The Easy Item You Should Start Thrifting For Halloween Décor

Nothing says Halloween like witches, spells, and frightening décor. If you want to raise the spookiness level at your next gathering, or in your home in general, look no further than your local thrift shop. We're not talking about picking out items from their Halloween section. Instead, head to the kitchen or knickknack aisle and start sifting through their glass bottles, which are perfect for creating magic potions. Bottles of all shapes and sizes can be transformed into affordable Halloween décor. It doesn't even require sorcery. Keep your eyes open for old perfume bottles, wine decanters, vials, and jars — anything that looks like it could be sitting on a witch's shelf.

Potion bottles are often seen in Halloween and fantasy movies, like "Harry Potter" and "Hocus Pocus." You can find faux versions in stores — but it's easy to make them at home using thrifted bottles, a fake potion mixture, and labels. There isn't an exact type of bottle to get, but anything that's old with a slight creep factor is ideal! Also, they should have tops, or at least the ability to be sealed with a cork. With a little bit of creativity, they can turn out quite magical looking.

If you can't find old glass bottles to upcycle, you can give new ones a vintage appearance by sanding them. Rub them with a sheet of sandpaper going in different directions, especially in the spots where bottles clink together. For an added touch, age the cork by painting it with watered down black paint, then wiping it off. Your bottle should now look more potion-worthy.

Now that you have your bottles, it's time to create a concoction that will boost them to the next level. You're going to need distilled water, rubbing alcohol, mica powders (such as this Mica Powder Set from CHANGTIKEJI), food coloring, and some labels. You could also incorporate other chilling items like feathers, eyeballs, and fake insects. Pour water into the bottle until it's about 3/4 the way full. Then, fill the rest with rubbing alcohol. Add food coloring and several tiny scoops of the mica powder until you achieve your desired result. Stir it with a stick and you should be mesmerized by the sparkly result.

Glue your cork or top in place so that it stays sealed shut. Since the mixture contains rubbing alcohol, you want to be very careful having it around curious kids! Now, create a label for your potion using either a sticker, like these Sticky Blank Labels from the CAKOLINK store, or craft your own. Add fun potion names that bring in icky elements like dragon's breath, bat wings, and lizard tails. Use twine to wrap the top of the bottles for an added detail.

In the end, you will have spectacular Halloween décor that dazzles anyone who spots it. Line your magic potions up across the mantle or set them up at a Halloween party. They would pair well with other wizard or witch features, such as a Faux Spell Book. Who knew glass bottles could be so perfect for Halloween?