How to Make Your Bathroom Sparkle: D.I.Y. Soap Gems + More!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SaveWithBubbles #CollectiveBias All photos contained below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2015.

Momma Told Me: Scrub until it sparkles!

My regular readers know- cleaning the bathroom was my first official chore. Because of Momma's compromised immune system (or at least that was her story) I began scrubbing sinks and toilets at a very early age. This is also how I learned that bubbles are your best friend when cleaning. Much like  great toothpaste helping to knock away tough plaque with rich minty suds, the powerful bubbling foam of Disinfectant Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Cleaner was an essential part of cleaning our family's bathroom. I can still remember the fresh lemon scent and the pride I'd take in watching that porcelain sparkle; mainly because I still trust and use Scrubbing Bubbles® products in our home, today.

Of course, when you're loyal to a brand, it can be tough to stay on budget. Great name brand products often mean name brand prices, but you don't have to compromise when you shop at Dollar General. There really are few stores like Dollar General, with over 11k store locations, nationwide, full of the most popular brands at the best everyday prices. And, not only does Dollar General carry your must have products and brands all year round, while accepting manufacturer's coupons, but they also offer in-house promotions to lower the price on everyday deals.

Now through August 2nd, 2015, you can take advantage of the following Scrubbing Bubbles® deals when you visit the Dollar General Coupon Center:

• $0.50 off any Scrubbing Bubbles® Bath Product
• $1 off any Scrubbing Bubbles® Toilet Gel Product
• $0.50 off any Scrubbing Bubbles® All Purpose Cleaner 

In addition, July 26th, 2015 through August 9th, 2015 you'll enjoy additional price drops on these Scrubbing Bubbles® favorites; Scrubbing Bubbles® Mega Shower Foamer $3.50 (usually $4), Scrubbing Bubbles® Toilet Gel $3.50 (Usually $4), and Scrubbing Bubbles® Drop Ins $2.50 (Usually $3).

In fact, Scrubbing Bubbles® Toilet Cleaning Gel is one of my favorite products for a fuss free sparkling bathroom. Available in Glade® inspired fragrances such as Rain Shower, this product features an easy apply gel stamp and 6 uses. Simply press down on the stamp button until the next notch clicks into place, while pressing the stamp against the wall of your toilet bowl, and release a gel drop that will freshen your toilet bowl for up to 3 weeks. Every time you flush you'll be freshening your air and helping to clean your toilet, without ever really getting your hands dirty. Now that's what I call cleaning genius!

While I was at Dollar General I also picked up some bars of soap at a great price. I'd always wanted to try carving Soap Gems for our guest bathroom and thought this would be the perfect way to add a little extra sparkle for just a few dollars. While any soaps will do, consider that clear, or translucent colored, soaps will allow for the best light flow, and glycerin based soaps will cut the easiest. Of course, this project should always be done with strong lighting, on a cutting board, by adults only!

 Start by cutting your soaps into various simple shapes. Gemstones come in all shapes and sizes, so don't over think this part. A few trapezoids, diamond shaped, and even lopsided rectangles, will do. With your soap shape securely on the cutting board cut the corners off at varied angles and placements. Once you have achieved a shape that pleases you carefully take the knife and whittle along the fine edges to add additional depth. There is no right or wrong in gem-shaping, and the leftover pieces can easily be melted back down in a microwave safe bowl and poured into a heatproof mold- so don't worry about waste!

Hand-carved soap gemstones can be a fun and relaxing project, and a great way to repurpose those old decorative soaps you've had hanging around for a while. If you don't have translucent bars on hand, don't worry, other soaps make perfectly gorgeous rocks and geodes too! Soap gems are also the perfect 1-2 use soaps for heavy traffic bathrooms and entertaining events!

A lot of times at stores such as Dollar General I see affordable mesh bins and baskets for home office organization. As affordable as they may be, I like to add a little extra sparkle. Recently I found a mini mesh basket that just so happened to have a larger waste-basket that matched. I bought the set knowing immediately that I would use the smaller one for a toothbrush holder and the larger one for our new bathroom waste-bin. The idea to dress up these mesh bins can be adapted in multiple ways to fit your color and decor. Use wide ribbon or yarn on waste-baskets, and small, narrow, ribbon and a needle on finer mesh such as this desktop bin/cup.

While your inspiration for decoration will match your tastes, and your bathroom, I stuck with the theme of sparkling and choose a starburst pattern I could easily alternate. We recently re-did our bathroom with a red, black, and grey European influence, so I stuck with the color palette for this project. As a general tip, start by threading from the inside out, and choose a central notch in the mesh as your repetitive feeding point. This will also help hide the knot you will inevitably tie in the back to secure your design.

For this simple starburst design I began with the center burst and brought my ribbon back down about halfway, through the middle notch, out from the inside of the bin. Each time I looped the ribbon back across the front I pulled the ribbon tight, through to the back, and brought it back out to the front through the central notch. For the red starburst I passed through the center notch 5 times. Of course really any design you can imagine could be woven into a mesh bin like this, and there are hundreds of patterns you could easily adapt to the project, online.

When it comes to making my bathroom sparkle I trust Scrubbing Bubbles® for the toughest stains and least glamorous jobs. Not only do their products continue to clean after I'm done, but they also make the cleaning process faster and more pleasant through powerful bubbles and fresh fragrances. Best of all, I can help my bathroom sparkle without watching my wallet dwindle when I pick up my favorite name brands at amazing deals, thanks to Dollar General. I've shared some of my favorite tips to add sparkle to your bathroom- what's one of yours?

What Daughter Says: I enjoy my sparkles with a little less elbow grease and a lot more pizazz!