Melt and pour soap is a super simple craft, yet so much fun to use and get creative with. You can pretty much make any shape, color, and fragrance you like using a melt and pour soap base. I decided to create bars that are not only useful for getting your hands clean, but fun to look at too! With a few pieces of felt and some plastic toy animals, you’ll have some adorable DIY soap diorama bars perfect for gifting (or keeping all to yourself).
Aren’t these DIY soap diorama bars just the cutest?! You can’t tell me that your kids wouldn’t love washing their hands with these! Maybe they’ll actually want to get clean more than once a day. While they may look complex, they don’t take long to make at all!
Supplies needed to make your own DIY soap dioramas:
- Clear Melt and Pour Soap Block
- Rectangle Soap Molds
- Plastic Toy Animals
- Felt Pieces
- Scissors, Glass Measuring Cup, Spoon, and Microwave
First begin by cutting your felt pieces into leaves, grass, or other shapes for your diorama. You’ll also need to cut a rectangular shape to fit into the soap mold as the background.
Now that all your pieces are cut, assemble your mini dioramas to get a good idea of how you want them arranged.
Next, it’s time to cut up your melt and pour soap into 1″ chunks and fill up your measuring cup. You’ll need roughly 1/2 cup of soap per rectangle mold. Place your measuring cup in the microwave for 30 seconds. You want the soap to just melt but not begin to boil. So microwave in small amounts to keep it from getting too hot. Stir with your spoon, and pour a thin (1/4″) layer of soap into the bottom of the mold.
Let this soap harden at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Once it is hard, lay your felt pieces and plastic toy animals on top of the DIY soap base layer. Re-melt the soap in your measuring cup and gently pour the soap over your diorama until the soap reaches the top of the mold. At this time you can either mist the top of the soap with rubbing alcohol or use the spoon to gently remove any bubbles that pop up.
Now that your soap is poured, let your diorama bars cool at room temperature until fully hardened (around 1-2 hours).
Finally it is time to un-mold your bars of DIY soap and either wrap them in plastic wrap to give as a gift, or drop them off by a sink and let the clean times commence!
My kids already called dibs on these bars of soap, so I know they were a big hit. Yet you don’t have to do all the work yourself! This, along with this soap DIY sticks project are great activities to do with kids. Let them create their own little scene and help with the soap pouring and melting.
The best part is that after these DIY soap diorama bars have been used up, you’re left with a fun toy to play with! Talk about win-win!
More Project Ideas
Kara is the owner and designer of Kailo Chic. She loves all things bright, colorful, and patterned. Kara also loves interior design, DIY projects, designing new accessories, gardening, and cooking. A Kailo Chic Life features all of these passions.
Do you have any advice on how to keep the soap from turning foggy? We’ve made two molds and the it worked perfectly, but the clear soap fogged up. Any tips?
I love these soaps, so cute. I don’t have any little ones to give them to but I can think of ways to create more items inside for teenagers & adults. How about plastic flowers or fish. Even butterflies. There are a lot of plastic items that would work. I think I’ll try this, they would make great christmas gifts. You could tint or scent in the melted mix
I can’t even take these soaps, Kara!!!!! Amazing.
Seriously the cutest idea ever!
Seriously the cutest idea ever!
These are adorable!