Hogwarts Acceptance Letters
Updated: Jan 6
How to create your very own Hogwarts Acceptance letters?
#potterhead #harrypotterfan #hogwartsismyhome #hogwartshouses
Before I share how to create these fun letters, imagine this with me. You have everything packed and hidden in the car for your Harry Potter fan. You wake them up, hop in the car, and hand them an owl feather claiming you found it in their room that morning. At the airport, their face is bewildered as you hand them their luggage and pass through security. You sit them down just before boarding your flight and you hand them their very own Hogwarts acceptance letter. As they read, you announce, or they figure out, that you are taking your very own trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios! SURPRISE!!
Hello fellow #potterheads, If you're new to this page, I am Miss Motivational Pinup and I absolutely love everything Wizarding World. Last year, I worked with my travel partner to arrange reservations for my family's surprise holiday vacation that started at Universal Studios Orlando. Eeek! The idea for the surprise of this trip came from my husband. There we were sitting in Central Park at Universal Studios the previous April when he suggested we not only surprise the kids with this incredible trip but that we purchase and hide house-specific robes as part of the reveal the day we departed. I cannot even begin to express how exciting this was to plan and needless to say we certainly found some fun ways to put the reveal over the top. These letters were just the ticket, pun intended, and we went crazy adding school uniform items, pins, and owl feathers so these letters felt like they actually flew in from the Wizarding World. If you want to see the morning of our surprise trip, check out the link at the end of this post!
If you want to create your very own Hogwarts acceptance letters for a surprise trip, perhaps a slumber party, or any Harry Potter-themed event, this would be a super fun addition!
I shared some of my excitement in planning this trip, especially in creating these letters in this video. Skip to 4:58 if you do not want to hear all the planning details.
See the Reveal!
If you would like to check out how our reveal went with these letters, this is our Surprise Holiday Vacation Day 1 video. Skip to 8:18 for their reactions. :) It still makes me want to shed a tear when I watch it. Eryn and I totally cried while Luke remained a bit stunned and uncertain that we were actually going. I don’t think it truly sunk in until we sat him in the plane's window seat.
I have included the items you will want to purchase via amazon links. I am sure you can find many of these items at a local crafting store however, I was not so lucky. I have also included a link to Canva where your very own Harry Potter acceptance letter, packing list, and platform ticket template awaits your customization!
Template for the envelope, letter, and ticket
This is an easy template for you to fill in what you wish. Have fun with this. Really customize this template to them and your vacation. Perhaps you list the fun-themed shirts you have packed? If you are going to include a visit to a Disney park, then your packing list could also include Mickey Ears or ponchos for those crazy pop-up storms, or add something silly that is unique to your trip! The point is to make these feel written for the recipient and for your particular vacation. What makes your potter fan who they are? What makes this vacation so special?
Stamp kit
We chose to purchase a collection of stamps. It has all of the Hogwarts Houses crests, the Hogwarts School crest, and an "Owl Post" stamp! This last one was not on the envelope but it was so cute that I could not help adding it to our version of the letters.
It had been a while since I read the Harry Potter collection. I loved this behind the scenes prop making video with Mina Lima that explains the details of the letter used in the film! I'm a film nerd!
If you are visiting Universal Studios but do not yet have the robes you can snag some kids' ones from Amazon and these are far less expensive than the parks especially when they will just out-growth them. There are some nicer adult ones on Amazon as well but honestly, the price is close enough to Universal’s that it makes sense to get the authentic version from Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. Be sure to pre-order your wand(s) or plan to get those in the park because these interactive wands are everything! You and your party can walk all around Diagon Alley at Universal Studios and Hogsmeade of Islands of Adventure and do your own magic spells; making plants grow, levitating this, or unlocking that. They really top off the whole experience and I promise you won’t regret it.
Now to those letters! You will need to print these items so make sure you're all connected to a printer.
Paper and the Envelope
The paper I used to create the letters is also perfect for the envelopes so I cut out and folded them myself. The Third page of the template will print an outline of the envelope. The address text space may take some fiddling because this information is not a standard size. You may need to edit and reprint this page until you get your desired results.
From here you can cut it out, taking care at the edges, then fold along the lines. I used a standard glue stick to bring the edges together. Leave the last fold of the main flap unglued and allow your envelope an hour to set before filling it with your letters and ticket.
Wax elements, tea lights, and stamp kit.
This one is nice because it includes a built-in melting rest for the wand. Don't forget some tea light candles to melt the wax. I chose a deep red wax because that is what is used in the movies. If you love Professor McGonagall then perhaps you find an emerald green. Or you can snag some that match your house colors in blue, yellow, or green. We chose to purchase this collection of stamps. It has all of the Hogwarts Houses crests, the Hogwarts School crest, and an "Owl Post" stamp! This last one was not on the envelope originally seen in the movie, but it was so cute that I could not help adding it to our version of the letters.
Be sure to go slowly and test your pouring and stamping skills on some scratch paper. I did this several times with each stamp I chose to use. Set 6 or so wax pellets into the wand, and grab some cooking spray to evenly coat the stamp. This ensures that no residual wax remains and you get the best and most details from your stamp. Next, pour a quarter-sized amount of wax onto my test paper. I would immediately stamp the crest into the wax holding it in place for about 15 seconds to ensure it cooled enough before revealing the emblem. If you have different wax you may need more or less wax and you may need more or less time before removing the stamp depending on the temperature in your room.
Have fun with this!
You could create these to fit so many events. I have so much fun creating these. It really heightened my excitement. I do believe using these letters as a way to announce a trip is the best use of them because you can walk your students to Diagon Alley to pick out their wands, robes, and other school necessities. It just starts the whole trip with a beautiful memory. Don't forget to visit the Leaky Cauldron for some yummy food and a butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice, or my favorite Otte’s Fizzy Orange Juice.
Cheers & Happy Travels Potter Fans
Miss Motivational Pinup
#hogwartshouses, #potterhead, #potterheads, #hogwartsismyhome #hogwartsletter #wizardingworldofharrypotter #wizardingworldpark #universalstudios #universalorlando