Most women love scented soaps. Some women use the aromatic soaps to decorate the bathroom; other women actually bathe or shower with them. Very few people, however, use soap to make air fresheners. But, why not? After all, scented soaps smell great, they come in a huge variety of scents, and they’re generally not expensive. With all those assets going for it why shouldn’t you use soap to make air fresheners? No, I’m not suggesting you set bars of soap out in various rooms of your house but you can make a cute craft that hides the soap and allows you to discreetly use it as an air freshener. Where’s the perfect place to put such air fresheners? How about your closet? Your clothes will smell oh, so fresh when you create closet air fresheners from mere felt and soap.
Select pieces of felt to create a shape that will hold the aromatic soap. Cut the felt out into a shape of a dog, a kitten, a fish or another image. It’s helpful to use a coloring book for selecting a pattern. Choose a picture from the book and trace the image onto the felt. It’s easy to trace the image if you use carbon paper. Set the carbon paper ink-side-down onto the felt. Position the coloring book page on top of the carbon paper. Now trace around the image with a pen or pencil or even a stick. Now you can see the image and easily cut it out of the felt.
If you don’t have any carbon paper you can poke holes in the image to transfer it to the felt. Simply poke holes, spacing them somewhat apart, all the way around the outline of the image. Now place the coloring book page on the felt and use a pen or marker to color each hole. The ink marks on the felt will allow you enough of a pattern so that you can connect the dots and create the desired image.
After you’ve cut out the design you want for your closet air freshener, turn it face-down on the felt, and cut a second piece. The second piece of felt should be a mirror image of the first piece. Now you’re ready to assemble the unique air freshener. To do so, set one of the felt pieces on a flat surface. Position the soap so that it is in the center of the felt. Ideal soaps include ones that are flat or ones that are shaped yet small. Giant bars of thick soap are not perfect for this project. Place the second felt piece over the soap. Use hot glue around the entire perimeter of the image and press the two felt pieces together. The finished air freshener will be two felt shapes with the soap trapped in between them. You can now embellish the shapes by adding wiggly eyes, buttons, beads, additional felt pieces or other craft supplies. When you’re finished simply add a piece of double-sided tape to the backside to hold the new air freshener to the wall. The tape you use should be the type that is sold to hang pictures on walls.
If you have no double-sided tape you can easily make a hanger for the air freshener. Cut a length of ribbon or twine and fold it in half. Place the ends of the ribbon at the top of one of the felt pieces. Glue them in place. Now, as you glue the second felt piece on, simply glue it to the first and trap the ribbon between the two felt pieces. If you don’t have any felt you can use other types of cloth. Thin fabrics work best but not ones that are so thin you can see the soap. Thick fabrics, like denim or corduroy, are not acceptable for this project. If the fabric is really thick it’s difficult to smell the aromatic soap. If the material is really thin the weight of the soap can make the finished soap holder droop or lose its shape.
You don’t necessarily have to choose a pet or other specific shape for the hanging air freshener. You can cut two circles, two squares or even two triangles to make the shape that holds the soap. Instead of soap you can also use dry potpourri. Just place a handful of it on the first felt shape and glue the second shape over the top of it. Hang the finished air fresheners in closets, doorknobs or even on the car’s rearview mirror. You can use them to freshen most any area of the home as well as each of your vehicles.
The aromatic fresheners not only work to keep your closets and other areas smelling wonderful but they also make great gifts. They’re perfect as a parting gift for your favorite teacher, as a surprise gift for Mom’s birthday or even to give to a friend. Make baby-theme ones to give to a new baby or even child-theme ones to gift a young girl. You can even make manly scents, with a masculine theme for the felt shapes, to give to a guy. It’s a fun project that’s not expensive and very easy to create.
Reference:
- Purchase fun soaps here: www.orientaltrading.com
