In need of some great and extremely useful teacher gifts? Have a germ-a-phobic friend? or a friend with a new baby trying to keep germs away from well-wishers? Try making some Home Made Soap Bottles. I saw this idea about two years ago on a local television show and have made several as gifts since then.
Simply print your own personalized message or quote onto some transparency film using a laser printer. If you don’t have a laser printer, print it out with your ink jet printer and then copy it onto the transparency film. You can also take your paper and have the copy center copy it onto transparencies which is usually around $1. The reason it needs to be copied or printed from a laser printer is so the ink will no run and fall apart in the soap.
If you don’t want to come up with your own, I am providing you with the template I have used.
**Click here for a downloadable template, or on the image below…
You may need to resize it according to the size of your bottles. Then personalize it by adding a name (etc.) to the top and underline it in a font of your choice and size. Crop to fit if needed. It should be 3 inches wide by 3.5 inches high for the hand soaps and 3 inches wide by 4 inches high for the sanitizer bottles I used.
I usually buy my soap from the dollar store, but there are also places who sell the empty soap bottle dispensers online.
Anyways, below is a tutorial, of sorts, to help you come up with the finished product.
Remove all stickers and labels from the bottles. I got my paper labels wet and they easily scraped off. To clean off any glue residue, I used Goof Off which I had bought earlier to remove a million stickers manufacturers had placed on our girls headboards. (Why do they do that??). If I remember right, I bought it at Home Depot.
Cut around your printed label as straight and as close as you can get to the writing so that it fits properly into your bottle. Check before you cut the bottom of the label to be sure that it will sit as high in the bottle as you would like to to.
Roll up the label so that the writing is in front. I roll mine backwards. Stuff it into the bottle carefully.
Use the soap dispenser to push the label to the front wall of the bottle and to straighten it in the right position.
And…There you go! Some practical and affordable gifts that are sure to please.
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Oh my goodness, you have some SERIOUSLY good ideas! I have always wondered how to make those cute soap bottles, and I also love the camera strap idea! Thank you!
I love that idea. So cute and personal too.
What do you do in your spare time??!!
I forgot to say that I love LOOKING at all the things you come up with. You are a clever girl!
I love this idea! Do you need to do anything special to prevent the label from moving if it is refilled?
When you refill the bottle, simply push the label forward with something (the pump dispenser, a spoon handle, or a pencil, etc.). Fill the bottle with your soap or sanitizer. When mostly filled position label with same instrument to correct position and top off with soap. Voila!
This project is AWESOME!
Thank you for sharing it!
Patricia
I am having a hard time finding the transparency film. Where did u get it?? Love your ideas! Making several for Christmas gifts this year!
So clever!!!
I can't wait to try this out!
Thank you for sharing your super cool idea. :)
Hi Thanks so much! I am in charge of teacher appreciation @ Bates elementary. I wanted to make the teachers somethings cool and personalized! This will help me a lot! Dani
I've already made at least ten of these, blogged about your idea, and linked my blog to your site. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm a teacher, and this will be a perfect gift for co-workers.
http://littlelizardking.blogspot.com/
Super cute! I am making these as well but I am using my cricut and vinyl on the outside. I like this alot too!
Thank you so much for the instructions! I was wondering what the font you used for the names is? I love that font – so elegant and stately. I also tried to save and copy your template but it came out a bit blurry – do you have a word or publisher document rather than a picture? Thank you!
Trina [email protected]
What an ingenious idea and so easy to do. I just made four of these to give my dd's teachers this year for Christmas.
Thanks for sharing!
I loved this post, I saw it months ago and decided to make them for christmas presents. I will post on my blog and link to your page. Thanks for the great post.
Amy @ The Nifty Nurse
What a fabulous idea!
brown paper packages sent me over ~ thanks for a great tutorial!!
Wow.
how do you think of that stuff?
great ideas. your site is on my side bar as a sights I enjoy link
I love this ideas also. thanks. I'm going to use this as gifts for everyone. Can you ever have enough hand sanitizer?
I've spent hours on your blog! I love your ideas and can't wait to make these bottles! Can you tell me where to find the link to download as a document? what I have is a picture and it prints out a bit blury and is hard to add text. Thanks so much!!!
I have been wanting to make these since I first came across them on your blog last month (I am a new follower and love all of your ideas!). I was not able to add my own text or anything to the download, so I inserted a text box, added our name and then clicked on no border to the text box. It worked perfectly! Hope this helps everyone else.
This is a fab idea. I love it. Totally cute and so easy to do
Thank you for sharing this awesome idea! I just made these for some of our teachers. Your instructions were perfect. Thank you!!!
LOVE all your ideas! Thanks so much for sharing this one. I've made a few for end of the year teacher gifts. I also wanted to let you know I posted a ling to your site from my blog posting. You can check it out at http://juliescraftcave.blogspot.com
Julie
I used your idea to make personalized soap dispensers for the bathrooms at my daughter's wedding reception. I created the Word document at home (their names, the date, and "from this day forward"…)and brought the file to Staples for printing on a transparency; very inexpensive. Of all the DIY parts of the wedding, THESE were the ones that drew the most attention and "How the heck did you do that" comments! Thank you for the idea!
Fantastic idea!!!
http://www.makingmemorieswithyourkids.blogspot.com
I did exactly as said and the top line a couple letter have broken away from the transparency? it is right where the fluid was moving while I was tying a bow on it? has this happened to you before? I had office max put it on the transparency and asked if it was a laser printer…it isn't smearing just broken bit's. Am I doing something wrong? Love the idea I have a few friends going into teaching this year and I work at a bank so we use lot's sanitizer :D simple and great to give!
this is a super idea! Can't wait to try it!
I made one of these today and it turned out darling! I love it! I will DEFINITELY be making these for my children's teachers this year.
Thank you once again for such simple and creative ideas. I just love this site. You can see my little bottle here if you like:
http://brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/2010/09/personalized-soapsanitizer-bottle.html
So cute! We did these almost a year ago and I have loved it, however, the words are starting to fall off the sheet, and it isn't so pretty anymore. Is there anything that you could seal the words on with?
OH My goodness! That is the COOLEST gift ever! And soo inexpensive and personal, what teacher wouldn't like one of these! Thanks for sharing it!
How outrageously awesome!
I thought there was also a pattern or example for one for halloween, but I can't find it now.
I just found your site today, and I love it! I want to try everything I have seen here today! LOL! But I was reading the comments about the hand sanitizer, and I had a thought about the letters coming off. I wonder, if you were able to encase the lettering in something, if that would keep them in place. Maybe try covering it in clear contact paper. or even laminating it? Mind you, I have not tried this project yet, but I just thought this might work. ;-)
I really love all your ideas. I am trying to do the soap bottles and am having a problem with the ink coming off, I tried copying it at work and that came off I bought a laser printer today and tried that and just a few minutes after being in the bottle the words started to run. Any idea of what I am doing wrong?? Thanks
Love this project! So many possibilities! I know this has been on your blog for awhile, but I'm going to link to it on my crafty linking party since it's too good not to share! would love to see you there too!
I know this would require a bit more work, but if you empty the bottle first, rinse it and let it dry, print the lettering backwards onto adhesive transparency (put the lettering in a text box and flip it). Then adhere the sticky side directly to the front of the bottle, that should prevent the deterioration of the lettering and alleviate filling issues.
I know it's an old post but it's still one of my favs!! I am featuring friday on my blog!
WOW! That is such a great idea!! THANK YOU!
I have downloaded the template, but it will not allow me to add the family name in…it is just a PDF that I cannot manipulate. Am I doing something wrong? I LOVE these and am dying to make them tonight with my kids!
Thanks, Lesli
I have downloaded the template, but it will not allow me to add the family name in…it is just a PDF that I cannot manipulate. Am I doing something wrong? I LOVE these and am dying to make them tonight with my kids!
Thanks, Lesli
I have downloaded the template, but it will not allow me to add the family name in…it is just a PDF that I cannot manipulate. Am I doing something wrong? I LOVE these and am dying to make them tonight with my kids!
Thanks, Lesli
I have downloaded the template, but it will not allow me to add the family name in…it is just a PDF that I cannot manipulate. Am I doing something wrong? I LOVE these and am dying to make them tonight with my kids!
Thanks, Lesli
I have downloaded the template, but it will not allow me to add the family name in…it is just a PDF that I cannot manipulate. Am I doing something wrong? I LOVE these and am dying to make them tonight with my kids!
Thanks, Lesli
This was such a great idea! I wanted to do it for teacher gifts last year when I first saw your post but never got around to it. I did it this year though, and they turned out great!! Here is my blog post about them with a link back to your post:
http://houseofestrogen.typepad.com/house_of_estrogen/2010/12/christmas-comes-early.html
I had trouble with that Goof Off stuff though. If you read the fine print, it actually says not to use it on plastic. It made the plastic sort of rough or something. I would try Goo Gone or just soap and water.
Love that somebody used this idea for bathrooms at a wedding! That is awesome!!!
Regular olive or vegetable oil takes off almost all glue residue from jars and bottles. Just pour some on, and rub at the glue with your fingers for a minute or two and it all comes off! Plus it’s something we all have around the house, and it’s cheap!
Thank you for sharing this, I shared it as a gift idea on my online bible study, we need gifts that dont cost alot! Great Job! I also shared it on my blog and added a link back to you guys! Hope I did it right Im new to this stuff! Be blessed and have a Merry Christmas!
Way Fun!!
I made some of these based on your design and thought you might like to see them! Thanks for the idea, they turned out wonderful!
http://pynefurniturefun.blogspot.com/2011/01/christmas-crafts.html
Love this idea! Have spent an hour or two already (instead of making dinner, rut roh) at all of your craftiness! One question: Why did you write "The Huntley's" instead of "The Huntleys" ???
omg this is amazing!!
greetz from Germany
http://theisiwayoflife.blogspot.com
Love! I'm making these for my son's teachers for Valentines day and another one for our bathroom. I just bought the Pottery Barn "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" shower curtain, but they had not bath accessories. I cut and pasted on of Dr. Seuss's fish and added a quote from the book. Voila! :)
Wow!!! Love it!!! I thought I saw something like this on Pinterest but I like yours better. :)
Wow! These were so easy to make and I am so NOT crafty! I can’t thank you enough for posting This. I made 6 bottles and it probably took me 10 minutes. LOVE IT!
Thanks for sharing. I had such a good time we made these for a ton of people and there a fun, easy and people are amazed.
Thanks!
you said, “If you don’t have a laser printer, print it out with your ink jet printer and then copy it onto the transparency film.”
do you mean copy the template onto regular white paper and then use that white paper as a template for the transparency?
Please help thank you
hi
I love this idea and was hoping to use it as a gift idea, but I cannot get the template to work. It will not allow me to add the name to the top. Can you help me?
Thanks!
Thank you for this Idea, I am using this as an end of the year teachers gift. I think it will be perfect and something she can use and think of my child!
I LOVE this and am so sad- i made a whole bunch for my daughter’s teachers, yes, TOMORROW, and ALL the words are floating off!
I printed at staples, on transparency, put in soft soap brand (coconut and ginger- could this be it??) and i am now out of a gift! ahh! any ideas on WHY? i think this is so cool!
I love this idea. I’ve been trying to finish these for end of the year gifts but I can’t seem to get the sticker residue from the bottle. I am using goof off but nothing seems to work. any tips? I tried using a cotton ball, paper towel, towel, and a sponge. The stickiness is gone but there is a cloudy look, kind of foggy appearance. any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!
Help removing foggy left over appearance from the sticker! Cute gift idea!
Hi! I love this idea and made them for a Children’s Ministry Appreciation Tea. But I’m having troubles with the transparency film staying in place. It floats to the bottom of the bottles. I purchased the soft soaps ~ 7.5 oz that have a circle in it in the body. I did exactly what you described. Do you have any tips on what to do to keep them in place?
Thank you!
Hello! I cannot download the template! Scribd says I must be a Premium Reader at $9.00 a month to download! :( Is there some other place I may download this template without forking out so much money? I Love this idea! can’t wait to try it! :) Thank you in advance, Kim
Hey Kim! I just looked at that and have since taken it off Scribd. I didn’t realize they were charging now. I have uploaded it to Google Docs so you should now be able to get it that way. I don’t want anyone to have to pay for it. Let me know if you have any more trouble and I can just email it to you. Thanks for letting me know!
How do I add a name to the top of the template? Sorry, I thought I was more computer savvy, but I can’t figure out how to edit a pdf.
So at office depot would I be buying the transparency film for copiers?
Me, being the cheapo I am, want to make 2 points. You can MAKE goo gone much cheaper than buying it. Look at Pinterest, there are a lot of recipes, but I love the 1 part coconut oil to 1 part baking soda. That seems to work best for me. Secondly, germophobic people are doing themselves a disservice. We NEED some bacteria in our gut. We just need it. But, I understand that teachers, especially, need hand sanitizer, especially in the lower grades. This is a terrific idea. Just terrific!
I can download your script for the sanitizer bottle, but cannot add a personal name. I scrolled through the other comments and saw that others have had a similar problem. I also saw a post from you saying your were working on another download that might alleviate these problems. Has that been completed, and, if so, where is it posted on your blog? This is such a great idea and I would be sad to leave it uncompleted. Hope you can reply!
Did you ever make this into a word document so that the name could be added? I couldnt find it? Could you e-mail it to me?
Thanks
I am having a hard time adding a name to the saying…it just wont let me add. What can I do to fix this???