It’s super easy to create your own ghastly apothecary jars and alchemist bottles. Check out this halloween potions, poisons, powders & more DIY. We hope it inspires you to create some of your own for some spooky fun in your home.
I made these grungy Halloween containers for any potion or elixer a witch or wizard might need to cast a curse or spell. These halloween potion bottles are the perfect compliment to the halloween spell books I recently shared, created simply from recycled containers.
how to DIY halloween potion bottles
These potion and poison bottles are made from everyday household glass bottles, including sparkling water, jam, vinegar, even a candle, etc. You get the idea. There’s only one bottle I actually purchased. I bought it last year at a craft store for a different project, which never happened, so I had it kicking around.
Start by clean all the bottles and removing any labels. I ran most of the containers through the dishwasher. Don’t worry too much if you can’t get all the adhesive off, since it simply adds another layer of grime.
Spray paint all the caps & tops black (many were already black, which was a bonus!). Then sand all the containers to age the glass. This is a great way to make a new jar look vintage quickly.
Choose acrylic paint of colors of your choice to paint the bottles. I mixed some dark gray & sunflower acrylic paints. Paint the bottles haphazardly and then wipe with a wet paper towel to reach desired effect.
While the containers dry, select and print your labels. I used free printables just on plain copy paper. I chose a variety of sources so the bottles would not look like a “set”, but rather a hodgepodge acquired and collected over many years of witchcraft. You can find some of the labels here, here and here.
Once the paint dries, decoupage the labels onto the bottles. Once everything sets, ink the bottles & containers around the labels with a dark brown ink pad, giving everything an aged looked.
You can fill some of the bottles and jars with the appropriate fillers although my paint was pretty opaque so it really was not necessary.
Lastly, embellish the containers using Spanish moss, twine, Halloween webbing, burlap or anything you have handy. I have most of these things kicking around in my craft stash, which is why I used them..
personalize the halloween potion bottle collection to fit your decor style
Although there are a lot of steps, it’s easier than it looks. I chose to do this over a few days, breaking up the steps so it would not overwhelm me,
The best part is that it didn’t cost anything, but just time, since everything I used I had on hand.
You can personalize this to your own look | style by the paint colors you select or the labels you use or the embellishments you add.
I made these potions bottles a few years ago along with the spell books. I have a fun witchy apothecary vignette planned for when I bring out all the Halloween decor down from the attic. Stay tuned.
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“Those who do not believe in magic will never find it.”
Roald Dahl
Another lovely project!
I’m almost finished “making” for Halloween. Actually, I never stop–I’m likely to make Halloween figures at any time of year, but I do slow down.
My crafty blog is full of Halloween stuff, and on my reading blog, I’m always looking for spooky books. I no longer actively participate in Carl’s RIP reading challenge, but I do love witchy, ghosty books.
These are awesome, I love them! You did a great job!!
you have been busy. i checked out all your halloween crafts. i love them! you’re so creative. i have a couple more i’m gonna try to pull out before halloween. wish me luck! xo- mj
thanks cheryl. so nice to hear. i’ve been wanting to do this for a couple of years now & just could never get it going. i think i was worried they wouldn’t come out as i envisioned. well, i don’t think i could be happier than how they turned out. maybe it’s a good thing i procrastinated. lol. thanks for dropping by. xo- mj
Love these…they look so vintage!
These are awesome! You have a great eye for detail and the patience to pull off a great look. Love them all!
thanks jenna! that’s a true compliment for this vintage gal. xo- mj
thanks geneva. these were actually easier to make than i expected. xo- mj
Love these! Great idea to use a variety of labels so that they look collected over time. Thanks for sharing your bottles at VIParty.
Wonderful job! They look so authentic!
thanks for stopping by betsy & leaving a comment. have a great weekend! xo- mj
thanks so much for your sweet comment! made my day. have a great weekend. xo- mj
Mary Jo, these are fabulous! True works of art!! Thanks for sharing them with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Your bottles look amazing! I really love the huge transformation from the everyday items to the end product. So creative! Thanks for sharing with us at the 2016 Halloween Blog Hop.
thanks mistie! they were a lot of fun to create & i always love breathing new life into trash! thnx for stopping by. xo- mj
Great post, thank you for sharing the process of aging the bottles love this idea.
MaryJo, I was needing inspiration for a fun Halloween tablescape. The bottle paint technique is just the kind of thing I need to do. Thanks!
oh these potion bottles are so neat for Halloween. You made them look so spooky.
Thanks so much! Yes, they’re fun to pull out every year and play.
🙂🎃💛 XO- MJ
I am afraid to send these to my Halloween obsessed nephews for fear they might ask why the ones I made aren’t as cool as these are 😂 These are totally fantastic. I would have never in a million years thought to give them an aged appearance on the inside. That is genius! Loving and pinning, CoCo
These are so cute! Thanks for sharing on Crafty Creators!