# For the witch's cupboard



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

For those who will be stocking their witch's cupboard or pantry, nows a good time to start collecting jars and containers, if you haven't already begun.
Some things to keep in mind;
Mason jars and odd containers seem to work best, modern bottles like those for soda look wildly out of place.
Look at who your viewing crowd will be and make your cupboard's contents appropriate for them. Some things may cause offense to some and not to others, and some terms may not mean anything to some. Whether you want to be funny, ghoulish, or follow a particular book or story-line.
Remember that if you want the people to be able to read the contents/ingredients, that the bottles have to be big enough in width or diameter for the labels to be read from one angle or side.
A good rule of thumb is that the label should be no wider than 3/4 of the container's diameter (for round bottles and jars), if the containers are square or rectangular in shape then you have more room to play with.
So the longer the name, the more space it will require to have it readable in a single glance. also keep in mind how dark or light your "pantry" will be, the darker the lighting the larger the print needs to be to be readable. I've gathered a rather long list of ingredients if you need ideas. Between Shakespeare's Macbeth, Harry Potter, and a few other stories, you can cover a whole lot of shelf frontage.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Here is the list of ingredients I have so far.
Please, feel free to use or add to this list.
Be warned, it is rather long.
A
Acromantula Venom
Adder's Fork
Agrippa
Angel's Trumpet
Antimony
Armadillo Bile
Ashwinder Egg
Asphodel
B
Baneberry
Bat Blood
Bat Spleen
Belladonna
Bezoar
Bicorn Horn
Billywig Sting
Billywig Sting Slime
Black Beetle Eye
Black Rat’s Tail
Black Snake Scales
Blind-worm's Sting
Blood
Boom Berry
Boomslang
Boomslang Skin
Bouncing Spider Juice
Breath of Raven
Bubotuber Pus
Bulbadox Juice
Butterscotch
C
Cat Hair
Caterpillar
Chinese Chomping Cabbage
Chizpurfle Carapace
Cinnamon
Cockroach
Croakoa
Crocodile Heart
D
Daisy
Dandelion Root
Dead Dog’s Ear
Deadly Nightshade
Deadlyius
Death-cap
Deathshead Moth
Devils Wort
Dittany
Doxy Egg
Dragon’s Breath
Dragon Blood
Dragon Claw
Dragon Dung
Dragon Horn
Dragon Liver
Dragonfly Thorax
E
Eagle Owl Feather
Eel Eye
Erumpent Horn
Erumpent Tail
Exploding Fluid
Exploding Ginger Eyelash
Eyeballs From An Outcast Gnome
F
Fairy Wing
Fillet Of A Fenny Snake,
Fire Ants
Flabberghasted Leech
Flesh
Flitterbloom
Flobberworm Mucus
Fluxweed
Flying Seahorses
Fresh Found Maggots
Frog Brain
Frog Spawn
G
Garlic Cloves
Gall Of Goat
Giant Purple Toad Wart
Goosegrass
Graphorn Horn
Griffin Claw
Gremlin’s Nose
Gillyweed
H
Hair of Fox
Haliwinkles
Herbaria
Honeywater
Horklump Juice
Horned Slug
Horned Toad
Horse Hair
Howlet's Wing
J
Jobberknoll Feather
K
Knotgrass
L
Lacewing Fly
Leech
Leech Juice
Lionfish
Lionfish Spine
Lizard's Leg
Lobalug Venom
Lovage
M
Maiden’s Hair
Mandrake﻿
Mandrake Root
Mercury And Mars
Mold from Under Bright Green Rocks
Moly
Moondew
Moonseed
Moonstone
Moorhound Bladder
Morcon Root
N
Nettle
Newt
Nightshade
Nose Of Turk
Nux Myristica
O
Octopus Powder
Ogre’s Ear
Orphan's Finger
P
Peacock Feathers
Peppermint
Phoenix’ Tear
Pigeons Feather
Pixie Dust
Pomegranate Juice
Pond Slime
Porcupine Quill
Ptolemy
Puffer-fish Eyes
Pus
R
Rat Spleen
Rat Tail
Raven’s Claw
Rooster’s Comb
Root Of Hemlock Digg'd I' The Dark
Rose Thorn
Rotten Egg
Runespoor Egg
S
Sal Ammoniac
Salamander Blood
Salpeter
Salt
Saltpetre
Sardine
Scale Of Dragon
Scarab Beetle
Scarobs, Crushed
Scarob’s Tongue
Scorpions Sting
Scurvy Grass
Shrivelfig
Silverweed
Slips Of Yew
Sloth Brain
Snake Fang
Snakeweed
Sneezewort
Sopophorous Bean
Spiders
Spider Legs
Spleenwart
Staghorn
Star Grass
Starthistle
Sulphur Vive
Syrup Of Arnica
Syrup Of Hellebore
T
Tartar's Lips
Termite’s Wings
Toadstool
Tooth Of Wolf
Tongue Of Dog
Troll Blood
True Man’s Heart
Tubeworm
Turtle Shell
U
Unicorn Blood
Unicorn Horn
V
Valerian Root
Venomous Tentacula Leaf
Vinegar
Viper’s Fangs
W
Wartcap Powder
Wartizome
Whiskers From A One Eyed Cat
Wiggenbush Bark
Wiggentree
Wiggentree Bark
Wings Of A Wasp
Wolfbane
Wool Of Bat
Wormwood
Wormwood Essence


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Impressive! We did our witch jars/bottles a few years ago. These are some really neat ideas.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Nice list you've compiled there, font!


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Hopefully this stuff will be a help to some.
I know it's easy to draw a blank when you HAVE to come up with something for these kinds of props.
I'll try to compile more ingredients, and also a list of apothecaries/druggists/pharmacies for those who want to do labels. The apothecary in Diagon Alley is "Jigger & Sluggs", I'll have to see if a different one is listed for Hogsmeade. Again, please feel free to add to the lists.
I'll probably make up some label artwork for some of the ingredients as well as some blank ones from the various apothecaries so that you can write in your own contents.
They will probably end up being on the HowToHauntYourHouse.com and offered to the public for free for those that are interested.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

I found this doing a search on this forum
http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=2982&highlight=witch's+pantry
I wish the photos were still up or that the author would put them in PHotobucket or something so that the items could be seen. I'd love to see other's creations, potion formulas, etc. too!
Old/empty vitamin bottles, asperin bottles, etc. work well too. The odd shapes and sizes help keep your collection from looking rubber stamped. 
A suggestion: Don't use the same font for everything unless it's supposed to look like it was hand lettered. And keep your labels big and simple enough so that people can read them in your scene or kitchen.
If you use a fine steel wool, you can scuff/fog modern plastic bottles to help "age" them, it also makes it easier for staining them, if desired.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Great list, me and the wifey have made a witch jar display this year, had a lot of fun working on this with her.


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Do you have a picture of some of your bottles. I would love to see what they look like.


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## equi_design (Jul 21, 2013)

Thank you SO much for the list Fontgeek! I added a witch's table to our front porch for the first time last year. 

A few other inspiration sources: the TV show Supernatural, and The Dresden Files (books and short-lived TV show). 

I also added things like "Grow Your Own Stormtrooper" with a Lego stormtrooper in a tiny jar. And even hid some binary code by writing it on a jar then covering over the writing with various brown tissue papers (glued on with watered down white glue). Believe it or not, we had several people, even two kids (!!!) sit there and solve the binary message! I couldn't stop smiling. :-D


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