Every parent, teacher, and youth group leader knows how challenging it can be to find new fun crafts for kids. Here’s some good clean fun for kids to adults alike: creating melt and pour glycerin soaps with embedded toys, flowers, charms, or any other small objects that will fit into the soap mold. It’s a bar of soap and a work of art!
This is a great project for Mom or Dad to do with the kids on a cold, rainy day, for girl or boy scout groups, church groups, or even school classroom craft projects. It’s fun for both boys and girls to make toy-embedded soaps they can’t wait to use, or make theme soaps for gifts for Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa.
Easy Soap Making Craft Projects
Good quality melt and pour glycerin soap is available at many craft and hobby stores and online. It’s quick and easy to make beautiful soaps with no need for special equipment or caustic lye. Soap molds are available from online soap making suppliers or save money by using small storage containers or even paper cups for the purpose.
Cosmetic grade dyes and glitters can be used, or use simple food coloring. Add fragrance for even more creative options, but be sure to use only essential oils or cosmetic grade fragrance oils. The only limit is the crafter’s imagination!
Supplies Needed to Make Toy-Embedded Soaps
Clear melt and pour glycerin soap
Pyrex glass measuring cup to melt soap base and pour
Rubbing alcohol in a spritz bottle
Small toys, pressed or silk flowers, any small objects
Dye or food coloring
Glitter, if desired
Fragrance, if desired
Plastic wrap and ribbon for wrapping finished soaps
How to Create Melt and Pour Soap Masterpieces
1. Decide on the toy(s) and/or flowers or other objects to use in the soap and play with arranging them in the bottom of the mold. Keep in mind that you will be working upside down from the finished soap, the bottom of the arrangement will be on top in the soap. Yes, it’s possible to do a couple of layers for a great 3D effect!
2. Cut the clear melt and pour glycerin soap into chunks and place in the Pyrex glass measuring cup to melt in the microwave. It melts quickly, so keep an eye on it to prevent it from boiling over the sides of the cup. (No harm done if it does, but it will make a mess in the microwave.)
3. Pour a thin layer of soap into the empty mold, no more than 1/4” and allow it to cool and harden. This acts like the glass over a picture in a frame.
4. Spritz the layer with rubbing alcohol. Do not forget this step! It will prevent the layers from coming apart after the soap is released from the mold.
5. To prevent light plastic and pressed or silk flowers from floating out of position, pour a very thin layer of soap and immediately place the object(s) in position as desired. Give it a minute or two to cool and harden. (If the melted soap base gets gooey from cooling between layers, just microwave it again for a few seconds.)
6. Carefully and slowly pour enough soap base over the object(s) to barely cover. If another layer of flowers or leaves will be added as a background, only cover the first layer object about ¾ of the way, then place the background objects. When hardened, spritz with alcohol, then barely cover with soap base.
7. Now it’s time for the color, glitter, and fragrance. To the remaining soap in the Pyrex cup, add color as desired, glitter, and a few drops of essential or fragrance oil.
8. Spritz the soap in the mold with alcohol, then pour the colored soap base into the soap mold on top of the last layer.
9. Allow the soap to cool completely. To speed it up, put it in the refrigerator or even the freezer.
10. Once completely hardened, remove the soap from the mold and view the creation! If the soap doesn’t pop out of the mold easily, place it in the freeze for a few minutes. If that doesn’t work, place the mold in warm water for a minute or two.
11. Wrap the soap in plastic wrap and tie with ribbon to complete the project.
This isn’t just a fun craft for kids, it’s fun for adults, too! Moms can make toy-embedded soaps for the kids to make bathtime fun and something the kids look forward to. They make great gifts and party favors as well. Fragrant soaps with embedded pressed or silk flowers are beautiful additions to bath baskets along with homemade bath salts and scrubs to delight everyone on a gift list. Melt and pour glycerin soaps make it easy!
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