Witches Apothecary Chest - VIDEO TUTORIAL

My idea for this apothecary was to make it look like it was alive complete with feet, hands, and lots of eyes (I have the image of the eyes for you further down in the post).  I can imagine the chest following the witch around while the candles argue with each other.  The core of this piece is a simple assembled Vanity Box with drawer kit.

The hands attached to the sides serve multiple purposes; they can be used to lift the chest, hold items (like the cauldron), and make the chest look alive.   I used a medallion mold with a skeleton chest and polymer clay to attach the hands to the chest.  The pulls on the drawers are bones from my stash. 

The candles with faces are made from polymer clay, which I demonstrate how to make in the video tutorial.

I’ve made all kinds of witchy stuff (bottles, books, a bookstand, scrolls, chalice, potion bowl, hourglass, and wand) to go on top of and inside the chest.  There must be something particularly nasty in the stack of boxes as it is chained and locked.  Notice I’ve used another set of hands as part of a book stand for the Spells and Potion book.

The spell books are made from my Mini Witches Library Collage Sheet, and the bottle labels and other images are from the Witchy Little Labels & Ephemera Collage Sheet.

VIDEO TUTORIAL

In the video tutorial, I’ll walk you through how I assembled and constructed all of the apothecary chest elements.

FREE IMAGE - Sized to fit the front of the box.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST AT ALPHASTAMPS

DETAIL SUPPLY LIST

Mini Witchy Library Collage Sheet

Witchy Little Labels & Ephemera Collage Sheet

Vanity Box with Drawers

Dragon Claw Box Feet – Set of 4

Silicone Mold – Halloween Skeleton Cameos – Used on sides

Antique Bronze 3D Skeleton Hand Charm  - Used on sides

3D Silver Skeleton Hand Charm – Used for book stand

Antique Silver Tall Flower Bead Caps – Used for the candlesticks and book stand

Verdigris Tall Flower Bead Caps – Used for the candlesticks and book stand

Bronze Puffy Filigree Beads   - Used for Candlesticks

Antique Gold Rope-Edged Rondelles - Used for Candlesticks & Hourglass

8x8mm Large Hole Plastic Drum Beads – Used for Hourglass

Fishing Owl

Mini Black Cauldron

Mini Cigar Box Set

Set of 4 Metal Apothecary Jars

Set of Metal Ginger Jars

2 Glass Bottles w Round Lid – 21mm Tall

Amber Even Tinier Bottles

3D Silver Skull Charm – Large Hole – Bottle topper

Small Man in the Moon Charm – Bottle decor

Ceramic Raven Beads - Small – Bottle topper

HOCUS POCUS INSPIRED BOOK APOTHECARY - VIDEO TUTORIAL

“Boooooook come home or make thyself known” cries Winnie in the movie Hocus Pocus.  This movie is a must-see for me every Halloween season.  It’s the only one of my spooky movies that I can get my husband to watch with me.  He loves the “I put a spell on you” scene when the Sanderson sisters sing.  You can tell by the eye on the book that this apothecary draws inspiration from the Hocus Pocus spellbook. 

Unlike the book in Hocus Pocus, which is filled with spells; this one opens to reveal an apothecary.

The book is constructed from two Tim Holtz Mini Configuration Books hinged together.

The texture and patina on the covers is achieved with tissue paper, stamped paper clay and Modern Masters Metal Effects Iron Paint and Rust Activator.  I've been working with these products for years, and love them so much, I rusted an entire wall in my house.

WHERE TO FIND MODERN MASTERS PRODUCTS

You can find Modern Masters products on Amazon.com, online paint stores, and some neighborhood paint shops.  Their products are easiest to find in the US & Canada.  For those in the UK, you can find them on Amazon.co.uk.  For other countries, the best thing is to Google the product name to see if anyone in your country carries it.

Notice how the middle of the book looks like pages - it’s really just an image, which you’ll find for download further down in this post.

By using two of the configuration books, you’ll have lots of room to display all kinds of cool bits and bobs.

VIDEO TUTORIAL

In the video tutorial below, I’ll step you through making the covers and assembling the book.  If Halloween or this particular project is not your thing, you might still want to watch the video as the techniques to create the cover can easily translate into other projects and themes.

If you missed my earlier tissue paper texture video tutorial which covers applying the tissue paper and using other materials to create different patinas, click here.

EYE & BOOK PAGES IMAGES

To download the eye and book page images that I used in the tutorial, click on the image to expand it, right-click and select Save As.

COLLAGE SHEETS

Books Spines and Labels #1 & #2 Collage Sheet - Book spines and covers

Or

Apothecary Book Spines, Covers & More Digital Image Set

Apothecary Labels #1 and # 2 Collage Sheets 

Coffin Apothecary with Raven Doors – NEW Collage Sheet & Digital Image Set – VIDEO TUTORIAL

Oh how I love apothecaries!  This year I’m ratcheting up the creep factor with a coffin shaped apothecary that has ravens for doors.  The project includes a video tutorial where I demonstrate how to assemble the coffin using a free coffin template that you’ll find below.  There are also some free images that I used in my apothecary as well as a new Potion Bottles Silhouette collage sheet and a digital image set.

NEW Collage Sheet & Digital Image Set

This sheet is filled with potion bottle silhouettes.  Several of the images are sized to fit the coffin apothecary.

The digital image set contains 54 bottle images.  27 bottles have labels (the same as on the collage sheet) and 27 are blank.  Add your own labels to the blank ones, or use them for a different purpose such as perfume bottles, or as a template to cut-out a piece of chipboard.

TUTORIAL

COFFIN TEMPLATE AND IMAGES

To download the template and images, click on the image to expand it, right-click and select Save As.

If you wish to enlarge the template beyond what will fit on a single 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper, download the separate template images.