Everyone knows when fall comes around that it’s time for all things pumpkin! Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, or even pumpkin spice lotion. I’ve been wanting to make a pumpkin scrub for a while now because pumpkin is amazing for your skin, and I finally got around to it. And seriously, it is my new favorite pumpkin anything.

This scrub is all natural and full of ingredients that reduce inflammation for your skin. It feels and smells amazing. It is a nice gentle exfoliant that gets rid of that extra dead skin and reduces inflammation to boot. Pumpkin lovers rejoice!

I love using skin products that are healthy and natural. Making your own products ensures that you are getting something healthy that is good for your skin. And you can save money on them too!

So if you’re ready for a little fall themed spa day, keep reading to see the full tutorial.

I like to explain why I chose the ingredients in my products, so you can understand what this awesome scrub does for your skin!

If you click any of the ingredients you will find either the exact product I used in this recipe or one that I recommend.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin: Full of vitamin A which soothes inflammation, and vitamin C which is an antioxidant that remedies damage from free radicals. Enzymes in pumpkin help break down dead skin cells for extra exfoliating power. Vitamins E and T help reduce inflammation.
• Sugar: A natural gentle topical exfoliant that gently removes dead skin to make way for newer healthier cells. A natural source of glycolic acid that also helps exfoliate.
• Turmeric: A power house for reducing inflammation. Full of cucurminoids which are powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Essential oils (optional): For scent, and can have added benefits depending on which oils you use. If you want the pumpkin spice feel for this mask, use 1 drop cinnamon essential oil, 1 drop ginger, and 1 drop nutmeg.

And you’ll need a few supplies:

• A mixing bowl
• A spatula
• Small air tight jar

I promise that it is super easy to make. You can watch how it’s done in the video below.

Keep on scrolling for the full recipe!

This stuff is a real powerhouse. Each ingredient has powerful benefits for your skin, with the pumpkin and turmeric combining to make it a great anti-inflammatory. Soothing inflammation is one of the best things you can do for your skin.

Since this mask is so effective at exfoliating, you’ll want to follow up with a good sunscreen to protect those new cells from damage!

This scrub seriously feels amazing. The texture and feel are super luxurious.

It feels like a $50 spa treatment, and for less than $2 for you to reproduce. Chances are you have all these ingredients in your kitchen already!

Looking at these pictures kind of makes my mouth water. You’ve gotta love a skincare product that is healthy and natural enough to eat!

Seriously though, this scrub is so easy to make that you have no reason not to! Your skin will thank you.

Let me know how making your own pumpkin face scrub goes for you!

supplies used in this post

The post Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Pumpkin Face Scrub appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

All these printables are free, fun, and most importantly, beautiful! I think there’s a little something here for everyone. With more than 25 to choose from, you’ve got decor for every fall occasion. Some of the printables are halloween or thanksgiving specific, but they’re all appropriate for the fall season.

Honestly, I can’t believe how adorable they all are! Each printable is easy to find and download, and they all will get you in that autumn mood.

1. Hello Fall

A perfect way to start! This adorable printable from Glued to my crafts blog mixes a few of my favorite things- pumpkins and watercolors. Head over to her blog to download this awesome printable.

2. 10 More Fall Printables

One Sutton Place is generous enough to be sharing TEN free printable designs! I love this cutout pumpkin one- but you should really look at the whole post because they are all lovely.

3. Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Yellow Bliss Road knows the key to many a woman’s heart! This adorable printable is very on point. She even links to past fall printables that are just as beautiful and fun.

4. 3 autumn printables

The Happier Homemaker  has made some absolutely beautiful printables here. All three are free, so you should definitely take a look!

5. Fall watercolor

I love this design by I should be mopping the floor. Not only does she have the cutest blog name, she’s got some great design chops. These watercolor pumpkins are stunning.

6. fall chalkboard printable

I should be mopping the floor got two features in this post, because I couldn’t resist this printable either! Who doesn’t love a good chalkboard design?

7. Fall leaf printable

This muted understated leaf would fit right into any home. A Night Owl Blog put this printable together and it is beautiful.

8. Give Thanks

Shanty 2 Chic doesn’t dissapoint with this black and white printable. I love those fonts!

9. Charcoal Thankful Printable

I can’t get enough of this print from Lolly Jane. The charcoal background really makes the colors of the wreath pop.

10. Fall Bucket List

Planning inspired has come up with an instant fall classic! These are all on my fall bucket list- and who doesn’t love seeing them all together like this?

11. Wellies Print

Falling leaves and rain are some of the best parts of fall. Craftaholics Anonymous came up with this adorable wellies print that highlights those two things.

12. Autumn printable

classy clutter came up with this adorable design! My favorite part is the swirls on the pumpkins.

13. blue pumpkin

I love that the red painted cottage used an unexpected fall color. The light blue contrasts perfectly with the fall yellow to make a lovely design.

14. Thankful printable

I love this simple design from Apartment Living Blog. The leaves also kind of look like feathers, so it’s very thanksgiving-ey.

15. 4 free thanksgiving printables

Tabler party of Two came up with 4 adorable designs that you have got to check out! I love all of them, but this “give thanks” is my favorite.

Well, what do you think? Get yourself these adorable free printables today!

The post Decorating for fall: 25 Free fall printables appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

We all know family and food are the heart of thanksgiving, but let’s face it, you probably want your table to look great too. The place settings, the table cloth, the accent colors are all things you take into consideration. But the heart of the thanksgiving tablescape is definitely the centerpiece.

Well, luckily, there is lots of room for creativity on thanksgiving! I was originally going to make this post with only one centerpiece, but I had so much fun playing around and coming up with ideas that I had to do four!

So, here are four different thanksgiving centerpieces for four different types of hosts:

1. The Flower Lover

If you just love having fresh flowers in the center of the table, this is the centerpiece for you. It’s more fun than just using a plain vase on the table.

To make this centerpiece, all you have to do is hollow out a pumpkin and stick a vase inside that is appropriately sized to fit inside your pumpkin. You could even do several mini pumpkins with small flowers in them.

There are so many options for beautiful fall flowers, so you really can’t go wrong with this centerpiece.

2. The Candle Lover

There’s nothing like the ambiance created by flickering candlelight. It’s romantic and cozy at the same time.

To make this centerpiece, you need to have candles of various heights and sizes. I think it looks nice to intersperse it with different kinds of candle holders and add a little greenery in there- everyone loves succulents!

If you like the look of my vases/ candleholders you can make them yourself– it’s a super easy dollar store craft!

3. The Space Saver

Thanksgiving is primarily about food, and it sure takes up a lot of space on the table! Well, you don’t have to sacrifice cuteness. Just make a small centerpiece!

This centerpiece is made with a wine glass, a jar, and a candle holder. They are filled with acorns, and then have a flower on top. Any kind of large, full flower will work. I’m partial to sunflowers, personally. You can even use a succulent if you’re more into greenery. There’s lots of options!

The key here is to have different heights and widths. That’s what makes it work.

4. A Little Bit of Everything

Sometimes you want to go all out- and this centerpiece certainly does. With beautiful fruits, a cornucopia, flowers, candles, and a pumpkin you can create this lovely centerpiece.

If I had any I definitely would have used more gourds in this centerpiece. It’s really a little of everything. The cornucopia definitely gives it a very thanksgiving-ey feel.

And yes, the fruit was delicious. Just eat your centerpiece for dessert! Honeycrisp apples and pears are so wonderfully decadent and amazing.

So- now that you’ve seen my thanksgiving centerpieces- go out and make your own! Email me a picture and I’ll feature it!

The post Thanksgiving Centerpiece 4 Ways appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

You probably have been in the pumpkin spice spirit for a good two months already… fall inspires it in us all. While I’m not personally a fan of the pumpkin spice latte (although I know many of you will think I’m insane) I still love the smell and taste of pumpkin spice. It’s a brilliant blend of spices. And now that smell has become synonymous with autumn.

Well I was inspired to make an all natural pumpkin spice lotion last week. The idea popped in my head when I was trying to think of a new body lotion to put on the site, because I’ve only made one other lotion: my cocoa butter body lotion. And I just knew it was going to be amazing.

I also had fun experimenting with natural colorants for this recipe. This lotion has a nice orange tint to it- courtesy of paprika. Simple and effective- I love it!

So not only is the lotion all natural, has a nice orange hue, and smells like pumpkin spice. What’s not to love?

All the ingredients are great, healthy, and natural. Here is the benefit of each:

• Cocoa butter: high in antioxidants, great emollient (prevents loss of moisture), high concentrations of nutrients our skin needs
• Almond Oil: deep moisturizer, soothes irritation
• Coconut Oil: moisturizes skin more efficiently than water or petroleum based lotions, naturally antibacterial, full of antioxidants and nutrients your skin needs
• Beeswax: locks in moisture, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory
• Paprika: gives lotion orange color
• Essential oils (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and clove): For scent, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory

And here is how you make it:

I am so happy with this lotion. When I showed it to Lars he got super excited and pretty much tried to steal it from me. I wish I had taped his reaction. This stuff is really that good.

I mean just look at it.

So creamy and luxurious. I’m really getting the hang of these homemade beauty products. I don’t feel like a beginner anymore. And it’s pretty exciting. That being said- this one is so easy to make that it’s fine if you are a beginner.

Can’t you smell it already?

The best part about this lotion- you can use it year round! When you’re missing fall, just put a little on and you’ll be dreaming of crunchy leaves and sweaters. It’s truly lovely.

Let me know how making pumpkin spice lotion goes for you!

The post Homemade All Natural Pumpkin Spice Lotion appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Ah, fall. Inspiring creativity in all of us. What better season to make a festive craft? If you’re anything like me, you don’t like spending a lot of money on craft supplies. Well, lucky for you, Dollar Tree is having a fabulous event right now. The Dollar Tree Anniversary Celebration is happening until October 11th. During this event, Bonus Buys will be available in stores and online- meaning you will get more of your favorite Dollar Tree items- and everything is still $1 each. So this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage. You can make this awesome craft for under $10 using supplies from Dollar Tree!

I’m not so good at doing seasonal decorations around the apartment. But there is just something about fall. I don’t know if it is the honeycrisp apples talking, but I wanted to be festive this year. I thought it would be fun to make some fall-themed colorful vases. Well, because of Dollar Tree’s awesome event, it is the perfect time to make this craft. All you need are plain glass vases, sponges, and some craft paint.

And then you can sip your pumpkin-flavored drink while wearing a cozy sweater admiring your fall vases.

The supplies you will need are:

• Glass vases
• Scrub sponges
• Craft paint in various fall colors
• A marker
• Scissors
• Leaf shaped stencils (you can just print out leaf shapes and use them as stencils, or grab a real leaf from outside and trace it!)

Seriously, you want to take advantage of this event. You can get the same products you usually get at Dollar Tree, but during the event these Bonus Buys come in larger sizes, and they still only cost a dollar- that’s the beauty of Dollar Tree. Scrub Sponges will come in larger packs and the Glass Vases are even bigger. It’s the perfect time to make this craft. Quantities are limited, so don’t procrastinate (this is one of the few times when I won’t advocate for procrastination!).

So now on to how you make this awesome craft…

Step One: Cut Sponges into Leaf Shapes

You can use a stencil or you can draw leaves free-hand. I printed out pictures of leaves and used them as a stencil because I don’t trust myself to draw neatly. Simply trace the leaf shape onto the scrubby side of the sponge (which is great for writing) and then cut along the lines with sharp scissors.

Step Two: Sponge paint designs onto vases

I decided to go with three different designs: one all-green vine design, one multi-colored maple leaf design, and one colorful stripe designs. I knew they would compliment each other.

To sponge-paint, all you have to do is put your paint color on a paper plate, dip your sponge in it, and press the sponge onto the vase. And then just let them dry, and admire!

The maple leaf design is supposed to look like a pile of fallen leaves. I think it turned out pretty good. It’s my favorite of the three. But what I really like is how all three of the vases look together. To make the stripes, I used masking tape to keep a straight line and even spacing. Easy peasy.

Pretty cute and festive right? And one of the best parts about this craft is how hands on it is, so it will be fun to do with the kiddos. Everyone loves sponge painting right? Your hands get a little messy, but it’s just more fun than a paintbrush.

I am thinking that I will put candles in the vases. So I guess they are fabulous fall vases/ candle holders. Multi-purpose, yay! The designs and the flickering lights will go well together. And it will feel even more cozy.

Our apartment is much more fall-friendly now. And it barely cost me anything. You gotta love Dollar Tree crafts.

And now that you’re in the fall spirit- you better be ready for Halloween! I’m gonna be posting a pretty adorable Halloween post soon, so keep your eyes open. Do yourself a favor and get some Halloween treats when you are getting your craft supplies from Dollar Tree! And if you’re looking for some more craft inspiration- check out Dollar Tree’s Pinterest.

If you make some fall vases, send me a picture and I will post them on the blog!

The post Dollar Tree Craft: Fabulous Fall Vases appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.