Decoupaged Pinup Girl Soap/Lotion Dispenser Tutorial

I made this soap dispenser from an empty hand sanitizer bottle from work.  I work as a massage therapist and we go through hand sanitizer like crazy so I like to rescue the bottles to pretty them up to resuse at home or to give away.   I'm in love with Gil Elvgren's pinup girls so I used a one of his reproductions from an old "one-a-day" calendar.  Since I planned on using this bottle in the bathroom, I thought this picture of the pinup girl in a robe with a towel wrapped over her hair was perfect for this bottle. 

Materials Needed:  

Empty bottle (pump is optional)

Mod Podge

Artwork or whatever picture you want

Faux Gems

Glue (I used Elmer's)

tweezer (for the gems)

1.  Starting with a clean bottle, remove the labels.  If any of the gummy adhesive will not come off, you can use a bit of Goo Gone to remove the residue.  Be sure to clean the Goo Gone off the bottle really well otherwise, the  Mod Podge and artwork will not adhere. 

2.  Cut your artwork to size. 

3.  Once the bottle is clean and dried, spread the Mod Podge with a brush over the front of the bottle.  

4.  Place the artwork or picture over the adhesive and smooth from the center out to the edges with your fingers to remove any air bubbles and wrinkles.  Once the bubbles and wrinkles are removed, spread a layer of the Mod Podge over the artwork.  Once again, smooth it out.  If there are any wrinkles on the edges, it's not a big deal if you plan on using the faux gems, as the gems can cover up the wrinkles. Give it a few minutes and let it dry.  Put a second layer of Mod Podge.  Let it dry.  

 5.  Using the Elmer's glue (or whatever you are using), glue the gems onto the artwork in whatever design you want.  I used tweezer to help make the placement easier. 

Depending on how much glue you used, it may need a few hours (or overnight) to dry.  Once it is completely dry, put one more coat of Mod Podge over the art and gem stones.  This last layer is optional but is suggested if you're using the bottle as a soap dispenser.  The Mod Podge won't make your artwork waterproof but multiple layers will help to keep the artwork from being "melted" by any water splashing onto the bottle.  The final layer will also help the gems to stay put (unless pried off).  

If you do plan on dispensing soap, make sure your artwork and gems do not go to the bottom edge of the bottle in case your bottle is standing in a puddle of water.

Let me know if you make your own as I would love to see yours!