Chooky Apothecary Specimen Jars
Turn your shelves into a mad scientist’s laboratory or an ancient witch’s pantry with spooky apothecary specimen jars. Gather glass jars of various shapes and sizes—old pickle jars, perfume bottles, and mason jars work perfectly. Fill them with water colored with a drop of green, yellow, or red food coloring, and submerge creepy items like plastic eyeballs, rubber snakes, faux brains, or plastic spiders. To make the water look aged and murky, add a tiny drop of milk or tea.
The key to making these look authentic is the labeling. Print out vintage-style apothecary labels with distressed borders and eerie names like “Eye of Newt,” “Essence of Vampire,” or “Web of Spider.” Scuff the edges of the labels, stain them with coffee, and glue them to the front of the jars. Arrange them on a bookshelf alongside old leather-bound books and faux cobwebs for a highly detailed, fascinating display that guests will love to examine closely.