For many years I wore clothes without giving much thought to the overall impact my appearance had on others let alone on me.  But for the last several years I have started to pay attention to what I am doing and to also appreciate the way I can use clothes and accessories to paint a living picture of who I am at any given moment.  I have also learned that I can think of new uses for accessories so when I lose one earring it really is no catastrophe.  I just use the remaining earring as an accent at the point of a collar, on a scarf or to highlight the cuff at the end of my sleeve.

I have come to appreciate that I feel different when I wear various colors of clothing.  I have also found shades of a color such as beige, gray, or any monochromatic color combination are an effective base to build upon.  When I put together a monochromatic color outfit, I will use my jewelry to add a contrasting accent.  The end result is that the overall impact looks very put together but really was quite effortless.  Following are a few photos of jewelry that would work well as accent pieces to neutral monochromatic color schemes (elegant colors tend to be in the greyish green, dusty olive, sandy beige family of colors.)

So the next time you look into your closet, put together clothes that are in the same color family but with different hues (color hues are gradations or shades of a color) then get out some really spectacular jewelry and get ready for some really great complements!

If you are a bit insecure about using colors, spend some time at the local craft store.  In the art materials section you will find a device called a color wheel.  A color wheel will help you see hues of a color and also better understand how to contrast colors to make a strong statement.  If a craft store isn't too interesting to you, then review the paint samples in a hardware store....or browse the home decorating section of your local bookstore for color combination ideas.  Armed with your new knowledge, take the plunge and do something different - the change will be quite refreshing and you may find that first step takes you on a fun journey to find a "new you."

About the Author

I have an ebay store that encourages fifty-ish women to step out of their normal routine and try the unexpected.  It's easy to move out of the ordinary and create the extraordinary by making small changes using accessories.  The accessory items offered are selected with a focus on being fun to wear, stylish but yet quite affordable.  Visit my ebay store to see our constantly changing selection of items.  You can also read a bit more about me in the About Me page section of the store.