Harry Potter

One of our last days in London we went on the Harry Potter studio tour, pause for moment of jealousy...Okay, now I can say how absolutely incredible this experience was. Let me be start off by stating that I like Harry Potter, but I wouldn't consider myself a die hard fan. Honestly, I stopped reading the books about 4 books in, but I've seen/own all of the movies.

This experience was not only amazing because it was Harry Potter, but because I'm a huge movie buff and it was incredible seeing the entire film process. You got to see so many amazing sets, costumes, props, hair and make up, special effects...my list could go on. The time, the effort, the details, the hard work that goes into creating a film series over 10 years...it's just amazing.

I wish I could recount everything that our tour guide told us and all of the amazing facts written about each piece. Here are some notable highlights, however...

1. The Great Hall was created to stand the test of time. The floor was made from real stone so it could withstand the wear and tear of shooting for 10 years! Also, the ceiling full of candles? Not real. The ceiling consisted of metal pipes and film equipment. There was never a true ceiling the entire 10 years.

2. The door to the Chamber of Secrets (the door with all of the snakes) was thought to be created through CGI, but in reality it was created to actually work. It was made through mechanical parts that have the snakes move in their pattern to open the door.

3. The moving paintings were played by crew members and their families created through a green screen. Also, the paintings seen around the school were crew members as well. Some of them posed for these pictures, some were unaware!

4. The potion bottles in Snape's classroom, along with every wand in Ollivanders, was hand written and created by set designers.

5.  A miniaturized exact replica of Hogwarts was created for pan shots of the outside of the school. This model is amazing for its detail alone.

We spent a good few hours at the studio but even as I left I wish that I had stayed longer, read things in better detail, and took more pictures. Guess this means another trip to London is in order!

Too Creepy!

Butter Beer anyone?

This is from a different day, but I had to include it! Hogwarts, here I come!

Outfit:

Top: J.Crew (similar here)

Jeans: Rock & Republic (old)

Boots: Steve Madden (similar here)

Jewelry: Tiffany bead earrings, Tiffany heart ring, Flower ring from Cuffs

Purse: Louis Vuitton

Glasses: Penguin

Touring London

Two of the days in London we did the typical double decker sightseeing tour bus. I was a little skeptical because I didn't want to scream out to everyone, "Look at me, I'm a tourist!" But it was such a great idea. I got views of landmarks I wouldn't normally have been able to see and we were able to hit every major sightseeing location. We took mental note of places we wanted to stop off and see, like the Tower of London, and on our second day took the bus to these locations.

I think the Tower of London was up there on my list of amazing places to see, partly because the crown jewels are there. Unfortunately we couldn't take any pictures, but trust me when I say the whole exhibit was absolutely amazing. Seeing all the jewels, even ones that were from the 1800s, that were still intact was an incredible sight. I swear, the history from London is just mind blowing. It makes me realize how young of a country the US is.

Outfit
Top: J.Crew
Jeans: Rock & Republic (old)
Scarf: Burberry (thanks Uncle M!)
Jacket: Native Fox
Shoes: Vince Camuto
Jewelry: Tiffany Bead earrings, Marc Jacobs ring, vintage class ring
Purse: Louis Vuitton
 

London Day 1

Our first day in London was our travel day, using it to catch up on sleep and jet lag. Well I'm not one to waste a day sleeping so I powered through. I mean I can sleep in the states right? So I grabbed Baby E, who had the same idea as me. She was not ready for a nap either so I asked the hotel where the best place for a walk was. They suggested St. James park which was across the street from Buckingham Palace. Oh, did I forget to mention that I was a 5 minute walk from the Queen's house? Ya, no big.

Later that night my brother and I went out to a typical English pub. Oh did I also forget to mention that I'm the most amazing big sister who brought my brother along on our trip? Ya, I guess I'm pretty awesome. Here are some photos I made him suffer through taking. Thanks for putting up with me constantly asking you to take blog photos!

Outfit

Top: American Apparel

Jeans: Rock & Republic (old)

Jacket: bought from The Native Fox (thanks for the best winter jacket for my trip!)

Boots: Steve Madden (similar here)

Jewelry: Rose ring from Cuffs, Marc Jacobs ring, Tiffany bead earrings

Purse: Louis Vuitton Speedy

Preview

A blogger's nightmare happens when your iPhone breaks before a vacation and your computer dies halfway through. Hence why there have been no pictures from  my vacation to London and Paris. Now, as I sit here sifting through the 1,500 pictures we took my eyes are glazing over and they're all looking the same. I'm taking a break and coming back to this tomorrow. However, here's a little tease as to what we did while away.

Bon Voyage!

Can you guess where I'll be for the next 10 days?! I can't even believe it myself. I don't think it'll hit me until I'm buckled in my seat about to take off. My family and I, my little brother included, will be jetting of to London and then Paris for my baby cousin's first birthday. If you have followed this blog since the beginning you'll know that I nanny for baby E and as a perk I get to come along on her birthday trip. I'm bringing my little brother along to assist me with all things baby.

The first photo is of Buckingham palace, which I'm most excited to visit. It's only open to the public a few months out of the year and we just happen to be there during that time. In Paris, of course it's the Eiffel tower. I've been to Paris before, but strangely enough I skipped seeing the Eiffel tower to shop. My inner child knew I was destined to be in fashion. This time, however, I'm making a point of not missing it.

I'll be updating my blog when I can, but keep up on all my traveling adventures through my Facebook and Twitter.