Designing, decorating and dining....

I'm so excited! I scored at FabricLand today......got almost everything I need for E's new room, either on clearance or sale. First project is a valance which will be made of 9 overlapping and staggered panels of fabric- check out the sketch:

My inspiration is coming from a great fleece blanket I got at Costco- it's really cuddly and I love the colours: navy blue, medium blue and chartreuse / lime green. So, the panels will be a dark denim, a lighter denim and a still-to-be found green, all piped in white. If I can't find the green, I may have to settle for a white denim and applique something green on it. Moira....any of the green I need in your fabric stash???? I only need a yard or so.

Then I found this super soft green fleece with a dotty texture which I'll use to make some throw cushions for the bed. But the best score by far was the clearance bin denim which you can kind of see a corner of in the picture. It's a navy denim with several rows of fringe sewn right in. It'd be great as a skirt or a big bag. But for my boy, and only because he's so cute and I'm in a generous mood today, I'm sacrificing it to make some floor cushions. I hope he appreciates it. (Realistically, I know he will value these floor cushions as much as his father would....which is to say not at all....just one more decorative obstacle to toss out of the way! So, these are for me, yes me, who likes floor cushions, and throw cushions, almost as much as I like bags). I'll use the blanket to make a duvet cover I think. I still have to settle on a paint colour...leaning towards a navy like our room, or maybe a medium blue? This is going to be a fun little project!

And, my other big purchase this week was Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. Yes, it sounds healthy and it is. But it's a taste good kind of healthy! All part of my plan to improve my health (again) and drag those around me along, read Colin. E already eats everything, so he's not a problem. Did you know that you can hide almost any kind of vegetable in a pureed soup? Or a chili you make lovingly for your husband, who thinks it's just lots of meat and beans? I've been doing that for some time but I've already gleaned some new tips from this book :)

Last night I made Shredded Grean Beans with Lemon Lime Zest & Snipped Chives. Totally yummy. I like green beans anyways, but this way of cooking them was great and totally different. Try them, love them.....

Shredded Green Beans with Lemon Lime Zest & Snipped Chives

3/4 pound of green and/or yellow beans, tops and tails trimmed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or clarified butter

2 tablespoons water

Grated zest of 1 large lemon

Grated zest of 1 large lime

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Fine grain sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Slice beans diagonally into roughly 1.8" thick pieces, like tiny angular zeroes.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beans and stir until coated with oil, then add the water. Cover and cook 2 or 3 minutes, until the beans are brightly coloured and tender; give the pan a good shake midway through to ensure even cooking. Remove from the heat and stir in the zests and half of the chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with the remaining chives.

Enjoy!