So the Princess is turning 11 this month, and is a huge Harry fan (hehheh). Since birthday 11 is such a big part of the Potterverse, I wanted to do something special. Somewhere along the line, I got a wild hair up my ass to throw her a surprise party.
It turned out freakin awesome.
First, the invitations. I looked around, hit up Pinterest, and got some ideas, but nothing I found was "just right." So, I made up this masterpiece:
For text:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aRWdsEhPFqlE3qdaDR1qPSfT5YqS0ufhUNgnlks87q4/edit
This was done in green Blackadder font, centered, with the Hogwarts crest at the top, and printed on old-lookin paper (
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XG64ZW/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Then I folded them using this nifty little tutorial:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Note-into-an-Envelope
and sealed them with a pretty red H, made by a friend on her Silhouette cutter. I tried to use a stamp and wax, but the results suuuuuucked. The vinyl H's were much easier and quicker.
I asked the Princess' homeroom and chorus teachers to sneak them to the kids, and to threaten them with their lives if they let the secret slip.
I also mailed invites to the cast of the movies, and J.K. Rowling, with this letter included:
"Anistyn is my daughter, an extremely smart little girl with
autism. Her condition is pretty
fascinating, and includes severe emotional melt-downs, self-centered ideals,
and an intense focus on books—including the Harry Potter series.
Anistyn and I don’t always get along so well—we have very
few interests in common, and there’s little room for negotiation when it comes
to her own interests. When she began
reading Harry Potter, I read each book right after her. This opened up a subject we could both lose
ourselves in, and it gave us something we could finally talk about, something
we could connect with. We’ve read all
the books, seen all the movies, and can finally have actual discussions,
instead of our usual one-of-us-speaks-and-the-other-pretends-to-be-interested
charade.
Anistyn is my oldest child, and I hate that we have such a
difficult relationship. I will be
forever grateful for all of those involved with the Harry Potter franchise for
giving me a way to reach my child, for giving us this stepping stone that has
led to other small victories (she now listens to my book suggestions—it may not
seem like a big thing, but to us, it’s pretty awesome). Every little bit of growth is amazing, and
you can’t imagine the difference a story like HP can make in a family.
Anistyn is turning 11 this May. Pretty big birthday, right? I’m planning a surprise party for her, and,
of course, it’s Harry Potter themed. If
you could, Anistyn would be tickled absolutely pink to receive a little piece
of Hogwarts. As much as you’ve been a
part of something that’s helped our relationship immensely, I hate to ask for
more, but, hey—we’re kinda on a roll here.
I figured I’d try my luck a little more."
Ms. Rowling's assistant or somethin replied with a nice letter--and not an instant, generic reply, either, but one addressing what I'd written about--with pictures and bookmarks. I was pretty impressed.
Part 2 of this little series thingy will be the signs I made. Hopefully it'll be up tomorrow.
