where i blog.

 wow, 3 posts in 1 day?  i don't know what got into me!  but i just found centsational girl's "where do you blog? party," and i thought it'd be fun to join in.  so...

sometimes i blog here:

my bedroom desk

and sometimes here...

 dining room table.

and of course sometimes i'm just on my couch being lazy!  be sure to check out the party at centsational girl, and if you're blogger, join in!

xo. di.

red carpet: emmys 2010 part 2

i decided to pop back in today to give you all a quick post on the men's fashion at this year's emmys.  we all know that's never as exciting, so i'll keep it short and sweet. 

turns out, i do not like a two-tone tuxedo...

neil patrick harris (barney of how i met your mother).  love everything about nph.  except this suit!

and for my favorite boys..

 

 chris coffer (kurt of glee).  clean lines, well put-together, and a good fit. 

matthew morrison (will schuester of glee).  so handsome.

jon hamm (don draper of mad men).  aka the man who can do no wrong.  you all saw him in the opening sketch, right?  ah-mazing.  joined here by long-time girlfriend jennifer westfeldt.

xo. di. 

*sources: Tom & Lorenzo 1, 2, & 3, Capitol Hill Style Best & Worst, Television Without Pity Best & Worst

red carpet: emmys 2010

confession: i am an awards show junkie.  always have been, always will be.  the academy awards are the gold standard, sure, but as an avid tv watcher, i have a special interest in the emmys. 

sure, i often disagree with the winners, like when they go for the popular-over-the-better-made critically-acclaimed shows (looking at you, charlie sheen/2 and a half men (sorry!)), but this year?  the academy finally recognized kyle chandler and connie britton for friday night lights, modern family won best comedy, and mad men deservedly won best drama for the third straight year.  yay!

ok blah blah diane loves tv blah blah blah.  get to the good stuff, right? ok, ok, the fashion.  i always like to save the best for last, so, first:

the worst...

anna paquin (sookie stackhouse of true blood).  congrats on marrying bill compton last week, but...no. 

naya rivera (santana of glee)  she is gorgeous.  this look is not.

lea michele (rachel berry of glee).  this was a hard one for me.  there were elements of this look i loved, but the deliberately uneven fabric on the chest tipped the scale toward worst. 

christina hendricks (joan holloway-harris of mad men).  another hard one for me.  she rocks.  but the pale purple washes her out, and there are more flattering cuts for a curvy lady like ms. hendricks.

dianna argon (quinn fabray of glee) hair and make-up?  YES.  dress? no.  it's like scarlet o'hara meets victorian meets the old west or something.  it makes me sad.

 january jones (betty draper of mad men).  THE biggest hot mess of the night, hands down.  as i read on another blog: are those petrified coffee filters on her chest?  and the just rolled out of bed hair?  deny.  i love me some betty draper style, but it's almost as if she was trying to distance herself as much as possible from that look.  well, betty, i know you always get what you want (henry francis over don?  go ahead, take him.), but not here.  clean and simple means you = perfection.  stick to that.

and now, the best:

tina fey (liz lemon of 30 rock).  oh, my tina.  absolutely lovely.  the dress fits so well, and the hair is perfect.  liz lemon would be jealous.  blerg.

 connie britton (tami taylor of friday night lights).  again, absolutely THRILLED she was nominated.  you guys seriously need to watch friday night lights.  but, moving on, i have to say it: i love sequins, and all-sequin gowns get me every time (see: 3 other dresses below!).  connie looks radiant.

kelly osborne.  oh hello, kelly!  i didn't know you had it in you.  this dress is fabulous.  that is all.

k

kiernan shipka (sally draper of mad men).  so precious.  and age appropriate.  adorable.

 heather morris (brittany of glee).  what'd i tell you about the sequins?  heather. is. stunning.  i love everything.  everything.  everything.

jane lynch (sue sylvester of glee).  another funny glee gal on my best-dressed.  i'm so proud of her.  she looks so great, even without her signature track suit (hard to believe, i know)!

sarah hyland (haley dunphy of modern family).  love the smooth lines, love how grown-up she looks.  so pretty!

 jennifer carpenter (debra morgan of dexter).  oh hey, all sequins again.  weird.  and the hair and the one-shoulder? more of this, please!

now.  my favorite of the night.  and the award goes to...

claire danes (winner of best actress in a tv movie for temple grandin).  yes, there's the aforementioned sequins.  plus a perfect fit.  plus sun-kissed skin.  plus, i want this dress on me NOW.  this is so in my wheelhouse.  from the moment i saw it on nbc's emmy preshow, before i saw dozens of other actresses, i KNEW this would be my favorite.  it's that perfect.

and that concludes my 2010 emmys round-up.  until the golden globes...

xo. di.  

note: all of the above is simply my opinion, i know there are many different ideas where red carpet fashion is concerned. 

*sources: Tom & Lorenzo 1, 2, & 3, Capitol Hill Style Best & Worst, Television Without Pity Best & Worst

grateful: week 19.

inspired by my reading of the happiness project by gretchen rubin, i am instituting monday "gratitude" posts (read here for more detail), where i will list "3 things i'm grateful for" from the previous week.

the 3 things i'm grateful for this week are:

1) not a temptation in sight on the old self-imposed august clothes shopping hiatus!  this is the end of week 4, which means, i made it!  but, i have decided to extend through september.  here we go again...

2) i survived a hellish work week that left me drained and frazzled.  although i had to work through the weekend to get everything done, i can say i'm grateful that i was still able to catch-up on sleep and re-energize for this coming week.

3) i finally had the time to make the new blog header (and button!  see below.) i've wanted to do for several months!  it's a collection of many of the things that love and inspire me and this blog.  if you've been reading a spot of whimsy for awhile, i have a feeling you'll recognize most of them!  i wanted the header to reflect more about all the things this blog entails.  hope you like.

here's to another grateful week.


xo. di.

legends: august.

the book legends by john miller catalogs "women who have changed the world."  given to me as a gift 8 years ago, it inspired me to dedicate the last friday (*yes, i'm a day late!  see: yesterday) of every month's post to a different legend (in my humble opinion).

this month: lilly pulitzer.  the queen of palm beach, of bright prints, of pink and green, and of high society casual preppy wear.   as summer winds to a close, i must celebrate this colorful woman... 

It all started with a juice stand in Palm Beach. Lilly, a young, sassy New York socialite had eloped with Peter Pulitzer, grandson of the Pulitzer Prize's Joseph Pulitzer and settled in Palm Beach to live the life of the rich and famous. Peter owned several Florida citrus groves, but Lilly needed a project of her own. So in 1960, with Peter's produce, she opened a juice stand on Via Mizner, just off Worth Avenue in Palm Beach...

 

Lilly Pulitzer's business was a hit, but squeezing oranges, lemons, limes, and pink grapefruit made a mess of her clothes. Realizing that she needed a juice stand uniform, Lilly asked her dressmaker to design a dress that would camouflage the stains. The result? A comfortable sleeveless shift made of bright, colorful printed cotton - pink, green, yellow and orange. The dress even had custom dressmaker details like lining and lace seam bindings. It was perfect for the job and became Lilly's first Classic Shift.

 

Although her customers liked Lilly's juice, they loved her dress. When people began to ask if they could buy the dress, Lilly had a few more made up to sell in the stand. Soon Lilly was selling more dresses than juice, so she decided to stop squeezing and to focus on designing and selling her "Lillys."

 

Before long, Jackie Kennedy, an old school chum, began wearing Lillys, and as First Lady was featured in Life Magazine wearing a Classic Shift. Then, of course, everyone wanted one and Lilly Pulitzer® became a fashion sensation.

Through the sixties and seventies, the Lilly Pulitzer line was the unofficial uniform of the affluent at play. Lilly Pulitzer stores sprang up in the favorite resorts of the jet setters and Lilly's pink and green colors became the banner of the preppy lifestyle. 

 

In 1984, however, Lilly closed her doors to settle into retirement with her second husband, Enrique Rousseau (her marriage to Peter had ended in 1969) and to enjoy her grandchildren. For the rest of the decade, Lilly devotees were left to scour flea markets and re-sale shops to find their beloved vintage Lillys.

 

In January 1993, the Lilly Pulitzer line was revived. Now, Lilly Pulitzer is more popular than ever! The Lilly Pulitzer line is now available in 77 Lilly Pulitzer® Signature Shops, company owned retail stores, major department stores, and fine specialty stores nationwide. Its popularity continues to grow among those who knew it years ago and those who have just discovered the timeless fun of Lilly Pulitzer apparel. 

 

Lilly is alive and well today. She often entertains her various family members and friends in her home in Palm Beach, which she affectionately calls "The Jungle."

there's even a Lilly Barbie now!

 

i'm super in love with Lilly's originals collection, which reintroduces the classic Lilly shift.  vintage 60s anyone?!

*Lilly story from LillyPulitzer.com and the peppermint palm*

xo. di.

*image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4, image 5, image 6, image 7, image 8, image 9, image 10,

 

rough.

it has indeed.

ladies and gentlemen, this week has been quite the struggle.  i won't bore you all with the details, but i am so thankful it's finally friday.  because of this rough week, i'm afraid that i wasn't able to get what would have been the monthly legends post together in time for today.  BUT i promise to pop in this weekend with our august lady, so be sure to check back!  in the meantime, here's a hint as to who it is...

have a wonderful weekend everyone, and here's hoping next week is much improved!

xo. di.

*image 1: pinterest via designlovefest, image 2

versatile.

i am flattered and honored that casee marie of the girl who stole the eiffel tower passed the "versatile blogger award" on to me this week.  this is my very first award, which makes it doubly special! 

the rules: share 7 things about yourself, then pass the award on to 7 other lovely bloggers.  and here we go:

{1} i absolutely love sending snail mail.

a stream of birthday, christmas, halloween, valentine's, thank yous, and just because cards go out my door each year.  i tend to think it's more fun to send than to receive (although receiving snail mail is wonderful too, especially when unexpected!).

{2} my favorite holiday is halloween.

my family has always been big into halloween, i grew-up hosting an annual halloween party, and i absolutely love to dress-up and take over the persona of whatever character i chose that year.  combine that with my love of fantasy and magic (ie: harry potter, twilight, eastwick), crisp fall weather, and apple cider, and there's no escaping a bit of a halloween-obsession.  i have a feeling october will be a very fun month for me on this here little blog!

*disclaimer: i tend to get a bit obsessed with holidays in general, i love them all, really, but halloween takes the top spot (with christmas coming in 2nd!)

{3} i grew up dancing, and can never seem to completely stop.

despite moving on to cheerleading, track, and cross country after middle school, i returned to dance in college and helped found my school's dance company.  since moving to chicago, i have sought out dance classes at different studios whenever i get the dancing itch.  i'm also a member of the joffrey ballet's auxiliary board for young professionals, which fulfills the need for dance in my life and keeps me inspired in many ways.  i was never the best dancer in my class, but something always brings me back to it.

{4} i love me some college football.

i realize it's pretty hard not to when you go to notre dame.  the new season is a little over a week away... very excited for the return of football saturdays!

{5} i love red wine 

 sharing a glass (or 2!) with friends is definitely a favorite past time.  

{6} traveling and seeing new places is very important to me, but i need to be home just as much

so i always need a combination of the two in my life.

{7} i can find a lot of positives in the winter months. 

    

don't get me wrong, of course chicago winters are too long, but the cozy feeling of sipping tea under a blanket in front of a fire?  doesn't exist in summer!  plus soups and chili and stews and fuzzy socks and watching fresh snow fall.  these are reasons why i don't think i could ever live in a place (for an extended period of time, at least), that didn't have a change in seasons.  i also tend to get more personal projects done in winter - being stuck inside makes me productive!

and it looks like that'll do it!  i am now passing on the versatile blogger award to:

33 shades of green

a diary of lovely

a little ditty

ashley nicole catherine
do.think.wear.see.love.dream
lanalou style

miles of style

be sure to check these lovely blogs out!  thank you again to casee marie (and definitely take a look at the girl who stole the eiffel tower, i keep being amazed at how many things we have in common!)

xo. di.

*image 1 pinterest via skippy design's etsy shop, image 2& 3 via pottery barn, image 4 pinterest via weheartit, image 5, image 6 pinterest via wit + delight, image 7 pinterest via miles of style, image 8 pinterest via room for dessert

charts & graphs

just for fun: i am loving the charts and graphs created by nick feltron, a collector and organizer of everyday data.  below is a lighthearted "typical week" in the life of a real simple magazine reader. 

definitely take the time to read through his data, fairly hilarious.  despite my lack of children, why do so many of these results remind me of myself?!  examples: grapes in the form of red wine... time spent exercising in minutes on saturday and sunday = 0 ... 58 minutes of high school musical sound track listened to ... just kidding on that last one.  kind of.  i mean, it really just depends on the week.  what?  zefron is hot.  epic fail?!

xo. di.

*see more of nick's work here, and check out his site daytum.com to collect your own data