Pretty Patterns

I don't wear a lot of patterns but when I do I always gravitate towards florals and stripes. I especially love them together for a good mix of prints. So while nothing is in bloom yet here in Boston, mother nature has finally graced up with some warmer weather and I am all about adding some Spring fashions into my closet. A few of my favorite prints and patterns are below!



Striped Button Down {so cute with a colorful floral flat & white denim} // floral scarf // floral sweatshirt // white floral skirt // blue & white floral dress // jumpsuit // iPhone case // floral pumps // floral shorts // striped tee {have & love - goes with everything} // striped flats //  striped ruffle peplum 

Striped

When I think of striped items I generally gravitate towards navy and white. It's classic, nautical and preppy, three things I love in home style and fashion. However I got inspired by yesterday's post where Sienna Miller wore a stripe on stripe look that was all black and white.  While that particular look was a bit too bold for my personal taste it did get me thinking about black and white stripes and how they translate so well from treats for your home to items for your closet. In the past I would shy away from this combo due to fears of looking like Beetlejuice or even worse The Hamburglar but after some research I noticed there are some seriously chic black and white striped combo's out there. A little round up of some of my favorites are below. 

shop all of the above looks below!

DIY - dots & striped bottles

I know I have admitted on here a few times that I am far from a perfect DIY'er but I also have to admit that I enjoy creating pretty things despite my sometimes flawed efforts. So I thought I would take baby steps and create something that was simple but also pretty. These glass bottles are great for holding homemade concoctions to accompany a cocktail or bring something home-made to a party or even as a favor at a soiree. So I grabbed a few things I had around the house from previous projects and got to work on some homemade painted bottles.

Check out all the easy breezy the details below.

Polka Dot

I used reinforcements for perfect dots. Once I placed all the circles where I wanted them I filled in the dots with a metallic gold paint sharpie pen and set aside to dry. Once dried I removed the sticker & washed the outside of the bottle with a damp rag. The great thing about this DIY is how forgiving it is. If you make an error a little polish remover and a cotton swap allows you to quickly mend any errors. Also, if the sticker leaves any glue residue on near the dot it easily comes off with a damp paper towel.

Stripes

I chose the square shaped bottle for the stripes and knew I didn't want to do a lot of stripes to I kept them thin & toward the center of the bottle. I used a white masking tape and filled in the lines with the same gold paint pen but you can fill in any color you like! set aside to dry or add another layer of color so it's truly opaque then remove tape to see your end result!

Voila!

I filled ours with grapefruit soda and blood orange soda perfect for mixing with cocktails or bringing to a party with a bit more of a personal touch.

Paint Pens // Bottles // Reinforcements // Tape

Seeing Spots

Growing up I was obsessed with polka dots. When I was gifted a room makeover for my 12th birthday I went with a complete black and white dot theme. Instead of circles I chose tiny black square dots on white wallpaper, with matching bedding, modern clean lined furniture and a black matte metal bed. Looking back the wallpaper & bedding was a bit of overkill and a tad dizzying but it looks like the pattern is here to stay for the spring and summer seasons. I love throwing on a dress in the warmer months, it's so easy to look put together at all times with little effort. The flowy hem keeps the look casual enough to dress down with wedges or a flat sandal. I personally love an oversized sunny and of course it wouldn't be me without a big statement necklace adorning the look! 

Marc by Marc Jacobs Sunglasses // TopShop Dress // Lulu Frost for J.Crew Necklace // Clare Vivier Clutch {DNS favorite} // Kors Michael Kors Wedge Sandals

Check out more fashionable dots over on Long Distance Loving