How to Make Fish In A Bag Carnival Prize Soap | Circarnival (Circus Carnival) Wedding DIY

Wedding guests at the Circarnival Wedding will be receiving wedding favors, but we thought it would be nice if there were prizes for the carnival games as well. Enter: Fish in a Bag Soap. This project is best accomplished with two people, but is relatively easy and can be done in an evening and, depending on how many you make, is also pretty inexpensive.

What You'll Need

-clear glycerin soap

-a knife

-measuring cup or other bowl with a spout

-funnel

-plastic treat bags

-chopsticks or long forceps

-spray bottle with rubbing alcohol in it (I got mine at CVS for about a dollar.)

-plastic goldfish (I bought a multi-color pack, but only used the orange ones.)

1. Cut up the soap. 

Using the soap we had, I was able to cut the block into about nine sections of four cubes each (for a total of 36--yielding 9 bags). The first cut row you see pictured below was a bit too much soap for one bag so I began cutting thinner slivers after this.

2. Prepare an ice bath.

You'll use this soon.

3. Melt the soap.

Put a "row" of the soap (for me that was four cubes) into the spouted container and microwave it for 45 seconds. If the soap isn't melted, pop in back in there for 8-10 second intervals until it is. 

4. Using the funnel, pour the melted soap into the bag.

This is a surprisingly delicate process and would best be accomplished with two humans. The trick is to keep the funnel's nose aiming toward the center of the bag to avoid getting soap on the sides of the bag. 

5. Spray the soap in the bag with the rubbing alcohol.

This is to remove air bubbles. Failure to do this step will lead to a rabies-like frothing at the top of the soap. Don't forget, or you'll have to shoot your soap, Old Yeller style.

6. Move the bag of soap to the ice bath and use the chopsticks to lower in the fish.

It's best to wait just a smidge (which is the scientific term) before lowering them in so you don't have to hover hand it forever.

7. Hold that damn fish there.

Doot da doot. 

8. Once it seems legit, let that fishy free.

You'll know you've reached legitness when that fish stays put when you let go.

9. Boom! One fish bag is more or less prepared. Now repeat this process until you run out of soap. 

10. Mix it up, mixmaster. 

Every once in a while, stop fighting the urge and go ahead and make a dead fish bag. You could just put the fish upside down at the top of the soap, but trust me this won't satisfy your itch. For true deadness, first scratch the eye paint off of the fish. You're welcome. He's dead now. 

11. Find a friend with a Cricut. 

Trust me. If you're going to make labels for your fish prizes, you're going to want a Jamie-With-a-Cricut in your life. This thing is magical. 

12. Make and attach cute labels.

In my case, I used a star shaped hole punch, double layered Cricut-cut paper tags, wrote on them, and attached them with ribbon and string. Because, why not.

13. Marvel at your craftiness.

No, YOU'RE the winner.