Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Harry Potter Awesome Art Roundup Vol. 7

Happy Harry Potter week muggles!!! Day two includes the ever epic Harry Potter Awesome Art Roundup, volume 7! It's extra jam packed because it's an awesome week (and can I just say how coincidental it is that it's number 7, the ultimate Potter number???)




First up, this awesome bunch "Witch Gang" via dasstark.
Dasstark has an awesome tumblr, and if you're also a fan of the Raven Cycle, she draws an awesome Ronan =)









****

I am loving all these characters by Brittany Myers, particularly her Draco seems so spot on.








****





How sweet is this Philosopher’s Stone set by Bear + Crocodile??





****




I want the burrow to be a real place I can go to ASAP. Maybe that should be my new life goal? It looks so awesome in this print by twiggymcbones






****



while we're on the topic of weasleys, here's the whole famdamily by xxKaseixx. the width makes it hard to look great on the blog so click the link.








****


Check out this lil badass Trio on their way to kick some butt by theGorgonist




****




Top 3 favorite Harry Potter fanart projects has to be  audreylynnillustrationhp who I've put on a different volume before. She's working on the whole Harry Potter book (books?) and each image is so wonderful and sometimes they're in GIF form and even more wonderful! 




Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Chapter 9 The Midnight Duel 

“They weren’t in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden. They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.”












Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Chapter 7 The Sorting Hat 

“Oh, you may not think I’m pretty, But don’t judge on what you see, I’ll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me. You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all. There’s nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can’t see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be. You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you’ve a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind; Or perhaps in Slytherin You’ll make your real friends, Those cunning folk use any means To achieve their ends. So put me on! Don’t be afraid! And don’t get in a flap! You’re in safe hands (though I have none) For I’m a Thinking Cap!”




I could honestly post them all! Please check her out when you get a chance =)






****


Because it's volume 7, let's go with another top 3 fanartist, Rosalia Radosti. Her character portraits are amazing, but I've put those on here before so here are some of her other adorable Harry Potter prints. 













****




I find wizard families really interesting (obviously) but one small detail that I've always appreciated was the Black family's astrological names. This print by Dromedas does a wonderful job compiling them and showing their actual locations. 



 If you check out the link, there are individual prints for each constellation. 



****




taryndraws is doing a wonderful 8 days of Potter art leading up to the new book, and so far everything she's posted has been wonderful

Day one - "no post on sundays" prompt 


Day two- "expecto patronum" prompt




Day three - "Ickle firsties" prompt







the best part of this whole thing? I get to find so many more amazing Harry Potter artists!!


First off, this AMAZING gif by Zannarl






and then Luna with her patronus by sonyacreates





****



Again with the Burrow and the Weasleys, I know, but this one by smelslikeart is too adorable.


“Harry stepped in, his head almost touching the sloping ceiling, and blinked. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly every thing in Ron’s room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling.” 




AND YOU KNOW WHAT, 
I'M JUST GOING TO END WITH MORE
WEASLEY
BECAUSE IT'S MY BLOG AND I'LL WEASLEY IF I WANNAAAA


and because this wonderful art from Pottermore seems like a great way to end this volume. 





Till next time!
-Maggie

P.S t-minus 70 Hours!


Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Harry Potter Week: Butterbeer Cookies

 

Happy Harry Potter week 2016 my fellow nerds! It's the week of the Cursed Child. I feel many mixed feelings about it, but I'm embracing the HP love and going with it. So with that, here is day one - the basics - party food. These butterbeer cookies are a favorite go to from Bake at 350. My brother got me a really cool 3D printed Harry Potter cookie cutter for Christmas so I stepped the cookies up a notch with that bad boy. Feel free to use your favorite sugar cookie for the base if you'd like, the glaze is the real showstopper here.



Butterbeer Sugar Cookies 




3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
2 sticks butter
1 egg
1 tsp butter flavoring
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

First things first, preheat your oven to 350.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, set aside.
Cream the sugar and butter.
Add the egg, butter flavoring, and vanilla; mix until well-blended.
Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. The dough will be quite thick, you may need to knead in stray bits of flour from the bottom of the bowl by hand.

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cutter. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. These cookies may also be rolled into 1 inch balls if you prefer. They are similar to shortbread in the way that they won’t spread much.










Butterbeer Glaze



1 1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 TBSP light corn syrup

Place all of the ingredients in a glass or metal bowl and heat over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler).
Stir occasionally, until melted and smooth.

Put the cooled cookies on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the cookies and spread with an offset spatula.





Deeeelish.





Till next time, hope your having a very potter week =)
Maggie

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Jams of the Week 7/20/16

Howdy, and welcome to Jams of the Week.




This first jam I heard, shazamed, and since then have listened to on repeat constantly. It's burrowed into my brain and I love it. I think anyone who's ever had to get over someone can relate to this song.


Billy Currington - It Don't Hurt Like It Used To





****




I've been digging those Spotify playlists that are suggested on the homepage. One led me to this song, which was great to jam to when closing down the coffee shop.


Madcon - Don't Worry feat. Ray Dalton






****




Last up, I love seeing movies and I try to go every week. Last week I saw Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and it was way better than I thought it was going to be. The soundtrack is super upbeat and great to drive in the summer to. Also recommend the song Zac Efron recorded for the soundtrack called "Stang Life."
Good vibes only bro.


Outasight - Do Something Crazy (Feat. Cook Classics)





Till next time,
Maggie

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

July Bookish Box - Fantasy Review


Howdy! I received my July bookish box today in the mail today and wanted to share what was all included. After last months Classic Novels box I decided to unsubscribe to Bookish, but I was still hoping for some awesome goodies in this last box.  (You can read my review of the Harry Potter Box here

For July I didn't know the theme before I opened it, but I was hopeful based on the Deathly Hallows on the side of the box. This was the first month where the theme wasn't put on the side for me.




The theme turned out to be Fantasy! Excitedness started with a Maggie Stiefvater quote on the opener.




So the first items were a headband and a small bag of Dragon Rider coffee. I work at a coffee company so I don't really need coffee but it's a cool name. I'll edit this once I brew! The headband pattern is cool - and I think referencing The Raven King? - but look closely at the second picture.


You might notice, it says "baby"


and that's the size brain it fits - maybe! It's so small, I don't know how they expect it to fit on anyone's head =( I can't wear it so that's a bummer.

Next in the box was a tote that had a long handle which was a nice touch. The quote I had to google, it's by Cassandra Clara via the Mortal Instruments. Is it weird that I don't get the quote? Why can't I have the joy of reading and feel like part of the story?



The Tee of the month was "a single dream is more than a thousand powerful realities," which again, I had to google. It's apparently one of those quotes people think someone said but they never did? In this case it's often attributed to Tolkien, but it was from a review of Tolkien in actuality. I like the quote either way, but I don't love that it's on a plain white t-shirt. I tend to never wear white because 1.) I will for sure spill on it and 2.) Washing whites is one step more complicated than colors and I'm lazy.  I should note that Bookish now offers the box without the Tee, and I would maybe do that if I ever re-subscribed. 



Last thing in the box was a "hold the door" bracelet. I know it's a Game of Thrones reference because the internets exploded after that episode, but I stopped watching GOT for reasons explained well here.  So anyway the bracelet is cute, but I will never wear it.





This box helped me confirm that this box just isn't for me. I can think of some fellow nerds who do like a lot of the things in the box, but with this and the Classic Novels box I only connected to one item, so it isn't worth the cost. I would totally support another Harry Potter box, because I know it will be 100% interesting to me, but other than that I'm happy with my decision. 




Do you have a box you subscribe to and love? Share below!!




Thursday, July 14, 2016

Jams of the Week 7/14/16

Welcome to jams of the week!





Drive - Oh Wonder







****

Satellite - Sara Hartman








****

If you haven't seen this performance yet, it's a must watch, it gives me chills every time. 

Freedom - BeyoncĂ© & Kendrick Lamar (The 2016 BET Awards) 





till next time,
Maggie

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Jams of the Week 7/9/16

I've had a crazy week, so I'm doing the Jams at the end of the week while watching the super awesome Great British Bake Off (yay for new seasons!!) So, lets begin!



Every time this song comes on, I have to blast it. 

Woman Woman - AWOLNATION




***



I've been trying to think of things that happen past two am...all I can come up with is the sunrise?

2AM - Bear Hands






****




I made my pal Chloe watch one of my favorite movies this week - The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and had to shazam this song. I love the random looky looky noises he makes. While trying to find a translation for the song, I found a hilarious interview with Tom Ze, and he said he didn't think even his publisher knew this song was on the soundtrack - Ze had no clue. Either way it's kooky and I love it.


Tom Ze & Valdez - Jimmy, Renda (Jimmy, Surrender)







Till next time,
Maggie