You can quickly and easily take a wonderful bar of handmade soap and decorate it to make a very special gift for any occasion.

If you want to learn how easy it is to make handmade soap, look at the Blumesfarm website under classes to see where and when soap classes will be taught.

Warning; making soap is addictive and lots of fun. If you don't want to learn to make your own soap, you can purchase handmade soaps at area health food stores and craft shows.

Decorating the soap with special flowers or notices is easy. You can print anniversary information , birthday, wedding or christening information on your computer (attractive paper) , cut out the information and lay it on top of your bar of soap.

EXAMPLES:

Linda and Frank 25th Wedding Anniversary

Laura Lynne Cooper February 18th 2002 7 pounds 2 ounces

Karen and John Smith February 14th 2002

After you have laid your message on top of the soap, cut a transparent, glycerin bar of soap into four chunks and allow to melt in a saucepan on the stove over very low heat. Do not stir, stirring creates bubbles that are difficult to get rid of and also makes the soap more opaque and less transparent.

When the glycerin soap is melted, spoon the melted transparent soap over your decorated bar to cover and seal your message to your bar of soap. (this is the same idea as an aspic in cooking).

You can also decorate soap with pressed flowers from your garden. You should be able to find a bar of transparent glycerin soap at any area health food store. Clearly Natural is the brand found at local Safeway stores. These decorated soaps make wonderful favors to hand out to wedding guests, or have at the table for anniversary parties and are a unique birth announcement or hostess gift.

The bars of soap, once decorated, will dry hard in about 4 minutes.

Previous Christine Blume Recipes:

• January 28, 2002: Learn To Make Flower Essences
• January 11, 2002: Learn To Make Sumptuous Herbal Foot Baths
• December 12, 2001: Recipe For Bath Bombs
• November 26, 2001: Learn How To Make Bath Salts And Crystals
• November 7, 2001: Recipe For Homemade Chai Mix
• November 5, 2001: Recipe For Radically Healing Lip Balm
• September 26, 2001: Linen Sprays, Spritzers Or Perfume
• March 17, 2001: Learn To Make Solid Perfumes, Cuticle Balms