Modern Cup Designs

Modern mugs and creative mug designs from all over the world,availble on 2011....


















As The Years Fly By - 2011 Already


I'm off to work, but before I leave I want to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to stop by my BHB blog this year and to wish all of you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2011.
Cheers!
And to all of my blogging buddies, I want to thank you for bringing me a wonderful year of fabulous blog posts to read.  I appreciate the time and the effort that all of you put into writing your blogs.

(we shall leave the posting about New Year's resolutions to another day)

Moonshine, a fish parade, and a happy new year

Even before national prohibition, Huntington Beach was supposedly a "dry town." Of course, that's not how it worked in practice, even with occasional busts by the local police.
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This photo, from the Jan 7, 1932 Huntington Beach News was captioned, "Photograph taken at police station... showing bootlegging equipment confiscated at the warehouse at 708 Huntington avenue, [between Geneva Ave. and Hartford Ave.] alleged to belong the Steve Stimatz whose trial for possession will be heard Friday. In the picture from left to right are: Officers Robidoux and Shafer; Councilman E. B. Stevens and Chief of Police L. F. Keller..."
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These days, the City approves almost anyone downtown who requests a liquor license.

E. B. Stevens, by the way, is best remembered as the father of the short-lived Huntington Beach Fish Parade. In 1926, the entire fishing-themed parade, from bathing beauties to dignitaries to jazz bands, wound its way from Huntington Beach along a route more than 85 miles in length, taking in communities as distant as Olive, La Habra and Norwalk. The event was not repeated in 1927.
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Anyway, have a happy new year and enjoy the (merely) 5 1/2-mile long Rose Parade. But take it easy with the bathtub gin.

Preparing For Your Wedding Day - From Wedding Shoes to the Bridal Emergency Kit

The wedding day is one of the biggest days of a woman's life. The bride has spent an average of 10 months preparing for their wedding and usually over 300 hours choosing the right dress, the right flowers, the right venue, and all of the other little details. However, no matter how many details the bride focuses on, there are a few important details that the bride needs to remember. Below are the main things that a bride should not forget to focus on for her big day.

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First, the bride should not forget about her wedding shoes. Although countless hours are spent on choosing the dress, oftentimes, the bride waits until the last minute to choose her wedding shoes. This last minute rush does not allow the bride to properly choose the right bridal shoes.

1st#Wedding#Shoes#Amazing#Selection


If the bride is looking for ivory wedding shoes, she shouldn't forget that there are many shades of ivory and choosing any pair of shoes will sometimes not match her dress. However, the most important thing the bride needs to make sure of is that her shoes are comfortable. She is on her feet all day and the shoes are the only support she has. If the shoes start to hurt, the bride will feel very uncomfortable all day. Therefore, the bride needs to make sure she has something comfortable to wear all day. Whether it is a beautiful pair to wear down the aisle and then a pair of more casual flip flops, the bride should make sure that her wedding shoes are selected beforehand.

Second, the bride should prepare a bridal emergency kit case. That case should contain all of the little things she might need on the big day. These include the following: extra lipstick so she can reapply throughout the night, a compact to retouch, pins in case her hair starts to fall, water in case she becomes too dehydrated, a needle and thread for any last minute touch ups on the dress, and a little mirror for any last minute touch ups. The emergency kit can oftentimes be prepared by her bridesmaids, but in case they don't prepare anything, the bride should put all of these things together in preparation for the big day.

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Finally, the other major thing the bride should prepare is the wedding day schedule and contact details for the vendors and the bridal party. The minute by minute schedule for that big day is imperative to making sure that everything happens on time. The contact details are so important in case someone is searching for a vendor. The bride should assign a person for each vendor and assign someone to make sure that the schedule is running smoothly.

After making the entire schedule, one important thing is for the bride to review that schedule with the main people responsible for the event and the main people helping the bride ensure that the day runs smoothly - the bridesmaids, the wedding coordinators, and the vendors. One tip for the bride is to print out multiple copies of the schedule and tape them everywhere - in the car, in the bathroom, in people's rooms so that everyone can glance at it throughout the day and help the bride with the timing and the coordination.

The wedding day can be a very stressful day or a wonderful day, as long as the bride is prepared. Making sure she has the above items will definitely help ensure a wonderful and smooth day. Source

Alternative Weddings and Wedding Shoes

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Traditional wedding shoes are usually white, satin and medium or high heel. That's the case because most wedding dresses are white, long and of a satin-like material. But what of those brides who want to do things differently?

Just because the majority go with the white dress does not mean you have to. Themed weddings are common these days and those themes can vary wildly - you only have to look at shows on TV like Four Weddings and Don't Tell The Bride to know that!

You might, for example, want a very traditional but very VINTAGE wedding. A long, off-white gown with an even longer train, very old wedding car or even a horse and carriage. What shoes would you choose then?

Fortunately, there is a wide range available on the market, all created by big name designers like Rachel Simpson and Filippa Scott.

These vintage bridal shoes are not typically white, they tend to be ivory, teal, silver or mink though, of course, if white is what you want, white you can get.

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They vary in design depending on the era too, with styles from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Victorian, Edwardian and even Old Hollywood. These are all available in high and medium heel and flat shoes, depending on the designer and era.

For that extra special touch, you can attach shoe clips that look like they are made from pearls and diamonds. They will add a sparkle and catch the eye.

Less traditional brides will not want a heeled, white or ivory coloured, material shoe however. Some brides go for red shoes, black shoes or pink shoes. Non-traditional wedding shoes have included trainers or sneakers, boots (like Doc Martens) and even, in very rare cases, slippers!

Getting married abroad in an exotic location? Chances are you'll be walking across the beach at some point...so go for a flat sandal or flip flop! You do NOT want to be trying to cross the sand in a high heel do you!

At the end of the day, it comes down to the bride herself on the wedding theme she has, the style of dress she wears and the type of bridal shoes she sports. The very traditional will always go for the standard, the vintage shoe will always suit the glamorous or flashy and there will always be a market for sports shoes, boots and yes, even slippers as the wedding shoes.

One thing that is guaranteed is this - the groom has not and will never have a say in these little details that matter so much to the bride! Source

More Claim Jumper history: Nik's and Nick's

This is a follow-up to my post a couple months ago about the history of Claim Jumper restaurants. I told you that Carl Nickoloff previously ran Nik's Coffee Shop in Long Beach (seen below), and that Carl and his son Craig started Claim Jumper in Los Alamitos in 1977. The family later sold the chain.In response to my post, founder Craig Nickoloff sent me a very nice email that included information about yet another generation of the family to go into the restaurant business:
"...Meanwhile my son, Nick Nickoloff, who is a fourth generation restaurateur has opened two restaurants in Orange County serving lunch and dinner, 'Nick's Laguna' and 'Nick's San Clemente', both restaurants are doing great and he is planning on expanding in the near future, I am very proud.
"My daughter and son-in-law have opened a small sandwich shop in San Clemente on Pico Blvd next to the high school named 'Humphry's', they are doing great, the sandwiches are excellent."
I had the chance to have dinner at Nick's San Clemente last night. (See photo at the top of today's post.) The food was very good, and the place was packed. Expect prices that are a bit steeper than Claim Jumper. The vibe is "nice casual." My Hawaiian shirt was fine, but I felt a bit under-dressed in the jeans and sneakers I'd been wearing to walk around town that afternoon. Also, be warned that one of their salads is almost a meal by itself.
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Toward the back of the establishment were a number of framed menus and photos from the old Nik's Coffee Shop in Long Beach. I snapped photos (below) so I could share them here on the blog.
(I apologize for the fuzziness of all these photos. The battery in my good camera went dead and I was left using an older digital camera that I happened to have in my glove compartment.)
I love the wonderful Mid-Century logo and signage! It would have been at home on any Googie building. Here's where I wish I'd been using my newer camera. Still, you get the idea.
To see my original post about Claim Jumper, click here.

Men’s jewelry for 2011- Men’s Chains and Pendants





Men’s jewelry is not an unusual thing bit big statement necklaces with chunky pendants make it quite unusual. Vivienne Westwood, Versace Mens Spring 2011 runway and Etro Spring 2011 runway presented lot of men’s jewelery
that was big and bold. Pairing suits with chains and breezy ascots is quite different. Armani Spring 2011 show presented chains as jewelery.
Milan Men’s Fashion Week 2011 has given way to new mens fashion trends that are unusual and very different. So Girls, what’s your take on these spring mens fashion trends. Are they among list of mens fashion that women hate just like some women fashion trends that mens hate or among promising men’s fashion trends.

Transparent Desktops

Have you ever been watching Only Fools And Horses show? Can you remember Del Boy's famous sentence "Bloody Hell"? Well I refreshed my memory on that one when I saw these things; it was the first thing that came out of my mouth "Bloody hell, how did they do this!?" Then all sorts of things started to flow around my head - "Could it be true? Can they really somehow make those screens transparent? If so, could it be that these computers are the most expensive in the world?" Hell no.
















Elizabeth Taylor| English-American actress

Elizabeth Taylor is a long time English-American actress, known by many as one of the all time great actresses in showbiz.








36 Karat Precious Diamond Watch

Elizabeth Taylor said that “many women need big diamonds”! Perhaps in this case in terms of carat size is less important but the effect will be as safe! We are talking about the last born in our firm, known for high jewelry house that has launched precious diamond watch whose name is symptomatic: Crazy Flower, or Flower Crazy! We do not know whether it is more “crazy” who will sign the check or who will wear it but it is to gape.


The 
36 Karat Precious Diamond Watch structure looks like a flower whose petals are broken down by the wind, which gives it a touch and a feeling of movement and life
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The petals, finely decorated, are composed of 116 diamonds baguette cut. Cascade gemstones also true for the dial which are housed in 206 diamonds with 66 stones to decorate the outer crown. While the hands which do not occupy the entire quadrant are “protected” by a slightly elliptical barrier composed of 20 baguette-cut stones.

The 36 Karat precious diamond watch is winding mechanical movement. In a joke, having seen an object like this, the true lovers of diamonds and watches can only “looking forward” to have him on the wrist!