Did you know that CraftDirect is an international company? Chi Lozano is one of our employees in the Philippines, and she happens to be a savvy paper crafter. She used her electronic die-cutting machine to make a Harry Potter-themed birthday party for her 1-year old son. When she showed us her work, we loved it so much we asked her to take our readers on this adventure. Enjoy:
Welcome to Hogwarts
This Harry Potter inspired party-themed celebration is nothing short of magical. And there’s no better way to send your guests off to the wizarding world than by escorting them onto the platform 9 ¾ platform to the Hogwarts Express!
As the guests entered the Great Hall (aka our living room), banners from Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw houses swayed as the cold wind filled up the room.
In addition to offering our guests magical food and drink during the birthday feast, we took them back in time (like with Hermione’s Time Turner) to appreciate the wisdom of Albus Dumbledore with a wall quote from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
Before leaving the party, each guest took photos by Platform 9 ¾ and with the Prisoner of Azkaban Photobooth. All the late nights of preparing for this event were worth it!
If you’re planning to create a Harry Potter-themed party for your little wizard, don’t forget to say the summoning charm – Accio Cricut!
This party was a total hit, but since it’s DIY, you will need ample time to prepare. Here are some party suggestions for what you will need:
For the wall quote
- Black vinyl
- Transfer paper
For the Platform 9 ¾ wall decal
- Felt paper: maroon and brown for the wall, red for the Hogwarts Express sign
- Styrofoam plate (rectangle): to create a 3D effect like the entrance to the Diagon Alley (this is optional)
- Styrofoam plate (square): for the 9 ¾ sign
- Double-sided tape
- Black vinyl
- Transfer tape
For the Prisoner of Azkaban Prison Photo Booth
- Styrofoam Plate
- Black Felt Paper
- White Vinyl
- Transfer Tape
- Double-sided tape
For the Hogwarts House Flags
- Felt paper: Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue
- Vinyl for the house logos: Yellow, White, and Black (unfortunately, I cannot find the right color of vinyl for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin logos. So, I just used what is available)
- Transfer Tape
If you want to get the exact colors of the different Hogwarts houses for your wall banner, here they are.
- Gryffindor – Scarlet and Gold
- Ravenclaw – Blue and Bronze
- Slytherin – Green and Silver
- Hufflepuff – Yellow and Black
After the party, we are all exhausted but seeing my child’s face beaming, made it well worth the effort! Thank you for reading my first blog post, and I hope to see you share your Harry Potter projects with me on Facebook! Most readers don’t finish the last paragraph, which is why they don’t see this link to our secret deal page?