Ingredient Jars of Joy 1:12 Scale Style

Hello again from planet I'm quickly becoming obsessed with 1:12 scale miniatures lol! I'm just sharing what I've made today and yes I'm feeling pleased with my little self, although my ever self critical eye can see lots of room for improvement, still I'm thrilled with what I've achieved so far this week. Just one week ago I had the idea to create a 1:12 scale Apothecary Shop and I knew I wanted to add a "Wise Woman" room complete with crystal ball, tarot cards, cauldron, herb and spell books and a vast array of bottles and jars of potions and ingredients.

When I started looking for bottles and jars of ingredients I found them but the majority of them would make stocking the room cost much more than I could afford, the jars are impressive but at £13.50 for 6 made up bottles or almost £40 for 20 it could get very silly. I started to think maybe I should abandon the idea due to the cost, but then I started to think of ways I could make my own, initially I doubted my abilities, but then thought better of it and decided to just go for it.

So here are the first batch of 'ingredients' for the wise woman's room that will form part of the apothecary shop & garden. I've had so much fun concocting this little lot tonight and I used just what I found in my room. Some of the jars will change colour as the resin stuff dries out, so I'll take another photo when they change to their true colour and add the photo here. I already had a pack of mini bottles of varying sizes I bought from the works a few years ago and they've been sat in my stash doing nothing.

Then when I went out to The Range today to pick up some tissue paper and craft sand, I found some miniature gems both figuratively and literally. These jars of mini gems cost £1.99 for 8, which is brilliant value when you think that 4 empty jars will set you back £3.19 at the Dolls House Emporium. I wasn't sure what I was going to fill them with this afternoon, but I bought them anyway. Picked up a table and some picture frames as well for £1 each, both of which can be experimented with.

I've seen a Pharmacist Table by Reutters on the DHE website, its lovely but at £71.99 for a table not much different to the one in my photo above and some accessories it seems rather excessive and I'm pretty sure I could make one myself for a lot less. I've seen the same table for sale at another online dolls house place for £99.99 which considering what is in and on it unbelieveable. It can be a rather costly business like anything I suppose, which is why I'm going to try and make as much of the contents for my dolls house myself.

To fill my little jars I let my imagination run riot, pieces of lavender leaves became 'Rats Tails', left over Lycopodium was chopped in to another jar and became 'Centipede Legs', red alcohol ink became 'Dragons Blood', lavender buds became 'Cockroach Parts', and a little white craft sand became 'Powdered Unicorn Horn'. I've created 'Fish Scales', 'Eye of Newt', 'Toe of Frog', 'Slug Slime' and a few other gruesome sounding ingredients, 11 jars of joy. I didn't have any resin for the jars so I've improvised and used Tonic Nuvo Drops, time will tell if it dries out and becomes clear, for future ingredient bottles I may invest in some resin, but I just wanted to play today.

My head is full of ideas for other ingredient jars to make and I've got a couple of mini bell jars, moss, tiny toadstools and skulls winging their way to me, as well as about 60 mini bottles to play with. So by the time I've finished the apothecary shop will be well stocked as will the wise woman's room, that realisation makes me incredibly happy, this time last week I was about to throw the towel in thinking my idea wouldn't get off the ground because it would be too expensive. It makes me wonder just what else I can create, years ago I made a 1:12th scale wingback chair, a sofa and I even made a padded quilt and pillow, they weren't prefect but I'm certain I could make the same kind of things, only better because this time round I have more skills, tools and supplies. Here's to the next miniature adventure :)