Outdoor Fall Decorating
When pumpkins start appearing, we really know that summer is over and fall (or Autumn, as the rest of the world refers to it) is here. This presents a first… Read More
Author: Bettie Bearden Pardee
A Woody Tailgate Picnic Party
In this gorgeous fall weather, I’d been out collecting pumpkins and gourds from local farms, a seasonal exercise I love as much as picking out Christmas trees from the same… Read More
A Venetian Masquerade Fête for Halloween
Last year about this time, I found myself looking for an excuse for a party. Curiously, Halloween popped up. But if Halloween, then it had to be more than trick… Read More
Crazy for Blue!
When deciding what color to paint the original Parterre Bench, I was torn between the sage (“Parterre”) green and the blue that seems to be a favorite among French gardens… Read More
A Newport Story: The Twin Pleasures of Elm Court
This gorgeous fall weather has reminded me of a very similar day three years ago. In the final stages of photography for my new book, Living Newport: Houses, People, Style…… Read More
A New Fall Wardrobe: The Parterre Bench
Just the words “Chinese Lacquer Red ” conjure up for me romantic visions of Mandarin silk jackets; Louboutin soles; Diana Vreeland’s legendary New York apartment; a sexy, sexy red lipstick;… Read More
Pardee Planning: Savvy Southern Hospitality
We’ve all had this experience – you are looking for one thing in an old file or seldom-used drawer and you come upon something quite by surprise — which then… Read More
Dressed in Autumn Finery
It’s the end of the growing season; time for cutting back, pulling out, bedding down. And thinking about making an arrangement with leftovers from the garden and “roadsidia” (a gardener’s… Read More
A Life of Its Own: Musings on the Parterre Bench
It’s been an exciting past three summer months — not only for me but for the Parterre Bench as well. After her formal introduction following the Newport Flower Show in… Read More
Ode to the Autumn Clematis
Vivacious… embracing…enveloping…a bit free with her favors…and goes by the honeyed name, Sweet Autumn Clematis. Am I describing a lady of questionable behavior or a trailing vine that appears with… Read More