• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Life is a Party
  • Recipe Index
  • Parties & Entertaining
  • Summer
  • Subscribe
  • Free Resource Library
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Parties & Entertaining
  • Summer
  • Subscribe
  • Free Resource Library
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Parties & Entertaining
  • Summer
  • Subscribe
  • Free Resource Library
×
Home » Parties & Entertaining

Harry Potter DIY Decor and Free Printables

Modified: Mar 26, 2025 · Published: Oct 20, 2023 by Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

You will love these Harry Potter DIY decor ideas & Free Printables. We've put together a Potions Classroom, Professor's Office, Herbology Class, and Owl Post decorations and included all the free printables to recreate them at your house. These ideas will transform your Harry Potter themed party, movie marathon, or Halloween party.

Harry Potter DIY Decor & Free Printables used to create this Potions Classroom.
Jump to:
  • Potions Class
  • Potion Ingredient Bottles
  • Potion Ingredients
  • Potion Ingredient Labels
  • More Potion Class Details
  • Scientific Glass
  • More Magical Accessories
  • Professor's Office
  • Spooky Artwork
  • Insects
  • Flying Keys
  • Potions Cabinet
  • Herbology
  • Mandrake Plants
  • Owl Post
  • Owls
  • Packages and Letters
  • Addresses
  • Where Do I Get The Free Harry Potter Printables?
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Harry Potter Inspiration

Calling all Harry Potter fans!  This Halloween I've transformed my dining room into a little piece of Hogwarts.  Using things I found around the house, some antique and thrift finds, and DIYing a few fun pieces, we've transformed our home. I hope you find it inspiring. Also check out our Harry Potter themed snacks and treats too.

DIY Harry Potter potions classroom with potion bottles, potion ingredients and magic wands.

Potions Class

We were inspired by the Harry Potter books, and set up the main dining room table as a Potions class.  A lot of the decor for the entire Harry Potter party was inspired by my own collection of vintage and antique items.  And some of the items I used were from the thrift store and the antique shop.  

I set up the potions class on our dining room table. On one end we added a library card catalogue box.  It gives the whole display some height and I can imagine it filled with recipes for potions.

Harry Potter party decorations of a potion making classroom with bottles, and potion ingredients.

Since it's the first thing you see when you walk into the room, we topped it with some of my favourites.  The candelabra is an inexpensive antique fair find.  

I was inspired by the large hanging dragon skeleton in the defense against the dark arts classroom in the films, and wanted to add our own little dragon skeleton.  This one is from the dollar store and he was the perfect size for your class.  

I also included some round Harry Potter style glasses, another antique fair find, and a wand.  

Harry Potter party decorations of candles, round glasses, a magic wand, and a dragon skeleton.

Potion Ingredient Bottles

I wanted the table to be covered in potion ingredients.  I used lots of vintage bottles. I've been collecting these for years, and they were perfect.  You could also use glass jars from the dollar store.  

Some of them had glass stoppers.  For those without lids, we added corks to the ones we could as an easy DIY.  We found some corks at the craft store.  For those without corks that would fit, I used some burlap and tied it around the top to make our own lids.  It's a great idea to look for all different varieties and sizes.  Using different kinds of bottles also help it look more authentic and collected.

DIY Harry Potter potions classroom potion bottles and labels.

I already had a large collection of amber glass, and these were perfect to include.  I left some empty, and lined the top of a cabinet with them, as though they were spare and waiting for more ingredients to be collected and added to them.

DIY Harry Potter potion classroom decorations with large vintage glass bottle filled with dried thistles, vintage books, and more potion bottle ingredient bottles.
DIY Harry Potter party decor of a potion making classroom full of potion ingredients in vintage glass bottles with printable labels.

Potion Ingredients

I wanted to fill the bottles with different ingredients.  Not wanting to go down the really gross and strange route of things like toad eyeballs, etc.  I instead was thinking about a witch or wizard being out in their garden and collecting ingredients in the fall.  In our potion bottles I used things like pinecones, and acorns, and thistle weed tops, and feathers.  I also went to the bulk food store and bought little amounts of things like black rice, and dried beans and lentils, and spices like cloves and cinnamon sticks.  These were perfect for our bottles.  

I even had a couple that I left un-filled but added a lid to, and added a label for an invisible ingredient. 😉

DIY Harry Potter decor of a vintage amber glass bottle with a printable label on it, and other ingredient bottles.
DIY Harry Potter potions classroom with vintage bottles of ingredients with printable labels.

Potion Ingredient Labels

Next, I added labels to my potion ingredients.  For some of them I thought hand written labels were perfect.  I wanted to make it look as though a witch had been out collecting ingredients.  So for things like the pinecones and other common things you could find while out gathering I used some blank labels and wrote the name of the ingredient, the place they were collected, and the date.

DIY Harry Potter decor with vintage glass bottles of potion ingredients, vintage books stacked, mushroom, and candles.

For the other potion bottles, I wanted to make it look like they'd been collected over time, and bought from different shops, so I wanted the labels to all be different.  I created different labels, in different sizes to fit our bottles.  

If you want to create something similar you can use our free printable labels, available as a free download  in our Free Resource Library for subscribers.  There's also included some blank labels, so you could write your own names on them.

Collection of vintge glass bottles filled with potion ingredients, and marked with printable labels for a Harry Potter party.

I was inspired to make the labels based on actual ingredients mentioned in the Harry Potter books.  This website had an alphabetical list of every potion ingredient that is mentioned in the Harry Potter books.  

I love adding this element of authenticity.  You don't have to go to this much detail, but I thought it was a fun extra detail.

Vintage glass bottles filled with potion ingredients and printable labels for Halloween Harry Potter decorations.

To add the labels to the bottles, I used a glue stick, to glue them to the bottles.  This is the perfect way to firmly attach them to the bottles, but in a non-permanent way.  It's easy to remove them and wash off any residue.  You could also print the labels on sticker paper, which is even easier, but a little more difficult to remove if you want to later.

Vintage glass bottle labeled as Dried Igana Liver for a Harry Potter party.

More Potion Class Details

I wanted to add some other details to the table of things I thought might be in a potions class.  I used my imagination to think of some other items.

Vintage glass bottles labeled with potion ingredients for Harry Potter themed party decorations.

This large bowl of mushrooms, looks like they're ready to be picked and added to a potion.  I used an antique wood bowl. There's some floral foam inside, covered in dried moss, and then the mushrooms are added.  Some of them I made from polymer clay and painted, you can see how I made the DIY clay mushrooms here.

Harry Potter potion class decorations with vintage glass bottles of ingredients, scientific glass, and mortal and pestle.

Scientific Glass

I've also been collecting scientific glass for sometime.  I have a few vintage pieces from antique sales, and some new pieces from the craft store.  They often carry them around Halloween time, and they're the perfect touch.  

The potion bottles were placed mainly down the centre of the dining table.  I wanted it to look as though the students were about to use them to make some potions.

Table of Harry Potter inspired potions and test tubes for a Harry Potter party.

More Magical Accessories

A few more items that seemed fitting were a magnifying glass, a feather that resembles a quill, and some vintage books piled together.  And since it's Halloween, I scattered a few faux pumpkins throughout.  I also added lots of candles in different brass candle stick holders found at antique and thrift stores.

Harry Potter inspried potions classroom with vintage glass bottles of potion ingredients and a mortal and pestle.

I thought it would be fun to add some magic wands to the table.  We had one we purchased from Ollivander's wand shop in Diagon Alley when we visited Universal.  The Harry Potter wands come in such cool boxes, that I added it to the table, opened up to reveal the wand, all ready for a student in the class to use. 

DIY Harry Potter party decorations of potion bottles with labels, a magic wand, and a bowl of faux mushrooms.

I also made a Potions Class sign for this area.  We used a Cricut machine to cut out the words.  I hung it up on my china cabinet.  Since my china dishes didn't really fit the vibe, I hung some burlap with tacks on the inside of the cupboard doors, which worked perfectly.  On top of the cabinet I added a vintage scale for weighing out ingredients, and lots of empty amber glass bottles waiting to be filled with potions as the students make them.

Harry Potter "Potions Classroom" sign hanging on a cabinet full of vintage amber glass bottles and scale.

Professor's Office

On the back buffet, I thought it would be fun to create a professor's desk area as another one of our Harry Potter party decorations.  

DIY Harry Potter inspired party decorations of a professor's office desk filled with potions, insects, and candles.

I started with a vintage typewriter, and beside it I added a stack of vintage books, and a pair of glasses that I can imagine a professor using to type and work on wizard paperwork.  

I also added a chocolate frog box.  We purchased this chocolate frog box as a souvenir when we visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.  I also picked up a Harry Potter chocolate frog snack at the party store, and added one to the box.  I can imagine a professor working away here at the typewriter, and indulging in this treat.  The only thing missing is a cup of tea.

Harry Potter DIY decorations of a professor's desk with vintage typewriter, and faux insects.

Spooky Artwork

I found these vintage printable art pieces online.  They're authentic old vintage botanical prints.  I had them printed as large colored engineer prints at the office supply store.  This is an inexpensive way to make colour prints.  I added some wood strips to the top and bottom and they look great as Halloween art.  There are lots of different vintage botanical prints are available but the centipede, spider, and bat anatomy posters were so perfect for Halloween, and for the Harry Potter witchy vibes.  Get the spider free printable here. Find the bat free printable poster here.  And get the centipede free printable poster here.

DIY Harry Potter decorations with printable large bat, and insect posters.

Along with the artwork, I added another sign.  This one is labeled Professor's Office.  I made it with the Cricut also, and used the same font to unify it with the other one.

Harry Potter decorations of a professor's desk area with vintage typewriter, glasses, and insects.

Insects

In keeping with the insect and bat anatomy posters, I wanted to add some more insects.  I had some real, preserved insects, but I also made a display with some plastic dollar store bugs.  

The plastic bugs were in bright primary colours.   I used some paint in blacks, browns, and greens to make them look more real.  A stick pin was added to the insects backs to make them look pinned in place, and then I hot glued them into the shadow box.  See how I made the faux insect specimen box it here.

DIY Harry Potter decor of a large faux spider in a glass jar, insect specimens, and a chocolate frog container.

Along with these insects I added a large dollar store spider to a large vintage glass jar, along with a burlap top.  This area was taking on the look of a collection of magical beasts, and I also added in some plastic snakes, that I also painted to look more realistic, and placed them under a glass cloche.  

DIY Hogwarts decorations of vintage insect posters, framed insect specimens, a large faux spider in a glass jar, and a chocolate frog container.

I also added a collection of rocks and minerals.  The little shelf of cubby squares is from a  thrift shop.  I thought these seemed like something a witch or wizard might use for magic spells.  

On the other end I placed a collection of vintage books.  Since the original titles of the books weren't very magical, I placed them spine side facing in.  

Cubie shelf of rock and mineral samples.

I also found a faux rat at the dollar store, that reminded me of Scabbers.  He got a little makeover with some paint.  I should have cut off one toe, to make him more authentic.

Small vintage cabinet filled with Harry Potter potions, crystal balls, and faux rat.

This crystal ball that lights up is from the dollar tree, and it reminded of something that might have been used in Divination class at Hogwarts.  I also had this glass ball, which seemed perfect to add.

DIY Harry Potter decorations of small cabinet filled with potions, crystal balls, and faux rat.

Flying Keys

We also created some flying keys.  I had some beautiful vintage keys, which worked perfectly for this little DIY project.  

The wings were made from some vellum paper and hot glued them to the sides of the keys.  I tied some fishing line around them and then used clear tape to attach them to the top of a cloche.  In the bottom of the cloche I added some dried moss.  This little project was such a fun detail to add.

DIY Harry Potter flying keys in a glass cloche.

Potions Cabinet

I found this little cabinet for $10 at the thrift store while I was planning my Harry Potter decor and thought it would be a great addition.  It's one of my best Harry Potter party ideas.  We set it up, and filled it with potions.  

On the main table I added lots of potion ingredients.  In this little cabinet I wanted to add lots of finished potions.  These are in much smaller bottles, and mostly liquids.  Again I searched online, and found a complete list of every potion mentioned in the Harry Potter books.  I used these names to make authentic labels for the little bottles.  If you want to make something similar, you can print my tiny labels.  The small potion labels are available as a free printable in our Free Resource Library.  There are also a sheet of blank labels, if you want to make your own.

DIY Harry Potter party decorations with vintage cabinet filled with small bottles of potions.

The bottles are a mix of vintage and new ones from the dollar store.  I filled them with water, and used food colouring to dye some of them.  The labels are glued onto the bottles with a glue stick.  I also found a tiny magnifying glass.  The cabinet is filled with small things, and it turned out great.

DIY potion bottles with printable labels for Harry Potter halloween party.
Small glass potion bottles with free printable labels for Harry Potter party.
DIY Harry Potter small glass bottles with printable potion labels.
Vintage glass bottles with Harry Potter potion labels on them and a small magnifying glass.
Small glass potion bottles and tins with labels for a Harry Potter party.

The bottom of the cabinet is filled with some empty glass bottles and vials, ready for the potions the students will be making.

Empty clear glass and amber glass vintage bottles.

On the front of the cabinet is a label saying "Professor Access Only - Out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.  -NO STUDENT ACCESS- ".  So no little wizards are permitted access.

Hand written "Professors Access Only" sign on a potion cabinet for a Harry Potter party.

Herbology

In another corner of the room, on our little vintage bar cart, I set up a Herbology classroom to fit in with our Harry Potter theme.  I started out by adding lots of faux plants, and garden supplies, like trowels, and plant pots.  

DIY Harry Potter herbology class decorations.

Up on the top, I added some seed packages.  They're all ready to be planted by Hogwarts students.  

I created the printable seed packages, and you can access them in the Free Resource Library.  The seeds are authentic plants that were all mentioned in the Harry Potter books.  They're an easy and fun DIY to make.  Just cut them out, fold, and glue together.  I filled them with some dry rice so that they look, feel, and sound like real seed packages.

Free printable Harry Potter herbology seed packages.

I also created a Herbology textbook cover.  It's also in the Free Resource Library for subscribers.  Print it out on legal size paper to fit most books.

Harry Potter free printable Herbology text book cover.

It was so much fun adding lots of details to this spot.  I sewed a sack out of some old paint drop cloths, and added a "Dragon Dung" label.  You can access it also in the Free Resource Library.  Print it onto some printable iron-on, making sure to mirror the image, and then iron it onto your cloth sack.  Alternatively, you could print it onto sticker paper, and add it to the sack that way.  We filled the sack with some soil and leaned it against the cart.  It's such a fun detail.

DIY Harry Potter herbology class room dragon dung bag with free printable label.

I also added a Herbology sign to the cart, made with my Cricut machine.

DIY Harry Potter herbology classroom decorations.

Mandrake Plants

One final detail to this section, was to create some mandrake plants.  I made a base with some tinfoil, and added some twine to make root hands.  Then I covered the form with a layer of air dry clay, and formed the mandrake plant.  I added details with the back of a knife, and stuck a piece of a silk plant into the top.  After the mandrake plant dried, I painted it, and frayed the twine to make it look more like plant roots.  See how I made the mandrake plants part one here, and part two here.

DIY Harry Potter mandrake plants.

I made two, in different sizes, to fit into two different sized small terracotta pots.  I potted them with a little bit of soil, and added a label to the front of the pots.  You can find the free printable mandrake plant labels in the Free Resource Library.

And let's not forget the ear protection. I had an old set of earmuffs. I removed the covering and hot glued on the brown faux fur to match the ones in the movie.

Owl Post

Our last area of our DIY Harry Potter decorations was to create an Owl Post near the front door.  Inspired by the owl post at Universal Studios, we made some cubbies out of some old crates to hold owls, packages, and letters.  

Harry Potter DIY owl post post office, with owls, packages, and letters.

Owls

The vintage coke crate with it's sections worked perfectly to hold some small owls.  I also had some old vintage bird cages.  

DIY Harry Potter owl post office with packages, letters, owls, and free printables.

I used spray paint to make one white, and one gold.  The white one has two small owls in it.  The gold one has a "Owl Out On Delivery" sign.  

Free printable owl out on delivery sign for DIY Harry Potter owl post office.

You can access this free printable owl sign in the Free Resource Library.  This cage was the perfect perch for a large owl.  Once the owls were all positioned, I filled all the other nooks and crannies with packages and letters.

Small owl in DIY owl post office for Harry Potter party.

Packages and Letters

We collected small boxes for weeks, and wrapped them all in brown paper.  I also collected different envelopes in white and brown paper, in various sizes.  

Wood crates full of packages, letters, and owls for DIY Harry Potter owl post office.

Inspired by Universal Studios, I wanted to add a witch hat parcel.  I created a witch hat out of a cut up cardboard pizza box and poster board.  After making the shape of the hat, I covered it in brown paper and stamps, and tied it with twine.  It looks so authentic.  

Witch hat wrapped in brown paper and twine, with free printable owl post stamps at a Harry Potter owl post office for party.

I also made a witch's broom parcel.  An old bamboo stake from the garden was used as the broom handle.  I bulked it up using my hot glue gun and some cardboard, then shaped a broom bottom with cardboard.  Then it was all wrapped up in brown paper to make a package and it looks so perfect for our Harry Potter inspired Owl Post. Hogwarts acceptance letters would be a great addition too.

Witches broom wrapped in brown paper and twine in a DIY owl post office for Harry Potter party.

Addresses

I addressed the packages and letters all to real characters from the Harry Potter books, and tried to work out authentic addresses for everyone.  It's amazing what you can find on the internet!  I wrote the addresses right onto the brown paper packages or envelopes.  Mail needs stamps and owl mail needs owl stamps.  

Brown paper box with address and owl stamps in a owl post office at Harry Potter party.
Envelop addressed to Ginny Weasley in an owl post office at Harry Potter party.

I created some free printables with owl post stamps in a few different designs to use on all the packages and letters.  We also made some postmarks to add to the packages.  These are all available in the Free Resource Library.  

I printed them on sticker paper, and cut them out using my Cricut machine.  These worked perfectly for adding to our letters and parcels.

Packages and envelopes in an owl post office at Harry Potter party.
Packages wrapped in brown paper and twine, with Harry Potter character addresses and printable owl stamps in owl post office at Harry Potter party.

Where Do I Get The Free Harry Potter Printables?

All the free Harry Potter printables for the signs, owl post, and labels are in our Free Resource Library.  This library is free for our subscribers to use.  For instant access sign up below, and look for an email with the library password sent via email.

Harry Potter free printables for Owl post office, potion ingredients and potion bottle labels, herbology text book. mandrake plant label, and seed packages, and golden snitch wings.

I had so much fun creating this little piece of Hogwarts in my own dining room.  I had a great time adding all the special details.

I admit, I may have gotten a little carried away.  I hope some of these creative ideas inspired by our favorite scenes in the Harry Potter movies help you create a great themed party.  If you're planning a themed birthday party, movie watching marathon, or Halloween party I hope some of these DIY ideas help transform your living space.  If you love Harry Potter, these fun ideas are an easy way to create your own Harry Potter universe. Your Harry Potter party guests will love it.  Our decor has been a huge success with all our friends and family.  

Harry Potter potions classroom decorations at Harry Potter themed party.

With all these fun Harry Potter decor ideas, life really is a party!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I access the free Harry Potter printables?

The free printables are all available in our subscribers Free Resource Library. For instant access, just subscribe in the box above. Check your email for the access password (and if you don't see it check your email junk file).

How much did all this cost?

I already had most of the vintage items I used for the decor. I did purchase some ingredients to use in the bottles from the bulk food store, and a few things from the dollar store like plastic insects, the dragon skeleton, and craft supplies like air dry clay, paint, and glue. The biggest expense were the owls, which I purchased on-line. I spent about $100 on supplies, because I had most of the items already. If you are creating something similiar be sure to look at second hand and antique stores, as well as dollar stores.

Where did you find the owls?

I ended up buying most of the owls on-line. Just be sure to get your measuring tape out and work out the sizes, as the pictures on line can be a little deceiving.

More Harry Potter Inspiration

  • Harry Potter snacks and treats board.
    Harry Potter Inspired Snacks and Treat Ideas
  • Harry Potter family movie night ideas.
    Harry Potter Family Movie Night
  • Halloween witch decorations
    Witch Halloween Decor

If you tried any of our Harry Potter DIY Decor or Free Printables or any other ideas on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

More Parties and Entertaining Ideas

  • Earth day party set with up cycled dishes and cutlery, home grown flowers, paper lanterns, and garden themed food.
    Earth Day Party and Eco-Friendly Entertaining Ideas
  • Princess and the frog party table with food and decorations.
    The Best Birthday Party Home Decoration Ideas
  • Iced coffee in glass with straw, coffee in mug with sticker logo, and hot chocolate in a tea cup on a table.
    How To Make Your Own At Home Coffee Shop
  • Bridgerton themed party table with cake, cocktail, snacks, decor and party game.
    How To Host A Bridgerton Themed Viewing Party

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rejekibet says

    March 28, 2025 at 12:40 am

    I absolutely love the Harry Potter DIY decor ideas! The printables are such a fun touch and will definitely add some magic to my space. Can't wait to try these out for my next movie night!??

  2. Space Waves says

    March 01, 2025 at 1:56 am

    I absolutely loved this Harry Potter DIY decor post! The printables are gorgeous and perfectly capture the magic of the Wizarding World. I can’t wait to use them for my next Potter-themed party! Thank you for sharing such creative ideas!

  3. Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says

    October 10, 2024 at 5:04 pm

    Hi Belinda, Great I hope you have a great party. You can find the free printables in our Resource Library. Just subscribe and you'll be sent the password for access.
    Dannyelle

  4. Belinda Bickford says

    October 08, 2024 at 2:18 pm

    I love these ideas! My best friend is throwing her son a Harry Potter-themed birthday party, and I'm looking for the printable wings so we can do the Ferro Rocher candy pieces.

  5. Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says

    July 22, 2024 at 3:15 pm

    I'm so sorry, and thanks for letting me know. We've been updating the site and the box was missing. It is there now, near the bottom of the page and will give you instant access to the printables.
    Dannyelle

  6. Kelly Nash says

    July 20, 2024 at 12:31 am

    Hi, I am interested in the free printables for the Harry Potter themed party! But I don't see where to subscribe and get a password for the resource library? This is an amazing display! You are so talented 🙂

  7. Sara says

    October 20, 2023 at 10:04 pm

    Beautiful and creative display!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Life is a Party is all about helping you celebrate everyday with great food, entertaining and party inspiration, and seasonal crafts and home decor inspired by the holidays.

More About Dannyelle

Trending Recipes

  • Mac and cheese with panko breadcrumb topping.
    Best Homemade Mac and Cheese with Panko Breadcrumb Topping
  • Homemade iced capps in glasses on a wood table.
    Tim Hortons Copycat Iced Capp Recipe
  • Dirt Pudding no cream cheese in glasses with candy rocks, and fresh mint that looks like a little plant.
    Easy Dirt Pudding Recipe without Cream Cheese
  • Easy 3 ingredient coconut milkshake recipe.
    Easy Coconut Milkshake Recipe
  • Easy food processor scones on a plate with jam.
    Easy Food Processor Scones
  • Small batch pancakes for two.
    Easy Small Batch Pancakes For Two Recipe

Summer Ideas

  • Mushroom themed party picnic in backyard.
    Mushroom Themed Picnic Party
  • Cherry themed party table with food and cherry themed decor.
    Cherry Themed Party Ideas
  • Ice cream charcuterie dessert board in the shape of an ice cream cone.
    Easy Ice Cream Sundae Charcuterie Dessert Board
  • Butterfly themed party ideas party table, food, and decorations.
    Butterfly Themed Party Ideas
  • Strawberry themed party ideas with table setting, flowers, and food.
    Sweet Strawberry Theme Party
  • summer garden party
    Summer Garden Party

  • Subscribe
  • Recipe Index
  • Parties & Entertaining
  • Spring and Easter
  • Free Resource Library

Footer

back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • About

Subscribe

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Life is a Party

Share
Pin9.4K
Post
Share
Pin9.4K
Post