Harry Potter Trunk or Treat!
Have a Trunk or Treat event coming up that you need an idea for? How about a wizard-themed Trunk? For last year’s Trunk or Treat event at my kids’ elementary school, I decided to use all of the elements of the Harry Potter bedroom I had created in Dexter’s room a few years back to decorate the back of the SUV. Everything was still packed up from the move, so I made it a point of finding all the boxes, unpacking everything in the garage and planning the design.
Items
- Floating Candles
- Wizard-themed Books
- Display Shelf
- Potion Bottles
- Snitch Lamp
- Cage with Owl
- Sorting Hat
- Maurader’s Map
- Wizard Glasses
- Vintage Hanging Tealight Holder
Getting Started
To begin with, the trunk area of my SUV is so disgusting and dirty that it would probably have fit better in a horror film, so I needed a way to create a backdrop. I used a king size red micro-plush blanket that is a family favorite for the backdrop of the space. But, you could get the same effect with 1-2 red plastic tablecloths. I tucked the corners into the windows to hold everything in place. These spring clamps might be a good option if you need to hold something in place if windows aren’t positioned properly.
The Floating Candles
This set of Floating Candles is awesome–12 candles, all wand-remote activated. They come with these adhesive attachments that work really well–so well that they are STILL on my car window a year later. To do it again, I would recommend some type of clear tape for the fishing line. Trust me when I say that it’s a pain in the neck to keep them from getting all twisted up during a seven minute drive to the school parking lot, and an even more frustrating experience trying to untangle them after you get home. Just tape them up when you get there, and take them down before you leave. This year, I will be taking a couple pieces of tissue paper, putting each candle in, rolling it up then putting the next candle in, and so forth. Fishing line is not fun to untangle. And, someday, I will remove these clear stickers.
Set Up the Display
I started with one book stack. I had created a floating book wall in the bedroom, so the wizard-themed books were just organized in messy stacks.
Next, I added the apothecary display shelf and another book stack. The black display shelf is one I grabbed off of FB Marketplace for $5, and spray painted black. It’s nothing special, but it was such a treasure because it totally fits the vibe of an apothecary shelf. I found some smaller shadow box display shelves on Amazon that you could use. And there is a video floating around out there of a woman who used Dollar Store small wood boxes with hot glue to create a similar look with not too much expense. If I could find it again, I’d share it.
Target has a bunch of potion bottles with Halloween themes in the dollar spot. You can also make them using print-outs and little apothecary bottles. If you need to find them in-store, the Dollar Store and Hobby Lobby both carry them. I made sure to stick them in place with adhesive putty–it’s not fool-proof, but it worked pretty well, and it’s super easy to remove when you’re done.
This is where I had some fun with the decor pieces: The Sorting Hat, a Hogwarts Express snow globe, a giant egg on display and some open spellbooks. The vintage piece I have with the glass cups–I found at the thrift shop. I have no idea what it was meant to be, except possibly a tealight candle holder? I found a rustic tealight holder on Amazon that could be used to bring that Old World scientist/potions classroom vibe.
More decorations included the original Hedwig Owl I purchased for my son’s room. It’s soft, but a little more realistic looking than some of the stuffed ones. There are so many out there that you could use! This size also fits nicely in smaller cages, measuring at 8 x 5 inches. The cage was an in-store Hobby Lobby find. The larger of these gold cages would be a good option.
The snitch lamp is available on Amazon. I made ours using the steps from this DIY snitch lamp tutorial that I put together for the bedroom, and since the lights are just battery-powered, it worked great as an illuminating feature for the trunk or treat.
Who’s Got a Trunk or Treat Coming Up?
My next post is going to be all about inspiration for different trunk or treat ideas, so stay tuned! Do you have an idea you’ve done or seen that you’ve loved? Feel free to let me know in the comments.
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