RavenWood Apothecary No. 2 - Potions & Elixers

RavenWood Apothecary
Potions & Elixers
(magic by the numbers)

Okay....So I'm not sure if I explained this or not...but RavenWood Apothecary is an on-going, ever-evolving Witch Supplies Shoppe that magically blows in on the Autumn winds every September. Each year I work on new projects to add to the Apothecary to enhance its appearance. Some things get moved out, while new things get added in. Yesterday's Gypsy-Witch Potions Chest was one of last year's projects. I usually find neat looking items at places and I think to myself that with a little hocus-pocus and ingenuity...they could really be 'witchy' looking and a great asset to my Apothecary. Oddly...I eye most things with a nod to how they might be used for Halloween...ha!For example, at the Dollar store I found these incredible glass test tubes that were filled with incense cones, stopped up with a cork topper and tied off with some raffia and nice little ceramic tile. They were really nice for a $1, and they make great gifts to give away at the end of the party, especially if you change the tag out to something Halloweeny. But like the Mad Hatter that I am, I saw something far more useful to me with just a little repurposing. So the Dr. Frankenstein in me took over, and I was on my way to creating some potion vials for my witchy lil' laboratory. Now usually this is the point where my brain over-reaches my carpentry skills, so I enlist the help of my ever-faithful assistant 'The Grumpy Old Troll', aka the hubby who knows how to use drills and saws and is not happy that I have a list of chores for him but he does them anyway because he's a good-hearted, grumpy old troll! (Okay...he is now adamant that if I must insist on calling him a 'Grumpy Old Troll' that I inform you that he's not 'old' and is only 8 months older than I.) Moving on....I will handle the artistic part of my potion vials...the graphic art, the names, the front of the stand, the aesthetics of the tubes and the contents....BUT, I need something to display them in, and I have an idea of what I want. So I sketch out my vision for the base, and where to place the holes....then I ask the hubby to find a stray 2x4 and secure a drill bit that will make holes the perfect size to set my tubes in. And while he's at it, he can also sand it down, and stain it black for me! He will complain about this task, but secretly he enjoys these little challenges I throw at him. So after all is said and done....RavenWood Apothecary's - Potions & Elixers - (Magic By the Numbers).....is complete! And for your most discriminating 'witchcrafting' needs we now offer:
No. 11 - 11:11 Enigma Elixer
No. 7 - Lucky 7 Fortune Formula
No. 12 - Witching Hour 12 Hexing Compound
No. 9 - Love Potion # 9 of course, and
No. 13 - Unlucky 13 Curse Lifting Serum

But I still haven't gotten Potion Bottles out of my system when I find these creepy cool labels by Magic Pug on Etsy, and I can't resist purchasing them. The thing is...I can, and do, these same kinds of labels myself because I'm a graphic artist, and I reluctantly admit my shame and guilt in not doing it all myself, BUT, I was getting short on time, and I had just found this set of really cute bottles in a metal stand at Hobby Lobby, and they were just begging me to turn them into potions. So I decide her labels were the perfect size for the job, and I used them. I did have to adjust them some to make them fit my bottles, and of course add the RavenWood logo. Then I took my bottles and added some jute and decorations to the corks....and with a little bippity-boppity-boo, my 'Witch Supplies Shoppe' had some new ingredients guaranteed to lift those wretched curses you've had laid on you and/or make your own magic potions a spell-binding success! ;o) Tomorrow I will continue my tour through RavenWood Apothecary....and share some of my other Hallowe'en Projects.
(Disclaimer: No Grumpy Old Trolls were harmed in the making of these products!) :o)
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