New Design "Easter collection"

Wedding Season is here... some helpful tips to save you money on that big day from Shades Within You, Event Planners

Choose a less popular day and time.

Most weddings take place on Saturdays which means it is the most expensive day to book a reception hall. Consider having an evening ceremony and reception on a Friday. If you really want a good price for a Saturday look into booking the ceremony in the morning and having an early afternoon reception. Brunch weddings are a popular new trend that are considerably less costly than evening dinner receptions. Other budget ideas for the ceremony and reception: consider a Sunday afternoon wedding or serving only a light meal instead of a full dinner.

Cut out unnecessary expenses.
One of the best ideas is to skip some extras you don’t really need. Do you really need a professional videographer? If you really want a video of the ceremony today’s high resolution handheld video cameras can do a great job and it’s likely you or someone you know has one. Ask someone in the front row to record the wedding for you. Other low cost wedding ideas include asking the photographer to deliver the negatives to you and arranging for your own prints and skipping rental cars or limousines and simply driving your own car to and from the wedding.

Do it yourself.
There are plenty of inexpensive things you can do yourself rather than hiring someone to do them. Make your own centerpieces and decorations even wedding favours! Low cost wedding ideas for the favours include things like small decorative pouches or boxes of candy or a candle that you have decorated yourself with ribbon. You can also print your own invitations place cards and thank you cards at home using affordable kits available at stationary stores. There are many do it yourself low cost wedding ideas that can save your budget while still making your wedding beautiful!

Look for experts among your friends.
There may be a wealth of inexpensive wedding ideas hidden among your friends and family. Find out if anyone is a good photographer and if they will do the honours at a good price for you. Do you have a friend who plays an instrument and can supply ceremony music? Or maybe you know someone who can officiate at your wedding. Not only are these great ideas but hiring friends also makes the day more special. Your friends may even have more ideas to share!

There are many wedding ideas to help you stay within your budget and still have a beautiful wedding. Doing a little work yourself and asking friends to help out are all wedding ideas that are easy to implement. Hopefully with these great low cost wedding ideas you will have some money left over for a great honeymoon

Let Shades help you make all your dreams come alive on that special day

Easter Crafts for the family

Materials

• 14 plastic pull-apart eggs
• Puffy paint
• Egg cartons
• 2 large heavy-duty paper plates

• Scissors
• Glue
• Green craft foam
• Twist ties

Instructions

1. First, decorate 14 plastic pull-apart eggs with puffy paint and let them dry. (Overturned egg cartons make great workstations and drying racks; just set each egg half over a carton cup bottom.)
   
2. Cut the rims from the paper plates and glue them together. Glue green craft foam leaves around the ring, leaving 1 1/2 inches between them.
   
3. To attach the eggs, tightly wrap twist ties (one for each egg) between the leaves around the paper plate ring, then simply close the egg halves together over the ties.
   

Materials

• Shallow, handleless basket with a wide mouth
• Clear vinyl saucer
• Potting soil
• Ryegrass seed
• Water
• Undyed hard-boiled eggs

• Bunny cookies
• Animal figurines
• Chocolate eggs
• Brown paper bag
• Scissors
• Rafia

Instructions

1. Fill a clear vinyl saucer with potting soil, sprinkle on a layer of ryegrass seed, cover with a very thin layer of soil, and spritz with water.
   
2. Keep in a sunny window and spritz daily. It will take 10 days for the grass to reach a few inches high.
   
3. Place the saucer into the basket.
   
4. Top the grass with undyed hard-boiled eggs, bunny cookies, animal figurines, and chocolate bunnies.
   
5. Create a tag for your basket by cutting out a leaf shape from a brown paper bag.
   
6. Tie it on with a raffia bow.
   

Sample of our "Diaper Baskets and Center Pieces" for Mother to be...

Baby  Basket Center Pieces:  Shades Within You

Baby in a Wagon

Samples of our designs also will go on sale soon on  "Ebay"    One dollar will be donated to St. Jude

Rock-A-By-Baby



For all the new Mum, Mom, Mothers to Be...... New designs and photos by "Shades Within You" Baby Shower Favors Enjoy

Favors by Shades Within You

 And Baby makes three

Baby in the Oven

You can also follow us on FB under Shades Within You.. Enjoy, Enjoy

I don't tell stories I take pictures.

Photo taking by T. Singleton  from Shades Within You

Photo T. Singleton

Why is everyone looking at me

Can you guess what I am

A Romantic Dinner for Two "Valentine's Day"

Everyone knows that I love to cook and host parties. I also love to take pictures of the dishes that I prepare and post them on my facebook, or blogsite.  Here is a meal that I made for my Husband and he loved it so I thought I would share this romantic dinner for two with you.   

Set a table for two, or for something a bit more intimate, cover the floor with blankets and pillows for a cozy picnic-style dinner.

Lower the lights and turn on some romantic music.

Light every candle you own and create a trail of rose petals leading from the front door your dinner locale.

Ingredients

Cantaloupe – cubed or balled

Fresh Basil Leaves

Bocacinni (mozzarella balls)

Prosciutto

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Wooden Skewers

Mixed Greens with Raspberries, Almonds and Vinaigrette

Ingredients

chopped romaine

herb goat cheese

raspberries

slivered almonds

a dash of olive and some balsamic

Mandarin Roast Chicken

5 lb whole chicken

Unsalted Butter

Salt and Pepper

Chef of the Future Cajun Seasoning

1/2 Yellow Onion (Cut into two pieces)

2 Mandarin Oranges cut into quarters

4 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

1 Orange Juice (Juiced)

2 Tbsp of Honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slather chicken with butter then generously cover the bird with Cajun Seasoning and salt and pepper (get under the skin, get under the wings, put it everywhere!).

2. Season onion, mandarine oranges and rosemary sprigs with salt and pepper and cajun seasoning and then stuff into chicken cavity.

3. Place chicken on roasting rack inside roasting pan and cook until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees (about an hour and a half). Baste occasionally with juices from pan.

4. After chicken comes out of the oven place on serving tray to rest. Pour pan drippings into sauté pan and heat to medium high.

5. Add honey, juice from orange, and season with salt and pepper. Stir continuously and allow to bubble and thicken. Pour over chicken and serve

Berry Martinis with Chantilly Cream

Ingredients

2 1/4 Cup(s) heavy cream

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Fresh Whole berries

Directions

In a large bowl combine ingredients.

Mix on high speed of mixer until whipped cream holds its shape.

Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Fill your favorite martini glasses with fresh mixed berries and top with chantilly cream.

Black and White affair with a touch of yellow to add color

It's a black and white affair with a touch of yellow for color

Created by Shades Within You

Created by Shades Within You:  Baby Basket for a Queen

Purple Passion if you want to order any designs or want someone to plan your next party email

Shadeswithinyou@gmail.com.... Party Planner

Just some of my images created by T. Singleton from Shades Within You

This was taking at the South Street Seaport in NY

Looking outside

This is a image from 3000 thousand ft in the air 

Snow a look from my lens

Just look up and see what you can find

This is for anyone hosting a party. Five Steps for Hosting a Dinner Party--- Have FUN, EAT, DRINK, AND PARTY

Creation that I made after much planning for a party of 100

Have you every been to a bad dinner party  ...  believe me I have no names to follow.  So I put together a list that will help anyone host a great dinner party.  The most important thing is to organize, brainstorm, and plan by doing this you will be able to enjoy your guest(s).  Please do me a favor if you can't cook hire someone.  Eat, Party, Dance, and Drink......Enjoy from Tassajo

1)  Organize - decide where you will keep your notes, ideas, and lists so that they're all in one place and you can find them quickly. You can use paper (dedicate a section in a notebook) or, if you are more technically inclined, create a virtual notebook for your party using your smartphone or computer.

2)  Brainstorm - start with 3 lists: guests, menu, and "things I might need" (for things that you're bound to forget until the last minute). Go through each list one at a time, and quickly brainstorm any thoughts or ideas that come to mind. Then go back to each list and make any decisions you can, starting with the most basic like the date, time, and number of guests.  You really don't want to know what my list look like. I have pictures, color themes, note pads... I'm a planner and planning is what I do.   That why me and my sisters started a  party planning business each of us brought something to the table.

3)  Do a reality check - delete, diminish or delegate as much as you need to. Delete anything that is going to put undue pressure on you (like making a new or complicated dish), simplify where you can (like with dishes you can prepare in advance, or picking up dessert instead of making it yourself) and make note of any tasks you might be able to delegate (like grocery shopping or cleaning the house).  This is very important for new party planners PLEASE DO A REALITY CHECK




Our Table Setting


4)  Plan - with your calendar or planner open, work backwards from the date you picked for the party, go through your lists, and figure out the things you'll need to do, and by when, and put them into your calendar or to-do list. And remember that some things always take longer than expected, like shopping for something special to wear - so give yourself enough "cushion" time whenever possible.

If you have already decided on the menu, use this time to figure out any ingredients you'll need, set up a manicure appointment or other beauty treatments you might want to get, and go through your "Things I might need" list again to double check that you're all set (think through any extra seating, tables, or serving dishes you might need, anything special you might need to do with your pets, etc.).

One of the Table setting we created

5)  Keep it together - be realistic with how much you'll be able to do the day of. Whenever possible, set the table the night before, try on what you're going to wear, and do a last-minute check through the house for anything you might have overlooked. On the day of, work backwards from the time you're expecting your guests to arrive and give yourself enough time to get ready, set out the appetizers, put on the music, and open up a bottle of wine to let it breathe



Our drink that night was a Caribbean Cosmopolitan

 After a few of these your party will be the talk of the town.....Good luck and happy party planning

Enjoy

Shades Within You, LLC
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T Singleton Photos

L. Cook Design

Created by L. Cook Shades Within You, LLC

Design by L. Cook Shades Within You LLC all design below to Shades

Photos by T. Singleton and belong to Shades copyright

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Open end photos "Love of Water and Sky"

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