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Ab imo pectore Randomly quotes Douglas Adams SBFC's 500th Member
Puffskein
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: up in the mountains
Posts: 1,290
Hogwarts RPG Name: Aschere Tonks
Fifth Year
Tuna's Potter Project
(Nickname's Tuna, for the curious )
So. Someone rather dear to me, who shall henceforth be referred to as The Boy, is quite the Potter fan (ignores me for days reading potterbooks, mumblegrumble). As his birthday's coming up in June, I figured I'd get crafty this year and gift him a Hogwarts-ey experience. Also, given that I'm not rolling in money, I've been looking around for the easiest and most cost-effective ways to get things done - plus it's a bonus that most of Harry's stuff is rather worn-out and dusty, not really sparkling new and in the best of conditions.
SPOILER!!: Here's what I've got to start with
There's a "goblet" from the dollar store, due to be filled with pumpkin juice on the day. Next to it is a bottle thingie from Michael's, the craft store, again for a dollar. It's just there as an example, there are other vials and cork-stopped bottles I've been eyeing at the place that are just as cheap and perfect for storing apothecary ingredients and the like. They're all sitting on the black upholstery cloth that will make the wizard's hat and maybe some leftover for a capelet, faux leather to cover a potions textbook, and the tissue lame that will become an invisibility cloak.
The plan is to convert the living room of my 1br into something like a Gryffindor dorm. I'll be posting updates here as I get along, but for those of you who'd like to chime in with your ideas or start a Potter Project of your own, here's what I've got planned.
SPOILER!!: Items
1 x Wizard's Hat
1 x Wizard's Magic Wand. (there's an excellent Instructable on how to make wands with paper, flour and a glue-gun.. and some paint..)
1 x Potion's Textbook - bound in fake leather, planning to fill in the actual "book" with a bunch of fake potions. Here's where I would LOVE your input, especially from previous SS Potions-masters (hint hint ) Will be posting mine sometime soon
1 x House Scarf - The Boy likes Gryffindor, and he shalt get a stripey red-and-gold crocheted scarf from moi.
1 x Invisibility cloak. = silvery tissue lame was on sale at a crazy price, I bought. Tis perfect.
1 x Student's Trunk = the cardboard box that came with 'Guitar Hero' will be covered in brown paper, tastefully painted to look like wood.. and I'll figure out how to add fake bronze fittings.
SPOILER!!: Decor
Old student's Desk - hey, I need one anyway - my back's taking a beating from sitting on the couch all the time. Contemplating nearby second-hand store, or if all else fails - the university student network. There's always someone who's graduating
Several potions and apothecary ingredients, stored in little glass vials. Seeds, beads, spices and pot-pourri filling suggest themselves as suitably weird, especially when filling little glass bottles.
Might contemplate getting braided garlic from the Farmer's Market to hang up in a corner. Or some of the several dry grasses and flowers that grow in abundance here.
Ideas welcomed.
I was thinking along the lines of squishy beanbags, but seeing as they're not really cheap, I might not.. but I do so love beanbags!
SPOILER!!: Potter-ey Treats
Every-flavour beans - this one's easy, regular jellybeans will do.
Sugar-mice - will make
Pumpkin Juice - I don't think we get very many pumpkins in June.. I might make banana milkshake and throw in some food-colouring. To be served in aforementioned Goblet.
Let me know if any of you have done something like this before, and/or if you have other ideas to share.
Ab imo pectore Randomly quotes Douglas Adams SBFC's 500th Member
Puffskein
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: up in the mountains
Posts: 1,290
Hogwarts RPG Name: Aschere Tonks
Fifth Year
Thanks Updates are going to be slow for the next month due to real-life submissible thingies, but I'll get working on them after that! I just found a potion-generator online. It's super-fun to play with.
SPOILER!!: Potions from Potion generator
The bubbling fluid that is violet with topaz globules. It smells like lettuce and ginger, but tastes like excrement.
The fizzing, chunky tonic that is purple with azure accretions on the bottom. It smells like walnuts, but tastes like pears and lemon.
The frothing potion that is ruby in color. It smells like coffee, but tastes like salt water and wax.
The frothing, metallic substance that is red with purple accretions on the bottom. It smells like blueberries and chemicals, but tastes like cabbage and licorice.
The glowing, thin substance that is rose with purple globules. It smells like pinapple, but tastes like spinach and blueberries.
The moving tonic that is silver with gold accretions on the side. It smells like acorns, but tastes like salt and mead.
The obsidian substance with silver glows. It smells like walnuts and cooked meat, but tastes like vanilla and carrots.
The opalescent, viscious substance that is pearl in color. It smells like butter, but tastes like fruit.
The reflective potion that is green with jade globules. It smells and tastes like pears.
The smoking, chunky substance that is amethyst in color. It smells like sugar, but tastes like garlic and blood.
The steaming fluid that is green with pink flakes. It smells like milk and spinach, but tastes like cucumber.
The steaming, transparent mixture that is black with cerulean flashes. It smells like bannanas and cabbage, but tastes like chemicals and vanilla.
The swirling, thin liquid that is violet in color. It smells like carrots and spinach, but tastes like bile.
The white potion. It smells and tastes like oranges.
EDIT: 7/Mar/2010
The Boy wanted to go to Toys'R'Us to get himself a RC helicopter. I used the excuse to slip into Michael's next door and get myself some really funky-looking bottles in blue and green for potions. No pictures, because my camera died on me while I was trying to get it to stay in one mode without manically switching to a different one (Peeves, are you in my camera?).
Also got candles, one really broad and tall-ish, the other one broad and short-ish. They're lit right now to melt them down a bit and make them look used. Plus, my apartment smells nice now for a change.
EDIT: Ides of March
I STILL have no pictures. I should get boy to buy me a new camera. I have now finished:
*binding Potions book (need to write title on cover, and actually put potions recipes inside
*getting candles melty
*making and labeling a vial of Felix Felicis (gold nailpolish with gold-ey dust, of the rubbing-powder variety that I've had with me since, like, forever!)
*MAKING A WAND. It rocks. I think I want to make one for myself too. It's made from a sheet of copier paper, filled with sand (very magical sand, I assure you) vine-d up with a glue gun, stoppered with a glass bead, painted acrylic burnt sienna with a cast-iron black wash, and gold detailing on the vines. It took all of 40 minutes, not including drying periods, that is. It was varnished, allowed to dry overnight (simply because I was too exhausted to go on) and given a second coat in the morning. Muahahahah.
This all sounds... so... crazy. You are SO brilliant. Can you make me a Hufflepuff common room too? lol
Quote:
1 x Student's Trunk = the cardboard box that came with 'Guitar Hero' will be covered in brown paper, tastefully painted to look like wood.. and I'll figure out how to add fake bronze fittings.
Art Attack used to show how to do this, just roll up some tissue/paper in he vague shape and stick them to the box. Cover the whole box including fittings with loo roll/water/pva glue for the papier mache and then paint over that so that you get a nice texture as well. I dunno, just a suggestion?
This sounds amazing! I'm sure he'll love it. For Every-Flavour beans, the Jelly Belly Co. makes a type called Bean-Boozled that are like them in flavor. I don't know if they'll have them at your candy shop/dollor store/wherever will have them, but they might. Depends on where you live, though. Anyways, good luck!
Ab imo pectore Randomly quotes Douglas Adams SBFC's 500th Member
Puffskein
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: up in the mountains
Posts: 1,290
Hogwarts RPG Name: Aschere Tonks
Fifth Year
Heya Nabs, thanks for that suggestion! I'll go do that right away.. Project should come to a close this Saturday night hopefully, Sunday's the big day!
Thanks DakotaJade! I haven't seen Bean-Boozled, but the university bookstore sells jellybeans by colour (I can mix and match) which will have to do for now.. I wish I'd seen your post earlier though!
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Tuna's Potter Project 
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) Will be posting mine sometime soon 
