Cheap and Easy Decorating Ideas for Spring - Part #3

Today we are finishing up our 3 part series on Spring decorating ideas for our home. I hope you are ready to clean out, add color and get your home ready for the coming season.

Step #1: We talked about creating space in our home, decluttering and making room for our beautiful decor.

Step #2: We talked about using color in many ways through our home. Learning to find interesting items for adding spring color.

Now onto...

Step #3- We are going to look at some simple and easy projects we can do to add personality and uniqueness to our home for spring.

Find out how to make this funky and fun lamp shade here! I love this idea and how fun to scout around to find something interesting to make your own unique hanging light!

Look at this fabulous colorful bathroom. The decoupaged mirror is loads of fun, and look at the simply decorated shower curtain!

A beautiful sun room...don't you just love the chandelier? Look at the clues in this photo to get great ideas. I love the clear glass framed leaves hanging in the window. What a wonderful nature inspired project. How about the shutters hung horizontal above the windows? This is a lovely room full of great ideas.

A simple centerpiece any of us can achieve! You could use other fruits and flowers. Let your imagination go wild. What would this look like with small limes or lemons and tulips or roses? You decide, and go try it.

Ceiling medallions used for wall decor. This is a great decorating accent. These are a wonderful cheap and easy idea. Readily available at your local home improvement store. These ceiling decorations are very lightweight and easy to hang. Spray paint them in your favorite color, and voila....instant art!

I love pots of grass growing in the house. If you have kids, they will love watching it grow and it's fun to trim as it grows. You might want to plant pots of herbs for cooking and cat nip for your favorite feline. Yes, plantings are home decoration! Green plants add a fresh spring feel and look to your home!

If you want to know more about these projects you see, you can go here to Better Homes and Gardens for a complete slideshow of these and more spring decorating ideas. (Photos from Better Homes and Gardens.)

Go have fun decorating your home inside and out with new Spring Inspiration!

Best Yummy Peanut Butter Pie!

I have been making this wonderful peanut butter pie for years. I found this recipe from a Taste Of Home magazine years ago. It is a family favorite and I make it often for special occasions. Its an easy no-bake, no-fail recipe. Since I have made this torte a lot, I have learned some tips along the way. You can read my notes at the end of the recipe.

Peanut Butter Cheese Torte

Ingredients

CRUST:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts

FILLING:
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, stiffly beaten

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons hot coffee
Coarsely chopped peanuts, optional

Directions

Combine all crust ingredients. Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 10-in. springform pan. Chill. For filling, beat peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, butter and vanilla in a large bowl on high until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fold in whipped cream. Gently spoon into crust; refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. For topping, melt chocolate with coffee until smooth. Spread over chilled torte. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped peanuts if desired. Yield: 14-16 servings.

Enjoy!

My Tips:
*I double the crust ingredients and split the filling. It makes a very big tall torte and is very rich. By splitting the filling you get 2 pies out of the recipe! Feel free to make it in pie pans if you don't have a spring form pan, it turns out either way.

*I freeze the pies when finished and thaw out only enough to slice and then put back. This torte can get soft quickly, and I found that freezing this recipe worked wonderfully and it kept better in the freezer.

*I don't make the chocolate topping suggested. I buy my favorite chocolate ice cream syrup and drizzle it over each individual piece as I serve it.


Picture and recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.