blkdressI bought a black strapless dress with red ribbon & thread trim from Goodwill last week.  When I first get new clothing, I explore all the ways I can wear it.  I mix and match different shoes, jewelry, scarves, and other accessories and think about items to make or purchase to complete the look.  This way, I feel prepared when the occasion comes to wear the clothing; there’s no scrambling to find matching jewelry or last minute shopping trips for shoes.

For this dress I want to be bold with my jewelry & subtle with shoes & the purse (I’ll wear black shoes and carry a black purse.)  For the necklace I visualize something mostly red with some black accents, and maybe I can use a black ribbon and black findings as well.  If the weather’s nippy, I’d also like a scarf or shawl in black with a thin, loose knit (and maybe it has a yarn rose pin on it!)blkdress3

So, I explored my bead and yarn stash.  The only things I came up with are black satin ribbon and some red beads.  I’d love to use these beads because they’re a broken strand I inherited from my grandma, and I’m a little sentimental.

The next thing I need to do is go shopping and look for more beads, findings, and yarn to begin these projects.  I’ll keep you updated!