Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, for which I make a commission if you click and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, ShopStyle Collective Program member and ShopMy member I earn from qualifying purchases.

Celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday on July 31 with DIY Harry Potter potions labels. This is a really fun Harry Potter craft that’s easy to make with items you already have at home! Use them as a decoration or as a party activity. In this post you’ll get my ideas for how to make potions labels for Polyjuice Potion, Wolfsbane, Amortentia and Draught of Peace.

Since my birthday falls in the same month as Harry Potter, I threw a little party. Really, it was an excuse to bake a cake and get crafty, since I’ve been looking for more creative things to do at home. I came up with a list of Harry Potter birthday party ideas, including baking a Harry Potter birthday cake, making a Harry Potter drinking game and making these potions labels.

List of potions in Harry Potter

Before you start designing your potions labels, you’ll need to select which potions you want to make. Here are some of the potions in Harry Potter to choose from:

• Polyjuice Potion – Complex potion that enables the consumer to assume the physical appearance of another person.
• Gillyweed – Magical plant that allows consumer to breathe under water and swim with ease, causing consumer to develop gills and webbed hands and feet.
• Amortentia – The most potent love potion in existence, causing a powerful infatuation or obsession. However, it cannot create actual love.
• Wolfsbane – Potion that soften effects of lycanthropy, or werewolfry, as the transformation of a werewolf is extremely painful.
• Felix Felicis – Liquid luck. When brewed correctly, the consumer will be lucky in all endeavors. Toxic in large quantities.
• Draught of Peace – Potion that calms anxiety and soothes agitation. Adding too much of the ingredients may put the consumer into a deep and potentially irreversible sleep.

Sources: wizardingworld.com and harrypotter.fandom.com

Tools you need for DIY Harry Potter potions labels

Here’s a list of everything I used to create these potions labels:

• Sketchbook – I prefer making these labels with sketchbook paper as it’s a bit thicker than printer paper, but you can use any paper you have.
• Pencil – Personally, I prefer drawing designs in pencil first then tracing over it with a marker. But if you’re into going straight for the permanent solution, draw away, brave soul!
• Ruler – A ruler is helpful to measure your bottles so you know what size to make your labels, and to draw guides on your sketchbook before drawing the label designs.
• Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Permanent Markers – After drawing the potions labels designs in pencil you’ll trace over the designs in permanent marker.
• Scissors – Have a pair of scissors ready to cut out your labels.
• Glass bottles – I like using different sizes and shapes for my potions bottles. Use what you have!
• Scotch tape – I used Scotch tape to adhere the labels to the jars. Try glue for a more permanent solution if you’d like.
• Brewed tea – Use tea to tint the labels to look like parchment paper.
• Food coloring – I used this Wilton Gel Food Color Set to color the water in my potions bottles.
• Decorating dust – In some of the potions, I added a few taps of decorating dust for a hint of sparkle. You’ll notice it mostly after you shake the bottles, after which it will mostly settle to the bottom.

DIY Harry Potter potions labels

These DIY Harry Potter potions labels are an easy craft you can do with items you probably already have. I first thought about making them using a digital application and printing them out, but decided it’d be more fun to draw them by hand. I busted out the box of art supplies from my college days and really enjoyed creating different designs for each potion. It’s been difficult to be inspired lately since we’re staying home during the pandemic, so this was a fun and affordable way to get creative.

Here’s how to make Harry Potter potions labels:

1. Pick out your bottles

I think glass bottles work best, so you can be creative with how you fill them. Alternately, you can use bottles in dark colors. It depends on what look you’re going for, either bright and whimsical or dark and mysterious.

I happen to have an assortment of glass bottles in different shapes and sizes, some of which came from food gifts and others I picked up at estate sales. Goodwill is also a great place to look for glass bottles if you don’t have any. You can also save glass jars from pasta sauce and other food items and paint the lids black or gold.

Find cork lid jars similar to the ones shown here. Find swing top bottles similar to the one shown here.

2. Measure how big you want your labels to be

Measure the height and width of your bottles so you have an idea of how big to make your labels. Then use a pencil and ruler to mark the boundaries on your sketchbook.

3. Design your potions labels

Now you’ll need to decide which potions you’re going to make and draw labels for them. I did a Google search of “Harry Potter potions” for design inspiration. Play around with different fonts, borders and images until you land on what you like best.

I went with Polyjuice potion (perhaps the most well-known potion), Wolfsbane, Draught of Peace and Amortentia. Shhh… don’t tell Guapo I’ve been sneaking the last one into his morning coffee. 😉

4. Trace over the designs with a Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Marker

Trace over the pencil with a fine tip marker (I like Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Markers), then erase right over the designs. This will erase the pencil marks but won’t mess up where you traced over the design with Sharpie.

Once you have clean, pencil-free designs, cut the labels out. Experiment with different shapes for each label.

5. Color your labels with tea

To make my labels look more like they were designed on parchment paper, I colored the paper with tea. To do this, first brew a cup of tea, preferably one in a deeper shade–I used oolong. Pour some tea into a small dish and enjoy the rest in your mug as you work! Allow the tea in the dish to cool a bit, then dip your finger in the dish and dab the tea all over the labels. Add more tea to certain spots to give the labels an aged look.

I only did one layer but you could let the labels dry then go for a second coat. I haven’t experimented with this but you might be able to get a deeper color with multiple coats.

Here’s what my labels look like after drying with one coat:

Since the labels will curl up a bit on the edges after drying, I suggest laying a heavy book on them for a while before adhering them to your bottles.

6. Tape your labels to the bottles

Once the labels are dry and flattened out a bit, adhere them to your bottles. I used good ole Scotch tape on my bottle labels and it worked out just fine (rolled and stuck to the back side of the labels). You can also try double stick tape. If you want a more secure, permanent hold, try glue.

7. Fill bottles with water and food coloring

Now gather the ingredients for your potions! First, fill your bottles or jars with water. Then experiment with different food coloring combinations to get the colors you want for each potion. Add edible decorating dust for a hint of sparkle (more noticeable in lighter color potions). Check out the list of tools at the top of this post to see everything I used to create my potions. Here’s how I filled mine:

• Amortentia: Fill bottle with water and add 1 to 2 drops pink food coloring and a few taps of pink decorating powder; stir.
• Draught of Peace: Fill bottle with water and add 1 to 2 drops each blue and green food coloring and a few taps of gold decorating powder; stir.
• Polyjuice Potion: Fill bottle with water and add 1 to 2 drops each blue and pink food coloring; stir.
• Wolfsbane Potion: Fill bottle with water and add 2 drops blue food coloring; stir.

You’re done! Feel like a potions master yet?

Use these Harry Potter potions as decorations or set it up as a Harry Potter birthday party activity station. Set out jars of different sizes and shapes, sketch paper, pencils and markers, scissors and tape for people to design their own labels. Have a pitcher of water, food coloring, decorating powders and other mix-in elements for people to add to their potions.

I’d love to see your Harry Potter potions labels! Tag me on Instagram @thedapperdahlia to share your designs.

Save this post on Pinterest:

Get more fun retro recipe ideas and vintage style and beauty tips by following The Dapper Dahlia on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Get more Harry Potter birthday party ideas here: