DIY Potion Bottles: How to Use Printable Apothecary Labels

Choose a setting for the finished bottle before you start. The dark botanical gallery-wall tutorial offers a leafy backdrop, while the gothic gallery-wall guide suits a darker reading nook.

Make your potion bottle

You will need: an empty bottle, your downloaded labels, a ruler, a printer, plain paper for a test print, paper of your choosing (sticker paper optional), scissors, and craft glue or another adhesive suitable for your bottle’s material.

Start with your PNG labels unzipped on your computer. Then follow one simple step at a time.

1. Clean and dry your empty bottle.

   

2. Choose a label.

   

3. Resize it to fit your bottle.

   Use Google Docs on a computer:

   1. Measure how wide you want the label to be on your bottle.
   2. Open a blank Google Docs document.
   3. Choose Insert → Image → Upload from computer and select your PNG label.
   4. Click the picture, then choose Image options → Size & rotation.
   5. Tick Lock aspect ratio.
   6. Enter your label width in the Width box. The height adjusts automatically.

   Example: for a 2-inch-wide label, enter 2 if the box uses inches, or 5.08 if it uses centimetres.

   

4. Print a test on plain paper.

   Choose File → Print. Set the print scale to 100% / Actual size so the label keeps the width you chose.

   

5. Print on paper of your choosing.

   

6. Let the ink dry.

   

7. Cut out your label.

   

8. Apply a little glue to the back of your label.

   Use craft glue or another adhesive suitable for your bottle’s material. If you chose sticker paper, peel off the backing instead.

   

9. Press the label onto your bottle.

   

Photo mockups show each step. Preview watermarks are absent from the free printable files.

Giving your bottle as a gift? Use our 2 free Halloween cards + 2 matching gift tags to add a personal message and a shaped tag to the wrapping.

Style your little apothecary

Choose three bottles of different heights. Use one label style for a matching set, or mix the two for a collected-over-time look. Add a ribbon or a little sprig of dried flowers for a sweet finishing touch.

Repeat the bottle’s colours in a paper pocket or journal spread. Our Halloween junk-journal project takes you through choosing, printing and layering those pieces.

A little gift to get you started

Ready to make your first bottle? Try 10 free printable labels — five basic and five illustrated, chosen from ten different categories.

The 10 labels you get free

Free download: 10 clean PNG images, ready to print. Each label is 300 DPI and sized 3 × 2 inches. The free set contains images only.

DOWNLOAD the 10 free PNG labels

Download the ZIP from Google Drive to get all ten labels. Unzip it before printing; the Basic and Illustrated folders contain five PNG labels each.

The copyright marks protect the blog previews. Your free PNG downloads have no repeating watermarks. This is a digital download; bottles and printed labels are not included.

Looking for more?

Build a whole cabinet of curiosities with the full Potion Labels Mega Bundle: 44 categories and 2,200 label designs. That is 1,100 different names in both basic and illustrated styles, with horizontal and vertical layouts.

The full pack also includes editable SVG files and mix-and-match artwork. Change the wording, colours and design in compatible software, or create labels of your own.

BUY THE FULL POTION LABEL PACK

What is in the full pack?

• 44 categories covering classic apothecary, fantasy, nature, celestial magic and more.
• 1,100 names in two artwork styles — 2,200 label designs in total.
• Horizontal and vertical versions — 4,400 layouts to suit different bottles.
• Editable SVGs for personalising text, colours and artwork.
• Ready-to-use PNG images for straightforward printing.
• 12 print PDFs across A4, A5 and US Letter options.
• 22,000 mix-and-match SVG assets, plus fonts and font licences.

A few labels from the full pack

A little game-inspired magic, dark alchemy or starlight for your next bottle. Here are four different designs from the full collection.

Categories of potion labels you can find

The full pack includes 44 categories of printable potion bottle labels:

• Terraria potions
• The Witcher potions and decoctions
• Skyrim / The Elder Scrolls potions
• Minecraft and tabletop RPG potions
• Wizarding / Harry Potter-inspired potions
• Historic apothecary
• Botanical waters and extracts
• Restoration and renewal
• Energy and endurance
• Mind and memory
• Sleep and dreams
• Love and emotion
• Luck and destiny
• Wards and protection
• Curses and hexes
• Illusion and concealment
• Shapeshifting and form
• Animal senses and speech
• Flight and movement
• Water and rivers
• Fire and embers
• Frost and ice
• Storms and weather
• Stone and metal
• Plants and woodland
• Fungi and decay
• Fantasy venoms and antidotes
• Dragons and drakes
• Fae and enchantment
• Vampires and blood magic
• Werewolves and moonbeasts
• Ghosts and spirits
• Necromancy and the underworld
• Stars and sunlight
• Moon and eclipses
• Time and ages
• Portals and travel
• Divination and revelation
• Alchemy and transmutation
• Witch’s kitchen and hearth
• Sea monsters and deep oceans
• Deserts and mirages
• Polar lands and winter lore
• Lost kingdoms and relics

Want the whole collection? Get all 44 categories, both design styles and editable SVG files to personalise your own labels.

BUY THE FULL POTION LABEL PACK

Choose your next Thornvella project

• 2 free Halloween cards + 2 matching gift tags
• Make a dark botanical gallery wall
• Make a layered Halloween junk journal