{soap...all dressed up}

This is a simple, totally cute way to dress up any kind of hand soap or lotion!

• holiday soaps & lotions in a guest bath or kitchen
• monogrammed soaps for home or personalized gifts
• personalized soaps for your kids' bathroom
  
• teacher gifts
• neighbor & friend gifts
• office gifts--or for your own!
• add the words "bath", "kitchen", etc.
  

I just used very cheap (originally purple) hand soap that I found for about $1 each. That's the beauty of this project--it doesn't matter what the soap or lotion looks like, since it will be totally disguised when it's finished. I made three different kinds--a spooky soap for Halloween, one for Christmas, and one with a monogram. I also switched up what I used for the text-- I used vinyl on two of them, and paint on the other. I like both ways--they each have their own look, so you can decide which you like better.

Soap...all dressed up!

ITEMS YOU NEED:

• soap or lotion--any size or shape
• spray primer
• spray paint
• text: vinyl, foam stamps & craft paint
• ribbon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove any labels, and excess "gooey" stuff from the outside of the soap. Goo Gone, or any adhesive remover should work well. Make sure the container is clean and dry.


2. Remove the lid/pump. This step is IMPORTANT---you must prime the bottle BEFORE painting. If you don't, the paint will run, or leave you with major streaks and bumps. I used a spray paint primer--I like Rustoleum--and sprayed it very lightly, just to cover. Let dry completely. *Note: One can of primer will last quite awhile. I made several, and still had a lot of paint left.


3. Next step...painting. When using spray paint, remember, less is more. Stand back a little more than you would if you were painting wood, and kind of let it mist over it. It will cover quickly, so you really don't want too much. Let dry completely.

4. Now you're ready for text! I rummaged through some extra vinyl I had, and chose a "w" for our monogram, and "joy" for a Christmas version. I also wanted to try using paint and my foam stamps for one, which I did for the Halloween version. If you're using vinyl, apply as you normally would. If you're using paint, you need to do one of two things--either use spray paint (just spray some paint onto a paper plate--not foam-- and use your finger to apply it to the stamp), or you'll need to spray the bottle with a moisture-resistant craft spray to protect the craft paint. If not, as soon as it gets wet, the paint will run.


5. Add your ribbon, and you're done!