Soft Soap Customized For A Small Gift

Looking for a small gift for a teacher or other person you care about? Do you like a personal touch, but not able to spend a lot of time? Here's an idea for something useful and unique: customized soft soap.

Here are some simple instructions and printouts. We found that the labels on the Walmart bottles came off the easiest, and this post has a template for you for that size, but you can figure out other bottles as well.

Templates

Print off this page in Adobe format if you don't want to bother with making any changes. It has six images all like what you see below. (This page does not have cutting guides, but you can measure so that each rectangle is about 2 5/8 inches wide and 3 inches high and you leave about 3/4 inches blank at the bottom.)

Or if you want to put in your own changes, you can download this zipped template in Microsoft Publisher format. (Note: if you don't have the same fonts on your computer as I do, you will get a message from Microsoft Publisher asking you to substitute fonts. Go ahead and choose their substitute suggestion and then modify as needed once the file opens.)

Here is a page of blanks (Adobe format or download this zipped template in Microsoft Publisher format) that you can fill in how you like or your child can draw a picture in for an extra personal touch. Just remember that the bottom 3/4 inches should be left blank for the image to be centered in the bottle correctly.

Take your printed page to a copy store, and have them copy it onto a transparency sheet. I have heard that if you print it onto the transparency yourself, even on a laser printer, the ink will come off in the soap. I haven't tried it myself.

Carefully peel off both the front and back labels. The front is made to remove, but the back is a bit harder and leaves a sticker residue.

Use a solvent like GooGone or Elmer's Sticky Out to remove any stickiness. (I tried Goof-Off also, but it left a residue and I then used Sticky Out to remove that.) It's more effective if you let it sit a few minutes before wiping and rinsing off. It is easiest and safest to do this all right in the sink.

Cut out your rectangles, cutting just inside the lines.

Roll up your little plastic art, and insert it into your bottle. You can use the straw of the pump to help get it in place.

The straw of the pump should end up behind the plastic rectangle when you are done.

Since six images fit on each page and I didn't have all the spaces filled in with gifts for teachers, etc., I made one for the guest bathroom--personalized for our favorite guests.

Add a ribbon or other embellishment and you're done.