…and even less time than that if you consider the fact that the ROM will be one week before the Actual Day, on 23rd Jan 2010. (Really neat way for Mr. Panda to remember our anniversary: 0123. And if he misses that, he can still catch 30/1 which is likely to be his payday. If he doesn’t remember it, I am sure to.)

 We just spent a long weekend lazing about watching movie after movie. In between those islands of peace, I’ve had the occasional breakdown (two to be exact) thanks to my propensity to having panic attacks & my mother’s propensity to leaving everything to the last minute. Mr. Panda’s incurable, persistent ‘bochap-ness’ doesn’t help Bridezilla’s mental stability.

Guy only has ONE thing to manage which is to order & pay for his wedding band. Thanks to his giant finger size, he couldn’t get a wedding ring off the rack. We hounded about six different stores, and my giant furry friend whinged the entire time. (I’m rethinking the family plan. Who needs more kids when I’m already married to an oversized one?) The general reaction from the sales-people: “Hah! So big ah?! Where got ring so big one??” My general reaction to that general reaction is to snap ”Use more gold lah!” while La Panda hangs his big head in shame and hides the offending finger in his pocket.

Now Mr. Panda has his heart set on the Tiffany & Co. bezet band in yellow gold. The biggest size they go up to is US 13 which would be about Size 28 (Singapore). He is convinced he needs a Size 30 (Singapore) because he’s not used to wearing rings and wants maximum comfort (I suspect, the comfort that comes from having a too-loose ring slip off & disappear into the great wide unknown. Or so he thinks. He doesn’t know it yet but if he loses his ring, he’s going to have to get one tattooed onto his finger ) Now a size 30 Singapore would be about a US size 15. Wonderful. That means he can share it with the dog the next time she loses her collar.

To complicate matters, the Bezet is only 2.6 mm wide. That’s a ‘girl’ width. But he fancies it. So we’re talking about a really thin-looking ring with a really wide circumference. I must admit it looks really elegant on. But with a ring so thin & stretched such a distance on a finger the size of a sausage (the German variety), we really are risking some pretty serious wear & tear. Breakage, weird dints & bends, scratches, you name it. It still looks better than it would’ve had it been a thick, fat, wide band though. Those would make him look like ’Ah Long’  loan shark from Chinatown, especially if he decides to throw in a gold chain and grow his pinky fingernail.  *takes a moment to fight nausea over thoughts of revolting overgrown pinky nail*

 But anyway back to the Bezet. It takes 8 weeks to order the Size 13 from the US. That’s two months. And that means we are in danger of not having a wedding ring for the groom, come D-Day. 

When I found out, my entire face must’ve turned various interesting shades of purple before I inched my way to a couch so I could do a classic Victorian faint.

My penitent prospective panda-groom has now been advised that if he doesn’t want a little temporary barb-wire ringlet on his finger on that day, we will have to hit a few more stores in order to find him a jeweler who can be bribed, persuaded or scared into custom-making a proper wedding band in time for the wedding. No luck so far, everyone says ‘Two months mee-nee-mum!”

WHAT are we going to do??!

My own custom-made band should be ready by mid-December. It’s a curved/notched band (made to sit flush against my vintage engagement ring) with diamonds going all around it, and millgrain edging for that antique look I fancy. I tried to talk the makers of my band, Fairy’s Inc, into customizing one for Mr. Panda but sadly they said no. ” Two months mee-nee-mum.” (Actually Sandra doesn’t talk like that; she’s quite a good speaker, I must admit. But I love the uniquely Singaporean tang in the ‘mee-nee-mum’.)

 So now my choices are:

1. Order the Tiffany band anyway & hope it arrives before D-Day;

2. Continue my search for a jeweler who can do up his ring in 4 weeks instead of 8;

3. Put Mr. Panda’s finger on a diet;

4. Look in the tool-box for any nut or bolt that would fit his finger, at least as a stop-gap measure till his real ring gets here;

5. Modify the ring ceremony by tying a slim gold ribbon on his finger in lieu of the actual ring. And he can do the same for me! We’ll have the rings blest together later on and exchange them after the wedding. A bit of imperfection in the ceremony should add some charm & interest!

But what about my beautiful birds’ nest ring pillow I so painstakingly DIYed?? Haizzz.  

The moral of the story is this: Never send a man to do a Bridezilla-worthy job.

The coolest way to skate this winter has to be at Somerset House, London. Tiffany & Co present the 10th anniversary Ice Rink this winter adorning it with a little touch of sparkle and a giant Tiffany & Co Christmas tree. After a chilly skate you can warm your hands with a warm cup of Tiffany Tea! Need a sugar boost? Head over to the Tiffany Pop Up “Tuck”  Shop. Yum Yum!

Inside the big blue present is like every big girls dream. Tiffany cupcakes and candy canes, peacocks and dears, and glitter and DIAMONDS! Lots of Diamonds. A cupcake or candy cane is a steal at £2.50 a fraction of the price of the sparkles.

Visit my Flickr for photo’s of the inside! Or click on the My Photo’s link on the Right >

A Tiffany & Co. lançou um novo pingente: uma chave nos moldes antigos para carregar no pescoço! Tem o modelo coberto de diamantes e outro com apenas alguns detalhes com brilho.

Perfeitos, não? Amei.

Fotos: divulgação.

Fonte: Petiscos

Uma ação conjunta da Tiffany & Co. e do Shopping Iguatemi resultou na Tiffany Keys Celebration, que acontece nos dias 27 e 28 de novembro, na joalheria instalada na entrada do shopping.

É um acontecimento de compra solidária, em que tanto a Tiffany quanto o Iguatemi doarão 10% das vendas líquidas à Fundação S.O.S. Mata Atlântica para conservação de recifes de corais no Banco de Abrolhos.

Além disso, cada comprador terá a chance de ganhar uma Tiffany Key…

Crab charm and chain from Tiffany &  Co. from their Ocean Treasures collection, in 18k gold. (Links open and close, they tell me.)

Karen Walker.

Bracelet $1500

Charm $750

With the holiday season fast approaching, many women are equally concerned with expanding waistlines and expanding wishlists. Cue the onslaught of diet season! Although many of us may be cutting calories until 2010, we can still indulge in a little fat-free sweet consumption. From across the web, here is my roundup of the sweetest-looking treats that won’t go straight to your belly or hips. Happy weekend!

Clockwise from top left: petit four lip balm set ($18); cake slice pouch ($14); gingerbread house charm ($58); cupcake bandages ($9); cupcake beanie ($30); cinnabalm ($6); porcelain cupcake container ($35); ice cream lamp ($48); Tiffany & Co. cupcake charm and chain ($200); The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook ($13.59); ice cream kitchen timer ($10).

A long time ago, when I was among the jet-set, I was told rather simply than men only buy Tiffany’s for women that they aren’t that interested in. This was a shock to me, who saw it as the epitome of romance to receive anything in the robins egg colored boxes.  As a result, to this day I can’ t take Tiffany seriously – the necklaces are an eyesore, and the diamonds are incredibly overpriced.

However, they DO have some nice watches. For the price, you could probably get a Cartier or Chanel, in which case, I’m not sure Tiffany is worth it. Especially since the truly rich mock, deride, and smirk at anything purchased from the store.  If, however, Tiffany is your ideal of luxury and taste, then the square Atlas Cocktail watch shown above with black satin strap is quite lovely.  It coordinates perfectly with a little black dress, and at $9,300 it is anything but cheap.

I actually didn’t know that Tiffany’s had products for men, and the fact that the design is good. Masculine, minimalistic and classic. The only jewlery i own as most men, are cuff links. However, before i leave I will also own one of these;

La 5ª Avenida cruza Manhattan de norte a sur y divide la isla en este y oeste. Las calles se numeran atendiendo a su dirección, East o West, siempre teniendo en cuenta su orientación desde esta avenida. Por el Midtown, es decir, por la parte central de Manhattan, esta gran calle se convierte en el paraiso de los adictos a las compras, todo son tiendas, tiendas y más tiendas. Si vas por poco tiempo, te será imposible entrar a todas, salvo que esa sea tu pretensión desde un principio. En mi caso, sólo tuve tiempo de disfrutar de sus escaparates, algunos muy chulos, la verdad.

Escaparate de Tiffany & Co. en la Quina Avenida de Manhattan, Nueva York / Foto: Ana B. González Carballal

Como no, una parada obligatoria es Tiffany & Co. ¡Quién no ha visto Desayuno con diamantes y tiene grabada en su memoria la imagen de Audrey Hepburn mirando, mientras desayuna, el escaparate de esta famosa joyería! Pues ahí sigue, repleto de joyas repartidas entre los muebles de pequeñas

Interior de Tiffany & Co. en Nueva York / Foto: Ana B. González Carballal

 casas de muñecas. Desde fuera, todavía mantiene cierto glamour, sin embargo, su interior… parece más bien un parque temático de la joya. Nada lo diferencia mucho de la planta baja de cualquier Corte Inglés. Está lleno de turistas que se pasean por allí con poca intención de llevarse algo. No se pueden hacer fotos del interior pero, cuando me enteré, ya había hecho una así que aquí os la dejo para que comprobéis que aquello no es muy selecto que digamos.

Escaparate de una de las tiendas de la Quinta Avenida en Manhattan, Nueva York / Foto: Ana B. González Carballal

Para los entendidos en moda habrá un montón de paradas obligadas en esta calle, estoy segura. Yo, lo único que os puedo recomendar es que os fijéis en los escaparates, hay verdaderas virguerías. Y si veis algo que os gusta y vuestro bolsillo os lo permite pues ya sabéis, atreveos a dar el siguiente paso, ¡acceder al interior, probar y comprar!

Las fotos no son muy buenas, las tuve que hacer rápido, de camino a algún otro lugar, hay reflejos y no se aprecia muy bien la decoración pero las cuelgo igualmente porque merece la pena echarles un vistazo. Por cierto, descubrí unos zapatos preciosos… no para mí, no suelo usar tacones, pero estéticamente me parecieron perfectos para combinar con un vestido negro liso, discreto. Eran de Pirre Hardy, los podéis ver mejor en su web. http://www.pierrehardy.com/spip.php?page=itemwomen&num=1&id_rubrique=7

Escaparate de Pierre Hardy en Manhattan, Nueva York / Foto: Ana B. González Carballal

Por lo visto, Pierre Hardy es uno de los diseñadores que viste a actrices tipo Sara Jessica Parker, Cameron Díaz… y es famoso, sobre todo, por vestir sus pies. La verdad, no me extraña. Yo no lo conocía de nada y fue ver estas sandalias y ¡enamorarme! Si pudiera permitírmelo y tuviera la ocasión de lucir alguna de sus sandalias creo que no lo dudaría. Me quedo con su nombre por si algún día me animo y ¡decido arruinarme vistiendo mis pies! Y, por cierto, os paso la dirección de la web de Tiffany & Co. por si a alguien le apetece echarle un vistazao ahora que se acercan las navidades. http://www.tiffany.com/?siteid=1

Mr. Panda & I are very blest to have so many lovely people working with us for the wedding. All of their details are on the links to your right. Here’s a little post on how we came to land on such good people!

Our Photographers

Our wedding day photographer in Malaysia is the excellent Louis Pang. He is quite well-known in the wedding photography industry and his prices are not for the faint-hearted. But when all is said and done, and the last cupcake eaten, the last song ended, all we would have to remind us of that day besides our memories, would be pictures. And I always knew that aside from the banquet, photography and videography would be my biggest expenses. Besides, Mr. Panda & I need all the help we can get to look fabulous in pictures!

As for the ROM photographer, we again, struck gold. As you’d know from my previous post, the ROM event was totally unplanned and unbudgeted for. So we didn’t have a lot of money to play with. I was praying for someone who’d do all the pictures for less than SGD500. And one day my future Mom-in-law sends an email talking about her best friend of 60 years, and how this lady’s son has just set up his own photogaphy business. We met Derrick yesterday and he was exactly the way he sounded on the phone, gentle, lovely, thoughtful, creative and kind. He took his time recce-ing the venue and asked to come back with his camera so he could test it out. That’s way above and beyond the call of duty, and yet so very Derrick somehow. The name of his company is Perfect Light, because photography is all about light and also because God is his perfect light.

One of his pictures taken during his travels won the Epson prize; it’s of little Bei-Bei playing with her grandfather who obviously adores her. Look at the expression on their faces! I love this photo! When Mr. Panda & I have little pandas, I’m making a note to call Derrick for fun shots like these!

Aru Bridal did our pre-wedding photographs, and I think they did a good job even though we couldn’t use most of the photos. But that was mostly because Mr. Panda couldn’t find it within himself to smile. Even my Mom thinks he should chill out a bit “Oh, he’s too tense in photos!” *LOL* Luckily he has no secret ambition to become a male supermodel macam Zoolander. Sure die of starvation. Here’s a photo that had mixed reviews. I had to crop it because my darling brought his mobile phone in his pocket and the outline was very clearly seen!

Our Videographer

The very first time I turned up at Substance Films and saw Yang’s work I immediately crossed out the names of all the other videographers I was planning to meet with. SOLD! For quite a lot of money though. His montages had the dreamy, vintage, romantic quality that captured the love, excitement and hopes of the wedding day. I wanted the same little montage for myself. Badly. And so Yang became the only vendor I’ll be flying over to Malaysia from Singapore to do the videography. I would say that cinematography is a better term to describe the results. Not for me, the cheesy point & shoot type videography. In fact, I’m planning to make copies of our little wedding movie for our parents. Wedding cinematography is the way to go, people! You heard it here from Bridezilla.  

Our Stationery

By now you’ve probably heard me rave about Viv from MadeVivLove several times! Can’t help it, she does gorgeous work and the attention to detail is amazing. We just got our entire set of invitations, table names, frames (I got her to get them for me), tags & flags, etc. from her yesterday and she was thoughtful enough to pack the glass separately, find a box that could store all the stuff securely in anticipation of our flight home, etc. That’s really customising service to suit the client’s needs! Will put up pictures of my bounty later when I have a bit more time, so stay tuned!

I must say we got lucky with this recommendation too. Babyduck recommended her and mostly b ecause Christine had her invitations done by Viv as well. So word of mouth travels well especially when it comes to ‘pat po’ girls like us! *LOL*

Our Florist

Another recommendation by Babyduck & Christine, the two brides who are doing this whole wedding thing just slightly earlier than me. Irene from All Things Floral sounded lovely over the phone, and her creations are also really pretty. She had all these ideas spilling out of her, it got me quite excited even though I was initially planning on having a really simple floral decor given our budget limitations. However, she seemed quite happy to propose things based on the budget given, so I’ve decided to let her do her thing! Lavender and yam roses mixed in with ivory two-toned roses will be the theme! The advantage of dealing with someone who’s not a huge commercialised florist is that you get more personalized attention and the prices are probably cheaper as well, since there’s no high-end shop rental to account for.

Our Cake

Again, this is based on Christine’s recommendation. She had Pink Vanilla do her wedding cake for the ROM which turned out lovely. They also did the penis cake for Babyduck’s hen’s night (no pictures up here!) and although it looked about as appetizing as a penis made out of sugar paste would, the rest of the cake was totally yummy! My guess is, if someone can do a “Noah’s Ark” birthday cake and a “roses-galore” type bridal cake, AND an anatomically correct X-rated hen’s night cake, she’s  a dab hand at baking. Making my yam and ivory roses cake may be an anti-climax after Babyduck’s cake (which was obviously modelled on a non-Jewish male person. Ahem.)  

Our ROM Caterer

Another Babyduck recommendation, I have no clue how the food would taste like but apparently Orange Clove is the sister company of the Neo Group and I have heard rave reviews about the delicious food. A bonus for us; they can provide covered chairs and tables without us having to source and rent from another company. “Bao ga liao” situation suits me! Most importantly, the price seems reasonable.

Our Wedding Bands

Ok this has been the topic of earnest discussion between Mr. Panda & myself. We both had our hearts set on Tiffany & Co. ‘Bezet’ bands in yellow gold. The problem is my engagement ring setting is really low and so it won’t sit properly next to the wedding band. The diamonds in the cluster setting would scratch the gold and wear it out…not something I want to deal with since I’d like to wear them together.

The other option I had was to custom-make a curved band that would fit with my e-ring as if they were an engagement set. That way I can wear the two together on one hand, and there won’t be any gap or scratching or knocking! So my custom-made curved diamond eternity band will be from Fairy’s Inc. while Mr. Panda’s regular gold Bezet band will be from Tiffany & Co.

Here’s how a curved band would look next to an e-ring:

Now my curved band will have diamonds all around it and will be fairly slim with a millgrain edge to give it that suitably antique look. Besides that I’m still thinking hard about having an alternate band (the Tiffany ‘Bezet’, same as Mr. Panda’s ring) for days when I have to work with raw meat, clean poop, lift weights, sleep, travel to third world countries on mission trips, etc. Sometimes a whopping bling ring may not be suitable, and yet I don’t see myself as someone who’d be happy not to wear any ring at all. It’s also a sentiment thing; would love a ring that would match Mr. Panda’s. I’d wear it on my other hand on days I’m wearing the engagement set. Should I do that?

After all, I have two ceremonies! *LOL* ROM in Singapore and church wedding in Malaysia!

As for the other vendors, I’ve posted in depth about my tailor, the bridal shop where I got my Maggie Sottero gown, the hotel where we’ll be having our wedding, my custom shoe-maker, my kwa-rental shop and JCrew. All highly recommended for good service and excellent results! Don’t do things the hard way; do it the Bridezilla way! Check them out for yourselves.

xx

There is something boundlessly intriguing and mysterious about wearing a key around your neck.  To each person, they symbolize something different.  A key to your heart.  A key to your lover’s heart.  A key to your future.  A key to your past.  A key to an ancient portal if you’re extra special.  You get the idea.  In each case, the key has significance.

The Tiffany & Co. collection of Tiffany Keys (pictured) come in all different sizes and shapes but they all share one thing in common: they exude a sense of mystery.  The antique-vintage vibe of these keys really enhance this intrigue as well.  I am just so fascinated by them.  Blair has been wearing them in several episodes of Gossip Girl and each time she has one on I think, Are they a gift from Chuck, perhaps?  A key to her dorm room at NYU?  A key to a secret society amongst the New York elite? Ah, I love a good mystery!

As a graduation gift this year, one of my aunts (and uncle & 2 cousins!) gave me aTiffany Key and told me it was the key to my future.  Naturally, the necklace is very special to me now and I wear it all the time (hoping to find the right door to my future, no doubt).  I absolutely adore these keys and now that I have one, I want at least 5 more.

[Image via Tiffany & Co.]

Ouuuuuf! Vendredi soir, 23h50, et enfin je peux m’assoir tranquillement afin d’écrire un peu sur ma soirée passée à Toronto. Je suis partie avec Mary en bus jeudi matin pour assister à la première édition de la remise de prix signée P&G Beauté.

Verdict? Une réussite, selon moi! Un décor un peu lounge-urbain au Calu, un bon DJ, de délicieuses petites bouchées et une foule parfaitement stylée, un cocktail gagnant pour assurer une belle soirée.

(http://molykulteartetmode.blogspot.com/)

Un gros bravo à Lolitta du blogue de chez Clin d’Oeil, qui s’est méritée le fabuleux trophée Tiffany & Co pour son blog et ses clichés Street Style inspirants. Mention spéciale pour sa tenue signée Denis Gagnon… wahou! J’M.

Une chose est certaine, j’ai bien hâte de voir la prochaine édition du gala. Je ne doute pas une seconde que ce sera, encore une fois, une réussite!

À lire aussi:
Gossip Girl, Anna Sui et Target
Photos du lancement Moly Kulte
Semaine de Mode de Montréal: Jour 2

]]> http://nancybatchelor.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/miamis-top-ten-real-estate-market-leaders/ Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:54:02 +0000 virtualresources http://nancybatchelor.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/miamis-top-ten-real-estate-market-leaders/

We are proud to announce that Nancy Batchelor was chosen as one of Miami’s Top Ten Real Estate Market leaders.  Come join us in celebrating this achievement with her on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. If you plan to attend, please see the e vite below and RSVP to Shawn at 305-446-1989. We are very proud of Nancy and would like you to be there to share this moment with her.

Também quero muito tirar fotos na Tiffany & Co.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Por, Axioo.

Cashmere scarf from Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany Lace

Leather Jacket, Vintage Topshop

Green Cardi, Penney’s (Primark)

White Slouchy Vest, American Apparel

Pink Belt, Matthew Williamson for H&M

Grey Skinny Trousers, Forever 21 (NYC)

Faux-Suede Thigh-High Boots, Penney’s

Studded clutch, AWear