custom hand soap labels {how to}

Just got unpacked from a quick trip to the Twin Cities to visit my sweet friend Kalli and her seriously fun family for Mother's Day. We had so much fun tramping around Minneapolis and ignoring real life (Kalli, how is it that with all the pictures we took, this is the closest thing to a group shot that I got? We didn't even get one of us together! Grrr. . .).

 

But with laundry and homework and workouts and grocery shopping and getting ready for a trip to Chicago later this week, I haven't had a chance to edit/upload/blog pictures of some of my recent projects, including my teacher appreciation gifts. Sorry about that. Does anyone else feel like the days are getting shorter the older we get? Who can I talk to about that?

It was nice to have a little girl time to chat and help Kalli & Lori with a crafty gift for Mother's Day. Kalli had an ingenious idea. She had Lori create custom labels for these yummy hand soaps she found for only a buck at Bed, Bath & Beyond, including the name of the scent and a Happy Mother's Day message.

 

Lori used some of the same art she used for these beautiful Mother's Day printable cards to create the labels. Lori and Kalli are both pros on the digital scene. They often use graphics found at Graphics Fairy (one of my favorite free vintage graphic sites--see my image transfer tea towels using her graphics here), or purchased from designers like Rhonna Farrer.

Here's where the brilliant part comes in. How do you keep a custom label on a soap bottle from bleeding when it gets wet (and it will get wet)? Packing tape! First remove the label from the soap bottle. (If it leaves a sticky residue, use a little CitriSolv and a paper towel to remove it.) Place the printed and cut label (printed on plain type paper) print-side down on the sticky side of a piece of clear packing tape, then place it on the front of the soap bottle. Now it's protected from water damage and looks totally professional. And crazy easy--why didn't I think of that? Kalli--such a smarty pants.

Aren't they beautiful?

Top it all off with a little tulle and ribbon and you have a quick, easy, and inexpensive gift for hostesses, teachers, moms, thank yous, etc. that will really be appreciated. Just my kind of gift.

Okay, now back to laundry and re-packing and all that fun. . . more to come soon.