How to Make Your Own Potion Bottles

Happy (almost) Halloween, everybody!

A couple of weeks ago I created this fun collection of potion bottles to go with my Halloween decor.

Whether you are decorating for Halloween or a Harry Potter themed party, there is still time to whip up your very own, check out these directions:



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Disclosure

This post contains affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commision.  Affiliate links are noted below.

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My Bottles

This is the collection of bottles I started with.  Going from left to right they were found at; a yard sale, Goodwill, a yard sale, a yard sale, a yard sale, Dollar Tree, Dollar Tree, Dollar Tree, a yard sale and Dollar Tree, each for $1 or less.

Tip - When looking at Dollar Tree, check out the glassware and home decor sections.  The lidded jar and dressing bottle were both found with the glassware, but the tiny seashell jars I found in home decor.  Bonus: empty out the shells to use for something else later ;)

You can click this Dollar Tree (affiliate) link in order to browse their selection of glassware yourself.

Step 1 - Add Paint

After deciding which potions/ ingredients to make, I chose paint colors that I thought best represented the bottle's contents.  For example, this laboratory flask was intended to hold 'Skele-Grow' (a bone regenerating potion from the Harry Potter series) so I used antique white as the paint color.

Side Note - The bottles that I purchased from Goodwill and Dollar Tree were in perfect, brand new condition.  The yard sale bottles, however, were stained up and full of blemishes.  While I cleaned the bottles for sanitation purposes, I intentionally left the stains and blemishes in place.  I wanted the finished product to have a more realistic 'used' look 😏

You can click here for a full post where I share how I use paint to coat the inside of glass bottles.

Painted Bottles

Here is a list of the Apple Barrel (acrylic) paint colors that I used for this project.  I pick up mine at Walmart where they usually run around $1 a bottle, but like to stock up when they are on sale for 50 cents 😉


Skele-Grow - Antique White
Floo Powder - Lilac Mist
Wing Of Bat - Jet Black
Dragon Scales - Holly Branch
Mermaid Tears - Laguna
Fur Of Werewolf - Melted Chocolate
Draught Of Living Death - Pewter Gray
Eye Of Newt - English Ivy Green
Pixie Dust - Pink Parfait
Powdered Unicorn Horn - (Metallic) Pure Gold

Tip - Leave your bottles open until all of the paint is completely dry to prevent wet paint from running back down the bottle.  This might happen anyway during drying, not a problem - Just tip the bottles over once in awhile to recoat any thin spots with more paint that has pooled at the bottom.  Or if needed, add a bit more paint to the bottle.

Step 2 - Print & Cut

After creating these labels using Microsoft Word, I printed them out on standard printer paper.  I wanted the paper to be thin (as opposed to card stock) so that attaching the labels to the bottles would be easier.

You can check out this Halloween cupcake post for a link to Just a Girl and Her Blog where Abby explains all about how to use Microsoft Word to create pretty labels.

Originally, I cut the labels out with the black outline trim intact but.....






.....When I matched up each label to it's bottle I ended up trimming them down further.

Some of shapes and sizes of the labels didn't look right to me when I held them against their bottle so that's why I started trimming.  Then I was left with some labels that had black outlines and some that didn't.  I decided to go for a consistent look and went ahead and trimmed the outline from all, but this is totally a personal choice.

Step 3 - Attach Labels

I used Mod Podge to both attach my labels to the bottle and provide them with a seal afterwards.  After applying a bit of the Mod Podge to the back of the label I stuck it into position and then coated it and the entire bottle with more Mod Podge before letting it dry.  I coated the entire bottle so that it would have a consistent textured look.

Ok, but what about the tinfoil, you know I have proper drop cloths, right?  I was simply curious to see how tinfoil would react to Mod Podge and the answer is...there was no reaction.  Absolutely nothing happened 😁😁😁

Note - Both the Mod Podge and paint brush shown in this photo can be purchased from Dollar Tree.  I like to stock up on these cheapy paint brushes for my messy projects in order to save my high quality brushes for actual canvas painting 😉

You can click this Dollar Tree (affiliate) link in order to browse their selection of craft supplies yourself.

Waiting to Dry

Once dry the Mod Podge takes on a clear look, so don't worry about the milky appearance.

During the drying time I kept busy by painting the corks and tops to the bottles.  Some I left natural brown and others I painted in gold.  As you can see in the following photos, this gave a more cohesive look to the collection:

Completed Bottles

I love how the collection turned out and it makes me smile every time I pass by.  The kids have enjoyed playing with them too, which is fun 😊

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Would you rather purchase your labels instead of making them?  Click to visit my Etsy shop where you can purchase my Potion Label Printable Pack.  This pack includes 35 different labels that can be printed in a parchment style.


The 35 Different Potion/ Ingredient Labels Include:

-Wing Of Bat
-Dragon Scales
-Mermaid Tears
-Fur Of Werewolf
-Eye Of Newt
-Pixie Dust
-Powdered Unicorn Horn
-Phoenix Feathers
-Dragon's Breath
-Mandrake Root
-Toadstools
-Mushroom Caps
-Sands Of Time
-Unicorn Blood
-Moondust
-Wolfsbane
-Valerian Root
-Diamond Dust
-Faerie Dust
-Four Leaf Clover
-Nightmares
-Phoenix Tears
-Dragon tears
-Stardust
-Pegasus Feathers
-Vampire Blood
-Vampire Venom
-Squid Ink
-Poison
-Moonbeams
-Memories
-Sea Water
-Snowflakes
-Raindrops
-Herbs


You should be able to whip up just about anything with a collection like that, am I right?  😎


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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 - By Jennifer Adams 2018

How to Decorate a Dollar Tree Pumpkin

A Beautiful Fall Pumpkin

I love pumpkins and I can't resist picking up a few to decorate with each time Fall rolls around.  Recently I used ribbon, beads and fall foliage to embellish a set of three Dollar Tree foam pumpkins and I was thrilled with the way that they turned out.  Today I'm sharing how easy for you to copy the look yourself:


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Disclosure

This is a sponsored post, meaning that I have received monetary compensation in exchange for  publishing post content.  I only accept sponsorships that I believe are keeping with the Studio 27 brand and only recommend products that I fully believe in.  All opinions are my own.

This post contains affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission.  Affiliate links are noted below.

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Dollar Tree Foam Pumpkin

This is it; the mystical, magical Dollar Tree Foam pumpkin that you are seeing all over the craft blogs and Pinterest this season.  Made of lightweight foam, the pumpkins are easy to work with and a breeze to store away afterward.

You can click this Dollar Tree affiliate link (or click directly on the photo above) to go to Dollar Tree online and purchase your own.  At only $1 a piece, why not stock up?  Don't forget to browse through the floral and crafts sections, you can find fall foliage, ribbon, beads and glue sticks at Dollar Tree as well 😉

Shopping Hint - As we get closer to the winter holiday season, Dollar Tree online will start rolling out more Christmas items as they sell through their fall merchandise.  You may have better luck finding pumpkins in store as opposed to online, but don't hesitate either way- these guys are in demand and move fast!

I also recommend making time to check out the Dollar Tree online holiday section for winter holiday inspiration.  My favorite Christmas item, hands down, are the clear plastic bulb ornaments - so many possibilities!  I've gathered a collection of blog posts from around the web full of ideas for crafting clear Christmas ornaments:

Click here to visit Happy Deal - Happy Day
Click here to visit Home Made Lovely
Click here to visit Refunk my Junk
Click here to visit B-Inspired Mama

Now back to our pumpkin tutorial:

Step 1 - Remove Stems

I like to remove my pumpkin stems before I get started.  Not only is it easier to paint the stems and decorate the pumpkin this way, but reattaching the stem after the pumpkin is decorated gives a nice, clean look.  Just firmly grab the stem and pull with a slight twist to get them to pop off.

Tip - Sometimes I'll poke a toothpick into the bottom of the stems to make it easier to paint.  Once painted, you can then insert the toothpick into a block of craft foam to allow the stem to dry without fear of smudging.

Step 2 - Add Ribbon

Here is where you can see how handy it is to remove those stems.  By having the stems out of the way, I can begin placing my strip of ribbon at the top of the pumpkin (directly underneath where the stem will eventually be replaced).  I started here and wrapped around the entire pumpkin using hot glue to hold the ribbon in place.  Once complete, I added another strip of ribbon (crossing over the first strip)  so that the finished pumpkin looked like it had been cut into fourths.

Step 3 - Prep Your Foliage

Fall foliage makes a great embellishment for seasonally decorated pumpkins.  Artificial foliage can be tricky though, as it is often reinforced with strips of plastic to make it more structured looking.  While great for adding dimension to a vase arrangement, the plastic strips can make foliage too thick and bumpy when attempting to glue the leaves down smoothly.  No problem, just pull off the plastic and you are ready to go 😎

The top photo shows the combination of leaves that I chose for this project.  I find that using a variety of colors gives more texture and interest to the finished piece.

In the bottom set you can see the before and after process of removing those plastic strips.

Step 4 - Largest Leaf First

As a general rule, I like to begin with my largest items first to create a foundation, then layer my smaller items on top of that.  (This is similar to the process I used when placing floral stems in to these fall arrangements I shared a few weeks ago)

In the top photo you can see that because the leaf is a bit large for the pumpkin, it does not rest smoothly.  No problem.  Just cut a tiny slit as seen in the bottom photo and.....

Step 5 - Smooth Those Leaves

.....glue down one side of the slit leaf, then smooth down the remaining part of the leaf over the top of that.  Keep going until all of your leaf is resting smoothly against the pumpkin.

Step 6 - Add Layers

Once the largest leaf was in place, I added a smaller leaf in another color following the same process.  Using various colors, sizes and types of leaves really helps to add interest to the composition.

Step 7 -  Continue

Keep adding various leaves until you feel that your pumpkin is adequately embellished.  

Step 8 - Hide Any Blemishes

Once I felt that I had enough foliage in place, I checked the pumpkin over for any 'bad' spots.  A bad spot is any area where I think it would be better to have it covered up.

You can see in the top photo that one of leaves (that had been cut into a slit and glued with an overlap) looked a bit rumply.  No problem, simply find a smaller leaf that you like and hide the problem.

Note:  Since I didn't have small leaves in the size or color that I wanted, I easily cut down a larger green leaf until I had what I was looking for.  

Step 9 - Replace the Stem

With ribbon and foliage in place, the pumpkin is starting to come together.  Add a bit of glue to the bottom of your stem and gently set back into place.  

Step 10 - Add Beading

In the top photo you can see that the beading I used (pulled from my craft stash)  was held in place by a wrapped paper stem.  I didn't want a large stem at the top of my pumpkin so I used wire cutters to snip it off and then glued the small bunch of beads into place next to the pumpkin stem.

And that's it!  Now you have a simple Dollar store pumpkin turned into elegant and upscale decor, perfect for holiday decorating.

Fall Pumpkin Trio

As I mentioned earlier, I went ahead and made a coordinating set of three which you can see here.  By switching up the ribbon, and the way in which I placed the foliage, I was able to create an interesting set that is different but still similar enough to work together.


Don't forget to click this Dollar Tree (affiliate) link to find all kinds of holiday decor inspiration!



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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 - By Jennifer Adams 2018

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This post was added to the following link parties:

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays With A Twist

All About Home

Wonderful Wednesday (Oh My Heartsie Girl)

Wonderful Wednesday (Penny's Passion)

Your Whims Wednesday

Thursday Favorite Things

Friday Favorites

You're The Star

The Really Crafty Link Party

Meraki Link Party

A Themed Link Up

Halloween Fun - FREE PRINTABLES!

I discovered Pexels recently:  A website packed with free stock photos that you can download and use as you wish.  I spent some time playing around and decided to share the fun.  You can download, share and use these printables as you wish.  Enjoy!

(You can click here to visit Pexels)

I hope you enjoyed this free printable post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 - By Jennifer Adams 2018

Decorating Halloween Cupcakes With Printables + FREE GIVEAWAY!

I've been dabbling in a bit of graphic design lately and I blame it all on Abby Lawson over at Just a Girl and Her Blog  😄

After reading this post I was inspired to begin creating my own array of printables using Microsoft Word.  What was my first project?  Printable toppers for my Halloween cupcakes.

You can create your own cupcake printables like I did - Just follow Abby's easy to read instructions -  or click here to purchase the set (featured in the photo above) from my Etsy shop.  You might want to check out that Etsy link anyway, just to see what else I've been creating 😉😉😉

Once you have your printables follow these easy steps to create adorable cupcakes:

Step 1 - Cut Out

After you create (or purchase) your printables, you are going to want to print and then cut them from the sheet.  This particular set could be cut out as square or circle shapes - I went with circles.

Step 2 - Attach to Tooth Picks

Simply flip over your cut out and attach a toothpick with a bit of tape or glue.

Complete

And it's really that simple!  

Decorative Treats

Here you can see how cute and festive the prepared cupcake toppers are.

Now as I mentioned earlier, you can create your own by following the instructions in this post, or purchase this set from my Etsy shop by clicking here .  But isn't a FREE GIVEAWAY better?  I'll send the printable cupcake topper file shown here to the first TWENTY FIVE people who comment on this post AND sign up as an email subscriber.  Hurry, hurry, offer ends October 20th!

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post.  I can't wait to hear from you and thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 - By Jennifer Adams 2018

Mermaid Party Decor - Jellyfish Lanterns & Balloons (Affiliate Links)

For our recent mermaid party, we had jellyfish lanterns and clusters of watery colored balloons as party  decor.  I saw lots of examples of these on Pinterest and figured I could easily replicate the look.  (In other words, I never bothered reading any articles, just looked at a few pictures....😄)

Here's how I did it in case you want to pull it together yourself:

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Disclosure- This post contains affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission.  Affiliate links are noted below.

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Jellyfish Supplies

In order to make these jellyfish you will need lanterns, shower caps, crepe paper and rickrack.

The lanterns and shower caps I purchased at Dollar Tree.  The crepe paper and rickrack I already had on hand.

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You can click this (affiliate) Dollar Tree link to purchase your own jellyfish supplies now!

Step 1 - Prep Your Lantern

Open your lantern and follow the simple assemble instructions.  Make sure to use care when inserting the plastic support piece into the center - if you slip you may accidentally tear through the side of the lantern.  Once assembled, add batteries to enable the lantern function.  While they are cute on their own, lighting them up takes the look to a whole new level - especially for outdoor evening parties 😉

Step 2 - Add Shower Cap

Poke a small hole in the middle of a clear shower cap and place over the top of your lantern to make the jelly-like cap of your jellyfish.  

Tip:  Thread the hook of the lantern through that small hole to make hanging your lantern easier.

Step 3 - Stuff Your Cap

Cut lengths of crepe paper, squash into crinkly balls and stuff into your shower cap to add color and texture to the jellyfish cap.  I used roughly two foot sections of crepe paper and alternated the colors while stuffing.

Note:  I started out trying to keep my shower cap pulled down about halfway around the lantern, but it refused to stay in place.  I ended up letting the cap just sit on top, which you will see in a bit.

Step 4 - Add Streamers

Using a glue stick I added lengths of crepe paper to the bottom of the lantern to serve as the jellyfish tentacles.  I alternated between pink and white crepe paper and layered a bit of pink rickrack over the white streamers to give more detail.

Side Note:  I started with sections of crepe paper that were about three feet in length.  Once all of them were attached, I trimmed here and there so that the 'tentacles' were of varying lengths.

All Done

Here you can see the completed jellyfish with the shower caps resting on top.  I hung them from the dining room light fixture to keep them out of the way while I worked on the 'seaweed'.

Next Up - 'Seaweed'

I found these weird necklaces (that looked like they were made out of seeds) at Goodwill a few months back.  I figured they looked sea-weedy enough and purchased the bag for a couple of dollars.

*Update - My Mom told me that they are apple seed necklaces*

Step 1 - Create a 'Hanger'

I used a loop of tape to create a surface that I could tack to the ceiling.  I know, I know, some people cringe at the thought of putting holes in their walls or ceiling.  I keep a container of nail filler on hand though, and I'm religious about filling in any holes I make as soon as my parties are over.  Since my ceilings are white (and so is the nail filler) this is no big deal.  But if you have a different colored ceiling you may want to use another method.  Command hooks usually have a lot of non-damaging options.

I pick up my nail filler at Dollar Tree as well.

You can click this (affiliate) Dollar Tree link to browse for nail filler or other hardware items.

Step 2 - Hide Your Hanger

While a loop of tape certainly gets the job done, it doesn't make for the prettiest presentation.  In order to camouflage the tape, I layered two shades of green crepe paper in an X formation.  I then inserted a pushpin through the tape and then the layers of crepe paper so that when hanging.....

.....the crepe paper hung downward and hid the tape nicely.

Jellyfish & Seaweed

Here you can see things starting to come together.  In this corner I hung an entire necklace as is, straight down from the ceiling.....

.....and over here I cut one open to create a really long length of 'seaweed' that I looped across the display area.

Add Balloons

Once I had all of the seaweed and jellyfish in place, I added balloons in shades of blue and clear to represent water.  The blue balloons we chose were  light, dark and baby blue and we added in some translucent white balloons that contained silver colored confetti.

Purchased at Wal-Mart for around $2, these confetti balloons gave the feeling of foamy, bubbly waves.  The remaining balloons can also be found at Wal-Mart and are about $1 a package.

I tied the balloons to lengths of curling ribbon so that they hung down in long strands.  I wanted the balloon colors to serve more as a backdrop than a feature, so that the jellyfish could be more prominent.  I also taped a couple more strips of green crepe paper to hang from the ceiling to add a bit more color.

And that's how easy it is to create jellyfish lanterns with water inspired balloons!

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In case you missed any details so far:
Click here to read about the invitations
Click here to see the overall party decor
Click here to read about the layer cake

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 - By Jennifer Adams 2018