Recently, I was looking for something inexpensive that would make a nice, little party favor.  What I came up with would also make a great bridal shower guest gift.

I found this box of these rose-shaped soaps [each petal is a piece of soap] at a Michael’s Craft Store.  The cost?  Are you sitting down?  ONE DOLLAR!!!   That bargain price left me with extra funds to purchase a package of tiny, open-ended plastic bags (apx. $2) and a roll of thin satin ribbon ($1.00).   The box of 9 rosebud soaps had only 1 tag attached, describing their scent (lavender) on 1 side and instructions (for use) on the other side.  Since my plan was to create 9 individual gifts out of my economical find, I needed to create 8 more labels to attach to each soap rosebud.

To accomplish this, I scanned both sides of the label into my computer.  Next, I created a 9-cell “table” in Microsoft Word.  Into each cell, I inserted the .jpg I created by scanning the front of the label.  I repeated this process and inserted the “instructions” instead.  I, then, printed the front “table”, flipped over that printed paper and placed it back into the printer.  Then, I printed the instructions, which ended up on the back (of the original printout).  I’m a little technologically challenged, so I had to print it out a few times (front & back), hold it up to the light to see where lining-up adjustments should be made until I finally got it right.  In the end, it printed out a grid of 9 tags that looked exactly like the original!  Now, all I had to do was cut them apart and punch a hole in each so I could thread a length of satin ribbon through it and tie in a bow to close up each baggie with a rosebud in it.

For the event, I displayed them together on a silver platter, on a table located by the front door so each guest could take one on their way out the door.  It was a big hit with the party-goers because most of them had never seen rosebud-shaped soap before and the beautiful, yet simple packaging made it seem like a very special gift… and an economical gift for me.  A win-win!!!

Enjoy the Creativity!