Photo Soaps
Take any of the following:
Greeting card
Wrapping paper
Photograph or antique photo copy
Magazine picture
Young Woman’s Values
Dried flowers
Anything flat will do.
Wax for melting
Take a flat bar of soap.I like Ivory but I have see some nice bars at the 99 cents store that work as well.
Cut out the photo to fit the top of the bar of soap. Make sure if there is any name carved in the soap that it is covered up with the picture. Or shaved off the top of the soap so it is flat and smooth.
Dampen the top of the soap
Carefully place photo or design on top. If placing a photo on top, do not touch the top of the picture! After placing the design on top let the soap dry. This takes just a few minutes. Take a pair of tongs from the kitchen and dip one side of the soap in the wax (Dip only the side with the picture on it or what ever you chose to decorate the soap with) in some clear melted wax. Do not submerge the soap or you can not use it to wash with. Let the bar of soap rest on a piece of wax paper or rack. Sometimes you need to double dip to get good coverage.
We made these soaps up of my children for my grandmother when they were toddlers. Grandma used them everyday to wash her hands and the photo remained on the soap for over twenty years with out going bad. She saved the soaps when they got thin and had them in her bathroom sitting on a shelf when she passed away.
For an old fashioned bathroom try photo copying an antique pictures! Or place scriptures or the Young Women’s Values on a soap. Be creative!
I have also done this by dipping the soap in liquid plastic. The photo will be very clear this way but…It takes at least day to dry.
After the soap is dry, I wrap the finished product with cellophane gather the top edge with ribbon. It makes a great inexpensive gift for Mother’s day. You can also decorate soaps for Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas. You can also use stickers but they need to be large enough to cover the soap name.
Janet Price
