Customized Printed Canvas

Have you ever looked at a vacant spot on your wall and wished you could find the perfect piece to fill it?   A photo, a print, or a piece of wall art?  We love printing on canvas - there are so many possibilities and it's relatively inexpensive.  You can customize your canvas with a photo, graphics, wording, almost anything you can imagine.  We modeled this canvas from a sheet of scrapbook paper, and added a monogram.  Then, stretched it using stretcher bars available at craft stores. This 16" x 16" canvas fits perfectly in the space for which it was designed.  

There are so many possibilities for printing on canvas - use your imagination! We can help you bring your vision to canvas with our "Creative Inspirations" - contact us at askcreativeliving@gmail.com for more information!  Happy Creating! 

Creative Inspirations

If you're like us, we're always looking for ways to personalize our home to reflect our family life and values.  Funny or motivational quotes, and words of inspiration, add a personalized touch to any style home decor.    Quotes on walls and doors can welcome visitors to your home, direct them to the powder room, or add the finishing touch to a group of family photos.  Words add visual interest in  otherwise plain spaces.

For example, adding "Our Family" under this large canvas family photo adds the finishing touch in this space.  Creative Inspirations can be added to nearly any wall or door.   

We are pleased to offer the "Our Family" wall decal, along with our "Welcome" and "Powder Room" door decals.  We invite special orders, as well -- tell us how much wall space you have and your favorite quote, and we will customize it to the space.  Watch for our online store opening soon on www.Etsy.com.  In the meantime, send us an email at askcreativeliving@gmail.com for details on how to order.  

Happy Creating!

Repurpose An Outdoor Wall Planter

Summer in the midwest...you can count on two things for certain:  hot sun and bugs.  Whether you're enjoying a stay-cation in your own back yard, or a simple dinner on the patio, you'll want the sunscreen and insect repellant close by.    We repurposed an outdoor wall planter as a storage rack for these summer necessities. An artificial potted plant adds a touch of summer green, and we don't have to worry about forgetting to water it.  Happy Creating! 

 

Best Picnic Potato Salad

It's BBQ season and most nights you'll find us gathered around the pool, with dinner on the grill.  I love to toss together this easy and delicious Red Potato Salad, made with dijon mustard, dill and sour cream.  If you make it for a crowd, be sure to keep it on ice -- onions can spoil easily in the heat.

Red Potato Salad

3 pounds red potatoes, boiled and cut into cubes
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup peas
1 cup sour cream (sometimes I substitute 1/2 cup of sour cream for plain yogurt)
1/2 cup mayonnaise with olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp dill
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 hard boiled eggs - I use for garnish, but can also mix in salad

While potatoes boil, cook the peas, and chop green onions and celery.  Rinse and drain potatoes and combine with peas, celery and green onions.  Refrigerate to chill.  Mix sour cream, mayo, mustard, vinegar, dill, garlic salt and onion powder.  Combine with vegetables and garnish with sliced hard boiled eggs.  Create your own variations:  Sometimes I add 1/2 cup crumbled bacon, or cut up a dill pickle and add it to the salad, or add 1 tsp. hot sauce to kick it up a notch.  Happy Summer Creating!

Personalized Tile is the perfect gift!

We love personalized gifts.  Love to give them, love to receive them.  Personalization ensures this gift is uniquely mine.  Unless of course, you're like me and happen to have the same initials as your mother-in-law -- then the bonus:  you can share all things monogrammed!

A personalized tile is a great addition to any decor, especially when displayed on an easel.   Perfect to fill an empty corner on a bath or kitchen counter.  Perfect on a mantle in the family room.  Great wedding or shower gift!  

Our tiles are available in two colors of Italian porcelain:  Ivetta Gray or Tuscan Tan.  Customize your tile with either block or script fonts.  Available for only $26.95 (easel not included) or $32.95 (includes easel.) Contact us at askcreativeliving@gmail.com or (618)781-3033 to place your order!  

Organize Your Life with Curtain Rods!

Curtain Rods have many uses other than simply displaying curtains.  They are versatile as a tool for displaying all kinds of collections, and the possibilities are endless!  We prefer cafe rods because they are lightweight, easy to install and allow you to easily access your collection.   

Below are three ways to repurpose an old cafe rod.  Don't have an old one?  They are  inexpensive and easy to find at any department store.  Happy Creating!

Jewelry Organizer: Repurposed Cafe Rod and Shower Curtain Rings. Showcases necklaces, allows you to display numerous strands without tangling them.  Easy to find and access just the right one - saves time!
Thank you to our friends Dana and Julie for sharing this great idea!

Ribbon Organizer:  Spools of ribbon slide right onto this cafe rod.  Saves time, and allows you to unroll only the amount of ribbon needed for your gift wrap or project.

Scarf Organizer:  two large cafe rods hung on the inside of the closet door allow for easy access and organization of numerous scarves.  

Welcome guests at the Front Door

We all know first impressions are important.  Greet your family, friends, and guests with a hearty "Welcome" right at the front door.   It's the perfect greeting to your home and complements any decor.  It also pairs nicely with any door decor or floral arrangement, and doesn't require nails or suction cups.  Installs easily in just a few minutes.  Email us at askcreativeliving@charter.net to find out how you can get one (or more) for your door(s)!  Happy Creating!

The answer to "Where's your bathroom?"

One of the most asked questions when you have friends or family visiting is "Where's your bathroom?"  You may already have a prepared answer, complete with directions for right and left turns, and the number of doors you'll pass on the way.   Some guests will still play the game, "What's behind door #1?" And "Oops - that's a closet -- where they obviously stashed all their stuff cleaning up for this party." You could always just leave the door open and hope the toilet seat is down.  We simplified this whole process by adding "Powder Room" to the bathroom door.

Easy to apply vinyl lettering, only takes about 2 minutes to install.   Available in black or white, and some custom colors, to fit any decor.  Contact us at askcreativeliving@charter.net for details on how you can get one for your home!  Happy Creating!

Done In A Day: Easy Spice Shelf

I enjoy cooking and have accumulated an entire cabinet of spices - some used often, some purchased for one recipe that I've promised myself to make again someday.  I was recently digging through the stacks of spices crammed haphazardly into the cabinet when one jar came tumbling down and shattered.  "That's it," I muttered, and headed for my workshop in search of a better alternative.  I found some 3/4" scrap shelf board,  2.5" wide, then measured my inside cabinet dimension.

 I cut three 12" long sections to serve as the spice shelves, then cut two sections of 3" for legs to elevate the shelves.  I also cut two sections of  5" and 7" for legs, in order to stagger the height of the shelves and maximize space.







I secured the leg boards to the shelf board with wood screws.

After completing all three shelves, I placed them in the cabinet, tallest in the back, shortest in the front, and organized all my spices on the shelves.  Space underneath the shelves allows for the seldom used spices.  I love my organized spice cabinet, and cooking is enjoyable again!

What to give Mom for Mother's Day?

Wondering what to get Mom for Mother's Day? 

1. Give her your gratitude. Say "Thanks Mom" for the never ending list of stuff she does for you! 

2. Give her TIME -- do the dishes for her, vacuum your own room, pick up the groceries -- anything that will give her own time back to her! 

3. If you feel you need to spend money on her -- give her a GIFT CERTIFICATE for Creative Living Home Design! How many times has she said she'd love for someone to help her pull her home decor together? Our Mother's Day Special - $50 for one hour of home design -- we will use what she already has and give one room a fresh new look! We help with furniture placement, colors, accessories, focal points, and room organization. She'll love the fresh new look, and when Mom's happy, everybody's happy!

Homemade Ice Packs

An Ice Pack is something to keep on hand for when you need it, and inevitably, you or someone in your home will need one.  When I smashed my fingers recently, I searched through the freezer,  found an ice pack shaped like an oreo cookie (for a lunch box), one frozen as solid as a brick, and a third one that had been accidentally cut open, with the contents drained into the freezer drawer.  A lovely retired nurse (named Lynne) suggested I make some homemade ice packs to keep in the freezer.  Find the simple recipe below.

Ingredients and supplies:
2 cups water
1 cup rubbing alcohol
freezer zipper bag, quart size (I used two)

Fill zipper bag with water and rubbing alcohol. Freeze. (I double-bagged to avoid any future spills into the freezer drawer.) The rubbing alcohol keeps the water from freezing solid.  The best ice pack I've ever used!  We even decorated them with polka dots and encouraging words, and a bow, of course!

Dress Up a Window

Have you ever wanted to add a little pizazz to a window treatment but didn't want to spend a fortune doing it? Here is a very inexpensive and easy way to give a window a facelift using little fabric and money. I used a throw blanket (that was sitting in my closet) and added fringe to the bottom edge.  We've also used fabric from a shower curtain we were no longer using, or you can use a basic department store valance. The secret to this treatment is the way it is hung. I used kitchen cabinet knobs and #8-32 x1in Hanger Bolts (available at any hardware store) Replace the knob screws with  hanger bolts and screw them into the knobs. Drill pilot holes in the wall, above the window, where you would like the knobs placed. After clipping the curtain rings onto the fabric, place one ring onto each knob and screw the knob into the pilot hole. It is that easy. A general rule of thumb for the curtain width is  double the width of the window. This allows for the draping affect.  


hanger bolts screwed into kitchen knobs

knobs above window with hanger bolts



Curtain rings and hanger bolts

Decorative Embossing

Embossing is a very easy way to add a decorative touch to any surface. Simple supplies:  a single layer stencil, joint compound, and a putty knife. If you are embossing a cabinet with a glossy surface,  lightly sand the surface before applying the joint compound. Simply position the stencil, tape it to the surface, apply a thin layer of joint compound, and lift off the stencil. Let the pattern dry for twenty-four hours then seal it with a layer of drywall primer. Next you can paint or glaze it any color.   This  technique can be used on picture frames, mirrors, wall, etc. Happy Creating!


Embossing with paint and antiquing glaze

Embossing with joint compound. No paint or glaze.

Easter Meringue Cookies

This cookie is an Easter eve tradition in our family, thanks to our dear friend Sister Linda! I love the bible verses and Christian message (in parenthesis) for kids, and the meringues are deliciously light and fluffy.  Being the chocoholic that I am, I sometimes add mini chocolate chips and drizzle melted chocolate over the meringues.

Ingredients and supplies:
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
zipper bag
wooden spoon
electric mixer
wax paper and cookie sheets
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit -- this is important, don't wait to preheat.  Place pecans in a zipper bag and beat with wooden spoon to break into small pieces.  (Jesus was beaten after his arrest, Read John 19: 1-3.)

Pour vinegar into mixing bowl. (When Jesus was thirsty, he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.)

Add egg whites to vinegar. (Eggs represent life, which Jesus gave us. Read John 10:10-11.)

Add pinch of salt. (Salty tears shed by Jesus' followers.  Read Luke 23:27.)

Add sugar. (Sweetest part of this story is Jesus' love for us.  Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.)

Beat with mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form.  (The color white represents purity in God's eyes.  Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.)

Fold in nuts.  Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheets.

Place cookies sheets in over, close the door, and turn oven OFF.  Tape the oven door closed (representing the sealed tomb where Jesus was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60 and 65-66.)

Go to Bed!  (Read John 16:20 and 22.)

On Easter morning, open the oven and enjoy the cookies!  Notice the cracked surface and the cookies are hollow (representing Jesus' empty tomb on Easter morning. Read Matthew 28:1-9.)

Happy Easter!

Chocolate Easter Baskets

We love to make these custom chocolate baskets filled with candies for Easter.  They are the perfect complement to your Easter tablescape, and can serve as place card holders or individual dessert favors.

Ingredients and supplies:

Small Balloons

Cups

Chocolate chips or Melting Drops

Zipper bag

1.  Blow up balloons to size you prefer for your baskets.  (We used very small balloons.)

2.  Wash and dry balloons.

3.  Set each balloon in a cup to hold it steady.  (We used dixie cups.)

4.  Add chocolate chips or drops to zipper bag, and microwave in 20 second intervals until melted.  Knead between palms to mix melted chocolate thoroughly.

5.  Using scissors, snip just the tip off the corner of the zipper bag.

6.  Drizzle chocolate over balloons, first one direction, then the other, making a crisscross pattern.

7.  Allow chocolate to set in refrigerator.

8.  Pop balloons and carefully peel away from chocolate. 

9.  Fill chocolate baskets with candy and enjoy!

Happy Creating!

Bunny Tracks

The excitement of Easter morning is even more fun with these Easter Bunny tracks, using a repurposed cardboard bracelet box, baking soda and glitter.

Ingredients and supplies:

Small box with lid
Scissors
Baking soda
Glitter
Tulle or wire mesh
Tape

Cut out a footprint pattern in the lid of the box.  Tape the tulle over the pattern to create a screen.  Fill the box about 1/3 full with baking soda, then add a teaspoon of glitter and mix well.  Tape the lid to the box so that it is secure.  Turn the box over, tap lightly and the baking soda/glitter mixture will leave a footprint pattern on the floor.  You'll enjoy the excitement of little ones' finding the footprints as they hunt eggs.   It's easy to clean up the baking soda/glitter mixture with a wet rag.

Easter Egg-stravaganza!

Coloring and decorating eggs at Easter is a family tradition for many of us.  Eggs, not just a great source of protein, also provide a canvas for adding color and whimsy to your Easter tablescape.

If you have a closet full of plastic eggs, it's easy to dress them up by adhering scrapbook paper with Mod Podge (water-based glue and sealer.)  We love to personalize eggs with photos of each family member.  It's a very simple process to hollow real eggs for use in your decorating as well:

1.  Using a small straight pin, prick the widest end of the raw egg, creating a small hole.
2.  Carefully swirl pin around the hole so that hole is approx.  1/4" wide.
3.  Turn egg over and allow yolk and white of egg to drain out of hole.
4.  Rinse inside of egg with water several times and allow to drain thoroughly.
5.  Dye egg in food coloring, if desired.  Or use acrylic paints and a fine tipped brush for limitless possibilities!

Create beautiful hand painted eggs using simple patterns, such as polka dots or swirls, with a fine tipped artist brush.  Need a template? Apply small round paper reinforcers to the eggshell, paint one coat of your favorite color, then remove the reinforcers and the rings appear in natural white color.  Or, wrap 1/8" thick painters tape around the egg, and paint different colors between the tape. Finish with a spray of high shine glaze or enamel to preserve the egg shells.

TIP:  Place toothpicks in pieces of styrofoam and place eggshells over toothpicks to dry!

For the finishing touch, once your eggshells are dry, glue a small ribbon bow over the opening in the wide end of the eggshell.


Please share your egg decorating pictures with us!  Happy Creating!

Jello Ribbon Salad

This beautiful jello salad just screams "Spring!" It's easy to whip up on a day you'll be close to home so you can add all the layers - as many as you want!  Create a jello ribbon!  Thanks to Mary Cousley for the recipe and to Jeanne Hoefert for sharing it with us - delicious!

Ingredients:

3-4 small boxes Jello - three or four different colors/flavors 

1 container sour cream (1/4 cup per box of jello)

boiling water

8x8 glass dish 

cooking spray

Mix 1 small box jello with 1 c. boiling water.  Set aside 1/2 c. jello to cool.  Pour remaining jello in the glass dish, lightly coated with cooking spray.   Refrigerate until set.  Whisk 1/4 cup sour cream with the cooled 1/2 c. jello, until creamy.  Pour on top of jello layer and refrigerate. Repeat as many layers as you desire!  

Happy Creating!#Jello#Ribbon Salad #Spring Entertaining

April Fools Meatloaf Cupcakes

These "Cupcakes for Dinner" are an April Fools' tradition at our house!  They look just like cupcakes and are made of meatloaf with mashed potato frosting!

Just use your favorite meatloaf recipe (or ours below), and be sure to bake in foil cups.  We like to hide some vegetables in the middle, then add the potato frosting, and top with bacon bits for  "sprinkles."

Meatloaf Cupcakes (makes about 12):
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 Tbsp ketchup or bbq sauce
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
Mrs. Dash seasoning or salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
Foil bake cups and muffin tin
Favorite vegetable to use for "filling"

Mashed Potato Frosting (for 12 cupcakes):
3 cups mashed potatoes
Food coloring
Bacon Bits

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together all meatloaf ingredients until well combined.  Divide mixture between 12 foil bake cups in muffin tin - should be about 3/4 full.  If desired, add vegetable (we use corn) and press down into meat mixture. Bake on cookie sheet for about 15 minutes (until cooked through.) Meanwhile, make mashed potatoes and stir in a few drops of food coloring.  (Make it festive by dividing potatoes into smaller bowls and using different food colors.)   Spread potatoes over meatloaf and top with bacon bits.
Happy Creating!  #meatloaf#April Fools

Easy Easter Egg Topiary

Create an Easy Easter Egg Topiary

A quick and easy centerpiece using plastic eggs and a clay pot.  

Materials:

Styrofoam block (to fit inside your pot)

Styrofoam cone (ours is 9")

small dowel rod (ours is 6")

Clay pot or urn

  24 -36 Plastic Easter eggs (we sponged antiquing glaze on the plastic easter eggs for a more elegant topiary)

Floral moss 

 Plastic berries

Hot glue sticks and glue gun

 2-3 yards Ribbon

Directions

1. Glue Styrofoam block in bottom of clay pot.

2.  Insert dowel rod in center of block.

3.  Push cone over dowel rod to hold securely in pot.

4. Glue plastic Easter eggs to Styrofoam cone.

5. Glue green floral moss and berries between eggs and at base of cone to hide Styrofoam.

6. Tie a ribbon bow at top and affix with glue.

Happy Creating!  #Easter#Easter Decor #Topiary

Creative Living with Pennie and Page: How to Create a Perfect Bow in 6 Easy Steps

Creative Living with Pennie and Page: How to Create a Perfect Bow in 6 Easy Steps: The recipe for a perfect bow is short and sweet:  3 yards of ribbon, a short piece of wire, a little practice folding and pulling, and you&...

How to Create a Perfect Bow in 6 Easy Steps

The recipe for a perfect bow is short and sweet:  3 yards of ribbon, a short piece of wire, a little practice folding and pulling, and you've created the perfect bow.  We used 2" wide ribbon (wire-edged ribbon holds shape better than non wire-edged), and followed these 6 easy steps to create the perfect finishing touch for floral arrangements, baskets, gifts, or to compliment any home decor.



Step 1:  Fold 3 yards of ribbon into an oval pattern, about 7-9 inches long, depending on how large you desire your bow.  For a smaller bow, shorten the length of your oval, and you'll have more folds, thus a fuller bow.



Step 2:  Fold the oval in half in one hand.  Using a piece of floral wire (up to 24" long, depends how much wire you need to affix the finished bow), center the wire in the middle of the oval fold, leaving an equal amount of wire on each side of the ribbon.

Step 3:  Tighten the wire so that the center part of the ribbon bunches together.

Step 4:  Twist the two parts of wire together tightly, leaving the remaining wire, below the twist point, straight.  The straight section of wire will allow you to affix the bow securely to your basket.

Step 5:  Holding the ribbon in the center (thumb over the wire), pull apart the individual loops of ribbon on each side.  Pulling from the center will help fan the loops and add fullness.

Step 6:  Add the ribbon to a basket or floral arrangement by wrapping the remaining wire around the basket and twisting the ends together to secure it.  Happy Creating!

Night Stand Make Over

Bedroom furniture is an expensive purchase for your home, and if you buy quality furniture, it can last for years.  However, styles change and your pieces may look outdated before you're ready to replace them.  If you're ready to update your bedroom furniture, but don't have the budget, instead of replacing pieces like dressers and nightstands, give them a face lift.  And we do mean a lift.  Beds and mattresses are taller than in the past, so often the nightstands are too short to reach the correct height of the mattress.  In order to raise a nightstand to the correct height,  we added a 5" tall base with a modern cut out in the front.  The base has a 1/4" reveal which allows the original nightstand to rest on top of the base.  We stained the base to match a new headboard. The nightstands were painted taupe in an eggshell finish, then glazed with a dark wax. The final step was the addition of new drawer pulls.  Amazing transformation for those of us with limited time and budget. Happy Creating!

after

before

Home Office Doors: Privacy and Aesthetics - you can have both!

In many homes today, space and privacy are complimentary and conflicting.  We all love the open floor plan, and either build it that way, or knock out walls to achieve it.  When we faced the challenge of creating a home office in an existing room with no doors, we chose a space at the front of the house, just off the entry.  Convenient, yet front and center of the home - everyone who enters glances in that direction.  We added french doors to allow for privacy and aesthetics, but soon found that those beautiful windowed doors allowed visitors to see all the "junk" - supplies and materials - necessary for our home work space.   Instead of constantly trying to keep the office tidy enough for public viewing, we decided to turn the focus to the open living room space adjacent to the office.  By adding mirrors to the back of the office doors, we created a focal point that literally reflects the open living room in the mirrors, while at the same time, keeping our clutter tucked away in private.  We measured the dimensions and ordered custom mirrors from our local glass shop, then installed them using mirror brackets.  In order to make the back side of the mirrors more appealing from the office side,  we covered them with fabric secured on simple café curtain rods.   A great solution that works well for both home and office! Happy Creating!

Front Side

Office Side

Done In a Day: Facelift old Frames

If you're like us, you probably have a stack of old photo frames that are either outdated or no longer match your décor.  Instead of discarding the old and buying new, give the old frames a facelift. This frame was reinvented with a sheet of scrapbook paper and Mod Podge, a waterbase sealer, glue and finish.  While the frame was drying, we created a bow (wired ribbon works best), added a jeweled embellishment (available at craft stores) and attached it to the top of the frame with hot glue.   This project is easy and inexpensive, and allows you to have a custom look for less.  Share your frame facelift pictures with us below or at askcreativeliving@gmail.com.  Happy Creating!

Before

After

Quick and Easy Wall Groupings

The walls in our homes usually provide the largest area for decorating, and are often the focal point in a room.  Because walls provide so much space, we often choose to hang several items together creating a "wall grouping." Most of us can relate to the level of difficulty and frustration in arranging and hanging several photos, art and/or mirrors, with regard to space and shape.  We have found the easiest way to plan the grouping, and avoid a bunch of nail holes in the wall, is to create templates from paper. We simply trace each item that will be displayed on the wall, onto paper (we prefer newspaper or craft paper), and then cut out the shape true to size.  Next, we arrange all of the shapes in a grouping on the wall, with painter's tape, until we have an arrangement that works.  Then, it's fast and easy to replace each paper template one at a time, with a nail or screw to secure your wall hangings.  

Happy Creating!

Pies for "Pi Day" 3.14

It's March 14th, or 3.14 - Happy Pi Day!   Since my family enjoys celebrating just about everything, we are observing Pi Day with Quiche and our favorite Derby Pie (which reminds me of a chocolate chip cookie in a pie shell.)

I recently got a great deal on a Bella personal pie maker that I knew would be perfect for this day.  It allows me to make 4 individual quiche in about 12 minutes.  I just follow the basic recipe, then add fillings to customize each quiche. 

Quiche

3 eggs, beaten

2 tsp. butter, room temperature

3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup milk or cream

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 cup shredded cheese

salt & pepper

pie crust rolls 

Fillings:  crumbled bacon, mushrooms, chopped spinach, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, onion, etc.

Combine first 5 items until well blended.  Add cheese, salt and pepper.  Unroll pie crust onto flat, lightly floured surface.  Use pastry cutter, then dough press (both provided with pie maker) to form crust i n pie maker.  Add 1/4 cup egg mixture to each crust, then add fillings.  Bake for approx. 10-12 minutes.  I was able to make 6 quiche from one pie crust roll.  

Now for dessert:  Derby Pie has been a family favorite for years (requested more often than Pumpkin Pie on Thanksgiving,) and it's ridiculously easy to make. We like it served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Derby Pie

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup nuts, optional (I prefer chopped pecans)

1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

Whipped cream topping or ice cream, optional

Combine all ingredients and scoop into pie shell.  Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  For extra calories (but oh so worth it), top each slice of pie with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and a chocolate drizzle. 

Door Decor

Don't overlook the doors inside your home as a part of your room design.  Many of us decorate doors with wreaths at Christmas time, but why not decorate your door all year round?   Interior doors can be treated like another space in your home, so why leave them blank?  Doors are a focal point- especially those that are opened and closed often.  For the pantry door below, we added a wreath hung from a removable hook by a ribbon and bow.

For this closet door, we added a floral arrangement in a metal container.  The mesh ribbon and florals are changed for the seasons.

For the guest bathroom door, we repurposed a table runner that is visible from both sides.  We also added a vinyl motivational quote.

Post your own door decor photos under comments! Email us with your ideas and questions at askcreativeliving@gmail.com. Happy Decorating!