Spooky Halloween Apothecary Display

How to Create a Spooky Halloween Apothecary Display for your Halloween Decor

I love a little spooky in my Halloween decorations.  For example, I’ve made my 15 minute Boo Pumpkins, my glam skulls, and my eerie Halloween wreath.  Today, I want to share my spooky Halloween apothecary display.  I made a lot of it with some cool Martha Stewart Halloween craft supplies. I will show you how I made this metallic spider pumpkin and used Martha Stewart Halloween beverage labels on recycled jars for some frightful looking props. Here are some fun ideas.

Materials:

• Craft Pumpkin
• Martha Stewart Crafts ™ Metallic Craft Paint
• Paint brush
• Martha Stewart Crafts ™ Spider Pumpkin Transfers
• Wet Paper Towel
• Old jars, all sizes
• Black card stock
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Double-sided tape
• Martha Stewart Crafts™ Gothic Manor Beverage Labels

Metallic Spider Pumpkin

First I used Martha Stewart Crafts ™ Metallic Craft Paint and a craft pumpkin I found at the Goodwill for 99 cents!

 

I ended up painting two coats, plus one touch up.  Here is the first coat.  Make sure the paint dries completely in between coats.

 

Next, I followed the instructions for the spider pumpkin transfers.  Cut out the desired transfer.

 

Remove the transparent covering and place it on the pumpkin.  Dampen the transfer with a wet paper towel.

 

Remove the white paper.  I found that you can use the wet paper towel to gently smooth out the spider.

 

Repeat this process until you have all your spiders in place.

Spooky Apothecary Bottles

I have been saving these bottles for a while because I like the shape.

 

The labels were impossible to remove, so I covered them with black cardstock.

 

Next, I simply placed my Gothic Manor Beverage Label on top. I made some other labels for the smaller jars.  I added a skull with a rhinestone on one of them and typed “Cerebrospinal Fluid of Unwelcome Intruders” on an old lotion bottle.

 

There you have it! With the help of some old books, a metal cabinet, and the spider lace doily I made, these fun crafts make a perfect frightening Halloween apothecary display!

Halloween Specimen Jars

Here is another easy way to make inexpensive DIY Halloween props. Specimen Jars are a great way to gross out your Halloween party guests. I personally like to set up the “science lab” on the bathroom counter.

Select your jar.

You know my motto, “reuse, repurpose, recycle!”  All you need is recycled jars, mason jars, vases, empty clear cream jars, candy jars, or bowls. Apothecary jars work nicely as well. Use a variety of sizes and shapes.

Select your specimen.

• Vegetables (the uglier the better)
  • Cauliflower or broccoli for brains
  • Odd shaped potatoes for kidneys or hearts
  • Carrots for baby fingers
• Fruits
  • Dried Apples for shrunken heads
  • Grapes for eyeballs
  • Plastic body parts (eyeballs, bones, fake teeth, vampire fangs)
• Sponges
• Ginger roots (they look like deformed fingers)
• Vienna Sausages for fingers
• Hard boiled eggs
• Pickles for green fingers
• Toys (rubber snakes, spiders, bugs, small skeletons, rats, lizards)
• Weeds or Poppy Pods (Photo below from MarthaStewart.com)

Make your label. 

I think this is the most important part. Tell a story to make the label interesting. Distress the label with dirt or coffee grins. (Photo below from MarthaStewart.com) Include the following:

• Item Number
• Date
• Name
• Locality
• Description

 

Fill your vessel.

Fill the jar (or whatever) with water and a drop or two of food coloring and choose your specimen.

I surrounded my jars with a metal cookie tray filled with silver “surgery tools” (or what would pass as surgery tools) from the dollar store.  I bloodied up a pair of latex gloves as well. There you have it… instant Mad Scientist Specimen Lab.

What are you crafting up for Halloween this year???