girl of the moment: april.

just like my grateful mondays, my monthly legends series has made its way to a year.  i wouldn't want anything to get stale around here, so i'm switching this one up too.  the last friday of each month will now have a girl of the moment post (didn't know it at the time, but amanda seyfried led the series off in march).  

will these girls one day become legends?  maybe.  and i hope so.  but for now, they find themselves in the role of ingénue.   

april's girl of the moment: kate middleton.  or should i say... the duchess of cambridge.

well who ELSE could i have chosen today?!   

 {via}

from the moment she put on lady di's engagement ring, she became a figure larger than herself.  love or hate the idea of the royal family (and the idea of royals in the 21st century in general), there is something so magical and crazy romantic about the fact that someone can still marry a prince and become a princess herself in 2011.  even my mom (or should i say mum?), when my sister and i were little, would say, "oh perfect, there's one for each of my girls!"  joking aside, i hope this union brings them far more happiness than william's parents had.

 {via}

enough of the serious stuff, on to the clothes! 

the coats

 {1, 2, 3}

the hats

{1, 2, 3}

everything in between

 

{1, 2, 3, 4}

and we can now stop speculating and just stare in awe at THE dress

 

{1, 2}

wow.  she looks so lovely.  the long-sleeves were perfect for a royal wedding.

me thinks we have the makings of a fashion icon here.   that cream burberry coat (which i am obsessed with, btw), sold out across the globe in less than a day.  i am also crazy jealous of the impeccable fit of her suit jackets.  she looks stunning in the most conservative of clothes, but while she's a young princess, i hope she pushes the envelope on the royal dress code a smidge.  not too far of course, just enough to make grandmother-in-law queen lizzie fidget a bit. 

xo. di.

the IT list.

Happy Friday!  I can't believe April is over... hopefully all this rain and storms are as well.

I am ready for some May flowers!

• lady M is celebrating her birthday... stop by and wish her a happy day and also check out her fun wardrobe inspiration for the big day!
• rose a la mode is sporting an adorable new floral dress... even on a chilly spring day she perfectly accessorizes it! (find rose a la mode on twitter!)
• mama loves papa hosts a simply adorable little blog party for your stylish little ones - stop by to play along or just 'oooh' and 'aaah.' (find mama loves papa on twitter!)
• meet virginia design layers gorgeous neutral pieces for an ethereal feel to this casual outfit.  These colors are so on trend right now too! (find meet virginia design on twitter!)
• a little dash of ash has a delicious looking smoothie recipe to share with us. I always love to see what others' smoothie concoctions are - this one looks yummy and healthy! (find a little dash of ash on twitter!)
• rebecca with an R is definitely beach ready in this gorgeous maxi dress and oversized hat - I am seriously loving this outfit! (find rebecca with an R on twitter!)
• sweetie pie style is looking gorgeous in this drapey feather printed dress - it's just her style! (find sweetie pie style on twitter!)
• baby shopaholic had this super sweet little doll custom made for her daughter for Easter.  What a fun keepsake and toy for a little one, my daughter would love this!
• the capital barbie is giving away sassy shoe themed note cards on her blog this week - you must stop by and enter quickly! (find the capital barbie on twitter!)
• good tots features the artwork of modern pops - these bold graphic prints make for great nursery artwork!
• the stylish housewife sports a floppy sun hat and a chevron dress, quite possibly the most perfect summer combo ever. I am in love with this look! (find the stylish housewife on twitter!)
• good clean fun made these margarita flavored cupcakes for Easter - but I think they would be perfect for any summer day! Yum! (find good clean fun on twitter!)
• a spot of whimsy is sick of the rain... and quite frankly, aren't we all!?!? But rain never looked this good before... I promise! (find a spot of whimsy on twitter!)
• good life for less has a casual but chic outfit for Easter.  Check it out! (find good life for less on twitter!)

the IT list is produced weekly by jill of good life for less - check out how you can be involved here!

happy friday!

xo. di.

p.s. come back this afternoon for a royal treat!

puddles.

is it raining where you are?  did it rain the day before that?  and the day before that?  how about tomorrow - is it supposed to rain then too?  (if you answered yes to the above questions, would you happen to live in chicago as well?!)

in an effort to make ourselves feel better about these gloomy april days, shall we just go ahead and romanticize the hell out of the rain?!  let's give it a whirl... 

 {1, 2}

{1, 2}

 {1}

 {1, 2}

 {1, 2, 3}

{1, 2}

"if you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain."

-dolly parton

hope that helped a little.

xo. di. 

*images as noted above

blogiversary + giveaway.

whoops: i realized last week that i missed my first "blogiversary" - a spot of whimsy has been in existence for [over] one year!  cue the mini-celebration in my head:

{1, 2, 3}

annnnnd i'm back.  but not quite done.  as a token of my appreciation for my readers, and to further one of the reasons i started blogging in the first place - to share my inspiring (and frequently whimsical) findings, often in the form of etsy sellers and other independents doing amazingly creative stuff - i am offering a giveaway from knitstorm: your very own personalized tea (or coffee!) cozy!  kate's adorable knit creations were one of the first etsy items i ever featured here, and it's popped up in pictures of my apartment countless times since, so i thought this was quite fitting. 

if you are selected as the winner, you'll be able to personalize the below cozy with up to 2 words embroidered onto a tea bag shape w/string, or just a rectangular patch if you're a coffee/cocoa/something-equally-yummy drinker.  kate was even nice enough to offer to embroider a heart or add a red felt one, like below.  

how to enter:

become a follower of a spot of whimsy and tell me whether you are a coffee or tea drinker (or neither!) in the comments. 
i have somehow morphed into both, as i am not a morning person!
include your email address so i can notify the winner and put you in touch with kate.

  if you are already a follower, then just comment to tell me that!

for extra entries:

1.  tweet about the giveaway
include my twitter - @aspotofwhimsy- and knitstorm's - @knitstorm - in the tweet!
then leave another comment right here telling me you did.

2.  "like" knitstorm's facebook page!
then comment one more time to tell me that.

aren't kate's creations just so fun and... uh... cozy?!

entries close this sunday, may 1, 2011 at 5 p.m. central time.  winner will be selected through a random number generator and will be notified on monday, may 2! 

good luck!  and be sure to check out the rest of knitstorm's cozy creations on etsy, twitter and facebook.

xo. di.  

*i'm not receiving anything for hosting this giveaway.  i contacted knitstorm and kate was gracious enough to donate one of her cozies to this giveaway.

breakfast + family.

"what do we always say is the most important thing?"

"breakfast?"

"family."

"oh, i thought you meant of the things you eat."

-arrested development

so this post isn't so much a "how to" as it is a "look what we made on easter morning!"  and the answer would be...

we combined breakfast + family in the best of ways.  my sister and her fiance brought back the above deliciousness from their january trip to nawleans, so we tried our hand at them on sunday.  and by "we" i mean my sister did most of the work while i took pictures.  and then ate what was likely more than my fair share.  i have found that i am very good at that.   

nom nom nom. 

xo. di.

*all images via my personal collection

much love monday.

alright, lovelies, here's the scoop: as i said last week, i have now been doing grateful mondays for an entire year (my reasoning behind the exercise).  i am still very inspired by the happiness project, by being grateful, and by using monday as a way to reflect on the previous week and to start anew. 

so, where do i go from here?! i retitled my monday posts, as you can see, and i am now breaking them into 3 sections: (1) what i am most grateful for today, (2) picture(s) to recap the previous week, and (3) some link love.  it's where "grateful" posts were evolving to anyway, but now i have declared it openly (v. important, i know)!  without further ado...

today i am grateful for:

ah!  i'm breaking my new rules already (that's ok though, right?!): i am extremely grateful for both a long weekend with my family at our cottage, and for all the thoughtful comments i've been receiving on the blog recently.  i've noticed an uptick not only in the number of comments per post, but in the relationships i've been able to create with some of you.  i thank you to all who comment (and read) what i have to say each day, and i am grateful for it.  much love to you all!

pictures worth a thousand words:

 {major progress on the new cottage on the lake!}

 {drinks (and candy!) at the local drinking  establishment}

 {prosecco cocktails for all}

 {afternoon walk by the lake}

 {remnants of the egg hunt}

 

this week's blog love:

• this nautical-themed photo shoot by from me to you is gorgeous and has me yearning to be on a boat.
• alaina of live creating yourself is a girl after my own heart: this week's alaina's notebook entry is all about navy + coral!  you should also check-out her post on purchasing a single chair: lots of design inspiration here.
  
• little girl, big world's easter ensemble is a stunner!
• as god as my witness...viv & larry's guest post on the style of vivien leigh on the girl who stole the eiffel tower is an exceptional read.
• a martha easter?  twig & thistle  had me sold right there!

here's to another grateful and love-filled week.  

xo. di.

*images via my personal collection

hop.

hoppy easter, dear readers! 

i actually just realized i started this little blog over easter weekend last year, so i'm extra glad i'm posting today!  just thought i'd say hi and share some more of my easter heirlooms with you all.  hope that's ok with you ;) 

 {a little ring i bought at papyrus for my roommate and my sister (and, yes, myself!) 2 years ago.  

our parents were all in florida (lucky them!) so we celebrated easter together in chicago}

 {i remember checking this book out at the library around easter when i was little. when i saw it at 

barnes & noble for $10 a month ago, i decided i needed to add it to my ever-growing book collection}

 {i've had this little guy for i don't know how long!  i used to carry him around the house with me 

when he came out for easter.  thinking about it now, i can't believe he survived, i was (am) rather clumsy!}

{the old on the left; the new on the right!}

{hand-painted austrian easter eggs brought back from our family trip to germany/austria in 1999.  

these actually reside at my parents' home in michigan, but i wanted to show off their beauty!}

enjoy the holiday, and i hope the easter bunny was good to you!

xo. di.

p.s. a little warning: tomorrow's post will be a bit delayed - i took the day off and will be traveling back to chicago, sans internet!

*all images via my personal collection

the lorax.

here's a little bit of goofy fun to celebrate earth day!  remember when the bf and i went to universal islands of adventure last fall?  mainly to see the wizarding world of harry potter?  well, one of the other "islands" in the park is seuss landing, and i just so happen to lovvvvveee dr. seuss (i drove my parents crazy when i was little making them read his books over.  and over.  and over.  again.).

the point?  yes, the point.  seuss landing includes an awesome little section about the lorax.  i'll let the pictures do the talking from here:

happy earth day, friends!

xo. di.

*images via my personal collection

the IT list.

Happy Friday ladies... I hope you all have a fabulous Easter weekend, whatever it brings to you.  "Hop" on over to these fab blogs for plenty of spring inspiration!

• strong sense of style gives color blocking a try... it's so fun and easy!  And really? What feels more properly spring than pink and green together?
• a spot of whimsy has some fabulous eye-candy from the movie Water for Elephants.  Please tell me you have read this book... if not, do it stat, the movie opens this weekend and it looks to be amazing! (find a spot of whimsy on twitter!)
• thought and musing wears a simple and elegant maxi skirt for some wine tasting... a perfect outfit for what looked to be the perfect day!
• good clean fun shares her favorite childhood cupcake recipe... angel food cake with strawberry frosting.  These look SO good and definitely what childhood memories are made of! (find good clean fun on twitter!)
• the capital barbie finds some fun accessories with bold angles... this bracelet stood out as a favorite for me.  Pop on over and see her other finds! (find the capital barbie on twitter!)
• good tots rounds up maternity poolside looks for summer, including this adorable peach polka dotted maternity swimsuit!
• rose a la mode sports this fun yellow and white striped dress and seriously has me craving more stripes. Is that possible? (find rose a la mode on twitter!)
• a spoonful of dish reminds me that flowers never disappoint in the inspiration department. Just looking at them I can feel that summer is closer!
• a little dash of ash will brighten your day with some good old fashion gorgeous guys.  Good looks never get old (sigh). (find a little dash of ash on twitter!)
• lady m says what we are all thinking lately: we can't get enough of Zara.  Check out the inspiration and some of their (very interesting) backstory over at her blog!
• meet virginia design is sure to put some spring pep in your step with this fun mix of bold colors and florals.  This outfit just screams sunshine! (find meet virginia design on twitter!)
• mama loves papa's daughter is quite the fashion prodigy!  Just look at these adorable items she (or her mama, either/or) picked out for herself! (find mama loves papa on twitter!)
• rebecca with an r proves that blazers never, ever get old... at least in my book!  I just love the simple sophistication of this look! (find rebecca with an r on twitter!)
• good life for less is color crushing on purple + blue + white for spring. It's such a simple color combo - check out her looks! (find good life for less on twitter!)

the it list is produced each week by jill of good life for less... click here for information on how you can be involved!

happy friday!

xo. di. 

under the big top.

the great depression.  the circus.  and of course, love.  these three things added up to one of my favorite books read in 2010, water for elephants, by sara gruen. and yes, that makes me very excited about the movie's release this weekend. 

to me, the most fascinating part of this book is the research that went into it.  gruen wove true stories seamlessly into the narrative, and was then kind enough to include an explanation of what was fact and what was fiction in an appendix.  as is often the case, the truth proved the more fantastical.

{pretty excited about this cast!}

xo. di.

*image 1 via amazon, image 2-5 via tom & lorenzo via vogue, image 6 via entertainment weekly