More Halloween DIY

Spooktacular Spirits

Scare up the bar at your next Halloween cocktail party!

I found these bottles at my local thrift store.  (I was surprised to have a huge selection of decanters to choose from.  I was told they were a commonly donated item.)  I cleaned the bottles thoroughly with dishwashing liquid and very hot water, then I left them sit overnight with hot water and Efferdent tablets inside them.  (Check out Carolyn Shearlock at The Boat Galley for more ways to clean with denture tablets.)  In the morning I rinsed them out with hot water again, dried them off and set them in the sun to dry the inside.  When dry, I simply masked off the top and bottom of the bottle with painter's tape to keep from painting those areas.  My main reason for doing this is to be able to see if the bottles are clean after using them.  I plan to use them for various holidays and for various juices/cocktail ingredients, so I wanted to be sure that they were perfectly clean after every use.  Then, I spray painted them with Rust-Oleum Auto Primer, which is fast drying, and then sprayed painted them with Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint.  When dry, they are ready to be embellished with chalk pencils that are readily available at any art/craft store.  I've drawn a skeleton on the bottle shown here, but I can see a personalized message written on it for a romantic dinner with a loved one, a "Happy Birthday" wish, or simply labeled with the ingredients held within.  

I cut the bottom out of
  a gourd with a craft knife
to create a bottle topper.