The Wizarding World

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios is expanding. And this makes me excited!

They're adding a Diagon Alley (with a dragon on top of Gringott's!), and it's set to open in 2014. Is that cool or what?!

I went to Universal Studios last summer, and Hogsmeade was definitely one of my favourite parts of the park. The three rides were awesome, butterbeer was delicious, and even though the Orlando weather was way hotter than anything my poor Canadian body was used to, I had a blast.

Entering the park - click the pictures to expand

There was just something so magical (totally intended) about experiencing Hogsmeade in that way. Both my sister and I are crazy Harry Potter fans, and this really was a dream come true for us. Honeydukes, the Hog's Head, Ollivander's (which technically should have been in Diagon Alley, but hey, nothing's perfect)... it was all so incredible.

The entire Universal Studios experience was incredible, actually! My mum and I had been to Disneyland for field hockey a couple years previous, and kept telling my dad and sister how AMAZING it was and how much we NEEDED to go to a park as a family, and when it finally happened, I was thrilled. And, as I said, HP has always had a special place in my heart. This expansion makes me really happy!

Universal has confirmed it - a dragon atop Gringott's!

According to this article on Hypable, there will be destinations like Gringotts, Weasley Wizard Wheezes, and King's Cross, which will have the Hogwarts Express waiting to take people over to Hogsmeade. Awesome concept art has been released, showing what these stores and stations will possibly look like. It's all very exciting!

My favourite piece of art from the article is this one below:

Absolutely gorgeous. On a side note, I used to want to be a concept artist. Still sort of do, actually.

Anyway, this is what has been exciting me lately! I've been telling my friends, some more than once, and I really hope I can visit the expanded park once it's open.

BUT - super excited for this - my family is going to Disneyland and Yosemite this summer! YAY! I absolutely love Disneyland, and I think Yosemite will be really beautiful. I'll definitely be telling you guys ALL about it :)

Until the next!

The Watson to my Holmes

Lately I have been in a very jewellery-ish mood... in particular, rings. I'm feeling the need for a new ring, and that's the thing. (No puns, but rhymes. Not nearly as great, sorry). So I've been browsing Etsy and other places, and may I just say there are some GORGEOUS rings on Etsy?! Seriously! Here are a few of my personal favourites... ones that I am most certainly going to be considering in my hunt for my next ring.

• Okay, are these rings great or what?! Sherlock and Watson rings? I am definitely in! I am honestly going to get these one day. SO GREAT. These particular rings are made by this shop on Etsy. Utterly fantastic.

• Is this ring not lovely?! It is made by this person on Etsy. Go check their stuff out, it's all very pretty!

• One type of ring I lack is big, chunky statement rings, and I feel like this type of ring would fill that hole nicely. It is just so CLASSIC - the detailing on the band, the big gem. This particular ring is made by this person on Etsy. All of their items have this really elegant, stately look!

• And last but DEFINITELY not least, this incredibly adorable HP ring! Look at it! Look at its cuteness! I am a massive fan of this type of ring - the simple wire look - and would love a ring like this one, if not this HP one! This one is made by this shop on Etsy.

So basically what I'm saying is go look on Etsy if you're wanting amazing jewellery, fandom related or no! There is just an incredible variety of things on Etsy that constantly amaze me... the people on there are so talented and I love seeing all the cool, beautiful things that are made. 

Have good weekends! I'll be trying desperately not to purchase thousands of things off of Etsy!