Fancy Dress Fun!

A couple of weeks ago parents up and down the country were having World Book Day panic. What can I dress my little ones up in? Do we go homemade? Can I really be arsed? I always ask myself the same questions to be honest whether it's fancy dress for their friends party, some non uniform (but of course not free) day at school and of course these national events which schools like to go all out for. Roo never used to want to dress up, so this year he surprised me by asking if he could. I knew I wasn't getting him into anything other than a superhero costume but I figured that was okay since he had been reading plenty of Captain America and Iron Man books (which, by the way, are really good. Especially the Origins ones because I'm new to all this and I never knew how all these people became superheros) 

Midge the poor girl has always had minimal effort applied to these school events. I'm sure she would prefer to go as something really cool but all we ever managed was sodding Matilda from....well, Matilda. I don't feel bad because most of the girls at school for several years running were also Matilda so I felt some what united with the rest of the Mums at school who also couldn't be arsed.

This year however I was approached by Tickled Pink Fancy Dress, who I believe I have purchased from before, a little while ago though I am sure. They asked if I fancied choosing something for one or both of my little Cupcakes and I thought, here's my chance to earn some real Mum Points from Midge. Roo was already catered for, his Iron Man costume was ready to go. Midge however was still unsure (and probably just waiting for me to put pigtails in her hair and pack her off with a pile of books..)

Oh but she wasn't expecting the costume that turned up for her just in time for World Book Day. Mummy had only gone and managed to get one her favourite film costumes:

Yes! With her new Gryffindor cape and her long tie (I wish it was elasticated, it's rather embarrassing that she walked in to school and her teacher immediately did her tie because neither Mummy nor Daddy knew how to do one ha ha!) but she loved the whole outfit, and to be honest, so do I because it pretty much fits me too! I wish I remembered my scarf though! She was so happy to be Hermione and for the first time ever was really excited to go in and show off her dressing up outfit.

I was really pleased with my experience shopping at Tickled Pink Fancy Dress. I received some great customer service, my parcel arrived just in time as promised and I can't really fault the costume either. As I mentioned above, elasticated ties would be better as these are very long (I suspect there's probably health and safety issues with elasticated ties though!)  There is a separate clasp which connects the cape together (took me ages to find it!) at the front which is much safer than having a tie around your child's neck and it was still on at the end of the school day which I wasn't expecting. So it's a big thumbs up from both me and Midge! Thanks TP Fancy dress! 

Cupcake Mumma

Hogwarts in the Snow & The Hogwarts Express

A few weeks ago I took Midge with me to make the long journey to London with my mum. We stayed at The Jury Inn in Watford, a good place to stay as it's near the studios and near the town for dinner and shopping if you're there earlier. We met up with my sister and her boyfriend and went for dinner, then after a nice warm bath each we settled down for the night.

We all woke early for breakfast which although at £10 seems pricey it's all you can eat and I knew we wouldn't be eating at all during the day because the tour is as long as you like (long!) and cafe prices there are unsurprisingly high. Fully fuelled we headed to the Warnerbros Studio Tour. You can check in bags and coats, have something to eat and drink, use the loos, order Starbucks coffee and also dive straight into the shop (warning! this is definitely not budget friendly! Cheapest item is a postcard at 95p..I'm not sure I want to know the highest!) we did look around the shop however but didn't purchase anything at this point. We did marvel at the beautifully huge Christmas tree in the center of the waiting area and I measured my hands up to the 3 main stars prints, the one pictured is Daniel Radcliff's hand print.

We started queueing for our 12.30 tour, got our tickets checked and Midge got a passport to fill in, a great activity for the children (big and small!) the queue looks massive (because it is) but you get filed into a fairly large space so the line goes down very quick indeed. Make sure you don't miss the cupboard under the stairs and the 'flying' car!

I won't detail the next part, I know many have but it was the most magical part for me and I'd hate to tell you what happens before you enter the Great Hall. From this point on though it's spoilers all the way...

Midge with Aunty Issy

Beautiful wreath

Once inside the hall we were greeted with a huge feast which would've been in the films. The hall was decorated with trees, wreaths and looked amazing. The next section is full of props from the make up and dressing department, the portraits, Hogwarts gates, the Gryffindor common room, manikins dressed up in the actual clothes used in the films, dark arts props and so much more.

A huge spread

Chocolate table from the Yule Ball

The Philospher's Stone

Prison number from Azkaban

Fleur's hat and shoes 

Lord Voldemort and Harry's clothes at the start of the film on left// On right, the clothes by the end of filming

Gryffindor common room all festive

The newest installment is The Hogwarts Express. You can explore the carriages from the films (keep your eyes peeled on the carriage windows!) there is a shop specifically for the express with keyrings, mugs, jumpers and much more available here. There are luggage bags and of course, you can get a photo of yourself on platform 9 and 3/4:

Luna's trolly

Harry and Ron's first meeting

Me!

From there we saw more new props and then went on to outside. The Night Bus, Private Drive and Potters Cottage are all out here. There is also the bridge to Hogwarts and the famous East Anglia for you to snap a photo of or you can climb in for a selfie! Next you can see the special effects/mechanical props and more. There's plenty of amazing masks, animals and creatures to look at here. If you didn't appreciate the work that went into the amazing films before you certainly will over the last few sections.

Buckbeak is an amazing piece of art

The miniature dragons from the Goblet of Fire

Going into Diagon Ally is great fun! Look out for Gringots, Weaslys Joke Shop, Quiditch Supplies and more! As it was Hogwarts in the snow we got to see how they made the footprints on the snow (and earlier the different types of fake snow) that appear when Harry uses his cloak. Next stop is where you can view more truly amazing work. All the drawings and artwork and plans from the filming.

Once through the art and design you'll see many built up designs of the most well known houses such as Luna Lovegood's house, the Durmstrang ship and the Beauxbattons carriage plus much more. Brace yourself for around the corner though, the best bit is yet to come. No photo of Hogwarts castle could take away from the experience you will have at the Harry Potter studios; it's a piece of art in my opinion and can really only be seen in the flesh, so to speak. Below you can see the photos I took but believe me, they don't do it justice!

One you have dragged yourself away you can look for the names of all the cast, crew and actors/actresses on the thousands of wand boxes before heading into the shop where I bought a bunch of postcards and a chocolate wand for Little A. Midge had £10 pocket money which got her a chocolate frog and a couple of postcards.

It was such an amazing trip and I can't recommend it enough. Ticket entry is reasonably priced, the real cost is getting to and staying in London but Late Rooms was my handy tool for the latter! Now I've done the tour twice I feel happy, I don't need to go again (but if a friend needs accompanying I'm not going say no ha!)

Cupcake Mumma

I'm Luna Lovegood!

I came across a competition on The Adventures of a Potty Mouthed Mum yesterday and it was a Harry Potter comp. I got all ready to do my usual rafflecopter business when I scrolled down to find that on this occasion I was going to have be very creative if I wanted to win the prize of a fabulous Harry Potter book set!

If you know me you'll know my love for Harry Potter. I've got the films,I've of course got the books, I've visited the studio tours and loved it and am going to see it again this year (in the snow!!) I have PJ bottoms, tops, socks and tracksuit bottoms to badges, pencils, notebooks and even a damn mug I LOVE IT.

So here is my entry into the above mentioned competition. I've gone with some leggings and a skirt I think Luna would be okay with, a black cardigan with Ravenclaw (kind of) stuck on it, some round earrings which are almost like her rather individual Dirigible Plum Earrings in the film and I've added my pink converse, Quibbler and Spectrespects for that finishing touch! All of this put together with random clothes and a printer!

Wish me luck!

"Episkie!"

Cupcake Mumma

*Update!* I won this competition! As a massive Harry Potter fan I'm obviously over the moon. Thanks to Adventures of a Potty Mouthed Mum for hosting this fab comp and I really, really can't wait to receive my Harry Potter Book Collection from The Book People! 

Harry Potter! A-Z Challenge

There really could be no other topic for today's letter. I adore Harry Potter. The books, the movies, the studio tour which I visited last October, it's all amazing! I first read the books when I was 15 which was some time after they were released. After that I would pick up every book. I watched the films and enjoyed them but it's only the last couple of years that I've really got into the whole Harry Potter fan club!

I enjoy playing the games on the Playstation, have all the books and films, some postcards, a mug and notebook plus several tops and PJ bottoms! I have a broach I added the Deathly Hallows to too:

The tour was amazing, here are some photos:

My favourite characters are Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter, Mrs Weasly and Bellatrix Lastrange.

Do you love Harry Potter too? I'd love to know what your favourite film/character/souvenir is. Have you been to the studios or even to the Florida tour?

Cupcake Mumma

Magical Orlando Tag!

Here is something fun from the lovely people at Floridatix.com I thought I'd join in with. Keep in mind I'm a Harry Potter nut when going through these and not a Disney one!

1. Which Hogwarts house would you be sorted into?

Believe it or not I take this very seriously. I love anything Harry Potter and whilst walking around the London Studio Tour I gave my wizarding position some serious thought. Long story short, I would absolutely, without hesitation, be sorted into Hufflepuff. I bought a fair few postcards from the shop to prove my loyalty to said house!



2. Name a Disney character you’d like to have dinner with.

Wouldn't it be great fun, although incredibly weird, to sit down and have dinner and lots of chat with that wonderful snowman Olaf from Frozen. I think he's a super fun Disney character and well, dinner with a snowman, can't get weirder than that!




3. Which Marvel superhero power would you choose?

Tough one. Superman has a large array of super powers you could choose from. Super strength, or how about flying!? (No good to me I'm scared of being in a plane let alone flying my actual self anywhere!) I think I would love his speed though. I'd never have to deal with another screaming child who has bashed themselves up because they can't just put one foot in front of the other and Id never be stuck behind that ruddy train which makes me 1 minute late for the school run at least once a week! I could be done and dusted in 5 minutes each day!

4. If you could bring back one dinosaur breed from Jurassic Park, which would it be?

Oh easy, a Diplodocus dinosaur. Mostly harmless (unless you don't pay attention and get trodden on) plus they don't eat meat so I think we'd get on well.

5. You can ride a dragon at the Triwizard Tournament and visit the Owlery at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but where else would you go on a school trip to Hogsmeade?

I'd take a trip into Hogsmeade to visit Madam Puddifoot's Tea Rooms! The Other Half would have to come too because that's where all the dating wizards go!

6. A scene in any Disney, Harry Potter or Marvel movie you wish you could experience?

Oh Id love to go to the Yule Ball at Hogwarts. The beautiful dresses, the snow, Christmas trees, the great hall looking all magical and wintery. And the mix of people would be great not to mention all the food and drinks that are placed out and lovely dances you can watch/join in!

7. Name one item from any Harry Potter, Disney or Marvel movie that you would want for Christmas.

I think the item i'd most like to unwrap from under the tree this Christmas would be an Invisibility Cloak. That would be pretty cool to own wouldn't it?

8. Name one unforgettable experience/moment you’ve had at the Orlando Parks. (if you haven’t been just tell us which park you’d like to go to!)

I've never been to America let alone an Orlando Park so I will have to tell you which park i'd love to visit. Visiting Universal's Island of Adventure would be amazing. All the sections appeal to me from the Jarassic Park area which we'd all love, to the amazing Harry Potter wizarding world which is of course a total no brainer if you know me! Can you imagine how much fun all that would that be!

As part of this fun tag, I have to tag a blogger or two to complete the #floridatixtag https://www.floridatix.com/blog/competition-orlando-magic-tag/"> and Id like to hear from Kate On Thin Ace and Four Kids And A Kat. This post is a bit of fun from Floridatix.com who have launched their new site.

Cupcake Mumma

5 Reasons you should visit The Harry Potter Studio Tours

Recently I visited the Harry Potter Studio Tours as a birthday treat from my Mum. I had an amazing time. I've purposely not posted too many photos because I feel that I may spoil it for others who also want to go. I avoided all blog posts about the tour because I didn't want any sneak previews. There will be a few photos in this post so if you are the same way inclined you may want to move along. How about you read something from my archives instead *wink wink*

For those who are wanting to visit the Warner Bros Studios, here are 5 reasons why you should definitely book your tickets and if you've already booked your tickets,then these 5 reasons will build up your excitement for the big day!

1) Everything in the studio tour is FOR REAL. It is totally genuine, has actually been worn, held, touched, sat on (and more!) by the actual cast who starred in the Harry Potter films. It is where some of your favourite actors and actresses have stood,walked and acted. Probably the closest most of us will get to the cast of Harry Potter and it doesn't feel like a bad thing.

2) You really can't appreciate the hours of skill and hard work it takes to make these films until you see the props for yourself. Handmade wands, clothes, animals. Creatures beyond your imagination hancrafted and made to move. Books, cloaks, houses and...

3) The breathtaking sight that is Hogwarts Castle.

4) You get what you pay for, and more. We paid £31.00 for adult tickets and £23.50 for a child ticket. We spent nearly 4 hours at the tour and you can spend so much longer if wanted. You can take your time, wander at your own pace. You can find friendly staff to talk to who are full of extra, interesting facts rather than be led about the studios by a tour guide. You can read the factual information without rushing, take as many photos as you like, ride broomsticks and when there are events on (Dark Arts Week was on when I visited for example) you don't pay any extra to enjoy the experience.

Nagini at The Malfoy Manor

Charity Burbage's unfortunate death awaits her by the hands of Lord Voldemort at Malfoy Manor

5) Forget theme park rides in Florida, seeing the making of one my favourite books come to life in film was amazing. To see all the props and hard work that went into making these films was something I'd happily do again. For any Harry Potter fan who has read every book and seen every film, the Warner Bros Studio Tour brings to life the magic of JK Rowling's most brilliant characters and their journeys in the wizarding world. A side from dreaming I'm an actual witch going to Hogwarts, I'm happy that I can get this close to the magic of Harry Potter.

There are way more reasons to go and visit the studios, of course, but why not go and explore them for yourself and have an excellent time!

Goodbye October

My favourite month of the year has passed. I was born in October and grew up having the most wonderful fancy dress parties at my home so October holds real, wonderful childhood memories for me. Then there's Halloween which for me is harmless fun. We lit our Jack O Lantern and let people know we were Trick or Treater friendly! Everyone was polite. We even took Midge and A out with our niece who was doing a sleepover and they all loved it. I was so proud of their manners and they had so much fun!

I had a lovely day on my birthday with surprise flowers and thoughtful gifts from family, friends and even pen pals. Before the day arrived I was lucky enough to see the Harry Potter Studio Tour with Midge and my Mum. This was an early birthday gift and I loved it. It definitely makes October a memorable month now!

Of course I've loved, as I do every year, the joy of Autumn. The last colourful flowers, the gorgeous leaves, the nights in with a mug of soup and a duvet.

I will miss October but look forward to the next as always. In the mean time there are birthdays and Christmas to look forward to. Hope you had a happy October everyone!

Cupcake Mumma

Harry Potter Boxset is Mineeee!!

You actually have NO idea how long i have waited to own the whole collection of Harry Potter. Yes i am a bit of a Harry Potter freak. I have read, but do not own the whole series of books and that is now on my list of 'Things I Really Need To Own'. I've borrowed and rented out the films for years just never got round to owning a single one (okay I had the first 2 on video but then I gave the video player away *sigh*)

So yes, this is what I shall be doing tonight now I have nothing else better to do. I will play my way through HP, eat my very strange new concoction of dark soya chocolate yogurt, banana and peanut butter heated in the microwave (don't ask), snuggle in my duvet and wait for Other Half to come home. Of course, as soon as he does come in he'll have to go back out again and get me some fries because I do not care tonight about the 'inches' they can wait until tomorrow..*humph*

May I add that this can now be crossed off my Project Zero list! Hurrah!! Another one down. Now for the next part and another thing to cross off this old Project Zero list: I am now, thank to the Other Half, I am the proud owner of a CD player again! It's even cooler because it looks just like the one I owned at 16. All the tunes came out earlier and I was thoroughly enjoying bobbing about to all sorts of post children music!

So yes, I am now off to tuck into Harry Potter (only on disc 2 got a way to go yet!), feel a little low (because I can't shake it off *sighs* again) and generally *leave Little Miss to her own devices (Bad Mumma) Well, until 7pm anyway.

*Little Miss is not harmed in any way by being left to her own 'devices'. I'm not sure what she does but I hear a lot of talking to her friends herself and going through my make up bag...Oh and I have just noticed that this also includes putting her fingers through my lovely snowy stars that I took the time and energy to spray on to my fireplace *sobs*. Just so ya know...