Potions Class - The Decorations

I had to take the liberty of combining elements of different rooms into one. Obviously we didn't have enough space to have a Great Hall, hallways with art, and a potions classroom. I knew Potions class could make quite a mess. I considered the kitchen but I didn't think I could pull off the decorating. So we decided to use our dining room but to remove all the chairs to make it easier for the kids to move around. I hung the 4 house banners from the ceiling. We added to the gallery style artwork that I already had by removing family portraits and hanging the painted eye my father painted and the Shakespeare holograph.

I took a picture of the blackboard from the movie and replicated that as best I could using artists black mat board that I got from Utrecht on Capitol Hill. I did the lettering in real chalk. Steve made a very simple frame that we then stapled the mat board to (using a construction staple gun)and hung screw eyes from to hang it.

The specimen jars and staging area for potions class.

The inspiration for our blackboard - from the movie.

A very handsome toad I got from the toy store.

Some funky pods my friend Janet brought.

A plastic creature from the toy store, in colored water.

A finger ball I got at the Goodwill for $.99. It really is about being resourceful and using what you can find creatively. This was one of my favorite finds.

A crowded glimpse of the potion classroom.

I covered the table with a protector pad, a black sheet and a black plastic tablecloth on top (from the party store). That worked great to protect against spills. I put three metal trays (that I already had) in the center of the table, full of ingredients. It looked really cool. Unfortunately I didn't get pictures before the party started because I was so busy.

I used the same metal trays, that I already had, to protect my sideboard from spills. I set some specimen jars on one of them for something interesting to look at and to help make my dining room look less like a dining room and more like a potions room.