This is the final post of my seven day Valentine’s blog-a-thon. I will probably have a couple stray Valentine’s Day posts from stuff I make for my family this week, but this is the last post in the series.
If you are just joining me, here is a recap:
Valentine Soap, Fizzies, and Treats
Stuffed Felt Valentines (kid friendly)
Valentine’s Projects from the Web
Today’s project: Valentine’s Day Soaps
For this project, you will need:
- Wilton six cavity silicone heart pan
- 15 oz. clear melt and pour soap base
- fragrance oil of your choice
- liquid soap colorant and mica in coordinating colors
- two heat-safe glass measuring cups
- spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
- spoons and other utensils
Choose two valentine-y colors to make your soap. I used red liquid color and rose pearl mica in the soaps above. I will also show you at the end a soap I made with a blackish-bluish color and pink mica, so you can see the contrast better.
Also choose your fragrance. It does not have to be a fragrance the goes with your theme, it can be the recipient’s favorite fragrance. Allow yourself the freedom to think outside the box. I made mine with lemon essential oil. My son D could not get over how weird it was for a red heart soap to smell like lemons, but I thought it was appropriate to scent the soap with a fragrance that my mom loves so I can give the soap to her.
I made six 2.5 oz soaps, for a total of 15 oz of base. That does not fill each cup to the top.
Cut up the soap into chunks for melting. Divide the soap into two measuring cups, 10 oz in one and 5 oz in the other. Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals until fully melted.
Scent each cup of soap and add the liquid color to the 10 oz and the mica to the 5 oz. You want the mica to really show up, so be generous. You can dissolve the mica in the fragrance oil before adding it to the soap, to avoid that pesky clumping.
Now, there are two ways to pour the soap. You can pour the mica-colored soap first, then the liquid-colored. This will cause a layered look, with cracks or breaks in the mica layer. Or you can pour the liquid-colored soap first, then pour the mica soap. This causes a cloud of the mica-colored soap in the center of the liquid color. Or, you can do three of each kind, which is what I did.
What ever the method you use, pour your first layer. (Remember: the liquid-colored soap layer will be twice the size of the mica layer.) Spritz with alcohol and let set for a minute or so. You want to it start to form a skin on top just barely, but not really.
Spritz with alcohol quickly. Then, carefully pour the next layer in the center. The effects are caused by the fact that the mica-colored soap is more dense. If you are pouring the mica second, it should stay in the center and form a cloud. If you are pouring the liquid layer second, it will form a second layer on top of the mica, but there will be areas where it disturbs the mica layer, causing crack-like effect. Spray with alcohol to remove bubbles and let cool and harden completely.
This is an example of the liquid-colored soap poured first. You can see the mica cloud in the center. (Kind of.)
When hardened, pull away the edges, turn the pan over, and gently push on the bottom of each cavity to release the soap. Voila!
The soap on the left is liquid, then mica. The soap on the right is mica, then liquid.
Here is a color scheme that shows the effects better.
Clockwise from the top left, mica-then-liquid, mica-then-liquid, liquid-then-mica.
You can see on the top left that there is a thin pink layer, with a black layer on the bottom, but the black layer breaks through in the center. The one next to it is similar, but the crack is only in the top corner. The bottom soap is black, with a pink cloud in the center.
I hope these instructions are clear. This was a super-easy project with a cool effect, but it was hard to explain. Basically, it is not an exact science, so just have fun with it. It will look neat however it comes out. But, if there is anything I can clarify, please ask!
