Harry Potter From Beginning to End & A Giveaway

I’ve put off creating a Harry Potter layout for several months now, although I originally planned to make one right after the final movie premiered this past summer. I’m not sure why I’ve stalled on this layout. I simply wanted to create a two page layout about the books and movies and how much Robbie and I have enjoyed them over the past ten years.

Maybe one reason I stalled was because of these papers – too many to choose from to create a simple two page layout.

Maybe it’s because I really didn’t have think I had any photos, except the one of the life size Dobby in front of Hamley’s Toy Store in London.

Maybe it’s because I don’t have the ticket stubs to all the movies - some have been scrapped previously and some were probably thrown away.

Maybe it’s because I had saved “just a few” extra trading cards that Robbie was going to throw away. How was I to choose which ones would work best to help tell the story on my layout?

Maybe it’s because I wasn’t sure exactly how the journaling should read. How could I tell the story of our ten year journey through the fictional realm of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

And maybe, just maybe, I was saving it for the final Storytelling Sunday of 2011. (Well, ok, I made up that reason, but it was just the nudge I needed to finally get this story scrapped.) Here’s how I made the necessary decisions to get this layout completed.

To solve the too-much-paper problem: I chose two 12x12 background papers for the two-page layout, and also decided to include a 6x12 page protector in between these two pages to allow more room. Thus, I was able to choose two additional papers (for the front & back of this smaller page).



To solve the no-photos problem: I pulled up all the photos in my Photoshop Elements Organizer and clicked on the “Reading” label to find photos of us reading. I was so excited to find a photo of Robbie reading one of the Harry Potter books! I also found a photo of me in front of a huge HP display in Hamley’s. I then took a photo of my Harry Potter books, which are displayed with bookends, snow globe and tea cups (that Robbie ordered special from London), and a photo of the Harry Potter action figures & puzzles we have displayed in the toy room – I created a collage with these photos.

To solve the not-all-the-ticket-stubs problem: I simply decided to use what I had, it doesn’t matter if they’re not all there! (How’s that for embracing imperfection!)

To solve the too-many-trading-cards problem: I flipped through these quickly and pulled the ones that spoke to me the most.

To solve the journaling problem: I simply opened a Word file and began typing my thoughts. I printed the draft and Robbie read through it and gave it a thumbs up, so I edited the draft and printed it onto one of the 6x12 sheets I’d chosen for the inner page.

Journaling Reads: I don’t remember exactly when I first heard about the Harry Potter books, but I didn’t read the initial one until late in 2001 when Robbie gave it to me as a gift while we were dating. I read the book in just a few sittings and knew that I definitely wanted the next books in the series. At that time, several of the books were already in print and the first movie was being shown in theatres. Robbie bought me two more of the books for Christmas, and we saw that first movie on our honeymoon in Banff. Robbie continued to add each new book in the series to my collection, and we saw each of the movies as they arrived on the big screen (and purchased each one as it came out on DVD). Robbie eventually read all the books also, and we both agree they are a great collection of fiction stories. I actually think the first three books are the best and that the editors maybe let too much slip by in the later books (they were a tad bit too long and had some rather “slow” parts). Robbie re-read all the books last year before the seventh movie was released, and I re-read them all this past summer when the final movie was released. Each time a new movie was scheduled to be released over the past 10 years, we’ve spent the previous weeks re-watching all the movies up until that one (a Harry Potter marathon). We’ve never been so enthralled that we’ve waited in line to purchase a new book in the middle of the night or seen the midnight showing of a movie, but we have seen these movies in several Texas cities and three different countries. We were actually able to see the sixth movie in London, which was a lot of fun since some of the scenes were shot in London in places we’d also been (like the scene where they fly over Trafalgar Square). Over the years we have added some Harry Potter action figures to the toy collection, purchased a replica wand from Hamley’s in London, and kept the books on display with book ends featuring the sorting hat and a stack of spell books. My favorite “extra” is the set of Hogwarts House cups Robbie ordered as a special gift for me. One detail that I truly like is that the series was completed with seven books which were all made into movies and (for the most part) the actors remained constant throughout the series. (Of course, no one could ever portray Dumbledore the way Richard Harris did. His character was never as endearing or magical when played by that other guy.) My favorite thing, however, is that because we own these books and movies, we can revisit this fictional world anytime to wander the magical halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry or watch a game of Quidditch or see Dudley grow a pig’s tale or picture Hermione with her hand in the air to answer every question in Snape’s Potions class or groan as Ron vomits up another slug or cheer as Harry finally defeats Voldemort!

Here’s a look at the left page of my layout:

And the right page:

And the two inner pages (front & back):

And here’s how it looks in the page protectors that I'll be adding to our Things That Matter album:

If you’re still with me after this long story, I have a special giveaway for you. I have a HUGE stack of Harry Potter trading cards that I would like to share with those of you who would like to use them on a layout or in a craft project. If you’re interested in receiving a few, please let me know in the comments by telling me the name of your favorite character or a favorite scene from one of the books/movies.

(This post is part of Sian's Storytelling Sunday - click here to read more of this month's stories.)