How to Make Realistic Specimen Jars

Use glass jars to create a creepy specimen jar.

Realistic specimen jars are used as props in movies and as Halloween decorations. Make your own realistic specimen jars with fake animals and colored water. Add a label that looks old and seal the top to create a creepy and realistic scientific specimen jar.

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper
• 3 glass jars with screw-on lids
• Black spray paint
• Grow-in-water snake toy
• Grow-in-water octopus toy
• Grow-in-water frog toy
• Used coffee grounds
• Green food coloring
• Brown twine
• Hot glue gun
• 3 tea bags
• Parchment paper
• Matte varnish
• White glue stick

Instructions

1. Spread out the newspaper on your work space. Set the jar lids down onto the newspaper with the tops facing up. Evenly space out the jar lids on the newspaper. Apply an even layer of black spray paint to the outer surface of the lids. Let them sit overnight to dry completely.

2. Wash the jars. If they have glued on labels, soak them in hot soapy water for 10 minutes or until the labels begin to lift off. Remove the labels and the glue. Rinse out the jars and dry them.

3. Place one grow-in-water toy in each jar. Add 1 teaspoon of used coffee grounds or 3 drops of green food coloring to each jar. Fill the jars with water, leaving 1 inch of space between the water line and the top of the jar. Let the grow-in-water animals sit overnight to absorb the water and expand in the jars.

4. Screw on the lids of the jars. Wrap the sides of the lids with brown twine. Heat up a glue gun. Apply a small dab of hot glue to the ends of the twine to glue it in place.

5. Cut rectangles of paper that will fit the sides of your specimen jars. Examine the specimen jars and decide what the grow-in-water animals now look like. Create a little story behind each one by coming up with a fake exotic location, how it was found, who found it and the date of preservation. Write the story on the paper to make the label for the specimen jar.

6. Crinkle up the labels into balls and unfold them to give them an "aged" look. Soak three tea bags in warm water for three minutes; then lightly wring them out. Pour the tea water into a glass pan. Press the labels into the tea water and let them sit for one minute. Cover your work space with parchment paper. Remove the labels and lay them flat on parchment paper to dry overnight.

7. Apply an even layer of matte varnish to the printed side of the labels. Let it sit for one hour to dry. Cover the back of the labels with a white glue stick. Position the label on the center of the side of the jar and press the glued side down onto the jar. Let it sit for one hour to allow the glue to set.

Tips & Warnings

• Place the grow-in-water animals in jars that are smaller than the directions call for. This will make the animal "crowd" the jar and seem all the more sinister looking.

• If you aren't confident about your handwriting, type up the label and use a typewriter looking font. Then print them and cut them out.