Mantipi?

I'm not totally clear on what a "Mantipi" is, but Crafterella has a good tutorial on making one. While her approach to making a "thing in a bottle" is a bit whimsical the step by step directions are clear and concise.

If you've never tackled a prop project before I'd recommend giving this one a try, if only because it's almost impossible to make a bad bottled specimen. Even if you think it looks absolutely terrible all you have to do is add another drop or two of dye to the water and it suddenly looks all mysterious and spooky. Once you're comfortable with the basic techniques all kinds of possibilities open up because of the unique nature of the presentation. A bottle filled with fluid will naturally magnify objects in certain locations, while adjustments to the fluid and label placement allow you to hide and obscure other areas.



Update: Duh. I just realized a mantipi is a cross between a man and an octopi, something that was staring me right in the face.