How to have a Harry Potter themed birthday.

HP was the first novel which got me hooked onto reading and will always be a firm favourite. The starry castle, the wizards flying high to the mermaids swimming deep down in The Lake have remained with me since. So it was only fitting that I have a HP themed birthday tea! 

Read on to be mesmerised by my magical mischief...

Prop ideas. 

My backdrop was going to be a brick wall effect prop I had made previously. I was going to use this to create the King's Cross Station/entering Diagon Alley look, but the material wouldn't stay up :( Never mind! 

What's great about it is that it is really quick to make, because all you need is a sheet of white cotton, with some red or brown rectangles printed on in paint. 

I used the witch's hat, Harry's glasses and broomstick as the main props on my table.

You could use both the broomstick and the witch's hat as photo props too for your friends! I think using these instead of card props is way more fun and authentic. 

In the middle, I used my Gold Wire Shelf from the neon sheep as a stand for my cheesecakes. The colours matched, and it also looks a bit Quidditch-y because of the hoop shape, so it was perfect for this!

I used some plastic silver platters and then a gold metal platter to serve my food on as it looked similar to the way the food is served on the long tables. 

My food labels were bits of ripped brown paper bag to look like pieces of parchment, and then stuck onto folded black card. This brings me nicely onto my food section. 

Food

1. "Golden Snitches."

These were Ferrero Rochers with wings I had made out of tracing paper and decorated with gold ink. I tucked them into the brown case so they stood up like wings. 

2. "Triwizard Tournament Dragon Egg."

A chocolate Easter egg. 

3. "Gringott's Galleons."

Chocolate coins.

5. "Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans."

This was a bean salad I made using chickpeas, sweetcorn, kidney beans, and salsa. I then garnished it with some parsley for a slightly more sophisticated alternative to jelly beans from The Bean Factory! (Of course, that option is always there if that's your thang.)

6. "Deathly Hallows."

Homemade mincemeat samosas which are brilliant because they're the same shape as the Deathly Hallow symbol. (Anything edible and triangular simply.)

7. "Dumbledore's 'Half-Moon' Spectacles."

Moon-pies coated in breadcrumbs, filled with chicken , sweetcorn, and a white-sauce filling. 

8. "Professor Sprout's Vegetable Garden."

A vegetable platter made of carrot, cucumber and bread sticks and dips. 

10. "Butterbeer." 

I made individual cheesecakes in jars, with a Biscoff base, a peanut butter and nutella filling, with a sprinkling of crushed Biscoff biscuits.

11. "Polyjuice Potion."

Any juice, but preferably a bright colour. If you have other drink options, you can name them "Gillyweed Water", or "Liquid Luck."

You get the idea. Any named liquids from the books.

These were the ideas I came up with with the props and resources I had available to me. There are so many variations you can play around with! 

Other ideas.

You could  find some vintage suitcases to place by the brick backdrop. 

You could cut the backdrop in half, and place it at the entrance so your guests literally feel as though they are walking through a brick portal. 

If you had some fishing line, you could hang white long candles from the ceiling to recreate the floating candles.

You could include a "Honeydukes" station, where you would have striped candy bags and different sweets spilling out of glass jars.

For your party invitations, you can use the classic coffee-stained-and-ripped-edges look to make it appear like the Marauders Map.

Start off with the same wording 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' to let your guests know they're going to be having lots of fun! 

Hopefully I have given you some useful ideas because it's the little touches which transforms any other tea into something special. 

Don't forget to leave a comment, or click the "Like" button. 

Catch you soon x

Shai :)