Lovebird's Soap - the Valentine's Day Gift Anyone Can Make

It's beautiful, it's useful, it's easy to make (even for you guys) and it won't add a few pounds to the waistline! It's Lovebird's Soap! Even if you've never made soap before, this project can be completed in under an hour. All you need to do is gather some basic materials and follow a few easy steps.

This soap is made from a melt and pour glycerin soap base available at craft stores in the soap making section and from various internet-based soap making suppliers. Melt and Pour soap is becoming increasingly popular in the soap makers world because it is easy to use and it opens up so many possibilities for the creative mind!

Ingredients:

- Gold Mica Powder (Any soap coloring can be used in this recipe, but the mica in this recipe creates such a lovely shimmer in the light)
- Burgundy Mica Powder
- Fragrance Oil of choice (floral fragrances are a good choice for this project)
- 1 lb Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base, cut into 1 - inch cubes (white soap base can be used but the mica won't have much shimmer and the colors will be lighter)

Tools Needed:

- Large, clear microwave-safe container (I use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup)
- Small, clear microwave-safe container (I use a 1-cup Pyrex measuring cup)
- Plastic teaspoon
- Small mixing spoon or craft stick (I use a chopstick)
- 2 small custard bowls (for mixing fragrance with mica)
- Small plastic dropper or spoon (for filling in gold details of soap mold)
- Spray bottle with 100% rubbing alcohol
- Wax Paper
- 4 Cavity Mold - Doves and Hearts (or similar mold that makes three or four oz. Bars with a raised design on the top)
- Cellophane bags and ribbon (optional)

Step 1: First, place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the fragrance oil in a custard cup. Add a small amount of gold mica to the fragrance oil to create a thin paste. Be sure to remove any lumps. In the other custard cup, mix together 3 to 4 teaspoons of fragrance oil with some of the burgundy mica. Again, make a thin paste free of lumps.

Step 2: Next, divide the Melt and Pour soap cubes between the 2 clear microwave-safe containers. The smaller dish should have approximately 4 ounces (1/4 of the cubes) and the larger dish should have 12 ounces (3/4 of the cubes).

Step 3: Starting with the smaller container, microwave the soap in short 10 to 15 second bursts, stirring carefully between each round. Avoid overheating the soap.

Step 4: Once the soap in the smaller container is free of lumps, carefully mix in the gold mica/fragrance mixture. Do not stir quickly or whip the soap. This will cause unwanted air bubbles to form in your soap.

Step 5: Using your small plastic dropper or small spoon, carefully fill in the raised portion of your soap mold with the gold colored soap. This is the design that will show up on the top of your finished soap bar. Once the area is filled, spray the gold soap lightly with rubbing alcohol to remove any air bubbles and allow to set.

Step 6: While the gold soap is setting, repeat steps 3 and 4 using the large container of soap cubes and the burgundy mica/fragrance mixture.

Step 7: Lightly spray the gold soap once more with alcohol and then carefully pour the burgundy soap into each cavity the remainder of the way to fill them. Spray each filled cavity with alcohol once more to remove air bubbles and allow the mold to sit in a dry area.

Step 8: After about 20 minutes, the soap should be cooled and set enough to remove from the mold. Turn the soap out onto a sheet of wax paper and allow to air dry for a while in a cool, dry place. They may need some pressing to get out of the mold. If the soap is too difficult to remove, let soap sit a while longer. Melt and Pour soap shrinks as it hardens. As it shrinks, it releases itself from the mold.

Step 9: As soon as the soap is dry, package in an airtight container. Cellophane bags work well for these. Tie with a gold or burgundy ribbon and give to your Valentine to enjoy!

All of the ingredients are available at such craft stores as Michael's and AC Moore. High quality ingredients can also be found online from various Soap Suppliers. Two of my favorites are Wholesale Supplies Plus and Brambleberry.