Decorating For Fall…Before it is Too Late

Decorating, Design, Entertaining, fall, Family, Outdoor spaces, Photography

Decorate for fall…before it is too late. I wish we could slow down this season. When did we start Christmas in October? Most of us enjoy celebrating the holidays. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, as I love to cook and entertain. I thought I better do my fall post quickly before it is too late!

Keep your front door simple like this one from Pinterest.com

I love this fall planter photo by Liz Donnelly

2. Feathers are great accents in fall decorating. These arrangements came from HouseBeautiful.com and CelebrateandDecotate.com

3. Don’t be afraid to add vegetables to your tablescapes. Artichokes are a wonderfully architectural vegetable they add a lot of depth to this centerpiece from serendipitysocial.com

4. Succulents are still is vogue, and I love this wreath from the Etsy site The Little Succulent Shoppe.

5. I like to add new house plants to my home when I move inside for fall. I will be cursing my need for this plants in a month when I am trying to find a spot for them when I decorate for Christmas. These topiary’s from Snug Harbor Farm.

Here are some of Snug Harbor Farms beautiful plants on my dining table.

So today I am getting down to business and decorating for fall!

Thanks for stopping by!

Best,

Celia

PS Here are my girls decorating for fall!

Time to spruce up, from the outside in!

Decorating, Design, Floral, Interior Design, Outdoor DIY, Outdoor spaces, projects

Spring is finally here, although we had a mild winter it was still long! Today it is beautiful, and I am beginning to focus on the exterior of my home.

We are having our home painted this spring, the power washing has been done! My house looks very dilapidated at the moment. The peeling paint look, has been replaced with the exposed wood look. I love distressed and rustic design, but not on the exterior of my home. I hope that my painter will start with the priming soon!

Here is my mudroom entrance, you can not see the peeling in this picture, but you can see the current colors (barn red, tan and black). I am so ready for a change.

The new house colors are going to be…

Benjamin Moore-Revere Pewter for the body of the house (see below)

Benjamin Moore – Dove White for the trim and windows.

Benjamin Moore- In The Garden for the garage doors and mudroom door, The front door is wood and will be stained.

The lighting is from Restoration Hardware-they have a new great deal, if you get their credit card (for $100 a year), you get 25% off every purchase.

This style is for the Garage & Mudroom

These will flank the front door.

Once the house is finished, I can concentrate on my garden! I hope to make make it shine this year!

I love these gardens they are my inspiration! I might have to go hunting for some architectural pieces to add interest to my garden. Both of these images were found on http://www.thegardenglove.com.

What are plans for spring? I hope you are doing wonderful things that include getting time outside!

Thank you for stopping by. Hope to see you soon.

Best, Celia

Maine’s Best Wedding…or at least best of 2014

Coastal Maine, Decorating, Design, Entertaining, Family, Floral, Flowers, Outdoor spaces, Weddings

I planned and executed the most amazing wedding this weekend! Here is the story of the weekend in photos. The theme of this wedding was neutral, industrial, rustic chic! The only pop of color came from the flowers. I hope you enjoy the wedding as much as I did.

Here is the walkway that leads to the event.

Here are the two tents under construction. They built a deck that served as the foundation for the tents. We had a clear tent for the ceremony that we turned into a lounge…so cool!

The rentals arrived…

The Lighting is next.

1. Lindsay put together all these spheres and added the lights.

The lights are so sweet.

This is how we added them to the tent on a grid with a very tall ladder…thankfully my husband did this for me!

Here is what the lighting over the dance floor looked like in the end. I had babies breath balls to hang with the lights.

Now we bring the whole vision together with…

Wine barrel bar tables and chairs
Wooden cross-back chairs
Harvest tables
Industrial coffee tables
Linen chairs and sofas
Sunbrella fabric ottomans
Hanging candle lanterns
Metal lattice lanterns
Flowers and more flowers!!!!
Votive candles
We made burlap overlays for the tables.
We had a boat next to the bar for drinks.
We took tree roots and added succulents…they were fabulous…

Here is the ceremony tent set up!

Lindsay added the hanging vases and flowers.
I constructed the arrangements that made up the alter area.
Snell Family Farm provided the flowers and my grapevine arbor hung from the roof od the tent.
We added grasses & mint in copper buckets to finish the aisle.

The final result was fantastic!

This wedding was so much fun to do….but it was a ton of work! I know the bride and groom were very happy with the décor and so was I. It was worth the hours of planning, lugging, and flower arranging.

Let me know what you think by commenting or liking the post.

Thank you for stopping by. If you are not already following my blog, click the follow button and you will never miss a post!

Best, Celia

Resources for the wedding:

The amazing tent was Leavitt and Parris www.leavittandparris.com
Flowers Snell Family Farm http://www.snellfamilyfarm.com/
The harvest tables, chairs, benches, wine barrels, wine barrel bars, stools etc. www.newenglandcountryrentals.com
The soft seating http://www.overstock.com
Vessels for flowers and plants (including urns, glass, tree stumps, and hanging spheres) http://accentdecor.com/
Rental glasses, dishes & linens http://www.beourguestpartyrental.com/
Catering Aura Provisions http://www.auroraprovisions.com

Maine Style Graduation

Decorating, Design, Entertaining, Family, Flowers, Outdoor spaces, Photography, Summer

Hello All:

My son Jack graduated from High School this week (thank God), and better yet…he is off to college next year! He asked for a lobster bake…he is a Maine boy after all.

I wanted it to be an elegant but casual event. I bought bandanas for the napkins, ‘How to Eat a Lobster’ plates, 14″ wide Burlap ribbon, shells and sea glass to decorate with. We set up rental tables with white linens, and white folding chairs in the backyard. My nephews hung white paper lanterns from the trees.

The Menu: Maine lobsters, grilled vegetable kebobs, salad and best of all my sister-in-law Tina, made one of her famous cakes!

Edith, my very clever sister, made name cards with “I know Jack is in the room when…” on the top, and each guest filed in something below. They were all very funny and it was a great ice-breaker for the cocktail hour!

My wonderful brother Andrew, from California made a video with clips from all of my siblings, nieces and nephews congratulating Jack and telling stories about him. My brother is an incredible web designer, the video was professional and was the hit of the party.

One of my clients loaned me a professional/industrial lobster cooker…Thank you Becky!

We feel so lucky that our family flew and drove to Maine from NYC, Florida, Virginia and Washington DC to celebrate with us.

Here are some of the photos from our “Lobsta Bake”

The Bar: very important on a hot day!

We hung 30 lanterns in the backyard and it was magical. At about 2:00 am, (when I was up, thinking about the mess downstairs) I looked outside and my yard was glowing. It was so lovely!

We had 40 guests…only 15 of which were not family.

Here is a close up of the graduate’s table. He had such a wonderful time at his party, he thanked me several times…this as we all know is rare for an 18-year-old boy.

I hope you enjoyed seeing our party. I am so exhausted, but it is worth it. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you like this post let me know by liking or commenting.

Best, Celia

Next Post: will be back to interior design!

How the World Wide Web can help you with your next design project.

BEFORE AND AFTER, Decorating, Design, Entertaining, Family, Interior Design, kitchens, Outdoor spaces, Photography, projects

The internet is such a wonderful tool if you are contemplating a new home improvement project. Naturally your first stop could be https://celiabedilia.com/celia-bedilia-renovations/

If you are designing new kitchen, check out www.cultivate.com it is Pottery Barn’s design site.

If you are just poking around and want to look at a lot of before and after shots, I like www.designsponge.com .

A site you may not know about but I love www.designshuffle.com this is a great resource.

Of course www.houzz.com is the go to design website. I use it daily!

Are you pinning? Well you should be! One of the most inspiring sites is… www.pinterest.com .

There are also DIY sites like www.HGTV.com , www.thisoldhouse.com and www.diynetwork.com these sites offer step by step how to directions.

http://www.hgtv.com/design-star/create-a-geometric-focal-wall-with-trim/index.html

It is so exciting to have all these design ideas at your finger tips! Get started and let me know what your next project is going to be!

As always thank you for reading my post, if you like it let me know by liking it! if you have something to say comment and if you are not already a member of the CBD club click the follow button and join our exclusive group!

Best, Celia

A well designed room comes from layering; colors, textures and patterns (celiabedilia.com)
Featured Designs (brittni141.wordpress.com)

Autumnal Plantings…everything seems to fall into place!

BEFORE AND AFTER, Decorating, Design, Floral, Flowers, Outdoor DIY, Outdoor spaces, Photography, projects

I hired Carol Hiltebeitel of Coco Design Company www.cocodesigncompany.com to replant my deck planters. The woman is a miracle worker! She has a wonderful approach to design whether it is a pot or a large planter.

I wanted my planter to be chockfull of plants, maintenance free, and anchored by evergreens and perennials. Carol delivered! Liz Donnelly http://www.lizdonnellyphotography.net/ photo documented the entire process.

I hope you enjoy it!

LDP_5191 — Carol knows plants, flowers and design…boy am I lucky!

LDP_5173 — Carol searches for the best plants to add color, texture, height and drama to the planters.

LDP_5218 — Step 1: Buy plants from a garden center. I went to Skillins in Falmouth, ME

LDP_5285 — Step 2:Carol removes plants from the pots.

LDP_5286 — Step 3: Carol loosens the root ball to prepare it for planting.

LDP_5297 — Step 4: Carol gets her hands dirty…getting the plants into the earth.

LDP_5338 — Tools of the trade, spade, clippers, good soil and shovel

LDP_5383 — Step 8: ADMIRE…Wowie this looks fantastic

LDP_5389 — I am so pleased…Carol you are amazing!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let us know your thoughts…by COMMENTING, or LIKING this post! Thank you for reading I really appreciate your support!

Celia

Sleeping Porches…a simple summer pleasure

Decorating, Design, Family, Outdoor spaces, Photography, Summer, Vintage

When I think of sleeping porches: I think of napping on a hot day, lemonade, and family. I love summer (as most of you know) because time stands still for a little while.

I think back to my childhood when I would sit under a tree to get out of the hot and humid Washington DC temperatures. I also used to walk from my house the three blocks to the National Cathedral. The cool stone walls created an oasis from the heat, I spent hours in this peaceful spot.

When we were not in the city we were at our farm (we called The Barn) in Virginia. We had no TV at the barn, our activities ranged from weeding the massive vegetable garden (it seemed massive it was probably not as big as I remember) to drawing still life portraits. WHAT YOU DID NOT DO THAT AS A KID? My husband (who is from Maine) thought it was so funny, the way I grew up…”Washingtonians do not country well” he says!

In any case to me summer is easy living and sleeping porches are a wonderful throw back to a simpler time!

exotic-sleeping-porch-design — Love this room from http://www.dighomedesign.com

sleeping-porch-with-four-beds-by-lake — Now this sleeping porch houses the whole family! from http://www.thedevinehome.com

apt-therapy-dc-porch — Love this!!! http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/summer-inspirat-90212

speeping porch 3 indulgy — Look at this wonderful sleeping porch from Pinterest!
http://www.pinterest.com

sleeping porch 2 — Check out another option from www.pinterest.com

Resources:

www.apartmenttherapy.com

www.pinterest.com

www.houseobsession.com

www.thedevinehome.com

www.bhg.com

www.architecturaldigest.com

http://www.coastalliving.com/homes/idea-houses/seawatch-idea-house-sleeping-porch-00400000057048/

If you like this post click the follow button and never miss a post!

check out our retail items: https://celiabedilia.com/shop-celia-bedilia-designs/

NOVEL SLEEPING PORCH (May, 1929) (modernmechanix.com)

Hello Hammocks & Lemonade

Coastal Maine, Family, Outdoor DIY, Outdoor spaces, Summer

Summer is a time to relax. My advice is to get back to nature even if it is in your own backyard. Buy a hammock, make some lemonade, and turn off all your electronics. Once you are unplugged, go outside and listen to the sounds (lawn mowing, birds, neighbors), smell the scents of summer (BBQ’s, flowers, fresh-cut grass), and feel the heat.

Life is short (it gets shorted as you get older) enjoy the simple pleasures of summer.

Here are some hammocks we like and lemonade recipes too, get started enjoying summer.

Perfect Lemonade Recipe

(simplyrecipes.com)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Add to shopping list

Ingredients

1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method

1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

2 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.

Yield: Serves 6.

More Lemonade recipes below

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/lemonade-recipe/index.html

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-lemonade-ever/

Read more below about how to spend a lazy day!

http://ourlittleoasis.onsugar.com/enjoying-last-days-summer-hammocks-18696404

http://www.keywesthammockcompany.com/

http://www.hammocks.com/

http://losrodriguezlife.com/2012/06/20/we-have-hammocks/

Thank you for checking in and reading our blog. Please comment, and let us know your thoughts on how we are doing! Click the follow button to never miss a post.

Best, Celia

Rasberry Lemonade-gria (andtheycookedhappilyeverafter.wordpress.com)
Homemade Blueberry Lemonade (styletheories.com)

Fire: What Are The Options For Firepits, Pots and Torches

Decorating, Firepits, Outdoor DIY, Outdoor spaces, Photography, projects, Summer

DIY_build-firepit-01_s3x4_lg — HGTV DIY Firepit

Tools and Materials:cast concrete wall stones cap stones sand shovel tape measure level tamper steel rake

Steps: Before building a fire pit, check the building codes in your area to get the proper specs and regulations. Choose a spot that is away from your house and away from any low-hanging trees or other structures. Take precautions when digging holes, so that you don’t hit utility lines.

1. Lay out your pavers in a circle in the approximate size and shape of your fire pit. Fire pits should be about 36 to 44 inches in diameter. Our surrounding patio is made from recycled rubber pavers. We laid the fire pit stones out to the correct dimension then pulled the pavers out of and away from the pit.

2. When you have your circle roughed out, dig a 12-inch-deep hole in that location.

3. Pour sand into the bottom of the hole and tamp the sand level.

4. Begin to lay your wall stones around the perimeter of the hole. Continue stacking the stones so that they are 12 inches above the surrounding ground.

5. Pour a layer of sand into the ring of stones so that it covers the first layer, approximately 4 inches deep.

Or you can buy one…like most people

fire table — Restoration Hardware Fire Table $2000

frontgate firepit $400 — Frontgate Firepit $400

Look at the amazing Fire pit areas from Houzz.com

Fire in the woods — Great use of a fire pit so inviting

Tiki Torches: There are loads of different options here, I was surprised at how expensive they can be. You can go to Walmart and buy tiki torches for under $10 or you can buy one of the options below.

torches frontgate $179 — Frontgate Copper Tiki $179

hayneedle tiki — Black tiki form Hayneedle $60

Fire-pots make the outdoors cool! I love the idea of fire-pots, what a great addition to your outdoor space. Below are a couple of options you might like.

fire pot hayneedle 139 — Fire Pot from Hayneedle $139

fire pot 59 hayneedle — Fire Pot $59 at Hayneedle

$18 for this rock fire pot — Napa Home & Garden Rock Fire Pot $18

Sources

I hope you enjoyed this post please let me know if you have any advice on summer fire decor to share! Thank you for your support.

If you like this post click the follow button and never miss a post!

Thank you,

Celia

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Here is the walkway that leads to the event.

Here are the two tents under construction. They built a deck that served as the foundation for the tents. We had a clear tent for the ceremony that we turned into a lounge…so cool!

The rentals arrived…

The Lighting is next.

Now we bring the whole vision together with…

Here is the ceremony tent set up!

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Perfect Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients

Method

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