A Junk Set Table - The Mad Scientist

Halloween is upon us and I could not be more excited. In contrast to the busyness and high expectations surrounding Christmas, Halloween has become my holiday of choice to go all-out without stressing or worrying if everything is perfect. This holiday is all about fun!

My style gravitates towards vintage and pretty. With Halloween, this translates into curious items and bewitching beauty. No blood and gore for me! I like a pretty cobwebbed table and some glamour in my All Hallow’s Eve décor. So, if you are looking for entrails and brains, you have come to the wrong place. But, if spells and sparkles are your style, you've got your girl.

So without further ado, I want to begin with the first edition of a new weekly series: A Junk Set Table. Gathering together yard-sale treasures and cheap dollar store finds, each week, I will share a new look that will blow your mind with its affordability and style. Look for tips about my go-to junk pieces and simple crafts to create the look on your own.

First up, a Mad Scientist’s concoction of potions and specimens.

This Junk Set Table was brought together with several junk items I often use when creating vignettes in my house and dollar store accessories. All together, this entire look was done for less than $25. I already owned all the containers, chalkboard and tray. The only things I bought new were from my local Dollar Tree – love that place!

Here is the break-down:

$3 Chalkboard bought this summer at a church rummage sale

$1 Tray bought at a yard sale a couple years ago and painted with black chalkboard paint

$0.50 votive candle holders (to elevate tray) bought all 4 at another local yard sale years ago

$2 Butterfly Dome one of my favorite finds this summer from a local yard sale

$1 Glass Candle Stand (to elevate dome) found at yard sale years ago

$1 Cylinder Vase found at yard sale last year

$2 Small Apothecary Bottles my stepmom found these at a local yard sale

$4 Snakes bought 2 large snakes and 2 bags of small snakes from the kids toy section at Dollar Tree

$2 Bags of Bugs bought at Dollar Tree I used only the green ones and gave the rest to my daughter

$1 Plastic Rat bought at Dollar Tree in the Halloween section

$1 Spider in Ooze this slimy thing was also bought in the toy section of Dollar Tree

$3 1/2 Yard of black fur fabric bought from JoAnn's fabric

TOTAL: $21

Other items I already had:

Green food coloring for the water in the potion bottles

White chalk to write on the chalkboard

Potion labels I created and printed from my computer (free printable coming in tomorrow's post!)

Green ribbon used to tie on labels

Small glass apothecary jars with lids given to me from my best friend several years ago (you can find great prices on similar ones at T.J. Max or Kirklands)

Many of the items I use are so versatile you can use them again and again to create completely different looks. Watch for these pieces to show up in future junk set tables. 

Options to create your own Specimen Lab:

Don't feel restricted and think you need to use the exact same vases as I did. Any type of glassware will work. You will find some great options in Dollar Tree's glass aisle. You can create your own chalkboard by getting a piece of plywood and having it cut to the size of a large frame. Paint the plywood with chalkboard paint. For a knock-off butterfly dome look up butterfly photos on the internet and print them off on card stock. Cut them out and glue onto a piece of long floral wire. Once you have found a good mix of foliage and rocks from your yard, put them in the bottom of a vase and stick in the end of the wires to make your butterflies "float" in the vase. 

If you don't have small bottles, Dollar Tree sells salt and pepper shakers as well as oil bottles that would look great as potion bottles. Just fill them with water and drop in green food-coloring to make your potion samples. 

To make your own potion labels, cut 2 inch long rectangles out of card stock and write your own potion names (or use the ones I'm giving away here tomorrow). Punch a hole at the top of each rectangle to put through a ribbon and tie around each bottle. 

Once you start acquiring your own staple junk you will find uses for them again and again. 

Here's to building a life on a pile of junk! - The Fanciful Miser