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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