Harry Potter Butterbeer T-Shirt

Harry Potter The Three Broomsticks Butterbeer T-Shirt
Another fabulous Harry Potter themed find from Etsy! This time it is a very attractive t-shirt from a shop called Portkey Apparel that has a closet or maybe I should say a chest full of HP options for you.

Harry Potter Butterbeer T-ShirtI like this one because I LOVED the butterbeer when I had it at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I would go back just for the butterbeer. It was that good though I realize it may not be to everyone's taste.

I think this tee would be a great gift idea for any woman you know who loves the world of Harry Potter but don't despair. Portkey has men's options, too and other patterns like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry crests, Dobby and the Tri-wizard Tournament. 

You will find all of Portkey's Harry Potter merchandise by clicking right here if you are interested in seeing and or reading more.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

More Butterbeer:



Harry Potter Vinyl Record Wall Clock

Harry Potter Vinyl Record Wall Clocks

Harry Potter Vinyl Record Wall ClockI love the fact that these Harry Potter clocks are recycled old vinyl records and that they feature scenes from and friends of Harry's world. While the clock part is new, the record is used meaning your clock is a piece of art and an upcycled piece of history.

These clocks are crafted by Vinyl Evolution and fortunately available directly from Amazon by clicking on any of the pictures on this page or by clicking right here. Of note is the fact that it does take a while for one of them to be made for you and to be delivered so be sure to read the details about delivery time carefully.

Harry Potter Vinyl Record Wall ClockI love them all but am particularly drawn to the top one that shows Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger and the second one, which features Harry playing Quidditch. Which one would you choose?

Also, if you love the idea of a movie-themed clock but want to pick another movie, Vinyl Evolution has many movies to choose from including but not limited to Beauty and the Beast, Pokemon Go, Zelda, Lady and the Tramp, Mary Poppins and the Walking Dead.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Link:

Buy your Harry Potter vinyl record wall clock from Amazon.

Harry Potter Vinyl Record Wall Clock with Albus Dumbledore


Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition

Read all about it! Read all about it! There's a new version of the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets being published and it is to be an illustrated edition. It is the second in the Harry Potter series to be done as an illustrated version featuring the artwork of Jim Kay.

This book will feature 115 new pictures. The front cover features the iconic Weasley Ford Anglia, a car we have all come to know and love because of the part it played in the book series. Inside the new book, you will find potato-headed gnomes, Hogwarts at night and an amazing portrait of Rubeus Hagrid. It will be published in an amazing 21 languages, testament to the continued popularity of the boy who lived.

Obviously, I haven't seen the new book yet but I know without seeing it that it will make a great gift for someone you want to introduce to the Harry Potter series. The first book, seen here, is beautiful. Since I am excited about it, I also am certain that it will be a top-rated gift idea for a Harry Potter geek. Does anyone you know fit that bill?

You can learn more about the book on Amazon by clicking here. You can also pre-order the book and if you choose to do so, you will be protected by Amazon's pre-order price guarantee. The book's release date is October 6, 2016. I figure that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the Illustrated Edition might be one of the most exciting book releases of the year. What do you think?

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets The Illustrated Edition from Amazon.
More Harry Potter gift ideas.

More Harry Potter Gift Ideas:


Handmade Harry Potter Signs

Handmade Harry Potter Signs

Handmade Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 SignLook what I've found, Harry Potter fans! More Harry Potter signs though this time they aren't posters but they are real, handcrafted wooden signs.

Canadian artisan Pete Vassilakos hand makes these signs in his home and you can see for yourself how handsome they are!

They are not mass produced. Instead, they are carefully crafted by hand with attention to detail. In the case of the Hogwarts Railways sign, which I think is my favorite, each rivet was placed by hand. The logo was hand painted and the crest an applied print.

Of the Knockturn Alley sign one buyer said,  "Honestly I did not expect this to be of such high quality. This is truly an art piece. I purchased this to hang outside for Halloween. However, once I saw the quality of this item I knew I couldn't hang it outside. Even my wife insisted that we hang it up in the house. And, it looks fantastic! Amazing attention to detail."  Need I say more, Harry Potter fans?
.
Handmade Harry Potter Educational Decree Sign

Pete sells his work on Etsy under the name Vass Designs and you can find his Harry Potter works by clicking any of the photographs on this page or by visiting this link. However, his creations are not limited to Harry Potter but also includes themes like nautical, polar exploration, sports, war time, old west, space and Star Trek and Star Wars. You will find them all on Etsy.

I am looking forward to Etsy's Made in Canada national pop-up event on September 24 though I have never attended an event before. If you are interested in checking out the event yourself, you can find the list of locations on Etsy here. You'll see cities listed from coast to coast including Halifax and Vancouver and many cities in between. What a great opportunity to support Canadian artisans!

If you like my posts and you love movies, don't forget to subscribe by using the little box on the right.

See you
at the movies!
Brenda

Quick Link:

See all of Pete's work on Etsy by clicking right here.



It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Gift Ideas

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown gift ideas

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a television classic that needs no introduction. Your family will watch this Peanuts story together, year after year!

Any gift set then would start with a copy of the television special, like the one shown to the right, which is the 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition DVD of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which includes a bonus Peanuts TV Special.

Then share the story or maybe you will want to share the story first with the children in your life with a copy of Charles M. Shultz' story in book form. The book shown below is an interactive version with stickers.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown book

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown jigsaw puzzle
A Charlie Brown themed jigsaw puzzle would be another great way to celebrate this children's classic and the one shown here comes packed nicely in a bright and bold collector's edition tin box.  Better by far than your typical cardboard puzzle box. It has 500 pieces and is recommended for individuals aged 6 and up. We love a good puzzle and one themed to the current holiday and a popular television program is double the fun.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Board Game
How about a board game? This game promises family fun for individuals aged 5 and up and comes with sterling Amazon customer reviews. Comments like, "excellent game that captures the feel of the cartoon" and that it "is one of our favorite games to play year round" make it an excellent choice. Check out the reviews and read more about this Charlie Brown board game on Amazon here.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown coffee mugFinally, why not celebrate by drinking your fall and Halloween brews in a Charlie Brown themed coffee mug. The one shown here is big and bold and reads, "It's the great pumpkin."


I do hope that this list gives you a bit of inspiration for your Halloween shopping. Put a couple of these ideas together to make a wonderful Charlie Brown themed gift set!

Happy Halloween!
Brenda







Quick Links:

Find more It's The Great Pumpkin Gift Ideas on Amazon.

More Peanuts gift ideas live from eBay:




Author's Note: This page originally written elsewhere in 2010.

Not Too Scary Movies For Tweens or Pre-Teens on Halloween Or Whenever

Not Too Scary Movies for Tweens


Eight Scary Movies For Your Pre-Teen Children


Your Tween will probably be clamouring to see a scary movie this Halloween and probably will want to do so without you around. Scary books are one thing, you can put them down and walk away but scary movies on the other hand are 'live.'

"Movie horror walks the line," Janes Grainer a Toronto editor said, "fun scared can easily become scared scared."

Dr. David Palframan, a child psychiatry specialisty at the University of Ottawa is pretty clear in his instructions NOT to let your children see horror movies without your permission and hopefully even without your company. When you do give permission, he adds, be careful -- most horror movies are simply NOT appropriate for children of this age group.

Horror films are extreme in their subject matter which, of course, makes them attractive to your tween. The result is often problems after-the-fact like waking anxiety and sleep disorders or even acting tough or being violent.

Do not, however, make the mistake of condemning all horror films. If you are a parent, you probably know what this does. It pushes children toward whatever it is you are condemning. Instead, talk about horror movies, let your children ask questions and take the time to answer them.

On this page, you will find eight recommended horror films for your preteen child. You will also find a short review of each movie and a few links to more lists of scary movies for tweens that people have put together online. I hope you and your family find some boo-rrific ideas on this page!

Tips for Scary Movies with Tweens
Tips for Scary Movies with Tweens
Tips for Scary Movies with Tweens
Tips for Scary Movies with Tweens

THE MOVIES


Creature From The Black Lagoon

1. Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)


The Creature From The Black Lagoon features a scary monster who turns out to be in love! It takes place on a tributary of the Amazon River where scientists discover a weird creature with gills that doesn't want to be captured. It was a low-budget film in 1954 that has some tense moments and is not too scary. It is 50 years old and still going strong!

Order Creature from the Black Lagoon on Amazon by clicking here.

2. The Watcher in the Woods (1980)


The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

The Watcher in the Woods is spooky but not too spooky. Disney definitely did it right for this age group! In this film, a teenager who is staying at an eerie English country house tries to discover what happened to another young girl who disappeared there 30 years ago.

Order your copy of this movie from Amazon by clicking here.

3. The Private Eyes (1981)


The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

THE MOVIE STARS TIM CONWAY AND DON KNOTTS.

The Private Eyes film is a Scooby-Doo-style horror/comedy movie. A fun approach for a Halloween film. The comic duo solves a murder in a spooky old house.

Order your copy of The Private Eyes from Amazon by clicking here.

4. Gremlins (1984)


Gremlins movie (1984)

This film manages to be cute and scary but really downright mischievous! (Don't let those Gremlins near water and don't feed them after midnight!) It is a dark comedy and the creatures do turn nasty so beware that this film is filled with mischief, mayhem and murder.

Click here to buy Gremlins from Amazon.

5. The Monster Squad (1987)


The Monster Squad (1987)

All the classic monsters show up in this film with the kids fighting and defeating them! Pre-teens stop Count Dracula when he tries to destroy an amulet. This film is full of fun but the monsters demise is worthy of caution for the very young.

Read more about and order your copy of The Monster Squad on Amazon by clicking right here.

6. Under Wraps (1997)


Under Wraps (1997)

Under Wraps is a 1997 movie that was produced for the Disney Channel by the Disney company and Hallmark Entertainment. It's a mostly humorous movie about three children and a mummy though it does open with a scary scene. The scary scene is quickly over and, it turns out, is not really real. I don't want to say more and ruin your surprise. This movie has an almost cult-like following of people who watched it in the late 1990s.

Order your copy from Amazon by clicking right here.

7. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)


The Nightmare Before Christmas

Not too sure if this is officially a Halloween or a Christmas movie, but it is fun for both with a bit of the macabre thrown in! Imagine Santa Claus kidnapped and tortured, which is enough to put you off this stop-action animated movie that is part musical, part fantasy, part horror and part comedy. It is definitely a Tim Burton production. However, Roger Ebert said, and I am inclined to agree, "some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen." Perfect, for your tween!  This is another film with a cult-like following.

Order your copy of the Nightmare Before Christmas on Amazon by clicking here.

8. Coraline (2009)


Coraline (2009)
I was so pleased to be able to add a Coraline to this movie list for tweens. I know that sometimes some tweens just do not want to consider an older movie and this presents a more recent release.

Coraline is an excellent movie and (if you are watching on HDTV and blu-ray) it was rated as one of the best blu-ray movies of 2009. However, that being said if you are a concerned parent you need to know a bit about the rating of Coraline.

The movie association rated it PG. However, there is considerable concern from parents as to whether or not that rating was high enough though I have seen this movie recommended for children 11 years old and up and for middle school aged children.

On my review page of Coraline, I said, "Some children might find the images disturbing. Others may be upset by some of the themes. Still others may be reassured by the brave heroine."

Children do react to movies differently and it is up to you to know your own child. Keep these issues in mind if you are considering this movie for your tweens.

You can order your copy of Coraline on Amazon by clicking here.

Scary Movies for Pre-Teens Tip

Well that's it. My list of tween movies. Be sure to let me know if this page was helpful. I'd also love to hear your recommendations for scary Halloween movies for pre-teens!

You never know
what movies I might
have in store for you!
Brenda

More Halloween Movie Ideas For Pre-Teens


The Little Vampire
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Casper
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
The Goonies
Hocus Pocus
Halloweentown
Disney's The Haunted Mansion



Author's Note: Originally published elsewhere in 2009.

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