I created this project and featured it as a guest post many moons ago. Today, I'm delighted to be sharing this simple and versatile DIY project with my readers at Rook No. 17.
Plastic eggs -- they're great for filling with sweets and goodies for the annual Easter egg hunt. But afterward you're left with a bunch of brightly colored plastic eggs that don't exactly lend themselves to sublime home decor. However, with one simple modification, you can transform those plastic eggs into poured soap molds to create elegant egg-shaped soaps that look like they came right out of a chic little French country boutique.
With this simple and versatile DIY project you can design custom soaps by adding your choice of colors, scents, and natural elements (mine are made with dried Lavender and essential oil). The egg-shaped soaps make a lovely gift when packaged in an upcycled egg carton.
DIY: Egg-Shaped Soaps
makes 1 dozen
Materials
For the soaps:
- 2 pounds Pour & Mold Soap (available in most craft stores and online)
- Optional: Essential Oil for scent, fresh herbs or flowers for exfoliation
- Small funnel* (typically available at craft stores)
- Drill with a 7/32 bit and a 11/32 bit
- Piece of scrap wood
- Plastic Easter Eggs
- Duct Tape & scissors
- Bamboo skewer
- Craft Knife
For packaging:
- Cardboard Egg Carton
- Acrylic craft paint & paint brush
Note: For my eggs, I made LAVENDER soap by adding a few drops of lavender essential oil and a few teaspoons of real dried lavender to the melted soap. You can add any scent or color to the soap once it’s melted. If adding dried herbs, flowers or natural exfoliants, be sure to get a soap specially formulated for “suspension”, so the add-ins don’t sink to the bottom. For half of my “eggs” I ground the lavender in a spice mill to break it into finer pieces. When mixed in the melted soap, the milled lavender added a subtle green tone.
Step 1: Fit your drill with the smaller 7/32 bit. Drill a hole through the center of the bottom of the bottom-piece of the egg. Use a scrap piece of wood beneath the egg to protect your work surface.
Step 2: Now enlarge the hole by redrilling with the larger bit.
Step 3: With your scissors, cut small pieces of duct tape and use them to cover the holes on the pointy-end of the egg. Use another small piece to help hold the two sides of the egg together. I learned the hard way that this step is necessary — the egg opened up and hot soap went everywhere!
Step 4: Chop the soap base into small pieces with a kitchen knife and melt according to manufacturers instructions. For mine, I microwaved a cup at a time, in a glass measuring cup, for 30 seconds, then at 10 second intervals until the soap was melted (this fills 2-3 eggs). Stir in any desired color, scent, or exfoliants.
 |
| *I couldn't find my mini funnel, so I altered a regular kitchen funnel by making a tapered extension out of duct tape. It worked like a charm. |
Step 5: Set the prepared plastic eggs in a carton or egg cups to stabilize, hole side up. Place funnel in the hole of one egg. Gently pour in melted soap. If funnel clogs, use the bamboo skewers to help move things along. When soap has reached the top, gently tap the bottom of the plastic egg on a hard surface (with a finger over the hole). This will help the soap settle and help release air bubbles. Top off with more soap. Repeat with remaining eggs.
Step 6: Let eggs set for 30 minutes to an hour. Then, remove the piece of tape holding the two sides together, and open egg. You may need to give the egg a gentle squeeze. When the eggs come out, they may have a slight lip near the center. You can trim this away carefully with a craft knife. You can also use your fingers to buff out any imperfections. It will not adversely affect the sheen of the finished egg.
Step 7: Package — For my upcycled packaging, I cut a cardboard egg carton in half and painted the inside and outside of the lid with DecoArt Americana French Blue acrylic paint. When dry, I filled the carton with little bunches of paper shred and then placed the soap eggs inside. Lastly, I found a beautiful vintage label from The Graphics Fairy, made some modifications, printed it on handmade paper and glued it to the top of the carton.
You can download my version of the label by clicking on the image:
I also packaged some of my eggs individually. I used small grapevine wreaths from the craft store as a nest. I filled them with paper shred, then added the egg. The whole bundle was tied up in tulle.
------------------------
This post has been linked-up with:
