Customizable Ministry of Magic Identification Booklet

And yes, here is the requested MoM ID card, which is now customizable :D
(A link to the movie-prop version with Mafalda Hopkirk can be found here)

If you're wondering how to get your "Sun in Pisces"/"Moon in Leo" signs, I've found this link to astro.cafeastrology.com to be useful.

There are two fonts that you need to use this Photoshop file properly:
Mom's Typewriter Font
Rough Typewriter Font

Download both of those files and install them. If you need instructions on how to do that, you can find some here.

Here is a link to the Dropbox Photoshop file download:

Customizable MoM ID Card Photoshop (72.4MB)

Yes, it's rather large, but it needs to be for it to be good quality and completely customizable. This version was made in Photoshop Elements 7. You should be able to open it with later versions of Photoshop and possibly even with GIMP (although I have not tested this).
It is a fully customizable version. You can even put your own photo in and have the Ministry of Magic seal superimposed on top ;)
What I recommend you do is insert your photo and resize it/crop it as needed, and then apply a grain filter to it to give it a nice touch. I would also recommend changing it to black and white.

For the fingerprints, since I realize most people don't have purple ink pads (I don't), all you need is a nice dark purple marker. Colour on your fingers and press it down onto the page.

I assume that you have enough experience with Photoshop to know how to save images as .png or .jpeg or .tif files, if not, you'll have to look up a tutorial. You may even want to crop the picture into different sections for saving. Once you've done that, using whatever method you prefer, print it off and cut it out, then glue and staple it together for your own customized Ministry of Magic ID Card ;)

I'll try to get a smaller customizable version out soon so it's not so much of a hassle to download. For now, though, I just wanted to get this out there for those who wanted it.

Here is a link to a plain picture file so that if you want you can print it out and write your name etc. on there and cut and paste a picture in (if you don't have Photoshop or are unfamiliar with the use of the program)

Customizable MoM ID Card Flat (34.23MB)

Yes, this file is still rather large. I didn't want to reduce the quality very much since I want you to get the whole thing so you can have the best-quality prop possible. But as soon as I can I will divide the file up into more manageable parts. Right now, however, this is how you get it ;)


I really hope this helps people out, I know that there are a lot of things out there that offer to do this kind of thing for $10.00 on Etsy if you want but I wanted to provide a cost-effective version for those who wanted a bit more of a DIY experience. So I hope that this works out for you ;)


>>Link to Table of Contents

Ministry of Magic Identification Booklet (Printable)

The Ministry of Magic Identification Booklet (Inside Pages)

Back again, this time with more printables from the movie! I present to you ... the Ministry of Magic Identification Booklet!

A JPEG-compressed picture of the identification card.
Due to size limitations, I have reduced the quality so that
I can display it on this blog :)

NOTE: Here is a link to the customizable version: Customizable MoM ID Booklet

I have two versions right now and a third one coming out soon-ish (Probably mid-October unless someone specifically requests that it come out sooner). The first version is the Ministry of Magic Identification card the same size as the prop with all of Mafalda Hopkirk's information on it.
The second version is made a bit smaller so that it is more earth-friendly and fits on two pieces of paper. (The regular-sized version is four pages)

The third version is the most exciting :D It will take me a little while to whip up, since I have to do a lot of photoshopping. However, it will come out soon! The third version is a DIY Ministry of Magic Identification Booklet. That means you will be able to customize it with your name and photo, and also your own fingerprints and signature. Hopefully I'll even be able to come up with a "master Photoshop file" that will allow you to superimpose the stamp of approval over your photo :) I'm very excited to give you Potterheads this!

As per usual, the links to the files can be found here, and they go to a MediaFire page.

Regular-Sized Ministry of Magic Identification Booklet (4-page PDF)

Small-Sized Ministry of Magic Identification Booklet (2-page PDF)


**Update! October 8/12**
I was feeling ambitious (AND someone requested it be done earlier ;) so I did finish the customizable booklet early! It took a lot of photoshopping but I hope that you like it :D So you can see what I mean, here's a compressed MoM ID card of Hermione Granger, which I customized using my lovely Photoshop file:

Again, reduced-quality version.
Here's my customized Hermione Granger MoM ID card/booklet!

Here is a link to the customizable version: Customizable MoM ID Booklet


I will put together a picture tutorial on how to put it together very soon. For now, I hope that these instructions will suffice:

Marauder's Map: Inside and Outside

**UPDATE**

This has been long overdue, with all of the people asking and everything, but I do feel like I need to make it known that I DO NOT HAVE the extra parts to the Marauder's Map. I would absolutely love to have them, however, and I'd be more than happy to edit them into the template and tutorial etc. So if anyone knows where I can find a good-quality, flat version of the extra bits, please comment the link. Until then, the best I can give you is this great tutorial from Jennifer Gibson. She altered the map so that there was a middle flap, and if you would like to see how she did it just follow that link.

Before I begin with this tutorial, I'd like to say:
It recently came to my attention that there are people pinning things from my website on Pinterest. I was quite pleasantly surprised and shocked to see it. So here's a big THANK YOU too all of the lovely people who have enjoyed the work I've put into the blog and have shared it with others :)

Anyway, continuing with this tutorial ...

I recently got my hands on a complete Marauder's Map and scanned all of it into my computer, then put it together in one large file for printing and party purposes!
Yes, that means that you can now have the inside of the Marauder's Map as well as the outside. ;)
I will post the picture here in a condensed form, but I recommend you download it from MediaFire.com, simply because the file is rather large and to get the best quality possibly you ought to download the original file.
I've also made a PDF file that will make it easier to print your own Marauder's Map. It is three pages long and in landscape mode. You can download the white map in PDF format on MediaFire.com.

A condensed version of the map to show you what it looks like

The red lines represent fold lines. In case you
are confused on where to fold, you can check this.

I've also cleared out the background colour (the brown) and changed it to white so that if you wish to give your printer and ink a break you can print it with the white and stain the paper to achieve the same effect. The white version is found here. The tutorial to stain your paper can be found by clicking this link.
Additionally, if you would like to see the other Marauder's Map tutorial, just click on that link. Where that Marauder's Map comes in handy for party activities, this one is more for decoration.

Directions on How to Make the Map

I've gotten a few comments asking for how to do it, so I made one and took lots of pictures so you can see how it's done. ;)

Philosopher's Stone Tutorial

A version of the Philosopher's Stone I found on CuriousGood.com that was made out of resin. 

My, very simple, version of the Philosopher's Stone. I used Method 1.

For use in activities for the first book (or just for decoration), we made a Philosopher's stone. It was very simple, and there's a variety of ways to make it depending on your resources.

The first way:
Things You Need:
Red glass stones (available at most craft stores and even dollar stores)
Hot glue

Directions:
It's very simple; just glue the stones together into a large, bumpy rock.

The second way:
Things you need:
Average stones, preferably all the same colour
Red paint
Hot glue

Directions:
Again, not hard, all you need to do is paint the stones, and when they're dry glue them all together into one large stone. I also recommend painting red over the entire thing again when you're done.

Third way:
Things you need:
A large stone
Red paint

Directions:
Wash the stone and paint it red. If you like, you can 'distress' it a little by making a very thin black paint mixture (thin it by watering it down) and brushing it over the surface of the stone, allowing it to pool in some areas.

Fourth way:
Things you need:
Clay (can be the kind you bake or not. Clay is usually found in craft stores or at a dollar store)
Red paint
Black paint (optional)

Directions:
Mould out the clay so it resembles the Philosopher's Stone. Bake or let it dry according to the manufacturer's  directions. Paint a layer or two of red paint on it. When that's dry, you can 'distress it' a little by watering down the black paint and lightly brushing it over the clay, allowing it to pool and collect in some areas.


>>Link to Table of Contents

How to make a Marauder's Map (Party Version)

Here is a quick, fun tutorial on how to make an impressive Marauder's Map. It was rather painless to make, the longest part was staining them.

The printable outside of the Marauder's Map

If you would just like a prop Marauder's Map (i.e. You don't care about using it for a party and would simply like to have your own Marauder's Map), you can go to this tutorial.
These maps were made to be used in activities and thus contained an actual map of the location of the party.

What your need:
A printer (preferably colour and laser jet; cannot be an ink printer)
Knowledge of the locations of rooms in your home or location of your party, including closets etc. A blueprint of your house/location of party could be useful here, too
FOR STAINING:
Tea
15x10x1 pan (aka jelly-roll pan/cookie sheet)
See the staining your paper tutorial I have provided for more detailed instructions

First, I have provided the outside of your map for you below above, just under the first picture. If you fold the ends in to the center, you will get a map that looks similar to the picture at the top, however, it will be white for now.

But you don't need to print it just yet. First, you'll need to create a map of your house/the location of the party. The map should be in landscape format. There are several ways to do this depending on your resources and computer skills:

1. Use Photoshop or a similar program (GIMP is a free alternative to Photoshop and will even open Photoshop files for editing. It doesn't have all the options of Photoshop and it's not as user-friendly, but if you don't want to spend the money it's a good option) create a simple map of the rooms in your house/location of party. This is usually achieved through simple squares and lines
2. Use the "Paint" program that comes with most Windows computers (I'm not a Mac user and can't say for sure if there's a similar program for that) and create a simple map of the rooms in your house/location of party
3. Draw a map of your house/location of party on a piece of paper and scan it into your computer
4. Draw a map of your house/location of party, take a picture of it in good lighting, and load it onto your computer
5. Draw a map of your house/location of party on each Marauder's Map after printing and staining it

Any of those options would work. I chose #1 because I have Photoshop and am rather good with computers.


You may want to make some changes in how you create the map of your house, i.e. the main alterations we made were:

• We labelled everything 'magical'-sounding names (e.g. closets were 'broom cupboards'. A list of possible names will be provided below)
• We left out a bathroom on the main floor to be the 'Room of Requirement', because the Room does not show up on the Marauder's Map, so naturally it would not show up on ours

If you would like to give the rooms in your home more 'magical'-sounding names, a list of possible alternatives is below: (some things are repeated i.e. a bedroom could be the 'Divination Classroom', or your attic could be the Divination classroom)

A tree, especially a Willow tree – Whomping Willow

Any outdoor water source – Black Lake

Attic – Divination Classroom

Basement – Dungeons, Underground, Snape’s Storage Rooms, Potions Classroom

Bathroom – Moaning Myrtle’s Lavatory, Entrance to the Ministry of Magic, the Loo

Bedrooms – Astronomy Tower, Arithmancy Classroom, any sort of classroom name including Transfiguration, Charms, Muggle Studies, Divination, etc.

Closet – Broom Cupboard

Dining Room – Great Hall

Forest – Forbidden Forest

Furnace Room – Floo Network

Garden – Hagrid’s Pumpkin Patch

Greenhouse – Herbology Classroom

Hallways – Entrance Hall, 7^th Floor Corridor, 3^rd Floor Corridor

Kitchen – Hogwarts Kitchens

Living Room – Common Rooms, Dormitories (could call it the ‘Hufflepuff Dormitories’, or substitute the word ‘Hufflepuff’ for Gryffindor, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw)

Master Bedroom – Dumbledore’s Office/Headmaster’s Office

Offices – Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor’s Office, Unused Classroom

Shed – Shrieking Shack, Broom Shed

Stairs – Grand Staircase, 3^rd Floor Corridor

If you have any other suggestions, feel free to comment and I'll add them!

When you have finished creating and labelling your map, print them out so that the picture at the top is on one side of the paper and your map is on the other. You can fold it in now, but it's easier to just wait.


Now you're going to stain the paper, and the instructions can be found in my other post, The Letters/Invitations--How to Stain Your Paper Tutorial. Stain all of your maps, flatten them, and then fold the edges in and you will have a lovely map that looks similar to this:

This map went over really well, and many of my friends now display it in their bedrooms! It's such a simple craft but really looks fantastic when it's finished.

>>Link to Table of Contents

How to Make Magical Wands (Without woodworking skills)

This is a tutorial on how to make easy magical wands for your guests. They're relatively simple and don't take long; the longest part is waiting for them to dry. They are made primarily of paper and glue but end up quite sturdy at the end.

The picture above was taken after the wands had been used during the party, so it's not in quite as good a shape, but nonetheless looks nice :)

I found this tutorial on instructables.com and found it very useful. They also have some good pictures so that you understand what we mean with these steps.

Things You Need:

A piece of paper, 8.5”x11” or larger

Double-sided tape (optional)

Hot Glue gun

White glue (optional but recommended; can use hot glue as well)

Scissors

Paint, spray paint or otherwise, in the colour you would like your wand to be

Toilet paper, tissue paper, or even scrap paper

Directions:

1. Stick a strip of double-sided tape diagonally across your paper. You can skip this step (we did), but it helps to keep the paper wound tightly. Another idea is to put a straw diagonally across the paper or a barbeque skewer or something similar to make the wand stiffer, however, we found that they ended up quite stiff without any of that.
2. Tightly roll the paper, beginning in the corner and working to the opposite corner. Roll it slightly diagonally so that one end of your wand is slightly larger than the other.
3. Once you’ve rolled about halfway, take some glue, preferably white, and smear it on the unrolled section of paper. We used a plastic paintbrush and painted some on. Make sure you get it right to the edges of the paper for the best stick.
4. Continue to roll the wand up until you reach the end of the paper. Hold the wand together tightly so that it dries. You may have to hold it for a few minutes.
5. When you’re sure that the ends will stay on, let it dry for a bit longer so that the paper isn’t soggy.
6. Now snip the ends off so that they’re flat and dribble some glue into one of the ends (we did the larger one first). You can use white or hot glue, but we used white so we wouldn’t use up all the hot glue. However, the hot glue dries much faster and probably a bit stiffer.
7. After sticking some glue into the end, take a square of toilet paper (or a small bit of scrap paper, tissue paper etc.) and roll it up, then stuff it into the hole. Dribble a bit more glue on top of the paper and repeat. If you need to, don’t hesitate to use a pencil or barbeque skewer etc. to shove the toilet paper down more.
8. Once all that is dry, use some hot glue to create a round end at the bottom of the wand.
9. We found that a very useful way to let the wands dry was by using the toilet paper roll and putting the ends of the wands in it so that it dried standing up.
10. Now after filling the other end of your wand and letting it completely dry (you may have to wait overnight), create some details on the wand with the hot glue. You might want to make a vine pattern, or you can layer it to make a handle.
11. Paint your wand in the colour of your choice. We used a dark bronze spray paint.

And your wands are ready for spell casting!


>>Link to Table of Contents

Floo Powder, Remembralls, and the Golden Egg

These are the simple crafts of the party. They each took maybe 5 minutes. Here are a few quick tutorials for Floo Powder (which guests can take home), Remembralls (for decoration), and the Golden Egg from the Triwizard Tournament (useful for activities).

FLOO POWDER

Items Needed:
Green Sparkles (I used two colours; a light green and a darker one and mixed them)
Small bottles, preferably with corks (available at a dollar store. I found a pack of about 10 tiny corked bottles containing beads. I simply emptied the beads into bags and used the bottles. It cost about $1.50)

OR
You could also dye sugar green should you want to make your Floo Powder edible or do not have any green sparkles available
*Later Edit*
I've also found a recipe at planetpals.com to make salt sparkle like glitter. It might not taste as good, but if you'd like to try it, here's the recipe:

Items Needed:
Baking pan
Tin foil
1/4 cup of salt
1/2 teaspoon LIQUID food colouring


Directions:
Mix the salt and food colouring in a small bowl until the salt is uniformly coloured. Spread the mixture out in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow your homemade glitter to cool before using it. Can be stored in an airtight container for several months.

Directions:
Quite simply, mix together your sparkles (if applicable) or dye your sugar green, and put it into the bottles. Print off the picture provided below and resize it to fit your bottles, then glue it on. And voilà! A cute little bottle of Floo Powder to give to your guests!

Click "See More" to see the quick tutorials for Remembralls and the Golden Eggs