There is no doubt that this holiday season will be different from others in a lot of ways. In addition to social distancing, and unsure of traveling, gifts could be hard to find. Goods shipping from other countries are slower than usual to nonexistent. Gifts could be hard to find, and sales might not be as good as usual. In addition to that, many have lost jobs, or don’t have as much money as usual. I have a unique, useful, and needed gift that you can make this holiday season. Create this wonderful DIY on budget and you can personalize it.
Did you know you can make your own hand soap dispenser? This is a fantastic and useful DIY gift idea that everyone needs.
Here are 3 ways to make these soap dispensers! To start you'll need a mason jar or recycled jar.
Paint Pouring Soap Dispenser (Contemporary Option)
Do you remember paint spinners? They were usually at festivals and carnivals. You’d place a canvas or paper on a spinner, while it spun around you would squirt different colors of paint on it. The paint would pull off in all directions from the spinning force. Paint pouring can give that same effect and you can do it on so many different surfaces. I the Mason jar upside down on a Styrofoam cup, and place that on top of wax paper on a baking sheet.
I used Folk Art Pre-Mixed Pouring Paint in the colors Bright Blue, Black, and Red. I squirt some of one color into a cup, then poured the next color on top, then the next color.
I repeated this process until I felt I had enough paint to coat the whole jar. I did not mix them, I just layered the paint on top of each other. Making a small circle with the cup, I poured the paint onto the Mason jar. I continued doing this until the whole cup was covered. If any bubbles showed up, I poked them with a craft stick. You could use a tooth pick as well. I let it dry completely.
Faux Stained Glass Soap Dispenser (Traditional Option)
Stained Glass Mason jars cost more than regular Mason jars. Sure you could buy them as there are a couple options out there. What if I told you that you could make them any color you want with a little Mod Podge and food coloring?
I put enough Mod Podge in a cup that I felt would coat the entire jar. I added several drops of food coloring, and then slowly mixed the color into Mod Podge. Using the same technique as the paint pouring, I poured the Mod Podge mixture until the entire jar was covered. I let it dry completely.
Painted & Distressed Soap Dispenser (Farmhouse Style Option)
Have you seen those farmhouse mason jars? You can buy them online for $40 or more! I’m going to show you how to paint and distress a mason or recycled jar to look rustic for a fraction of the cost! I painted it with Folk Art Home Decor White Chalk Paint. I painted on 1 coat, let it dry, and then added a second coat. Once the second coat was dry, I used a sanding block and lightly sanded the paint off the letters to give it that farmhouse and distressed look. I added a piece of wrapped twine around the edge of the jar.
For all 3 mason jar projects:
After all of the mason jars are dry, I would recommend sealing these one once dry or using dishwasher safe Mod Podge. I purchased stainless soap dispenser kits online. I put them together and twisted them onto the mason jars. They're ready to be used and or gifted.
You can put more than just soap in your dispenser! I also put Castile soap in ours for hand soap, body wash, & face wash. For my face moisturizer I use Organic Avocado Oil as recommended by my oncologist to stay away from added hormones and chemicals. I place this in my dispensers as well. I put dish soap in one and leave it by the sink to wash dishes. I put homemade laundry soap in it to it for spot treating and stains. Other dispenser uses include cooking oil, rubbing alcohol, and nail polish remover.
Besides soap, can I put hand sanitizer in a soap dispenser? Yes, we do that at our house. Want a hand sanitizer recipe?
Here it is:
- Mix together 2 parts (60% or higher) rubbing alcohol with 1 part Aloe Vera gel.
- Place in a container and it’s ready to use.
- Other Mason jar uses include seasoning dispenser, drinking glasses, coin or money jar, keep sake jar, make a candle holder, food storage, food mix gifts (cookie mixes), vase, storage, solar lights.
