Muggles: Dress like Harry

The Baltimore Sun

The boy wizard's seventh and final adventure, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is finally ready to read, but the party doesn't have to end with last night's midnight release festivities. Kids can still dress the part for book clubs, Potter-themed birthday parties or even just a wizards' duel in the backyard.

Unlike other childhood heroes (think Transformers), it's easy and inexpensive to create your own Potter costume. And most of the supplies can be found around the house.

What you need to be Harry Potter

Materials

Dark-colored flat sheet or another garment that can fill in as a robe

1 piece of black foam board

Lipstick or face paint

Glitter

Glue

Scissors

An unsharpened pencil

Craft paint

Masking tape

Safety pin

DIRECTIONS

Wand

Paint an unsharpened pencil to create Harry's all-important wand. Or cut one out from a piece of foam board. Then, add glitter to the end for some magical flair. Let dry.

Glasses

Use the stencil provided (right) on a black piece of foam board to cut out the shape of Harry's glasses from the piece of poster board. Use a piece of masking tape on the bridge of the glasses to finish the look of his often-broken specs.

Clothes

Start with a white oxford shirt and a dark-colored tie for base of the English boarding-school-inspired look. Bonus: A red-and-gold tie will match the color of Harry's house, Gryffindor.

Robe

Harry's school robes can be fashioned a number of ways. You can cut a V-neck-shaped hole in a dark-colored flat sheet and give it form with a rope belt. Other existing garments - including an old graduation gown, an oversized V-neck T-shirt or a dark-colored bathrobe - can play the role as well. Then, pin the Hogwarts Crest (right) to the front of the finished product.

Scar and hair

Apply Harry's signature scar with some dark-colored lipstick or Halloween face paint. Add hair gel to duplicate Harry's messy hairstyle. Side note: If you have light-colored hair, a spray can of temporary hair dye sold at costume and party stores can give your hair that dark Potter sheen.

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