As a staple element of the fall season, once October begins and holiday planning approaches, pumpkins pop up in grocery stores, on neighbors’ lawns and in pumpkin patches. From chocolate-dipped pumpkin pretzels to pom pom pumpkin decorations, here’s a variety of ways to incorporate this symbol of fall.

Chocolate Pretzels

Supplies:

• 16 ounces white melting chocolate
• Orange food coloring
• One bag of tiny twist pretzels
• Green M&Ms

Steps:

1. Heat the melting chocolate in a bowl until completely smooth in a microwave or on the stovetop.
2. Stir the chocolate while adding a few drops of orange food coloring until the desired tint of orange.
3. Place a pretzel on a fork to help submerge pretzels in chocolate, remove the fork and let excess chocolate drip into the bowl.
4. Immediately place a green M&M at the top of the pretzel before letting it rest on a sheet of wax paper to cool and harden. Let the pretzels sit until chocolate is set and cool.

Source: Delish

Pom Pom

Supplies:

• Orange yarn
• Green yarn
• Fishing line or twine
• Sharp scissors

Steps:

1. Wrap the orange yarn around a book or hand to form a loop of yarn. Slide the roll carefully off, making sure to keep the loop shape.
2. Cut a short 4-inch piece of yarn and wrap around the roll of yarn, then tie. Using sharp scissors, cut in between the top and bottom loops of the tied piece of yarn until pom poms start to form, let the extra yarn from the two pieces of extra orange string on.
3. Then, cut two pieces of 12-inch green yarn. Place two pieces of yarn across the 4-inch yarn used earlier and double knot the tail around the green yarn. Gather all four pieces of green yarn that are attached to the pumpkin and tie a loose slip knot to create a stem.
4. Cut a piece of fishing line and thread through the stems, forming a banner of pumpkins.

Source: Susie Homemaker

Painted Decor

Supplies:

• Small pumpkin
• Acrylic paint
• Foam paint brush
• Acrylic sealer

Steps:

1. Apply sealer to the first half of pumpkin, allow to dry, then apply to the second half.
2. Paint on the acrylic color of choice the same way as the sealer. Paint half and wait to dry before painting the second half.
3. After applying the top layer of the sealer, decorate with Sharpie, stickers, ribbons and more.

Source: Scraplifters

Chapstick

Supplies:

• Two tablespoons organic coconut oil
• Two tablespoons beeswax pellets
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa butter
• One drop clove essential oil
• Two drops cinnamon bark essential oil
• Empty chapstick tubes

Steps:

1. In a glass liquid measuring cup, combine coconut oil, beeswax pellets and cocoa butter.
2. Microwave on high for about 90 seconds, stirring halfway through. Add the clove and cinnamon bark essential oils and stir together.
3. Carefully pour the melted lip balm mixture in the chapstick tubes and allow to sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Source: Onion Rings and Things