Harry Potter gifts at Paladone

There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

Gifts inspired by JK Rowling's world of magic are selling like hot cakes. Wander around any gift shop, and you'll spot some merchandise based on the much-loved book and movie series.
Oxford, for example, boasts not one but three Harry Potter-themed shops. But if you cannot visit any shops dedicated to the wizard boy in person, do not despair.

Paladone, the UK's leading company for gift supplies, has a section devoted to the fans of Harry Potter - Harry Potter Merch - which is filled with truly magical gifts.

If you are looking for Christmas (or birthday) gifts for a Harry Potter and Wizarding World fan, Paladone offers a wide selection of gifts, from iconic mugs to gadget decals, from stationery sets to night lights.
The only problem you will encounter is deciding what to pick.

We were offered a £30 credit to choose anything from the Harry Potter range for the purposes of reviewing, and we found it quite a difficult task, as there were so many tempting goodies.

If you follow my blog, you might know that my younger son is a big Harry Potter fan. We have already bought lots of the Wizarding world gifts, like a Harry Potter costume, several wands, soft toys, LEGO sets, hats and scarves, pyjamas etc.

Eddie was thrilled to be able to add to his HP collection. We looked at six pages very carefully, comparing the merits of each gift, and finally, decided to order a Hogwarts backpack and a Hogwarts stationery set - both of which my son can take to school.

Ordering online is easy and straightforward. You will get a free delivery with any order of £30 and over.

Let's have a closer look at our choices.

Take magic with you anywhere you go with a Hogwarts backpack (£19.99). Carry your school books and pencil cases to your own "Hogwarts".
This nylon backpack is made in the Hogwarts colours and features an embroidered Hogwarts crest.
It has a PVC backing, metal zip pulls and is approximately 42cm in height. This spacious backpack is an officially licensed Harry Potter product.

Eddie loves his new backpack. He can store all his school things inside.
It is instantly recognisable as a Harry Potter-themed product, and will make an excellent gift to fans of all ages.
Our only request to the makers of the backpack would be to make an external pocket for a bottle. There is a pocket on the back, but it is not shaped to hold a drinks bottle. Carrying a bottle inside the bag could be hazardous for any papers or books, in case a bottle is not leak-proof. Most of the school backpacks have a specially assigned outside pocket for a bottle.

Hogwarts Stationery Set (£9.99, currently on offer at £3.99) will delight any Harry Potter aficionado. It comes in an elegant and stylish case with a transparent lid.

It includes a mini notebook, with a portrait of Dumbledore on the cover, three pencils with spells, an Obliviate eraser and a set of three giant sorting hat paperclips.

This set is perfect to use at school, or at home, and will make a lovely gift for any occasion.

Eddie was much taken by the pencils, as he enjoys sketching and is learning the basics of calligraphy. Sorting hat paperclips are my personal favourites.

When we browsed Paladone's Harry Potter section, we also loved the sight of Hedwig mini bell light jar, Hogwarts toiletries bag, gadget decals.

Last year I wrote a post Christmas gifts for Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts fans, and two of the gifts featured in the gift guide - Harry Potter mini bell light jar and Harry Potter egg and cup set - could be also found at Paladone.

What would you choose?

Disclosure: As mentioned above, we received a £30 credit to spend on Harry Potter merch for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.

Christmas gifts for Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts' fans

Harry Potter Living Nature Snowy Owl and Niffler soft toys

Gallopin' Gorgons, it's the 21st of December! Only 4 days left until Christmas!
I have been super disorganised this year. To my defence, I was not sure whether we would be travelling to my in-laws or staying at home for Christmas. And now I still need to do a few things.

Buying Christmas gifts for my younger son is super easy. I know exactly what he would like: anything to do with gaming (Minecraft, Roblox etc), silly Youtubers' trends (a t-shirt with a dabbing Santa, anyone?) and Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts.

We got this Harry Potter outfit in Sainsbury's before Halloween

If there is a big fan of HP/FB in your life, and you're still undecided on presents, don't panic - here is a quick guide on possible gifts. If you google for HP gifts, the list of suggested sites and ideas could be overwhelming, so I'm keeping my list simple, with the things you can easily buy on High Street, as ordering online today might not get you that gift in time, though still feasible.

First call of port - Waterstone's. Our lovely local Waterstone's team is very much into the world of wizards, and they have a super display of HP/FB gifts, from wands to chocolate, from Cluedo to Hogwarts Express mugs.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling (£25, at the moment you can find it at £17+) is a splendid edition, illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill. It features all the fabulous magical creatures.
A must for all HP/FB fans. Available in all good book shops, both on High Street and online.

I can't wait for my son to open his gift on Christmas. I know he'll be ecstatic. He saw this book at Waterstone's and loved it.
He actually knows he will get a book for Christmas, just doesn't know which one. I ordered it online, and when it arrived, kids were at school and I told my husband it was a gift for Eddie. In the evening he asked Eddie if he loved the book. Cue the questions: what book? Thank you, my dear husband.

Pop! Need I say more? Personally I'm not the biggest fan, but these vinyl figures are super popular with both children and grown-ups. Just have a look at Instagram feeds, they appear in so many book-related posts.
Available widely - Waterstone's, Game, Entertainer etc. There are many different figures in the series, so you can pick up your favourite character.

Baby Nifflers look so adorable! Give me half a dozen. These ones can be found at Waterstone's. Go on, you know you want one.

Harry Potter: The Postcard Collection (£14.99) is a beautiful set of 100 quality cards. Your recipients will love receiving these cards, that is, if you can part with them.

LEGO - again a popular choice, and a huge variety of sets and minifigures. They are highly collectible, and some of the older sets are offered at totally insane prices on amazon or ebay. Old style Lego Harry Potter: Hogwarts castle for £652 anyone?
The current HP Lego series is available at more affordable prices. We've already collected the whole set of minifigures.

LEGO Fantastic Beasts Grindewald's Escape Carriage Toy (£15 on amazon at the moment) is a beautiful set, and I hope my son will enjoy it. You can find it at John Lewis, Argos, Sainsbury's etc.

Harry Potter Mini Bell Jar Light - you can find it in Debenhams, Argos, Robert Dias (best price at the moment - £6.99) - is super cute. Don't forget to buy the batteries (you will need 2 AAA batteries).

An this is the light, out of the box.

Browsing at Lakeland yesterday, I saw this lovely Harry Potter egg and toaster cutter set. I also saw it in Sainsbury's.

The egg cup includes glasses and hair. Set comes with a spoon and a toast cutting template

Image credit: MenKind

There are also edible HP/FB gifts. You might have seen chocolate wands and Hogwarts house badges.

... and chocolate frogs, of course...

If it's something to wear that you're after, you can find all kinds of pyjamas, tops, scraves etc.
EMP has a good selection of HP merch and clothes.
M&Co has Hogwarts children's tops and pyjamas.

As you can see, you can still make someone special very happy.

Are you a HP/FB fan? What gift would you choose?

P.S. This post has not been sponsored by any of the above mentioned brands. I just enjoyed going around the shops and browsing (well, and shopping too).

Photo diary: week 43, project 365

October is coming to an end, with a mix of golden warm days and rather chilly mornings. This morning we woke up to a layer of frost on the slate roof. Yesterday there was a burst of fierce rain which hit ground with great force, then as if changing its mind, it got sunny again, with bright blue skies.
Last Sunday Eddie and I went to see Goosebumps 2. We loved the first film, and though Eddie though it was as good, I found the 2nd film a bit disappointing and not as creative.
We walked home through back lanes, looking at all the glorious golds and yellows.

I've been picking some of the hawthorn branches with berries for my "art installation" in the entrance room, and also added some other dried bits for an extra autumnal touch.

Tuesday was much anticipated by both Eddie and myself. Our local Waterstones arranged a Harry Potter-themed party, inviting everyone to come dressed up as their favourite characters.
We bought this Harry Potter costume earlier this autumn, and it was the right time to show it to the "world".
The party was lovely, with a Beast quest, where you had to find a dozen of fantastic beasts' images through the store and mark them off on the piece of paper.
There was a drawing competition, where you had to create your own fantastic beast, name it, tell where it lives and what it does.
To our total surprise, Eddie's monster won, and he was offered a choice of Hogwarts school badges. Obviously, he opted for Gryffindor.

On Wednesday I had a very nervy kind of day. My Mum was flying from Moscow to visit us. She was very poorly earlier this year, has been in hospital, and basically nearly died.
She cancelled her trip twice, and we were not sure if it was wise for her travel at all.
She arrived safely, thanks goodness.
To calm my nerves, I baked cookies and had one cup of tea after another. I looked at the small stash of books I bought recently, deciding which one to start. I've opted for Hallowdene as it feels like the right kind of book for pre-Halloween reading.

On Thursday Mum and I were catching up on everything, and I didn't take any photos, so the next two pictures are both from Friday.
Our Waterstones hosted another party on Friday, this time a pre-Halloween one. While the Harry Potter party was well-attended, for some reason the Halloween party was less popular. In fact, when we arrived, Eddie was the only child who attending.
This time he wanted to be Newt Scamander, to continue with the magic and wizards theme. I crafted a waistcoat from my husband's old corduroy trousers, and the dinner jacket is another one Eddie's Dad's old things.

They did another quest in the bookshop, and an arty project with paper plates.
Eddie did a Trump portrait as a pumpkin. And as they have a fab Trumpkin in the window, they also put Eddie's drawing on display.
Needless to say, my child is super thrilled.

Today we had a quick trip to the supermarket and passed by one of the travel agencies in town, where Eddie spotted a selection of Halloween cupcakes for some fundraising event. Of course, we had to pop in and buy a couple.

An InLinkz Link-up

Veritaserum tea from Adagio teas

The last hour before bedtime is Eddie's and mine reading time. We snuggle up under the warm duvet, and I read to him. All kinds of books: Astrid Lindgren, Roald Dahl, Jeff Kinney, David Walliams, Matt Haig etc.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was one of the books we've read together recently. He also watched several Harry Potter movies, and was totally fascinated by the world of wizards and sorcery.

He know it's fiction, but I think he half-believes in magic. 

When I received a selection of Adagio teas over a month ago, one of their seasonal novelty teas was Harry Potter-inspired Veritaserum tea.

Though Veritaserum potion appears in later HP books, Eddie has seen several films and got an idea of what it was supposed to be.

Veritaserum is described as a clear, colourless and odourless liquid, almost indistinguishable from water. The potion is a powerful truth serum which forces the drinker answer any questions truthfully.

"Three drops of this and even You-Know-Who himself would spill out his darkest secrets".

When I told Eddie what I had brewing in a teapot, he got rather anxious that I might make him drink the magic potion, bless him.

If only this tea blend was truly magic. I know a few people I'd offer it to and ask some uneasy questions.

For those of us who are a bit sceptical about truth potions, here is the list of ingredients: black tea, natural raspberry flavour, raspberries, raspberry leaves, natural chocolate flavour, dark chocolate chips (contain soy lecithin), cocoa nibs, natural hazelnut flavour.

Robert Pirlot, who created this inspiring tea blend, has based this mix on an episode from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, when Harry makes his first visit to Diagon Alley, and Rubeus Hagrid offers him a large ice cream (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).

It's a well-balanced morning or early afternoon tea, when you need a caffeine boost. Hazelnut and chocolate chip go well together with a raspberry flavour. It has a slightly sweet taste.

It is better without milk.

My Mum, who is visiting this month, loved this tea. Eddie didn't dare to try it (he must have some dark secrets indeed).

If you are looking for a novelty gift for Halloween or Bonfire Night, this seasonal tea might be just right for the occasion. And of course it will be totally irresistible for any Harry Potter fans.

Disclosure: I received Veritaserum for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are my own.