- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 4.5 × 3.5 in (11.4 × 9.0 cm)
This pastel pink soap bar with its rosy cheeks and cluster of shiny foam bubbles makes an adorable addition to your handmade self-care collection. Grab the free printable skincare paper squishy template in US Letter or A4, which comes in 3 versions: full color, a ready-to-color outline, and a blank shape for custom designs. Pair it with a skincare pump bottle squishy and a lip gloss paper squishy to build a whole vanity set!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your soap bar template at 100% scale on plain printer paper (make sure “fit to page” is turned off). Check the scale line in the top corner: it should measure exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color your soap bar in dreamy pastel shades like lavender, mint, or peach and let any marker ink dry completely before moving on.
2Tape the pieces
Laminate just the two soap bar pieces with wide clear packing tape—no need to cover the entire sheet. Press each strip down from the center toward the outer edges without pulling, since stretched tape tends to wrinkle later. This glossy layer gives your soap bar a wet-look shine and makes the paper strong enough for endless squishing.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out the front and back pieces right along the solid black outer line, keeping the narrow white border intact. Take your time steering the scissors around the wavy little bumps where the foam bubbles sit on the top corner so the front and back silhouettes match up cleanly.
4Add a tape border to the back
Place the back piece printed side down onto strips of regular clear tape, sticky side facing up. Trim the tape so it extends about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge all the way around, then snip into this sticky border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper. These little tabs will wrap nicely around the curved soap corners.
5Join front and back
Lay the front piece right on top of the back piece with the white unprinted sides together, lining up the bubbly corners. Fold the sticky tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them flat. Leave a 4.5 cm (1¾ in) gap open along the edge (the pink line in the illustration shows where) for stuffing.
6Stuff it
Shred plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small bits and poke them in through the open gap. Push the first tufts into the far corners, including the bubbly top corner and the rounded bottom corners of the soap bar, then fill the middle until it feels plump and pillowy—stop before it gets too tight so the taped seams don’t pop.
7Close the gap
Fold the remaining tape flaps over the opening and seal the gap shut with an extra strip of clear tape. Run your finger firmly along the entire perimeter of the soap bar, especially over the bumpy bubble edge, to make sure every flap is pressed down tight.
8Squish!
Your kawaii soap bar is ready—measuring about 4.5 × 3.5 in (11.4 × 9.0 cm), it fits right in your hands! Give it a good squeeze and watch it puff back into shape. Want that satisfying slow-rising feel? Prick one tiny pinhole in the back so air escapes gently.
Free Soap Bar Squishy Template
- Color
- Coloring page
- Blank, design your own
- Step-by-step guide
One free PDF: the template in three versions (pages 1–3) and the step-by-step guide (pages 4–5). Print the template at 100% on plain printer paper.
Tips for the perfect squish
- My soap bar feels too hard. You packed in a little too much filling. Gently open the stuffing gap, pull out a few tufts of stuffing, and tape the edge shut again.
- Tape wrinkles on the face. Use shorter strips of packing tape across the soap bar and lay them on from the middle outward without pulling as you go.
- A bumpy bubble edge splits open. Put a new short strip of regular clear tape directly across the split seam around the foam bubbles, overlapping the old strips to lock it down.
- Marker colors smeared under tape. Printer ink is fine to tape right away, but marker ink on the coloring page needs to dry fully before you lay packing tape over the soap.
Questions
What else can I make with a skincare paper squishy template?
A cute soap bar is the easiest place to start a handmade self-care set because its rounded rectangular shape is super beginner-friendly. You can also use the blank template version to draw your own custom cleansing bars, facial sponges, or pastel beauty bar wrappers!
Can I use glue instead of tape to seal the edges?
Not for the edges. Glue does not stick to tape-covered paper, so the seams of your soap bar would quickly open. Folding the snipped tape border over the edge holds best.
What paper works best for paper squishies?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best. Cardstock makes the soap bar too stiff, so it won’t squish and puff back up as nicely.
How do I make a preppy skincare paper squishy?
Print the coloring page or blank version and color your soap bar in bright hot pink, pastel blue, or sunny yellow, then add little stars, hearts, or lightning bolts around the bubbles before taping.
Can I make this craft with a group or class?
Yes! Print 1 sheet per person and cut tape strips in advance to save time. Kids can color the coloring page while you help with the taping step—plan about 30 minutes for the activity.
More paper squishies to make
Pin this tutorial
Save it to your craft board so you can find the free template again.