Are you all suffering from Harry Potter overload just yet? I sure hope not! And for my readers who aren’t Harry Potter fans, I sincerely apologize that I’m dedicating another post to the boy who lived so soon after my last. None the less, whether you’re a fan of the books and/or movies or not, I hope you’ll be find the graphic design work I’m about to show you inspiring. Because Potter or no Potter, I think these are beautiful stand-alone pieces of art work and can be enjoyed no matter your stance on teenage wizards. Besides, it’s not so much the subject matter that counts here, it’s the artistry. So I hope that you’ll find these as inspiring as I do.

Okie dokie, enough exposition. Onto the goods! Graphic designer Patrick Sullivan, for his student portfolio, created a collection of DVD covers for the Harry Potter series. And they’re pretty darn amazing. You might even be inclined to say they’re magical.

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I find it incredibly hard to believe that I’ll be sitting in a movie theatre in a little under 15 hours seeing the final film installment of the Harry Potter series. I haven’t really come to terms with that yet. It just seems unreal. Despite all of the hoopla surrounding photo calls, press conferences, etc. etc., it just hasn’t sunken in to me yet. Around 2:30AM tomorrow morning, I’ll have seen all there is to see.ⁱ There will be no more. I refuse, however, to accept this as “the end”. Because it’s not. Harry Potter will never end in my eyes. It will live on forever and ever in our collective hearts and imaginations. I’m so happy to have been a part of this, and I know I will look back fondly for the rest of my life on these past however many years, and the wonderful friends and memories that have come out of it. On that extremely mushy and much-too-sentimental-for-its-own-good note, consider this my teeny, tiny tribute to that magical place which captured my heart so many years ago: Hogwarts.

“Perched atop a high mountain [...], its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.”

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1. Apparently the film premiers earlier here in Oz than elsewhere in the world, and I promise, I will not say anything about the film so as not to spoil anyone. (»)

When Krissy requested guest posts, I knew exactly what kind of post I wanted to do. A while back, Krissy did a post about the books that has changed her life. Comparing her list to mine, I realized I’d read 4 out of 5, and that all 4 would totally make my top book list too. We clearly share not just a passion for reading, but the same taste in books as well.

Since I’ve read so many great books over the years, I would love to share my reading list suggestions. If you’re reading books this summer, make it one (or more!) of these:

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Warning! This book might inspire you to sell everything you own and move to India ASAP.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
A really melancholic and sweet novel about a lost love.

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Always and forever, Sleeping Beauty will be my favourite Disney movie. From a purely artistic stand point, I avidly maintain that it’s the most beautifully animated film of all time. Forget 3-D, real-D, and all of these fancy-smancy computer-generated graphics. While quite remarkable at what that technology can achieve, they’re more for spectacle and a means to an end. The traditional gouache and watercolour painted slides of the Disney from an era long ago… that’s what I hold in my heart. They’re animation at its most astonishing. Each individual piece is a work of art in itself, all comprising a visually breathtaking story from start to finish.

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It’s always said not to judge a book by its cover, but I’m won’t lie: when there is a pretty cover involved, I’m like a moth to a flame. I can’t deny pretty things! Evidence: the entire blog. If you’ve been with me for a long time, you’ve seen me swoon like a school girl over countless beautiful book cover designs. Because if a book is pretty, I’m definitely more inclined to pick it up over a book I no nothing about. These beautifully hand-embroidered designs by Jillian Tamaki have been making the blog rounds over the weekend, and they’re too mind-blowing not to make repeat performance.

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Just a few of my favourite (film) love stories. In black & white because somehow things seem so much more magical and romantic in black & white.

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The number one thing on my current list of lusts is Kate Spade New York’s inspiration-board feature turned book Things We Love. The Kate Spade brand is ever charming, feminine, vibrant, whimsical and even a little bit flirtatious as can consistently be noted across their fashions, accessories, and even their delightful web extras housed at katespade.info. Really, check that website out. It’s filled with novel and inspiring little tidbits – like the fun little e-Valentines they featured in February (I posted about those, too), or their seasonal “Things We Love” pin-up board containing an array of miscellaneous items that were the subject of the creative team’s inspirations at that given time. The latter of which is what inspired what appears to be a most charming and delightful little book bursting at the seams with inspiration. A quick peek into the folds of said book can be seen below.

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