June 17, 2016

Harry Potter Wand Art Project + You.I.Us Blog Tour


You. I. Us. is a collection of vignettes, small scenes which hint at the story beneath. Annalisa Crawford has taken that idea to another level, because she asked 15 bloggers to ask her one question each, creating small insights into her life and writing.

MY QUESTION: If you could be any Harry Potter character (good or bad), who would you be and why?

ANNALISA'S ANSWER: When I first saw your question, Chrys, I knew my answer straight away!

I would be Luna Lovegood.

She’s weird, and everyone gives her a wide berth to begin with, but she—like so many of the other minor characters—steps up when needed and proves her true worth. She has the strength to be herself no matter what everyone else says, and to stick to her beliefs. Over time, the other characters come to appreciate her for who she is.

I think that’s such a great lesson to teach kids, and adults to some extent. I was never that popular at school, but I learned to embrace who I was.


You. I. Us.
Publication date: June 10, 2016
Genre: Short Stories (Single Author)

Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Book Depository // Kobo // iBooks // Nook


In You. I. Us., Annalisa Crawford captures everyday people during  poignant defining moments in their lives: An artist puts his heart into his latest sketch, an elderly couple endures scrutiny by a fellow diner, an ex-student attempts to make amends with a girl she bullied at school, a teenager holds vigil at his friend’s hospital bedside, long distance lovers promise complete devotion, a broken-hearted widow stares into the sea from the edge of a cliff where her husband died, a grieving son contacts the only person he can rely on in a moment of crisis, a group of middle-aged friends inspire each other to live remarkable lives.

Day after day, we make the same choices. But after reading You. I. Us., you’ll ask yourself, “What if we didn’t?”


About the Author:

Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat. Annalisa writes dark contemporary, character-driven stories. She has been winning competitions and publishing short stories in small press journals for many years, and is the author of Cat & The Dreamer and Our Beautiful Child. www.annalisacrawford.com


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Harry Potter Wand Project


By Chrys Fey

During winter break I watched the Harry Potter movies with my nephews for the first time, and they became so crazy in love with the world of Harry Potter that they wanted to play with wands and run around outside shouting spells at each other. Being the cool, clever, child-at-heart auntie that I am, I created a fun art project so we could all play together like real wizards. 

What You Need:
-       A smooth stick
-       Kid-safe paint
-       Paint brushes
-       Glitter
-       Fabric
-       Feathers (not necessary)
-       Elmer’s Glue
-       Newspaper

My youngest nephew's wand is the blue one. Mine is in the middle.
And the black one with the feather is my oldest nephew's wand.

Instructions:

1. Hunt along the side of the road, near the woods, or in your backyard for smooth sticks that are about a foot long. Clean the sticks and lay down newspaper on the surface you want to use.

2. Let the kids paint one side of their stick. Once it’s dried, turn it over, and have them paint the other side. Unless you have a stand so they can paint all around it at once.

3. Paint glue around the tip of the stick, about two inches, and sprinkle it with glitter. This is the magic coming out of their wand. ;)

4. Put glue on the opposite end and fix a piece of fabric around the stick to create a handle. If the fabric is long and wraps around a few times, you’ll need to add more glue. This piece of fabric is mostly for comfort.

5. You can add feathers to the end of the wand where the fabric handle is, or any other decoration you want, such as ribbons.



Our Harry Potter Game:

-          Decide who will be bad and who will be good. There’s usually one bad one among the three of us.  Pick names. I’m Hermione when I’m good, and Bellatrix LeStrange when I’m bad.

-          For a list of spells go to HarryPotter.wikia.com

-          Have the bad witch or wizard count to ten while the good witches/wizards run and hide.

-          For certain spells, create rules. Ex: If someone yells “Expelliarmus,” which is the disarming spell, you have to toss your wand to the ground.

-          If someone says "Reducto," you have to pause for about five seconds (dazed or wounded) before you can start running again.

-          If someone says the killing spell before you can say a spell, you’re done. LOL



Now go out and have fun! This is surprisingly great cardio.

65 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me on your blog today! I definitely want to play Harry Potter with you now, you really are a super-cool auntie :-)

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    1. You're welcome, Annalisa. I'm so happy to have you here for my Harry Potter day. :)

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  2. Luna was a fun character because of her quirks - good choice, Annalisa.

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  3. Annalisa - so true about the minor HP characters being so complex!

    Hmm, I have a Harry Potter wand, and now I really think I need to take it out and play with it this weekend.... :)

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    1. Look at what Neville did! :D

      You should, Madeline. It's fun exercise.

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    2. I loved the way the final book became much more of an ensemble piece. No one can be a hero in isolation!

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  4. haha you can sure get your bibbity bobbity boo on with those wands. Each have their own set of skills indeed, should really appreciate all. Going a different way can sure lead to a new day.

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  5. unique question and great answer. A very good stop on the blog tour. Fun!

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  6. Annalisa seems to be very talented writer, Thanks for including her on your blog.
    Enjoy your week-end.
    Yvonne.

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  7. Those are cute wands you and your nephews made :) Annalisa's book sounds really good; saw it on another blog earlier this week; might have to go and buy it :)

    betty

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    1. Thanks, Betty. We had fun making them. :)

      That would be great!

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    2. Hi Betty, I'm glad you like the sound of my book :-)

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  8. Annalisa's short stories sound amazing. Thanks for sharing her with us. Your magic wand craft and game sounds just as amazing, Chrys. You are a super fun Auntie!

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  9. Hi Chrys and guest Annalisa - the vunder auntie with the magic nephew touch .. I don't know enough about the other characters - but you describe Luna Lovegood well ... then of course that cardio work out - yes working out with kids is breath-taking!

    Cheers and enjoy your weekend - that game is a clever creation for the littlies - or not so littlies .. Hilary

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    1. The wand project is actually from me. :)

      Thanks for stopping by, Hilary!

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    2. Luna is a fantastic character! Yes, Chrys is definitely the wonder aunt with the great imagination!

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  10. I'm heading outside to see if I can find the perfect stick. I have the feather. Congratulations, Annalisa.

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    1. Thanks Joylene. Hope you find that stick :-)

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    2. Yes, Joylene! Have fun making your wand. :D

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  11. Luna is a great choice--what a fun character. I'd totally be Hermione because I was such a grade-grubber as a kid (but a much less confident one).

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    1. I was so much like Hermoine, but with a dash of Luna. :D

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    2. Thanks Tamara. I had friends like Hermione, but everything I studied seemed like hard work.

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  12. Congratulations Annalisa! You, I , Us sounds interesting!

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  13. The wand project game sounds like so much fun! Potter forever. Congrats on your latest book Annalisa and Luna is a great choice.

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  14. What a neat book and an interesting look into ordinary people's lives who usually are anything but. I love Luna and that is an excellent choice because I would want to be her for sure. I love your game...love it! I would want to play it but I would be so disarmed in 5 seconds. Love the wands and a great game for kids to get away from the phones etc...

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    1. Thanks Birgit. The game comes from Chrys - it sounds like so much fun, doesn't it?

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  15. Big Potter Fan here!!!!

    Congrats to Annalisa!! Seeing her book all over the blogsphere! Love her cover!!!

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  16. The game sounds like fun. Makes me wish my boys were young again so we could play it.
    Congratulations, Annalisa. I've seen your book on other blogs and it looks fascinating. Best of luck. Have a good weekend.

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  17. Luna is an awesome character and I loved the actress they picked for the movies. She fit it perfectly.

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  18. Ha, that Harry Potter game sounds like fun. Would you believe I already have a couple of wands in my office?

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  19. Those wands are awesome. Luna Lovegood is one of my favorite characters.

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  20. Oh the game looks so fun, Chrys. You're a great aunt. And though I haven't read the HP series (for shame, right), I love how minor characters often step up to help the main ones!

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  21. I wish I were familiar with Luna. I haven't seen the Potter movies and I only read the first two books. I have Annalisa's book and look forward to reading it.

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    1. Luna is worth reading more for :-) I hope you enjoy my book.

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    2. You should try reading some more of the books, Medeia. Or at least see the movies. :)

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  22. Luna's name give her character away, doesn't it? I can see why you chose to be her, Annalisa.

    Love those wands, Chrys! What fun to make and then play with them.

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    1. J.K. Rowling was very clever when naming her characters.

      Thanks, C. Lee!

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    2. I agree with Chrys, everything Rowling did was very deliberate, including names.

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  23. Annalisa's book sounds interesting.

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  24. The horror con I went to had some gorgeous Harry Potter wands made of fancy woods, etc. I like your homemade version much better! At least the kids got to use their imagination.

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    1. Thanks, JH! I think it's more meaningful this way too. They made it, so it surely can be magical.

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