Sweet Valentine Soaps

Sweet Valentine’s Soaps

Send a gift from the heart with chocolate-scented soaps wrapped in a classic candy box.

YOU’LL NEED

Materials For Soap

White “melt and pour” glycerin soap base, ¼ lb.

Unsweetened baking cocoa powder, 2½ tsp.

Chocolate fragrance oil.

Heart-shaped candy mold.

Materials For Gift Box

White or gold gift box, 3¾”x3¾”x1” (square jewelry box from department store).

Gold foil (found in cake decorating or floral sections).

Gold foil baking cups, bonbon size.

Cardboard shirt box.

Red ribbon, ¾” wide, 40” long.

Red silk rose.

Tools & Supplies

Steak knife.

Glass measuring cup (microwave safe).

Glass bowl (microwave safe).

Glass custard cup (microwave safe).

Spoon.

Scissors.

Clear tape.

Hot glue gun and glue sticks.

Ruler.

Microwave.

As seen in

Crafts 'n Things

magazine

WHAT TO DO

1. To make the chocolate soaps, use the steak knife to cut “melt and pour” soap base into smaller chunks and place in bowl. Melt in microwave for 30 seconds on high, then stir. Heat for 10 seconds at a time until all the soap is melted.

2. Create a mini double boiler by nestling a custard cup in a bowl of hot water. Pour 2-3 Tbsp. melted soap into the custard cup over the double boiler. Add 2½ tsp. cocoa powder and 15 drops of chocolate fragrance oil to the custard cup. Blend until smooth, then add the mixture back into the soap and stir together. Reheat if needed.

3. Pour the soap into the heart-shaped candy mold. Let cool for 20 to 40 minutes. Press the soaps out of the mold and place them into the gold foil baking cups.

4. To make the candy box, cut a 6½”x6½” heart out of a shirt box. Lay the cardboard heart onto the gold foil and trace a heart 2” bigger on the foil. Cut out the gold foil heart, wrap it around the cardboard heart, and tape it at the center. Repeat to create a second gold-covered heart.

5. Center the bottom of the gift box on the taped side of the gold heart and secure with hot glue. Glue the top of the gift box to the center of the other gold heart.

6. Place four gold baking cups filled with chocolate soaps in the bottom of the box and cover with the lid.

7. Tie the red ribbon diagonally around the heart box, hot glue the red rose to the center, and finish with a bow. So sweet!

(Although you only need four soaps for this gift, the recipe makes fifteen little, heart-shaped guest soaps.)

WHITE CHOCOLATE TREATS

To make delightful “white chocolate” soaps, just substitute vanilla fragrance oil and leave out the cocoa powder.

CRAFT HOW-TOS

DECORATING IDEAS