date night: bruce monro light

for date night on friday, we finally visited the bruce monro outdoor light exhibit at cheekwood botanical gardens in nashville entitled ‘light.’ it was a beautiful night with cool crisp air, bourbon apple cider, and fiber optics. ‘field of light’ was especially beautiful with 20,000 optical spheres. this reminded me so much of the synchronous fireflies in the smoky mountains that twinkle in unison (has anyone seen these?!) every piece of the exhibit resembled a dream, something out of the wizard of oz… i will let the images speak for themselves.

this last one was my favorite of the night. i could not stop staring at it – reminds me of the nike of samothrace at the louvre. these are floating fiber optic spheres on a reflecting pool. the indoor images were chandeliers installed inside the cheekwood mansion. we had a crepe breakfast visit with my aunt this morning and sitting out in the adirondacks till dark. what did you do this weekend?

madeline

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month in instagrams: october

i hate winter. i guess i just haven’t been ready to say goodbye to october yet….it is my favorite month, the best weather, and also happens to be when we celebrate our anniversary and my birthday. this is my formal bid farewell to fall and a summary of our month in instagrams. second anniversary * 27th birthday * natalie and matthew visited * catbird seat * started this blog  * neighborhood party * trip to chattanooga. farewell october. you have been the best!

{celebrated our second anniversary sept 24th, almost october}

{hot air balloon season in downtown franklin}

{lighting shopping for my birthday at the iron gate}

{dinner with my best friends}

{mason jar salad experimenting}

{pumpkin pancakes, naturally}

{michael buble concert “all you need is love” heart confetti}

{plaid season in chattanooga}

have a great saturday. we have family in town staying with us (aunt lark!) and headed to the dog park today. rundown of the bruce monro exhibit tomorrow! top image: kate murphy photography, the rest are my own.

xoxo madeline

fall drink: mulled wine

when the weather gets cold enough, i love making festive fall drinks. this mulled wine recipe is one of my all time favorites – given to me by my sister-in-law, brittney. you can add whiskey if you like the flavor or keep it simple. josh and i will be enjoying this around the firepit this weekend.

mulled wine

ingredients
1/4 whiskey or brandy, optional
1 bottle red wine, i use cabernet sauvignon or merlot
1/3 cup honey or sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1-2 oranges, sliced
7 whole cloves
1 tsp allspice or ginger, can also add star anise

directions
combine all ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes. add brandy or whiskey if you like the flavor. strain and serve, serves 4-6. enjoy!

xoxo madeline

dining room dreaming

just dreaming about different schemes for the dining room tonight. i am very drawn to the brass and gold mixed with the natural print (love these deer beds, they remind me of my childhood), a neutral light rug and bright accents. i bought this lovely print from ohmydeer etsy shop of a hemingway quote from a moveable feast. it will be perfect nested above the barcart. happy almost friday!

sources: satellite light from dwr/deerbed print from katherine wolkoff/delta lamp from lampsplus/rug from loloi/credenza from organic modernism/barcart from cb2/print from ohmydeer etsy/chair from overstock/table from cb2

xoxo madeline

inspiration: dining room

since we have been working on updating our dining room this month, i thought i would share some images that have been design inspiration to my husband and myself. between the two of us, being an interior designer and him being an architect, it is difficult to reign ourselves in. we get so excited about all the design possibilities. i am taking a little bit from each image to create our look and this week will also be sharing our before photos, ideas, and progress photos. i am excited to finally move forward with some new design ideas for the space.

  

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

madeline

rainy day playlist

just thought i would share this playlist from annstreetstudio’s jamie beck. i listen to it on rainy days like tonight. it is such a great collection. enjoy. image via pinterest.

*rainy days playlist*

madeline

november reading list

for any of you readers out there that enjoy a good book, here is my november reading list. when the weather gets cold and i am hibernating…i love having a long list of books to enjoy all winter. there is nothing better than a blanket, a cup of tea, and a novel to lose yourself in. it is such an escape when work is stressful or life is busy. here goes…

1. beautiful ruins jess walter – the story is set in cinque terre, italy, in the 1960s, where josh and travelled on our first trip together. sold.

2. the lowland jhumpa lahiri – pulitizer prize winning author and national book award finalist. enough said.

3. life after life kate atkinson – i want to see what all the hype is about. the story sounds incredible  – unending chances at a second life.

4. all that is james salter – i love his writing and if you haven’t read one of his books, start with a sport and a pastime.

5. where’d you go, bernadette maria semple – i am halfway through this one and love it. so witty.

6. the signature of all things elizabeth gilbert – new book by eat, pray, love author and was well received. excited for this one.

happy reading. let me know if you have any recommendations!

xoxo madeline

yard sale lamp restyle

ok…this is a simple restyle. really simple, but still makes a difference. i really prefer small projects that don’t take entire weekends-because who has time for that?? my friends and i recently had a yard sale. i found a few things i thought i could rehab including this lamp (thanks laura!). the shape is pretty and clean; it just needed a little spray paint. i used design master spray paint from michaels and painters tape to cover the cord.

better, right? gold fixes all.

xoxo madeline