Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Unique Harry Potter Gift Ideas

Harry Potter has taken our world by storm . . . or by magic. Either way, this phenomenon that started as a middle-grade book has become something that everyone knows about. And loves! What better way to show you love them than giving them gifts that are so unique, you won’t find them anywhere else.
LitJoy started these products to go with their Magical Edition crates, but they were so popular they had to add them to their LitJoy shop too. Which items will you get for your Harry Potter fan? (I promise not to tell anyone if you’re getting it for yourself.)
Ginny Weasley: “They’re really cute!”
Fred Weasley: “They’re fairly cuddly, yes.”
A Pygmy Puff is a miniature Puffskein, bred by Fred and George Weasley and sold at their shop Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes at 93 Diagon Alley in London, It was one of their most popular products, as George said they were having trouble breeding them fast enough for the demand. Now you can get your own, designed exclusively for our shop.
Inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
“‘Socks are Dobby’s favorite, favorite clothes, sir!’ he said, ripping off his odd ones and pulling on Uncle Vernon’s. ‘I has seven now, sir… But sir…’ he said, his eyes widening, having pulled both socks up to their highest extent, so that they reached to the bottom of his shorts, ‘they hasmade a mistake in the shop, Harry Potter, they is giving you two the same!’”
Notice! If you are a house elf, we are granting you a pair of socks that you may be a free elf! If you are a witch or wizard… well then enjoy a pair of mismatched socks!
“If you die, you’re welcome to share my toilet.” Whether you loved (or were scared of) Moaning Myrtle or Sir Nicholas, the ghosts roaming the halls of Hogwarts are some of our favorite characters. Now you can take notes, journal, or write love notes to your favorite Harry Potter characters.
“‘Dobby has got a sock,’ said Dobby in disbelief. ‘Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby – Dobby is free.’ ‘You’ve lost me my servant boy!’ But Dobby shouted, ‘You shall not harm Harry Potter!’ There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backwards. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landed in a crumpled heap on the landing below.’”
Sweet Sequels creates thoughtfully conceptualized, hand-painted designs where every piece is inspired by the themes and mood of each individual book. This sweet, soft Dobby doll was handmade and specifically designed with original artwork for LitJoy Crate. (This item is sold out, but you can get a cute Dobby plush doll here.)
“Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present The Marauder’s Map.”
Display your appreciation for the creators of the Marauders Map with these STUNNING art prints by artist Robert Bruno. Comes with all four Marauders.  Each print measure 8 x 6.25 inches.
‘I am going to lock you in. It is–’ he consulted his watch, ‘five minutes to  midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good Luck.’”
Inspired by Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. How Hermione handled having all of those extra classes we may never know. We bet she wishes she had this stylish tote for all of those extra books! Melody Howe, AKA The Imaginative Illustrator, is the self-taught artist and Harry Potter fanatic behind this gorgeous LitJoy exclusive Time-Turner illustration! We have taken her whimsical work and transformed it into a tote so that it may go with you on your journeys to the library, Hogsmeade, and the Leaky Cauldron.
Inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Inside were about fifty badges, all of different colours, but all bearing the same letters: S.P.E.W.
‘Spew?’ said Harry, picking up a badge and looking at it. ‘What’s this about?’
‘Not spew,’ said Hermione impatiently. ‘It’s S – P – E – W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.’”
We, like you, are all about a good cause! Now pin on that S.P.E.W. button and we shall see you at the next Society meeting!
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry. But why on earth should that mean it is not real?”
This popular pillow cover design is as soft as it is whimsical. You’ll have an easy time dreaming with this pillow cover in your collection. Art by Evie Seo. Fits a 15x15-inch pillow. Pillow not included.
Inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Ladies and Gentlemen…welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!”
We happen to have an extra ticket to the Quidditch World Cup! And in the Top Box no less!
Inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
“He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green: POTTER STINKS. The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Harry.”
For all you Slytherins and generally mischievous witches and wizards, we have included a Potter Stinks pin. Wear it with pride ;).
Inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. Collect the Year 4 set of Magnetic Bookmarks by Nerdy Grl Designs! This set features: Ron in his frightful dress robes, Daily Prophet reporter Rita Skeeter, and poor little Winky!
“In a rush of wings, Fawkes soared back overhead and something fell into Harry’s lap – the diary. Then without thinking, Harry seized the Basilisk fang on the floor and plunged it straight into the heart of the book.”
Our LitJoy creative team has designed and created these exclusive handmade fang bookmarks that you won’t find anywhere else.
“What exactly is the function of a rubber duck?” Get this bookmark by Nerdy Post featuring one of our favorite lines from the movie version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! Add this item to a past crate and only pay crate shipping!
‘You want to be careful with those,’ Ron warned Harry. ‘When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour.’” Enjoy a sweet or not-so-sweet treat from the Hogwarts Express trolley! Watch out for the bogey-flavored ones!
Inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.
“Constant Vigilance!”
“Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man’s eyes that made him frightening. One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye.”
Mad Eye Moody is easily one of the most memorable wizards we have ever met. This eye pop socket with art by Sarah Conradsen is our clever way of cramming him into this crate without employing an Undetectable Extension Charm.
Inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
“The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment . . . And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out—Harry Potter.
Every student who attends Hogwarts knows that the Goblet itself was an essential icon in the Triwizard Tournament. These custom designed book sleeves by Baby My Book are large enough to protect your hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but also include a clever pocket for you to hide your Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes treats in during class.
Who can forget our favorite Divination teacher with a penchant for drama and death omens? Not us! We love this portrayal of Professor Trelawney by artist Liz Smith of Oh Capri Studio.
“She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger—but the swelling didn’t stop. Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech.”
Admit it, you cheered a little bit when Harry took revenge on his mean ole’ Aunt Marge. Celebrate Harry’s victory (and the fact that it didn’t get him expelled) every time you use this perfectly plump Aunt Marge Coaster. Art by Sarah Conradsen.
Inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
They walked onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot-high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.”
Can you answer the sphinx’s riddle to continue your task to find the Triwizard cup in the center of the maze? Put the 500-piece puzzle together to find the answer hidden in the hedges! And note that a puzzle is just a miniature maze of sorts ;). Art by Nasak Chancharoen (@natawaruchapet).
Alright, Harry Potter lovers, if you’re anything like me, there are more than a few of these items that you just can’t wait to snag for yourself or your HP friends. If you don’t want to miss out on more Harry Potter items, check out our entire Magical Collection!
Books=Love
XoXo,
Robin
About the Author: Robin M. King is the author of three young adult novels (Remembrandt Series), devourer of books, and lover of brownie batter.

Monday, April 1, 2019

Butterbeer Cupcakes with Butterbeer Frosting Recipes


What could be better than attending wizard school with Harry Potter?
Nothing. Nothing could be better than that.
Except maybe these BUTTERBEER CUPCAKES!
Alix and Debra at LitJoy got together to show you how to make these in this recent LitJoy Live (see video below). They promised to share the recipes and here they are! Many of you might now know this, but Debra also hosts a fabulous blog as Housewife Eclectic and you can check out her post here as well for more pics of these fabulous cupcakes.

BUTTERBEER CUPCAKES

  • 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1/2 C. Oil
  • 1 C. Cream Soda
  • 1 small package Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix
Mix all of the ingredients together until well blended.
Add cupcake liners to a muffin tin. I like to use red, yellow, blue and green cupcake liners to represent the house colors. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. While the cupcakes are cooking, making the Butterbeer frosting.

BUTTERBEER FROSTING

You will need:
  • 2 sticks of softened butter
  • 4 TBS butterscotch sauce (find this by the ice cream)
  • 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. butter extract
  • 7 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons milk
  • Piping Bag 
  • Star Tip
Mix the butter, butterscotch sauce, sugar, vanilla, and butter extract together until well whipped. While mixing, add the powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time, mixing all the time. Mix the milk into the frosting to get the right consistency. Add the frosting to a piping bag with a tip and swirl the frosting on the cupcake. Drizzle each cupcake with butterscotch syrup.
If you loved these cupcakes and want to make more Harry Potter magical cupcakes. Check out Housewife Eclectic’s Harry Potter Sorting Hat Cupcakes. Which house are you?

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

The Best Book to Movie Adaptions

What could be better than the perfect book? How about the perfect book-to-movie? Ok, we all know there are few, if any, perfect movies that have been made from books, but we decided that we needed to discuss which ones are our favorites.
My good friends, Ali and Alix, went live to discuss ALL THE THINGS about our favorite book-to-movie adaptations. They also talk about the WORST ones (**Mortal Instruments, cough, cough**).  Some of the movies discussed are “Me Before You”, “Wonder”, “The Fault in Our Stars”, “Divergent”, “Beautiful Creatures”, and “The Hunger Games”.
I have to agree with Alix on “Pride and Prejudice”. The movie is still one of my favorites (I love the Colin Firth version). What are your favorite or worst book-to-movie adaptations? Do you agree with Ali and Alix?
Did you know LitJoy has a newsletter too? To keep up-to-date on what they’re up to and their new products (Have you seen their shop? There’s apparel now!!), subscribe to their newsletter.
Books=Love
XoXo,
Robin
About the Author: Robin M. King is the author of three young adult novels (Remembrandt Series), devourer of books, and lover of brownie batter.

Monday, March 4, 2019

DIY: How to Turn a Tapestry into a Blanket

I love tapestries. They are fun to hang on walls and to use as curtains or tablecloths, but I was so excited when Debra from LitJoy Crate suggested that we turn the tapestry from LitJoy's Year 4 Magical Crate into a blanket!
Isn’t this tapestry gorgeous? I love the detail of Hogwarts in the background. With a sewing machine and a few supplies, including batting, thread, and fabric to back it, you can do it too! Debra finished hers in under an hour (even with a few mistakes on the way, which I know she did on purpose, just for us novices).

If you loved this tutorial, you have to check out the Debra’s blog at Housewife Eclectic. She has a tons of recipes and tutorials, many of which are Harry Potter-inspired because she’s a Potterhead, like many of us!
If you’d like to find out more about LitJoy's Magical Edition Crates, follow them on instragram @litjoycrate! You can also check out their Harry Potter-inspired products in their Magical Collection.

Friday, March 1, 2019

The Best Books for Middle Graders (ages 8-13 years old)

One of the best things about being surrounded by mom bosses is that I have great “product testers” for books and products. Debra at LitJoy Crate helps choose the middle grade books (books for ages 8-13 yeard old) and she has a middle grader so it was natural to do an unboxing with her daughter, Sofie! They talk about some of the favorite middle-grade books while they unbox the All Systems Go! Middle Grade Crate, which they still have in their shop.
Some of the book suggestions they give for kids in 3rd to 7th grade are:
You can watch their video below to get book suggestions as a well as some sneak peeks for our next Middle Grade Crate (which is personally my favorite).

What are some of your favorite middle grade books? I’d love to know your favorite authors as I continue to bring you middle grade recommendations every year. 
Also, if you missed our post last month, we have more middle grade book suggestions in our post LitJoy Love: The Best Fantasy Books for Middle Graders.
Books=Love
XoXo,
Robin
About the Author: Robin M. King is the author of three young adult novels (Remembrandt Series), devourer of books, and lover of brownie batter.

The Best Book Club Books

Book clubs are our favorite kind of clubs. We might be a little bit partial because co-owners Alix and Kelly met because of Delicious Reads, our crazy fun book club we have been a part of in Utah.
We are going on twelve years now! I joined the club soon after it started. Kelly was really the one who got the whole ball rolling and she has tons of tips on how to form your own club here. Choosing books has changed over time, but right now we pick books for the whole next year in October of the previous year by creating a Good Reads list and then letting members add books they want to read and vote on them. During our November Book Club Retreat (yes, we have a slumber party with books), everyone can come and give more suggestions and then we finalize the list. To keep our book club well-rounded, we always choose books from several different genres including a classic, a young adult, a middle grade, an adult, a fantasy, a biography, a historical fiction, a new release, a self-help, and more. Because we all love young adult, we will sometimes do a few in that genre, as well as in the adult or fantasy too. It’s fun to get outside the box and read something different. We tend to go all out for our book clubs, but our discussions are the best part!
In this LitJoy Live, Kelly and Alix talk about some of our favorite picks in years past as well as books we can’t wait to read as a book club.

Some of the books Alix and Kelly suggest for book clubs are:

Delicious Reads Book Club – We love picking a variety of books every year!

I'd love to hear about all your book club ideas! Share them with me so we know which ones you love. Also, be sure to check out any of LitJoy Crate's past crates or books (they literally spend hours reading and choosing books each month). Happy Reading.
Books=Love

XoXo,
Robin
About the Author: Robin M. King is the author of three young adult novels (Remembrandt Series), devourer of books, and lover of brownie batter and cheesy superhero shows