Fall Pinterest-Inspired Crafting

Here at Voyageur most of us are obsessed about autumn. The way the leaves turn orange and fall with the swirling wind, cozy sweaters and boots, and warm fall decor that makes you feel more at home than ever.  As active Pinners we were overwhelmed by the influx of fall themed pins over the past couple weeks (it seems like we're not the only ones obsessed with this season), and we got inspired!  This week we've taken some fantastic ideas we found on Pinterest and given them our own spin!

 First up are these amazing fall pumpkin decorations.  They are so easy to do and only cost a couple dollars each!  You can use real pumpkins for the base but we picked up a couple plastic pumpkins from the dollar store and no one could tell the difference!  We covered the pumpkins in modge podge then gently rolled them in epsom salts.  They give the pumpkin a frosted texture that looks oh-so-fancy!  We then cut out the top of the pumpkin and arranged fabric flowers in the center.  This could easily be a gorgeous centerpiece for the dining room table or a decoration for the mantle.

For the next project we chose a white pumpkin for contrast.  We applied the modge podge then sprinkled on our Ultrafine Gold Glitter and the result is stunning!  

As Halloween is right around the corner we thought we'd revisit the ultra cute Halloween soaps we did and pinned a couple years ago using our Melt and Pour soap base.

The speckled look of the tombstone was created using black iron oxide then adding oil soluble titanium dioxide, which doesn't blend in with the melt and pour soap base and settles to the bottom for a cool textured effect.  Try adding some pearly white mica into the skeleton soap for a spooky shimmer!  We used the Halloween 2 Soap Mold from Milky Way.

Our next fall Pinterest project was a yummy one. We found a recipe for pumpkin spice sandwich cookies and couldn't resist their siren call!

Calling them "cookies" is a little misleading.  These dreamy little pillows of goodness are more like moist pumpkin cakes with a fantastic cream cheese icing in the middle.  These were much enjoyed by our staff and disappeared in a flash!  Here's the recipe (taken from a cozy kitchen):

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of pure pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cups butter, softened
4 ounces, cream cheese, softened
1 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cookies:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix and set aside.

In another medium bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar and softened butter until combined and blended. Add the egg, vanilla extract, pumpkin and beat until smooth.

Grab a spatula or wooden spoon, and in two batches, gradually mix in flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

Drop the cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet, being sure to leave room for the dough to spread. Tip: use an ice cream scoop for easy release, otherwise drop the dough using two teaspoons.

Sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on the top of the cookies for decoration. 

Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown. They should still be soft to the touch. Carefully transfer to a rack to cool completely.

For the icing:

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until completely smooth.

Assembly:

Flip half of the cookies upside down. Using a butter knife, dollop one teaspoon of the icing in the center of each upside down cookie. Smooth it around with your knife until the icing just reaches the edges. Top with another cookie and gently press the two cookies together.  Cookies should be stores in an airtight container and will be moist and delicious for up to 2 days.

Yields about 12 sandwich cookies.

Last but not least is a gorgeous fall display that we created with our 500 ml Amber Glass Bottles.  You wouldn't necessarily think to use our bottles as home decor items at first glance, but a pin that we saw using them made us think otherwise!

This warm bottle display can be set up with only a few dollars in your pocket!  We purchased the wheat stems from our local craft store but they can be found at dollar stores as well.  The adhesive letters were purchased from a scrapbooking store.  This display would look lovely on a mantle and can be easily customized depending on the season!  

We hope we've inspired you to try your hand at crafty fall projects!

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How to Make a BB Cream From Scratch

Right now BB Creams are the hottest trend in the cosmetics industry.  It seems like every couple of weeks there's a new one on the market, from high end cosmetics companies in Europe and Asia to over-the-counter drug store brands.  Everybody has a BB Cream in their line, now you can too!

BB (Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm) Creams originated in Germany, formulated by dermatologists.  The original idea was to create a vitamin and nutrient-packed moisturizer that would also give coverage to skin imperfections.  Over the years it has gradually morphed into an all-in-one type product, taking the place of a primer, moisturizer, foundation, concealer, and loose powder thus shortening the time it takes to get ready while maximizing the performance of one product.  A BB Cream is perfect for those who have normal to dry skin and want to eliminate redness and cover blemishes while limiting the heavy feel that foundations can have on the skin.  
Our BB Cream formula is light and airy, and made of totally natural vegetable waxes and oils and pigmented with natural iron oxides. It goes on like a lotion and blends in easily while providing medium coverage. We enrich it with Honeysuckle Extract which contains Chlorogenic acid, a natural flavonoid and powerful anti-oxidant that has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and detoxifying properties, making it especially beneficial for those with acne problems. It also contains our new Ultrafine Glacial Cosmetic Marine Clay, which has incredible detoxifying and cleansing properties while absorbing into the skin and depositing phytoplankton and countless minerals (read more about our Ultrafine Clay here).  
When making a liquid foundation or BB Cream it's very challenging to match natural skin tones.  In this formula we have tested many, many pigment blends and found one to be the best for medium skin tones, which can easily be modified by adding or removing some of the components. Because not everyone has a mineral makeup scale that can easily weigh out less than one gram increments we came up with a Pigment Blend that you can tailor to your specific skin type.  You will probably have some leftovers of the Pigment Blend, try adding it to our Mineral Makeup Powder Base for a mineral loose powder foundation! Our Medium Skin Pigment Blend consists of the following:
25 grams Water Soluble Titanium Dioxide 1 gram Red Iron Oxide 4 grams Yellow Iron Oxide 2 grams Ochre Iron Oxide 20 grams Arrowroot Powder 6 grams Ultrafine Clay
Tip: For cooler, fair skin tones add a few grams more Titanium Dioxide, Arrowroot, and Ultrafine Clay. For those with naturally red complexions, add a gram or two more Ultrafine Clay and Yellow Iron Oxide. For those with darker skin, try adding a gram or two of Brown Iron Oxide. If you want a dewy glowing finish try adding Peach or White Mica to the mix!
The base for our BB Cream is a thick moisturizer that will protect and hydrate the skin. It contains Evening Primrose oil, which calms inflammation and helps combat signs of aging, Glycerin, a powerful humectant, and Vitamin E to help heal scars and minimize the look of fine lines. Here is the formula to make 600 grams:
Part A:
8%                Polawax             48 grams 4%              Stearic Acid          24 grams 4%      Evening Primrose Oil      24 grams 1.5%              Glycerin                9 grams
Part B:
73.3%             Boiling Water         440 grams Part C: 7%                 Pigment Blend             42 grams
Part D:
0.5%      Vitamin E D-Alpha Tocopherol       3 grams 0.5%                           Panthenol                   3grams 1 %                             Optiphen                   6 grams 0.2%                   Honeysuckle Extract          1 gram
Step 1: Weigh out all the pigments into a container, then mix them together until the colour is consistent and no clumps remain.  This is quite a time consuming process, we used a paper plate and a fork which worked well, otherwise we've heard using a sheet of freezer paper and cutting up the colourants with a  popsicle stick.

Step 2: Put the pigments to the side, it's time to start making the cream!  Start by weighing out Part A into a large bowl. While you're doing this you should have the water starting to boil in the kettle.  

Step 3: When the water is just off the boil weigh out 440 grams into a measuring cup, then pour it into Part A quickly and start whisking. Continue to whisk fairly vigorously for at least 5-10 minutes to ensure all solids have melted.  This is the most crucial part of making a lotion, if it is left for longer than a minute or two it could separate!  

Step 4: Continue to whisk the cream every minute or two until it starts to thicken and cool down. Once the cream has thickened substantially (think pudding) add in the pigment blend (Part C) and whisk well until no clumps remain.  

Step 5: Take the temperature of the cream, when it is below 45° Celsius add all the components of Part D and whisk well. You can add essential or fragrance oils at this point, a few drops at a time until the desired scent level is reached (try ones like our Skin Therapy blend - perfect for the face).
Step 6: Package into tottle bottles or any plastic bottle with a treatment pump. This cream is fairly thick so we recommend spooning it into a plastic bag, snipping off the corner and piping the lotion into the bottle like icing on a cake. 

And there you have it, your own trendy BB Cream, proving you don't have to pay ridiculous prices for quality cosmetics!

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