Spoiler Alert!! Mother's Day gifts

If you are the mother of a child in my class, you may wish to skip this post unless you want to ruin your Mother's Day surprise.  Since the vast majority of my readers do NOT have children in my class, I wanted to post this now in case anyone would like to try this project.  It is a great little gift to give a favorite "mother" (or aunt, grandmother, etc.) for Mother's Day............

 

 

..................scented soap packaged in a pretty little gift bag.

In case you haven't tried making soap before, let me tell you about the easy to use supplies you can find at most craft stores.  You can buy bulk soap in block form which can be melted in your microwave or on the stove.  It comes in either clear or white.  You can add scented oil and coloring to customize it. 

For our class gift project, I used a heart-shaped soap mold purchased at Michael's.  I had a hard time finding it online.  Below is a picture of it and here is a link to the one online source I found.  On the linked page it is called "Hearts & Flowers-Medium".  However, you can find similar things at Hobby Lobby.

I used soap similar to that shown in the photo below.   A 2-lb block sells for around $10.  I have to make 60 little "bars" of soap and I am sure I will only need one package.  A little goes a long way if your molds are small.

Here is how I involved the children in making the soap for their moms.  I took a small group with me to the church kitchen.  They watched as I melted the blocks of soap in a glass bowl in the microwave.  Then I used a small measuring cup to dip the melted soap into the heart mold.  I had one child at a time come up and they were allowed to choose a scent for their soap (I had special scents made especially for soap......purchased at HobLob) and a color for their soap (also special colors just for soap.......also from HobLob).  I squirted the scent and color onto the melted soap and they used a toothpick to stir it up.  The soap does congeal fairly quickly so I learned that it's important to frequently reheat the soap and to only pour one heart at a time in case I had to re-melt before the next child's soap. 

To keep track of whose soap was whose, I quickly drew a "soap mold" chart on a piece of paper.  As each child made their heart, I jotted their name on the corresponding heart on my chart.  Then when I popped out their soaps I just set them right on top of their name.  This made it easy for me to transport the soaps back to the classroom where the children packaged them into little organza bags (on sale at Michael's this week......12 bags for $3.99) and then into small colored paper bags.

This is not the best photo but it shows what the finished soap looks like.  I know the moms will love their special gift.  My blue "coconut" soap heart is sitting on a tray on my bedroom dresser as I type this.  My little boy wanted to give it to me as soon as he got home today........even though I helped him make it this morning and so it wasn't a true surprise.  I still loved it and I told him I would keep it forever.......and I will!!

 
 

Comments

[gift for mom philippines]

I like everything you make its so uniquely gorgeous,perfect gift for this past mother's day.Wish I saw this earlier keep posting!

vee

[Laura]

Thanks, Krystal. Im glad you liked it!

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[Krystal]

Thanks Laura! Dylan was so proud when he gave me my soap (he couldn't wait until Mother's Day)! I actually see mine in the picture :) I'll definitely keep it forever - very special and green - his favorite color!