Making Guest Soaps using Krafty Lady moulds

by Kimberly Davenport

Soap Making supplies:

  • soap base (comes in clear and colors - colors shown are yellow, green and blue) **I prefer the clear or translucent, as shown in this photo.**

  • color additive

  • scent additive

  • microwave

  • sharp knife (to cut thru the soap base brick)

  • Witch Hazel in a spray bottle (you can get both at Walmart or similar store. If you can't find the Witch Hazel, as the pharmacist where they stock it. It is an over the counter item.)

  • Small glass bowl (I got 3 of these at a dollar store).

  • A wooden stick to stir -- or you can use a spoon.

  • And your Krafty Lady Mould from After Midnight.

Here are some "bricks" of soap base (I usually get mine at Michaels.)

 The bricks of soap come in colors such as yellow, blue and green, as shown here. They also come in clear or translucent. I prefer the translucent and add my own color. It allows me to custom my soaps a little more.

These particular (colored) bases are coconut oil soap base. they tend to heat quicker and harden faster. I don't care for those since they start to harden as soon as you take it out of the microwave, not allowing much time to work with.


  • Step 1:

    Cut chunks (pieces) off of your brick of soap base.

    Cutting them into smaller pieces allows for more even melting.
    In time you will be able to determine how many chunks you need to fill your mould to the top without spilling over.

    Hint: To determine how much melted soap base you will need, you can fill up your mould with water, then pour the water into your glass bowl and note the level. So when you have your melted soap base, you can determine if you've reached the "water level" that you noted or if you need to add a few more pieces of soap base to melt. Worst case, you could always pour your mixture back into the glass bowl, rinse out your mould, add a few more chunks to your mixture and melt and then pour back into the mould.

    You want to melt in 5 second increments. I know this is a pain but the only real way you can mess this soap making up is by burning your soap base.

    Melt at 5 second increments until your soap base is completely melted. Stir after each 5 second episode.

    Note: Be careful!! The melted soap base is very, very hot and will burn you if you spill it on your skin! (Don't ask me how I know this.) It's worse then spilled coffee or hot tea as the soap base is like a wax and will stick to your skin.

  • Step 2:

    Add your color of choice (or you can leave clear).

    Colorings can be found at Michaels or anywhere you find soap making items or on line.

    Colors come in a rainbow selection... yellow, red, blue, green, orange, purple, brown, or mix and match colors to create custom colors. They come either in a drip tip form or witha dripper bulb that lets you squeeze out a drop at a time.

  • Step 3:

    Next, add your scent of choice.

    These can also be purchased anywhere they sell soap making supplies or on line. They can range in price from a couple of dollars up to one bottle I have was $22.35 -- and they bottles come in many sizes from a half an ounce and larger.

  • Step 4:

    Stir and then pour into your mould of choice.

    Note: You want to work fairly quickly with all of these steps. If you find the soap base is hardening, you can put it back in the microwave for a few seconds at a time. Usually no more then 5 seconds is all that is needed.

    Here it is in the mould and it's just about up to the top of the mould.

    Note: If you pour too much into it and it goes over your mould and onto your counter, LEAVE IT ALONE until after it has hardened.

    When you pop it out of the mould, you can easily trim off the excess from the sides with your sharp knife. It's not a big deal. And you can take the edge of the sharp knife and scrape it off the counter. It's soap after all, so it all washes up well.

    Once you've filled up the mould, give it a LIGHT spray of Witch Hazel.

    What this does is it will not allow the little soap bubbles to form on the soap. It basically makes the back of the soap smooth and it looks prettier then if tiny bubbles formed and dried on the surface.

    I suppose this step is optional, but it really makes for a nice presentation.

Now... let the mould set. Do Not Touch it or mess with it. This might be the hardest part -- waiting. LOL

It's hard to say a time frame because it depends on how hot your soap base was from the microwave, the thickness or depth of your mould, and even the different types of soap bases.

I wait a half hour for thin moulds and up to an hour for thicker moulds (like Monty here).

Just try and be patient. It's worth the wait.

Close up of a darker Monty in blue with his modest fig leaf in place. (depending on how many drops of color you put into your melted soap base will determine how light or dark your finished soap becomes.)

Hint: If you do try to release it from the mould and it hasn't cured yet, you could damage the impression and either live with it or pop the soap out of the mould, put that mixture back into your glass bowl, microwave at 5 second incriments until it's fully melted, and then repour it back into your mould and start the waiting time all over again.

Note: Colorings for soap will not stain your skin or your sinks or tubs. Make sure the colorings and scents you use are for soap making (you don't want to use colorings and scents not for human contact in this manner.)

Christmas Ornaments done in soap!

I melted some green soap base first and put it in the center section of the mould and let it harden for a few minutes.

Then I melted more soap base and added blue coloring and poured it directly over the green so it formed a two-tone soap.

Butterflies!

Note: I did the same technique from the ornament mould. Melt your first small batch of soap base and add first color. Pour into the butterfly section of the mould.

Then melt and pour a second small batch of soap base and fill the rest of the mould.

This one actually has three colors of soap base: blue, dark pink (or red), and then yellow.

The pears are just to cute.

Note: I cut off a piece of thin bamboo stick I had laying around in my office for the stem. I cut the thin stick on an angle and inserted the angled part into the soap.


So many possiblities.

Last but not least of my soaps...

You can wrap them in clear or colored plastic wrap, tie with a ribbon and give as gifts.

I hope you try making your own soaps. And I hope you enjoyed this how-to.

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