How to Make Handmade "Lotion & Potion" Bottles

In the spirit of Halloween, my daughters and I recently crafted our own spooky apothecary bottles to store various handmade lotions and potions. It was a very fun, easy and inexpensive project. Here is how we did it...


This fella lost his head over the Swamp Fog!

 First, we scoured our house, the recycling box and the local Salvation Army for interesting looking bottles to reuse. We chose a variety of sizes to give us several storage options. We also looked for clear glass, as it would showcase the product inside. I also prefer glass to plastic as it does not leach any unwanted chemicals into finished body care products.

Each bottle got a good hot soak in the sink followed by a scrub with a copper dish scrubber until they were crystal clear. Note: If you have any stubborn old label adhesive on the glass, I find that coating it with olive oil for 10-15 minutes before soaking and scrubbing works great.

Second, we searched the Internet for fun "potion" labels and downloaded some amazing labels on flickr, posted by Love Manor. They have a selection of outstanding old world designs with a very tongue-in-cheek spooky flair.

We could all use a little Life Renewal!

Last, we printed the labels out in sizes to fit each bottle, carefully cut them out and adhered them to the glass with Scotch Spray Mount. As an optional step, you can seal the label with Mod Podge (we are going to experiment with the crackle finish Mod Podge). This gives the finished piece a bit more character, durability and resistance to any water or product that may come in contact with the label.

We temporarily set our bottles out in the parlor for a final viewing, but next week they will be in our powder room gruesomely holding bath salts (Graveyard Dust), cotton balls (Swamp Fog) and body wash (Life Renewal Potion)!

Check out other spooky ideas for crafting apothecary bottles on the Iron Oak Farm blog.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!