Wish I'd had Hermione's time-turner!

Four days is just not enough time to go back home, visit with an old friend, and see/do all there is to see/do in NYC... *sigh* A time-turner would have come in handy, but since I couldn't get my hands on one we just had to cram as much as we could into my long weekend! It was a BLAST and I am so grateful to have had the chance to go back and spend some time with my Squirley, catching up and reminiscing on old times. She's the little sister I never (biologically) had and though it's been many years since we last saw each other, it was like time had never passed. Friendships like those don't come along very often and are definitely something to treasure. (Love you Squirley!!! *MUAH!*)

Rather than some long and boring travelogue I will share some pics and highlights of my trip. Ready? Let's go!

Shirley and I wore these shirts to the midnight Deathly Hallows showing! (A play on the Brittish "Keep Calm And Carry On" posters)

Waiting for the movie to start with our wands!!!

Oh, and did I mention we got mani/pedis beforehand? Yup, I sure did ask for Harry's scar!

On the N train on our way into the city for the Harry Potter Exhibition!

Shirley & Will (her awesome boyfriend!)

Mr.Weasley's flying Ford Anglia!

Lookie, we're at Hogwarts! ;) Sadly we were not allowed to take any pictures inside, which is a real shame because it was an a-ma-zing exhibit with all the real costumes and props from the movies. We even got to play quidditch with some real quaffles! Soooo much fun!!!

Pausing for a pic (like the tourists I used to hate so much) at Times Square!

... and another one by the Empire State Building!

So many subway stations were just plastered with Deathly Hallows posters, LOVED it!!!

We ate a lot back in Queens, home to some of the best food ever! Here we are outside a Uruguayan parillada (grill) and bakery. I think we consumed 5 lbs of dulce de leche filled treats each!

Outside a yummy Colombian bakery where I got my favorite childhood soda, Postobon Manzana!

Squirley enjoying a Colombian empanada!

Postobon and an alfajor, life can't get much better than this!

We also had some great food in Little Italy and Chinatown!  Afterwards, we had the most amazing time doing an interactive LiveInTheater murder mystery called the 1873 Ryan Case. Basically you run around certain parts of the city (for us it was Chinatown/Little Italy) as "rookie cops" trying to solve a murder. You follow a map and are on the lookout for suspects and witnesses, all dressed in period costumes and in our case talking in thick Irish brogues. It was so much fun!!! After questioning them you return to HQ, are given time to discuss your findings, and the suspects/witnesses are all lined up for 2-3 more questions. Then you have to present your theory as to who did it, why, and how. Such a neat (and different) theater experience!!! 

We drove through my old neighborhood in Queens. Maybe next time I'll brave the ghetto part of Brooklyn I lived in for my first 13 years!

 Two blocks away, my stop on the 7 train.

The yummy treats I brought with me back home: Junior's Cheesecake (best in the city!), Uruguayan dulce de leche, and Colombian soda! Yuuuuuuummy!!!

All in all, a fantastic trip!!! We're hoping to be able to get together again next year (this time with Ben!) and hit up the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! My parents don't live very far from Orlando so we can have their house serve as HQ with DisneyWorld/Hogwarts an easy drive away! WOOT!

PS> My review of Deathly Hallows is forthcoming. I must go see it a second time before I give my definitive opinion.  I still don't quite know just how I feel about the whole thing... I loooooved some parts, h-a-t-e-d many others. Striving for some cohesion of thoughts and feelings on this one. Stay tuned.

Hey Mr.Olivander, need any help?

Well, I finally did it... something I should have done YEARS ago! Why, oh why did I never do this before? I could have enjoyed these babies for years of movie releases and Halloweens... *sigh* Oh well, better late then never, right?


What am I talking about? Well, WANDS of course! Every decent witch and wizard needs one! =)


Those of you that know me well know that with my accident record I should never be allowed to play with sharp/power tools... so Ben helped me out with the first part. (Thanks babe!) 

We started with wooden dowel rods, cut to an appropriate length. Then Ben used his crafty BoyScout skills  to turn those sticks of wood into wandish shaped sticks of wood! (Like the sexy goggles and mask? I do!)

Next I gathered and readied my supplies: sandpaper, Sculpey clay, acrylic paints, brushes, and clear-coat spray.

I then cut a portion of the baking Sculpey clay, worked it into a soft ball and then...

... shaped it around the handle end of the wand! Sculpey is really easy to work with and you can do pretty much anything you want with it! I then baked the wand in the oven for about 15-20 minutes and let it cool before proceeding.

This is when the real fun began! Painting took, by far, the longest. In order to create a realistic look (especially on the clay) I had to apply several coats and washes in order to create layers of colors. Distressing was especially fun, but kinda tricky.

Here I was adding some details before an overall darker wash.

This is after all coats of paint had dried, before I sprayed them with the clear acrylic.

(Dark)Wand #1

(Light)Wand #2

(Medium)Wand #3... yeah, its the Elder Wand wannabe! ;) Didn't turn out so hot, but it was fun to attempt to replicate!

TADA!!! After spraying with clear acrylic.

These babies took me 2 days to complete from start to finish and were soooooooooooo much fun to make! I'm taking them to NY with me for Squirley, Will, and myself when we go see Deathly Hallows 2! So, should I quit my day job to run off to Diagon Alley and apply at Olivander's? ;)