DIY Network

Soap Vases Carve, hang and enjoy. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-312

Carve some fun little vases today.

Michele Beschen's ready to dress up her walls and tabletops with some good clean fun: vases made out of soap.

Yes, soap. Cute guest soaps aren't the only way to decorate with the sudsy stuff. You also can B. Original and carve fun little vases out of square or rectangular bars of soap. This project doesn't require any special carving tools or even special soaps, just a steady hand. And, if you ever get tired of these vases, you can always use them as...soap.

advertisement

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Soap Vases

Materials:

bars of soap
carving tools
small nails
reeds, dried flowers or other items for display

Note: Carving tools for this project can include wood-carving tools, craft knives, kitchen knives or even tiny, flat-head screwdrivers.

• Any kind of store-bought or homemade soap works for this project, as long as it has square edges. Don't use a rounded or oval soap.

• Determine how the soap vase will hang on the wall: vertical, horizontal or edgewise.

• Gently carve the opening where the greenery or other objects will insert in the soap (figure A). Work slowly and remove just a little material at a time. Rushing will cause the soap bar to crack. Don't carve too close to the edges.

• Once the proper space is hollowed out, arrange the flowers or other elements in the vase (figure B). Cut the bottom end of the elements off at an angle to create a point, then embed this point in the soap to hold it still.

• To hang the soap vase, carve out a small opening in the back that will accommodate the head of a nail (figure C). Angle the opening so the vase will hang flat on the wall (figure D), and be careful not to punch through to the hollowed-out part when you carve the nail hole.

• Remember not to hang the soap vase in a bathroom or other area of high humidity.