The Summer Soiree

It's official, my name is Renée and I am addicted to planning parties. Not just parties but fabulous, epic events perfectly coordinated to suit my exquisite tastes but empty pockets.After my birthday soiree the genie was let out of the bottle. I am a planning machine. So I of course I started looking for any excuse to plan something. My plan backfired my sister decided to move to Scotland giving me not only something to plan but something to cry about. Thanks to much inspiration online and many trips to Woolworth and the "$2 and $3 Stores" I was able to plan a Summery Flowery going away party for my sister , Alexis.

Photo by SHAE LASHLEY

Here are a few of my Favourite parts of the set up .

I filled cups with sand and used an umbrella and card to make a little lounge chair tablecloth weight.

I embellished my regular drink umbrellas with tissue  

I used a foam ring to create an exotic wreath 

My steal of the party, lanterns from the $2 store.

This vase from WoolWorth was on sale for $1.95. I imported flowers from Michael's

The candy bar set up with streamer curtains

Cake cones. I baked cake right into the cone and these can be toped with ice-cream!! 

Iced cake cone from GRACIE'S BAKERY !

 Candy!!  Even the "pool noodles" "life-preservers"and "kick-boards" had an umbrella

I LOOOOVED THESE. BBQ grill cake pops from SINNFULLY SWEET CREATIONS were my absolute fav. She never disappoints!

Look at the detail

I printed these cool designs and made cones, filled them with candy popcorn. The guy at Trimart Haggat Hall had all the colours I needed.

I loved cutting wedges of melon and making them stand in the bucket with the skewers.

Cherry Pie pops . Oooey, gooey pie filling on a convenient stick!! This is great

Oh Island in the Sun.. my pal sherry created this fruit plate.... but the 30 year old kids ate candy not fruit!

Gorgeous colours and wonderful food. We made it all !! But Alexis decided we had to have vege kebabs. I would have just had the pig tails, veges not so much.

Looking cool is a breze with this fab find on Oriental Trading

I used my skill from the Joel Brooks Photoshop Class to create a cool banner for my Sun Bar

The Sun Bar was a big hit. Hats, bags, visors, ice cold face towels, beach towels, sunglasses, chapstick, lotion, insect repellant, fans, totebags all available for everyone to take with the more use at the party! Finally Adult loot bags!

Ooh I forgot , Slippers too!

We set up a special area for our Mixologist for the evening KEVIN CLARKE

Luau umbrellas and flamingo stirrers another deal from Wool Worth

I got this cool battery operated fan visor in the $2 store !! I made the Summer BBQ fans with Cardstock.

We hollowed out a melon and Alana made a special punch

How cute are these labels for the towels

Loved this shot from SHAE LASHLEY  one of he photographers for the evening.

I had these skewers from my Kadooment day breakfast Buffet for my makeup clients and use the remainder to make an interesting pineapple centre-piece.

Jello shots in brightly coloured cups from $2 store.$2 for 10 !!!

More $2 store finds

Beachgate was amazing and we had the place all to ourselves.A fabulous location and great managers. They were helpful and friendly and I WILL be back.

I used random fruit and flowers from the garden to make this vodka keeper. It keeps the alcohol cold and looks cool too!

I knew I didn't need a bartender I wanted a Mixologist who could create exciting drinks for my gal pals. Kevin did not disappoint. Sex on the Beach, Strawberry tini, Passionate Screw the possibilities were endless. We had it all and had a ball!

WE WANT DRINKS!

Party was so good Kevin stuck around for the fun.

The  party was great but i think I have more fun planning, plotting cutting and pasting than at the party. I get high and then I need a new project.  My name is Renee and I am a plan-aholic. Can't wait for the next one.

PHOTOS BY CHAKA WELCH, SHAE LASHLEY and random cell phones.

Kadooment Day with N2N

This year Crop over was a blur. Kadooment day is especially crazy for me. In the weeks leading up to the big jump up everyone is hoping to book makeup for kadooment day offering favors, money and their first born for a coveted time slot. I think every makeup artist has to be booked from 4a.m. to 8a.m. on kadooment day.

I however felt particularly ambitious and decided to start taking appointments from 2:40 a.m. Yup 2:40 Makeup is that important. Fortunately with the help of a dedicated team, I was able to survive this day with all my weave intact.

 

To keep the makeup on over time I selected three brands of spirit gum Graftobian, Ben Nye and Kryolan. I was taking no chances of rhinestones moving. Glitter is a big fave of mine so it was on everything eyes, backs, shoulders.

While waiting my clients were treated to breakfast sponsored by M&D incorporated. More popularly known as mummy and daddy. From the wee hours they were able to munch on plums, oranges, apples, strawberries, yogurt, cookies, sweet pastries, fish cakes,sandwiches, sausages, well you get the picture. Gone are the days where people stand hungry waiting for a chance to sit in the chair for makeup.

My assistants for the day Allison, Alana, Alexis and Sherry were a God send. Every year I toss and turn the night before Kadooment nervous about the number of people, hoping everyone looks great and no one is left waiting on the sidelines for their makeup. This year it was smooth sailing. From prepping with oil and sweat control, to foundation and rhinestones they kept the line flowing so that everyone was on time.When the dust settled I even had enough energy to finish my makeup and hit the road before all the bands ran down to Spring Garden.

Allison taking a look at  some rhinestone designs

Sherry hard at work

Alexis helping with a  rhinestone design

A moment of exhaustion at the end

After the dust settles I too will have a Commission of Enquiry into the day's events :-) and we will plan for even better things to come in 2013. If you want to join in the fun my advice is not to wait 6:00 a.m and 6:30 a.m are already taken.

Here are some shots of a few of the girls

Licia getting etra liner on her lash extensions.

  Deciding what rhinestone deisgn  to take using the ipad.

N2N model Regina and her friend Chinyere

 Ramona before the jump

Fitness Competitor Ramona Ramjit-Munoz at home for a holiday

Ramona After the jump. Loving the staying power of the makeup.

 Shontelle and Lisa had custom made latex pieces created by me to complement their costumes.

Contact Girls

ALL N2N SHOTS COMPLIMENTS BCREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY

Mischa on the road

Jo-Anne 2nd from the right has her makeup done 5 hours before the jump up and still looks great!

See you guys next year !

Next2Natural Weightloss

As long as I can remember I have been trying some kind of weightloss plan.When I was 11 I decided to be a vegetarian but apparently "chips" and mayonnaise do nothing to assist weightloss. Then at 12 I tried Chitosan the fat blockers but was allergic to shellfish, the main ingredient so that didn't last long. Slimfast at Community College, Cabbage soup diet, ccayenne pepper lemonade and Atkins diet at University. Nowhere in here did I consider eating healthy and going to the gym. I mean really, I didn't get fat because I like veges and the treadmill. I like sweets and pasta and souse and high calorie beverages.

The only thing that had ever worked for me was the Atkins diet but with old age setting in I was too afraid to binge on bacon and cheese. There is only so much cholesterol arteries can take and who am I kidding? Who can afford bacon nowadays anyway? At $13 a pack its cheaper to raise the pig.

When I tipped the scale at my heaviest I was a whopping 239lbs but a cute 239lbs. In case you didn't know the bigger you are the more you do. I put on more makeup, had bigger earrings, bigger hair, brighter nails and higher heels. All to distract from my expanding waistline. So when people came up to me and said "Waait you getting real big!" I would say I guess so but did you see my new shoes!

I lost the first 20lbs then stalled because I hadn't been in the gym. I renewed my membership at Surfside, got a gym partner and got to work. I had a white dress to get into for my 30th and all my friends are hot so I was not to be outdone.

My diet consisted of modified Atkins as far as I am concerned. No bread, pasta, little to no potatoes absolutely no fun. Mostly pretty vegetables and protein and more water than the west coast. I know... Where are you getting your energy? Where are the carbs? In the supermarket !!!! I have very little self control and it is better for me to leave them out than eat any so apart from the squash, the vegetables, low sugar fruit and the slice of sweet potato here and there. I tried to avoid carbs.

So here I am Renee minus 51lbs and a lady asks me if I want to enter her plus sized pageant. While I was flattered, I stood there with my pants riding low on my hips and sagging at the back like I just lost a ton of weight and I feared that entering such a competition would mislead my friends, family and let's not forget my fans.
Well I had set a goal of 160 and she informed me that I could enter the competition once I was over 150 so my new weightloss goal is 149.Should someone require a makeup artist though I am certainly available.

I will need as much help as possible. My personal trainer is no longer with the gym and my gym partner often goes in the night time, so I am in need of motivation. I had set up deadlines for myself. I will use my Loseit app to record my food intake and my exercise and I will assess my progress in 30 day segments. I have started a personal journey and really I'm just hoping to motivate others and get a little motivation myself. As for the pageant I think I'm too short and I don't think taking out my brush and doing someone's makeup will be judged as a talent.