Lately, if you looked into my closet, you’d see far too much black. I reckon at least one third of the clothes I own are black, and I wear black clothes more often than not.
The monochromatic uniformity of my wardrobe isn’t by happenstance- it was a calculated decision made to suit myself and my lifestyle at this point in time.
- Black stains far less eagerly than do white and other light colors. I’ve discovered that at this stage in my life, any white clothes must be considered “one time use” clothes, as that’s about how long they last before they’re irreparably stained, either by my kids, or by myself.
- Black is slimming. Not that even that manages to hide a nine month post baby bump… but I digress.
- Black matches everything, or nearly. This means I can mix and match clothing, creating more ensembles from a few basic pieces, than I would be able to if my clothing were colorful and with patterns.
Black can be elegant, certainly. But it is also has the tendency to look dull and drab, especially after having gone through the wash multiple times and getting bleached by the sun.
My mostly black, boring outfits have been shouting out “Accessorize me!”
Yes, a little bit of color, some loud and flashy accessories, can change a drab, boring outfit into something fun and lively, with personality.
I decided to “invest in” some accessories, specifically necklaces, as necklaces have the biggest effect on how an entire outfit looks, and just a few necklaces can revamp a whole wardrobe. And not just simple, elegant jewelry- I have dainty jewelry, but it doesn’t liven an outfit, it just adds a touch of elegance.
I don’t need elegance. I need whimsy. I need fun. Statement necklaces were what I was after.
But before I spent money on jewelry, even cheapo costume jewelry, I decided to see if I could make some myself.
Together with a friend, I perused Pinterest in search of some cute, homemade necklaces, and came across many promising frugal, fun looking ideas.
But this first idea isn’t particularly inspired by Pinterest. It was inspired by two people- one, a neighbor, N, who wore this cute necklace with lots of large, colorful, acrylic flowers to a get together, and by some flowers my best friend, B, was crocheting for her daughter’s headband. I decided to put the two ideas together, and came up with the idea for this statement necklace.
I went with two shades of pink for the flowers, and blue for the center. Why these colors specifically?
Versatility.
Other than all the black in my wardrobe, the rest of my clothes are predominantly pink, blue, or brown, all of which match with these shades of pink. I didn’t want a necklace that I could only wear with one or two different outfits.
I bought new spools of cotton yarn for this, for a total of 5 dollars, but I used just the smallest fraction of the yarn- these flowers don’t use much yarn at all- so my cost was probably 25-50 cents for this project.
There you have it!
A nice way to add color and character to an otherwise boring outfit.
These flowers can also be made to put on a headband.
Do you know how to crochet? Ever crocheted a flower?
What do you do about clothing? Do you have lots of lively colors or lots of the same, subdued colors? Why do you have the type of clothing that you do? Do you ever feel your wardrobe needs a change? What types of accessories do you use to bring flair to your outfits?