Available types:

• White boarder (for a classic sticker look)
• Transparent border (perfect for apothecary jar labels)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Glass Salamander Eggs Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

Bezoars are a hard, rocklike mineral accretion that form in the guts of some very unlucky animals, and even in some humans! You know how a pearl forms around a bit of sand in an oyster? Bezoars are like the gross, ugly version of a pearl that come from intestines! They were discovered in ancient times in the guts of animals being sacrificed, and I guess some very inventive person saw one and decided “this is bizarre and nasty, I will market it as medicine!”

Arabian doctors were prescribing bezoars for hundreds of years before it seeped into European medicine, probably due to a combination of Islamic expansion into Spain and the Crusades. The European nobility were busily trying to assassinate each other with arsenic. Lo and behold, there was a market for a magical cure-all!  Bezoars were prescribed for everything from leprosy to depression, but most famously, as an antidote to poisoning. 

Bezoars were so highly prized that they were worth ten times their weight in gold. Queen Elizabeth even had one set in a silver ring! Because they were so rare and expensive, Jesuit priests in India decided to get in on this lucrative scheme and manufacture their own. Known as Goa stones (because they were made in Goa, India), they were made by rolling crushed up shells, amber, and sometimes gemstones or bits of real bezoars all together in a ball with silt (fine mud) and resin. Yummy.

So how did you use this delightful ball of intestinal detritus? Well, there were options. You could wear it like a charm, drop it in your drink if you suspected it was poisoned, or my personal favorite, grind it up and eat that nasty powder. People were doing this until 1575, when a French surgeon, Ambroise Paré, finally decided to debunk bezoars once and for all. He’d caught his chef stealing, and since the penalty was death, Paré offered the unfortunate cook a deal: he could be hanged, or, if he would take some poison, he would immediately be provided with a bezoar. Apparently the cook had a lot of faith in bezoars, because he chose the poison option, and died an agonizing death hours later, in spite of the bezoar. It was disproved once and for all.

So if you need a good label for a Poisons and Antidotes apothecary cabinet, or a wizarding-story-that-must-not-be-named themed apothecary, look no further. These stickers are easy to apply, and come in opaque and translucent options. We also have water-resistant and outdoor apothecary labels coming soon!

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Bezoars Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

The Boomslang is an extremely venomous tree snake found in several sub-saharan African countries, including South Africa. Its venom is a slow-acting, powerful hemotoxin that stops your blood from coagulating (forming scabs) and can cause internal hemorrhaging and death. Basically you bleed to death inside your own skin. If I were a practitioner of dark magic, this would be at the top of my ingredient list! 

Fortunately these snakes are very shy, and the only people getting bitten by them are those foolish enough to grab them. One American scientist in 1957 allowed himself to be bitten because he didn’t think a juvenile snake could produce enough venom to be fatal. He recorded his symptoms almost right up to his death, and refused treatment because it would mess up his data!

These apothecary label stickers are easy to apply and look like authentic, vintage labels. We also have water-resistant and outdoor apothecary labels coming soon!

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label itself is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Dried Boomslang Skin Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

For example, in Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as in Irish folklore, the butterfly is representative of the human soul. In Ireland, killing white butterflies is bad luck because they are said to contain the souls of dead children. Butterflies are said to pass between this world and the next.

This ties in with Native American folklore, where some tribes believed that wishes or prayers whispered to a captured butterfly would be carried to the Great Spirit if you released the butterfly unharmed.

The Zuni people believed that the first butterfly spotted in spring was an indicator of the summer weather to come- yellow butterflies indicated sunshine, white predicted clear or fair weather, and dark butterflies foretold of a stormy season ahead.

In Russian folklore, butterflies are sometimes really witches in disguise. In fact, the Russian word for butterfly is “babochka”, which is a diminutive form of “old woman”, kind of like calling someone a granny.

In the Appalachian mountains of the Eastern United States, local lore states that if you can count the number of spots on a fritillary butterfly’s wing, that will tell you how much money you have coming.

Not all Halloween apothecary bottles have to be Eye of Newt and Wing of Bat- butterfly wings and pieces might be used to harness the souls of the dead to bring power to a spell, or cast a weather charm, or produce spells for increased wealth. If you like themed apothecary cabinets, this apothecary label fits in well with a hedge witch apothecary cabinet, or a woodland apothecary, alongside things like toadstools and moss.

These apothecary label stickers are easy to apply and look like authentic, vintage labels. We also have water-resistant and outdoor apothecary labels coming soon!

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Butterflies Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

Merlin, the wizard in the legends of King Arthur and Camelot, had a magic mirror he used to detect plots against the king and threats to the kingdom. Using mirrors for scrying (the art of seeing the future or receiving messages, prophesies, or visions while looking into a properly magical reflective surface) is a fairly common usage of mirrors in stories (because a story about a person merely staring at their reflection would be boring, right?)

I guess not, since the story of Narcissus is exactly that. Narcissus was a super hunky warrior who found his reflection in a pool of water so beautiful that he gazed at it until he died. Must be nice to have that kind of free time on your hands. Not to mention body confidence.

Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, forged a magic mirror that could see the past, present, and future. Too bad he also made one for his cheating wife, Venus, or he might have cottoned on to what she was up to and moved on with his life.

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales tell of the mirror of Cambuscan, a magical gift from an Arab king that revealed the looker’s friends and enemies, as well as warning of imminent doom, plots of betrayal and treason, and other dark machinations. Very handy for the seriously paranoid.

The magic mirror in the tale of Snow White was a bit of a departure from this trend. Instead of warning you about impending plots, it gave you unrealistic body goals and a bad habit of comparing yourself to others. Basically it was a women’s fashion magazine in glass format. No wonder Snow White’s stepmother turned into such a witch! That kind of pressure can’t be good for anyone.

A popular fantasy franchise featuring an adolescent wizard has a magical mirror, as well. Did you know the name of that mirror is just “Desire” spelled backwards? I was today years old when I found that out! I feel like that’s a fantasy writing tip right there- if you want to come up with a cool name for a magical object, try taking the purpose of that object and spelling it backwards. I’ll have to try that out on some of my unlabeled apothecary items. 

In your apothecary, the enchanted mirror glass could come from any one of these enchanted mirrors, and be used in spells to reveal plots, identify enemies, see past, present, or future events, or simply identify the local hottie. This is another great label to add to a fairytale apothecary cabinet, or other themed apothecary bottles. Bonus trivia: Grimhilde is the name of the evil queen in the popular animated Snow White film; she seemed like the perfect supplier for enchanted mirror glass.

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Enchanted Mirror Glass Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

At the time this phrase became popular, hat makers were using mercury nitrate (a highly toxic substance, but hey, the Victorians were using arsenic to dye fabric and opium as a medication, so what’s one more poison?) to turn animal fur into felt for hats. Well, long-term exposure to mercury led to symptoms such as the shakes, memory loss, speech problems, emotional instability, and hallucinations. It was such common knowledge that hatters were regularly experiencing these symptoms that the phrase “mad as a hatter” was born.

Lewis Carroll (whose real name was Charles Dodgeson)grew up in a town where hat making was the main trade, so he would have been very familiar with this phrase and its origins. But he actually never calls the character “the mad hatter”. He’s just called “Hatter.” The Cheshire Cat describes him as “mad”, and of course he acts like he’s bonkers, so that’s probably how he came to be known as the Mad Hatter. Carroll wasn’t taking pot shots at hatters, or trying to raise awareness about mercury poisoning though, he was just telling silly stories to the daughters of a work colleague, and really, everyone in that book is basically nuts.

This label’s artwork was inspired by Alice in Wonderland, but whether you have an Alice in Wonderland themed apothecary cabinet, or just a really cool mercury glass jar, or maybe a Halloween apothecary themed around insanity or insane asylums (pretty dark, but could be cool), it will look great, is easy to apply, and comes in translucent and opaque options. We also have waterproof and weather resistant/outdoor options coming soon!

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Extract of Mad Hatter Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

The coolest thing about these guys (besides their w-shaped pupils), is how smart they are. They have the biggest brain-to-body-size ratio of all invertebrates, and they can camouflage. They can change color, pattern, and the shape of their skin in order to communicate and to protect themselves from predators. Chameleons have nothing on these guys. Some people even keep them as pets, and they can be trained to change color on command!

Cuttlefish ink was historically used to make sepia dye. And it’s still used today as a sauce for food! In many European cuisines, cuttlefish are cooked with risotto or pasta, and the ink is a key ingredient of the sauce. Maybe it’s delicious, but I can’t even eat calamari without imagining it crawling back up my esophagus, so this probably isn’t the dish for me.

Even more interesting is the research into “smart clothing”. Researchers are studying how to make fabrics that mimic the color changing abilities of cuttlefish skin. Self-camouflaging clothes for sure have military applications, but how cool would it be if they ever made it to the fashion industry? You could wear the same shirt in ten different colors and patterns, without taking up tons of closet space!

All this being said, Imitation Cuttlefish Ink labels would be so cool in an ocean themed apothecary. They would fit right in with mermaid hair, siren song, and sea serpent scales.

As with all our labels, they are available in translucent and opaque sticker options, and we have waterproof and outdoor stickers coming soon!

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Imitation Cuttlefish Ink Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

While Norse mythology doesn’t really explain where Yggdrasil came from, we thought it would be fun to make a label for a seed from this tree, complete with planting instructions. And since “World Tree Nut” just didn’t have the right ring to it, we went with “pyrene”, which is not technically botanically correct (a pyrene would be the seed connected to an individual portion of a drupe, or berry made up of many small parts, like a raspberry). But sometimes artistic license supersedes scientific accuracy. Botanists of the world, please forgive us.

This label would be great in a Norse mythology themed apothecary cabinet, or a hedge witch or herbal apothecary.

White and clear label options available, both with the same high standard of print quality. Water-resistant and outdoor apothecary label stickers coming soon!

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Pyrene of Yggdrasil Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

Knucklebones is an ancient game found in civilizations all over the world, and dating back to 5,000 BC. Today, it’s known as “Jacks”. That’s right, that kids’ game where you bounce the rubber ball and try to pick up as many of the little spiky metal jacks as you can before the ball lands. The ancient Greeks used the ankle bones of sheep!

Fascinating history aside, Pele’s Knucklebones would bring an exotic element to your apothecary cabinet. Or fit perfectly in a themed collection of apothecary bottles. A mythology or deity inspired cabinet is definitely on my to-do list.

A word of caution: Pele considers the rocks and sand her children, and doesn’t take kindly to them being kidnapped. Every year Hawaii Volcano National Park receives thousands of letters from tourists, returning rocks or sand taken as souvenirs, and apologizing for taking them. They are victims of Pele’s Curse, which is said to cause disaster to befall anyone who steals rocks or sand from her lands. This may or may not have been invented by frustrated park rangers in the 1940’s, who were tired of the park going home in people’s pockets. Either way though, I don’t recommend taking authentic volcanic rock or sand from the National Park as a filler for your apothecary jar!

These apothecary label stickers are easy to apply and look like authentic, vintage labels. We also have water-resistant and outdoor apothecary labels coming soon!

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label itself is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Pele’s Knucklebones Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.

The interesting thing is, snapdragon seed pods actually look like tiny skulls! So you could totally use them as a filler. But more about fillers in the blog post. Snapdragons supposedly get their name from the fact that the flowers look like a dragon face, but I can’t see it. I think they look like popcorn. But the name is still cool, and when designing the label they made us think of tiny, vicious dragons. These labels would work well in a mythological beast themed apothecary, or a hedge witch or herbal apothecary.

Available types:

• White border, opaque label (for a classic sticker look)
• Clear border, translucent label (the border is almost invisible, and the label is slightly see-through)

Repositionable: Yes (but the tackiness will be reduced with each repositioning)

Waterproof: No

Care: Clean with a dry cloth and wipe gently from the center outward.

The post Snap Dragon Skulls Apothecary Label appeared first on Potion Perfect.