Plaster Of Paris

I grew up living in an old house and my mom always used Plaster of Paris to patch holes in the walls.
When I use Plaster of Paris today, it is to mix with paint to make chalk paint.
My formula for chalk paint is 2/3 latex paint and 1/3 Plaster of Paris with enough water to get the consistency I want. I love chalk paint because it is easy to mix, you can mix any color you want, you don't have to pre sand and the results are fantastic.
Yesterday at a garage sale I bought some that came in an old green glass jar. The jar is wonderful and still has a lot of plaster in it.

It looked more like a jar of medicine so I was talking to my husband about it this morning and he reminded me they used to use it to make casts for broken bones.
Then in the 1970s when this type of cast making began to wane, they started making orthopedic casts out of synthetic materials.

On the back of the jar are  instructions on how to: Make splints, make cast impressions, and how to mix and use as cement.

I love the old jar and even think the lid is pretty.

At the same sale I also bought four other old bottles, but the Plaster of Paris is by far my favorite.

One of the other old bottles held Moone's Emerald Oil, one held Soda Mint Tablets.

Occasionaly, but not very often, I find some wonderful old bottles like these. I just put them in my antique apothecary cabinet along with apothecary items I collect.
One day I will write a post and show you my apothecary collection.

In the background you can see a container of Plaster of Paris we have in our workshop. It comes in a very boring cardboard box.
 Plaster of Paris is the preferred product used by professionals, artists and hobbyists.
I did a little research and was surprised to learn how long this product has been around and how may things it can be used for.
To learn the history of Plaster of Paris  click here I am linking up with: