Saturday, April 30, 2011

Kate Wedding Dress (Royal Wedding)

Now the whole world are talking about the unforgettable Royal Wedding and Kate's wedding dress caught the world attention. It could be called the wedding of century.





The wedding held the Westminster Abbey Church on the 29th April 2011



All sources from the official royal website and the BigPhoto.com




Actually I feel that her dress may be a little bit look like Princess Grace (Grace Kelly) wedding dress...but who care,she is the Princess,the Duchess of Cambridge



The Wedding Dress
Miss Catherine Middleton’s Wedding Dress has been designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.
Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing. Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen’s work. Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.


The dress epitomises timeless British craftsmanship by drawing together talented and skilled workmanship from across the United Kingdom. The dress design pays tribute to the Arts and Crafts tradition, which advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often Romantic styles of decoration. Ms Burton’s design draws on this heritage, additionally giving the cut and the intricate embellishment a distinctive, contemporary and feminine character.
The design
The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace. The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s. Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.
Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace has been used throughout the bodice and skirt, and has been used for the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.

The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The train measures two metres 70 centimetres. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen’s designs. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.
The Fabrics
French Chantilly lace was combined with English Cluny lace to be hand-worked in the Irish Carrickmacross needlework tradition.
All other fabrics used in the creation of the dress were sourced from and supplied by British companies. The choice of fabrics followed extensive research by Sarah Burton and her team.
The Royal School of Needlework
The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace, assisted the Alexander McQueen team in accurately cutting out the delicate motifs from the lace fabrics and positioning the lace motifs with precision into the new design. The lace motifs were pinned, ‘framed up’ and applied with stab stitching every two to three millimetres around each lace motif. The workers washed their hands every thirty minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean.
The RSN workers included existing staff, former staff, tutors, graduates and students, with the youngest aged 19.
The RSN’s work was used primarily for the train and skirt of the Bride’s dress, the bodice and sleeves, the Bride’s shoes and the Bride’s veil.
Veil and Jewellery
The veil is made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The veil is held in place by a Cartier ‘halo’ tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen. The ‘halo’ tiara was made by Cartier in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday.
The Bride’s earrings, by Robinson Pelham, are diamond-set stylised oak leaves with a pear shaped diamond set drop and a pavé set diamond acorn suspended in the centre. Inspiration for the design comes from the Middleton family's new coat of arms, which includes acorns and oak leaves. The earrings were made to echo the tiara. The earrings were a personal gift to the Bride from her parents for her Wedding Day.
Robinson Pelham have also designed and made a pair of diamond earrings for Miss Philippa Middleton. These earrings are more floral in nature to compliment the headpiece worn by Miss Philippa Middleton during the Service.
A tourmaline and diamond pendant and matching earrings have been designed and made for Mrs. Carole Middleton. Two gold stick pins, one with a single gold acorn at the head and the other with an oak leaf, are also worn respectively by the Father of the Bride, Mr. Michael Middleton, and the Bride's brother, Mr. James Middleton.
Wedding Shoes
The wedding shoes have made hand-made by the team at Alexander McQueen and are made of ivory duchesse satin with lace hand-embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.
The Bride’s Bouquet
The bouquet is a shield-shaped wired bouquet of myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth. The bouquet was designed by Shane Connolly and draws on the traditions of flowers of significance for the Royal Family, the Middleton family and on the Language of Flowers.
The flowers’ meanings in the bouquet are:
Lily-of-the-valley – Return of happiness
Sweet William – Gallantry
Hyacinth – Constancy of love
Ivy: Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection
Myrtle: the emblem of marriage; love.
The bouquet contains stems from a myrtle planted at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and a sprig from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947.
The tradition of carrying myrtle begun after Queen Victoria was given a nosegay containing myrtle by Prince Albert’s grandmother during a visit to Gotha in Germany. In the same year, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House as a family retreat, and a sprig from the posy was planted against the terrace walls, where it continues to thrive today.
The myrtle was first carried by Queen Victoria eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, when she married in 1858, and was used to signify the traditional innocence of a bride.
Miss Philippa Middleton’s Dress
Miss Philippa Middleton’s dress was designed and created by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. It is of a heavy, ivory satin-based crepe, with a cowl front and with the same button detail and lace trims as the Bride’s dress.
The Young Bridesmaids’ Dresses
The young Bridesmaids’ dresses were designed by childrenswear designer Nicki Macfarlane to echo the Bride’s dress. The four dresses were hand-made by Ms Macfarlane and her daughter Charlotte Macfarlane at their homes in Wiltshire and Kent.
The Bridesmaids’ dresses have been created using the same fabrics as the Bride’s dress. The ballerina-length, full, box pleated skirt gives the dresses a sculptural quality, with the layering of ivory over white satin gazar adding depth of colour. They have all been hand-finished with delicate English Cluny lace, which is visible under the skirts, and four layers of net underskirt. The puff sleeves and neckline are trimmed with the same English lace as the Bride’s underskirt. The backs have been finished with the same button detail.
The sashes are made of pale gold, wild silk, which is tucked at the front and tied at the back in a sumptuous bow.
As a special memento, the Bridesmaid’s name and the date of the wedding have been hand-embroidered onto the lining of each dress.
Capes (These may or may not be worn dependent on the weather)
The waist-length capes, also created by Nicki Macfarlane, are made from ivory Yorkshire wool, edged in fine English lace and tied at the front in the same satin gazar as the dresses.
Shoes
The Bridesmaids’ shoes were designed and made by Devon-based Rainbow Club. The classic Mary Jane style shoes are made from satin and finished with a Swarovski crystal buckle. Devon-based Rainbow Club have been designing, making and colouring handmade wedding shoes since the mid-1980s.
Bridesmaids’ Flowers
The Bridesmaids’ flowers were designed and made by Shane Connolly. The ivy and lily-of-the-valley hair wreaths worn by the younger Bridesmaids were influenced by the Bride’s mother’s own headdress at her wedding in 1981. The bouquets held by the Bridesmaids replicate the flowers used in the Bride’s bouquet, and they incorporate lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth.
Pages’ Uniforms
The Pages are wearing a uniform in the style of that worn by a Foot Guards officer at the time of the Regency (the 1820s). The uniform draws its insignia from the Irish Guards, whose Colonel is Prince William.
The tunic is Guards’ Red with gold piping, Irish shamrocks are on the collars and its buttons are arranged in fours, denoting the Irish – or Fourth – Regiment of Foot Guards. The buttons feature the Harp of Ireland surmounted by the Crown Imperial. The breeches are ivory and are worn with white stockings and black buckle shoes
The Pages will wear a gold and crimson sash (with tassel) around their waists. The sash is worn by officers in the Irish Guards when in the presence of a Member of the Royal Family.
The uniforms were designed in the Royal Household and were created by Kashket and Partners, who have also fitted Prince William’s uniform for his Wedding Day. The collars and cuffs were created by the Royal School of Needlework.






THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN
The Queen has today been pleased to confer a Dukedom on Prince William of Wales. His titles will be Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.
Prince William thus becomes His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Miss Catherine Middleton on marriage will become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.



At the Service...
Prince William and Catherine Middleton's Prayer...
Prince William and Catherine Middleton have written their own prayer:
God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.
In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.
Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

























Thanks for those who uploaded the incredible pictures, ^_^

Friday, April 29, 2011

a night in Subang Park

when i was in KL,Michelle brought me to a low budget hotel for a night,because my sis all are working on that day, so i have to travel by my own from the airport to Subang Jaya. A simple word that i can describe my day...."tired"..yup

I took a quick meal in the airport when i have arrived, then the Skybus to the KL Sentral. Crowded,crowded, crowded....really pack of people,as crowded as a beehive.

Then took the 'hi-tech' KTM to Subang,it says the middle coach is for the ladies...hmmm!!!What the...nothing much different!!

Lucky that Michelle could get a excuse for go home early,then we meet up,hot and tired day. After checked-in,we decided to take a powerful dinner coz im so hungry at the end of a exhausting day. Michelle show me where she works and cross a highway,there is the restaurant that we are heading to,Bella Italia. Actually we kind of want to have indian dish but don't know how we could end up in sitting in the Italian restaurant. We saw so many italian dishes that i suppose familiar of,such as Penne,Rissotto,Carbonara,Calamari,Caesar Salad,Gelato,Tiramitsu....we standing outside the restaurant for about 15-20minutes,and our fingers keep pointing the dishes that we will order later. And at the same times,I become a temporary Italian translator,Michelle asks me about the meaning of some of the dishes, luckily my memory and experience of working in a Italian Restaurant still store in a proper place in my brain.
At around 6pm,the restaurant 'finally' open,when we step inside,very cozy and very Italian style plus very Homie feel. The restaurant decorated with so many little tiny-miny decorative items. But very weird that you can see Michael Jackson,Marilyn Monroe,Bruce Lee in the restaurant,I meant the pictures,how come? It's normal to see Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Brocelli,but Bruce Lee? Ok,so after all the decision we made outside for ordering this and that,finally we end up having ONLY pizza - Pizza Bella Italia,the restaurant homemade pizza,not bad.
While having our early dinner,suddenly it's looks like there is a hurricane outside the restaurant,but the rain stop just after we finished and decided to go back for a shower. After shower,we are heading to Subang Parade for a quick shopping and by that time we finished it was around 10pm,so we sitting down and take a before bed hot drink at Daiki Cafe(the cafe just located downstairs of the hotel)

We ordered butter-kaya waffles and Tea for me and milo for Michelle.It was nice.I have head back to the hotel for my 'study'. Actually i have study a lot before i came to KL,because the next day is my interview big day so i have to do a revision for it.While study Michelle show me her Nikon 3100,nice and very clear shot.She got it.
The low budget hotel not bad too, but except for the Cockroaches!!! Michelle and I make a funny story regard those cockroaches and we laugh the whole night until we can't sleep. There is a cockroaches climbing up the bed and Michelle shout out so loud and we laugh too.Stupid cockroaches.

Finally settled everything

huuhhhhh!!!
Finally i've settled everything,now i have to bring up more issues that had happened during these what i called 'unfaithful' and 'bad-luck' day.. but even it's outrageous and unreasonable,it still have some moment that which i really happy and felt warm of the sisterhood time.

Coming up next of my post...hopefully i still remember it

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Anyway

And because I have no means to face you,
I bury my nose back into my book;
The sun blinds you, anyway,
You manage not to look towards me.

Send me a note later on,
Leave it wedged on the loose floorboard,
It's customary now, anyway,
I'll read it and keep it and maybe reply.

And since I don't understand,
How come it's so hard to see each other again,
I avoid us, (you are, anyway)
It's truly much easier than I thought.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Time for Cuckoo









A cuckoo clock is a clock, typically pendulum-driven, that strikes the hours using small bellows and pipes that imitate the call of the Common Cuckoo in addition to striking a wire gong. The mechanism to produce the cuckoo call was installed in almost every kind of cuckoo clock since the middle of the eighteenth century and has remained almost without variation until the present.

The design of a cuckoo clock is now conventional. Most are made in the "traditional style" (also known as "carved") or "chalet" to hang on a wall. In the "traditional style" the wooden case is decorated with carved leaves and animals. Most now have an automaton of the bird that appears through a small trap door while the clock is striking. The bird is often made to move while the clock strikes, typically by means of an arm that lifts the back of the carving.

Monday, April 18, 2011

3D Wall Painting









Isn't it great to have 3D wall painting on the wall, looks real and even live..