Mini Apothecary in a Walnut Shell

Watch the build video here!

Nestled within the hollowed confines of a tiny walnut shell, a miniature world unfurls—an enchanting microcosm of an apothecary's realm. Within this compact sanctuary, every millimeter teems with an abundance of ancient knowledge and forgotten curiosities.

This is an easy beginner-friendly mini diorama that you can make for yourself or as a handmade gift for the witchy person in your life. You can make this cute miniature witch's kitchen using a DIY wire hinge and a perfectly split walnut (I show you how to do both here!)  You can make this beginner-friendly craft in a few short sittings.

I used some common craft supplies, an old book, and polymer clay to make this project. Air-dry paper clay would also work if you don't have access to polymer clay. You can paint paper clay when it's dry, or tint it with watercolours before you sculpt! 

The steps are summarized in the following photo tutorial, but you'll also find a full breakdown on my YouTube channel with 4 other walnut miniature projects you'll love! Click here for that!

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I prepped my walnut box off-camera. To start some shelves, I cut the rounded end off of a large craft stick...

I carve down a piece of a jumbo craft stick to make a desk for the lower level.

I wanted to cover the dried epoxy around the edges of the desk and shelves. I used some white glue and tea leaves from a tea bag I snagged from my pantry.

I made a mini cauldron by shoving a ball of black polymer clay onto the end of a pen.

I make a tiny spoon by starting with a mini carrot shape. I separate the bowl from the handle by rolling the carrot with a tool.

I make some tiny books by ripping a chunk of pages out of an old novel I keep for crafting. The pages are still glued together, so I can just cut out a tiny book.

I used the margins from that old novel to make some scrolls. It was easiest to roll them around a pin tool.

I make a tiny potion bottle by starting with a lightbulb shaped bit of clay. I make the neck of the bottle by pressing and rolling with a toothpick.

Finally I start placing my tiny collection of witchy items into the walnut. I glue everything down with white glue, which means I can no longer close my walnut - but I'm ok with that!

...and it happens to be the perfect fit for a shelf in the walnut. I glue this in with some 5-min epoxy I get from the discount store.

I stain everything with a wash of watered-down burnt sienna paint.

It was apparent that my apothecary miniature would need a stand at this point, so I made one by pushing the nut into a blob of clay, which I later painted.

I rolled a long worm of clay to make the cauldron's rim. I blended the rim into the pot.

I use the ball end of this tool to make the bowl of the spoon. If you don't have this tool you can use the head of a pin.

I make some book covers with coloured construction paper. These books ended up being WAY too big for my walnut, so later I cut some width off the pages and cut the remainder in half to make two books.

I tied the scroll with some red sewing thread. I should have just glued the scrolls closed. This was so fiddly!

I make some tiny bottle stoppers in brown clay and shove them into the top of the bottle. I think this really sells the look!

I added a tiny chair that I made off camera. I have a YouTube video about making tiny chairs coming up, so you should sub to me over there if you want to see that!

If you're interested in seeing this tutorial in video format along with 4 more walnut projects you'll love, you can check it out here! There's a mini dragon, a tiny bigfoot forest, a walnut engagement ring box, and a whimsical Alice in Walnutland wonderland diorama! If you need to learn how to split a walnut perfectly in half and DIY a mini hinge to get yourself started with a walnut box, I have a video on that too!