Front of the envelope I made (delivered by owl, of course)

Back with "wax" seal

Train ticket & Gryffindor ID card

Invitation and school supply list

All the goodies from the envelope

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home with Books. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
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I love to make things and had so many plans for Christmas. Of course I didn't get to everything that I wanted to make (yet) but I did get to the most important items. Since my ideas came from other sources I thought I would share a few of my results.

I have a friend who is bonkers for Harry Potter. I do love the books myself so it's a fun topic for us. She knows I like to be artistic and crafty when the mood strikes me so she asked me to paint a quote from a book on a switch plate (light switch cover). I had to take it farther than that, of course, and decided to surprise her with a few as well. Instead of painting the quotes I researched some favorite lines, designed the look I wanted then typed and printed them on different colors of scrapbook paper. After I cut them down I attached with Mod Podge and added a few coats on top. I even covered the screws. I sure learned a lot between the first one and the fourth one. What a difference! And she was surprised. Just wait until she sees what's next!

Close up view

Homemade light switch covers with Harry Potter quotes

It's a homemade Golden Snitch ornament! (For the same friend)

A different view on the tree

I made some other fun things too but of course I didn't get to everything I had planned. I made ornaments for my son's girlfriend and the grandkiddos but I forgot to take photos. I have more to make that involve clear glass ornaments and glitter. Pretty!

These are the ones I did remember to photograph - 

The Princess made these coozies for her mommy and daddy!

I saw this idea on Pinterest so I made my own version for grandkiddos and a few other kids.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers' attention in the book known as HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger's new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J.K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore.

This book has 5 stories that are the equivalent to fairy tales for we Muggles (humans). They have the common factor that good usually overcomes bad but in fairy tales magic tends to be the cause of the hero's or heroine's trouble. In Beedle's tales the heroes and heroines can often perform their own magic but it's not always the cure to their problems. But those who triumph are the ones who demonstrate the most common sense, kindness and ingenuity.

With each story is commentary from Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary, that gives insight into Wizarding history. Footnotes are also added by the author, J.K. Rowling, to explain terms or facts to the Muggle readers. She has also done her own pen and ink illustrations throughout the book. Funds generated from the sale of this book will go to a charity developed by J.K. Rowling in 2005. CHLG (Children's High Level Group) charity was formed to help children left to large residential institutions and prevent it from happening anymore.

Whether you enjoyed the Harry Potter series or not (I loved it) I don't know how anyone wouldn't be impressed with the talent of this author. She has created a whole world in these books in such rich and interesting detail. I am still fascinated by her vivid imagination and so very grateful that she decided to share it with the world. She created these stories as part of Harry's world. She mentioned this book in the series and then later went on to actually write all of the stories and put them together to form the actual book. They read very much like fairy tales and are truly believable as tales passed on from generation to generation.

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I promised a good friend of mine that I would buy this book for her as soon as it came out. She was still sad from the series ending and I thought this would be just the thing to cheer her up. (Yes, we both have lives, but the books are fun!) I went to my local K-mart since it is now the only source for new books in our small town. Our bookstore closed up years ago and the next closest one is 30 minutes away. There is always the internet but I do try to buy local when I can. Anyway, I knew it would probably cost a bit more than Walmart or B&N but it's only 100 pages so I didn't think it would be be too much more than the $10.00 sale price at other stores. I picked up a book from the display but there wasn't a sign with a price on it. The back of the book had the UPC code and a price of $12.99 stamped on the cover. Even for that price I was still going to buy it. I took my copy to a nearby self scanner on a pole to check the price and it said $6.99! I checked it again. $6.99! I picked up another book and scanned it. Still $6.99! I was thrilled! I'm not cheap but I am frugal and always look for the bargains first. I had been planning to borrow her copy when she was finished because I never buy my books new. I love to read and I just can't afford it. I've always made very good use of my library and used book sales. I decided to splurge and picked up two copies. Hey, it's for charity. I did make sure the price was correct when they were rung up at the register, just in case. Yep, still $6.99! So now my friend has her copy and I have my very own copy. It came to less than $14.00 to make two women in their 40's very happy. Did I mention we live in a small town?