StuartBrown.biz

• Home
• Contact Me

Backpacking Tent Review - What Backpackers And Hikers Want

November 11th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Among the favorite of backpacker’s are ultralight backpacking tents make of nylon, designed specifically for hikers and backpackers in mind.  There are many ways to spend a night in the woods.  Many fast and light hikers are turning to bivy bags to keep themselves warm, nesting their sleeping bags inside waterproof bags and eschewing a tent all together.  The disadvantage to this is that these hikers often wake up in sleeping bags soaked with condensation, even if the sky was clear all night.  Some others spend the night under ultra light tarps or in hammocks, but when it starts to rain, most of the hikers find themselves flooded out, and all too happy to share your dry, waterproof tent.

Over the years, backpacking tents designs have changed considerable. What was once heavy and bulky, it is now light and trendy with lots of safety features. Ultralight backpacking tents made from nylon shells and fiberglass or carbon-fiber poles mean that today’s tents are smaller and lighter than ever before. And there will no longer be any hassling with mismatched tent poles in the middle of the night either.  Most manufactures now have cleverly string their break-down poles with bungee cords which allow the pieces to snap together quickly.  Such design, combined with color-coded snaps on the tent body, mean that most tents can be set up by one person in minutes.

When such tent is set up, you can be guarantee a dry and comfortable night.  Modern backpacking tents are waterproofed and seam-sealed, so you won’t wake up in the middle of the night that tell-tale drip-drip-drip of a leaking seam.  Such temporary home is also ventilated, allowing the moisture and condensation from your breath to carry outside and avoid wet tent walls in the morning. Another good feature is a vestibule, allowing you to leave your muddy boots and pack outside your tent but still out of the rain.

Most backpacking tents comes equipped with gear lofts, utilizing the extra space at the top of the tent’s dome for storage of small items and bags.  The others have attachment points for flashlights or lanterns, though it’s important to keep sources of flame or heat away from the synthetic materials to avoid any accident.  Most tent design also have small pouches sewn into the inside of the tent serve as handy places for pocket change or eyeglasses.

Backpackers and hikers go into the woods to enjoy the peace and nature.  Comfort may not be the number 1 priority.  However, when storm clouds roll in, it is certainly heartening to now that you can easily carry a warm, dry shelter in your backpack, which can be ready to keep off the rain and snow for years to come.

Holiday Fashion Of Winter 2007 and 2008 - Time For Winter Fashion!

October 14th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

What are the trends now for the fashion of winter at 2007 and 2008?  Well, sequins and dresses are the in-thing for the 2007 and 2008 winter seasons.

Holiday fashion always calls for a little shine, but the sparkle and glitter shown in this season’s clothing has been just blinding! For the day-to-day wear, such glittery may prove to be too much, but it certainly is perfect for a party or the gathering? This is fine as long as the glittery look is not too overwhelming.  In fact, some glitz and glamour can brighten anyone’s mood.

You should consider the juicy Couture Sequin Tank Dress. It is available in grey or black, this knit-and-sequined striped tank dress has been popping up in every online catalog and store. (It is so popular that there is a children’s version with short sleeves instead of sleeveless.) The dress is pretty bold and works well on taller frames.  However, the thick stripes may overwhelm some smaller frames.

For such an investment, it is ideal to have more than one way to wear the pretty dress. A great option to consider is to belt it as a tunic, worn over skinny jeans or leggings with heels. Such combination makes it much more casual. Or loosely belt a trench over the dress so that the sequins can peek through. You can also consider the inexpensive satin trenches and coats, perfect for outdoor events. The coat can be part of the overall outfit. It’s a way to stay warm and yet fashionable.

Looking ahead to next spring: wear the dress over a white tank or white leggings and flip flops.

Another inspiring example for you: Alice + Olivia Paillette Jersey Dress. This black, spaghetti-strapped dress is covered with paillettes (large sequins). It is fun and has a slightly 1960s-vibe. You can put a belted or cardigan sweater over it during the day or, remove the sweater and add those heels at night.

You can use these examples for what’s currently in style – and remember that the same look can be achieved for lesser money. Scour “teen” stores or the Internet for the same type of dress for a lower cost.

Are you good at sewing?  Well, then you can make your own!

You could be screaming - “No Sequined Dresses, Please”.  Maybe you prefer a dress that doesn’t reflect light? Instead of a “little black dress”, go choose grey. It is the color of the season. Accessorize with holiday-friendly colors, including silver or cranberry. Add shine in other ways, such as shoes or handbag to brighten up the overall.

Covering Yourself Up: A sparkly shawl or wrap can be elegant, but if for use of both hands, go with a cardigan instead. You can wear it unbuttoned, or loosely thrown over shoulders for an even more casual look.

Can’t Live Without Jeans? Well, for those that can’t seem to part with their favorite jeans, be sure pay extra attention to the top and accessories. There are many tanks and sweaters that are as feminine and embellished as the dresses.

Or, No Sequins On My Top, Either: Holidays also call for coziness – a sweater looks especially nice when it’s not too tight and fit just nice. Choose cashmere (or soft cotton if allergies are an issue) and pay attention to details such as the buttons.

But remember, play up the sequins while they’re still in style..time will only tell what next year’s holiday season brings - have a great winter!

White Diamonds Perfume - The Perfect Gift For Woman

September 22nd, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

There are many people that we meet in our lives that we end up exchanging gifts with each other. Sometimes this is an easy task and other times, it is not. I have one friend that I see things for every time I am out shopping. She has many interests and hobbies so it is easy to find things that she will appreciate. I have three sisters. Two of them I also can find things very easily for, but the oldest one is abit more difficult to buy for. She is a shopper and she has a great deal of money to spend. If she sees something she likes she will just buy it.

Several years ago my sisters and I started a tradition of going out for drinkings and exchanging gifts for each other’s birthdays. Our birthdays are spread throughout the year and this makes for a great way to catch up on what is going on in each other’s life. Last year when we got together I was wearing some of the white diamonds perfume that my husband gave me for Christmas present. When I greeted my oldest sister with a hug she commented that I smelled so good. She made the same comment when we embraced and say goodbye. Her birthday was the next, so I decided that the next time I went shopping I would buy her white diamonds perfume. Fragrance is not something that I would choose to buy for someone because if is such a personal choice. I had never noticed that my sister wore any perfume, so I had not considered this as an option as gift before. The next time I went shopping I was looking at the white diamonds gift sets. The bottles themselves are very pretty and look so nice sitting on a vanity or dresser. The perfume comes in a small bottle with a cover that is shaped just like a bow. The middle of the bow has a small stone inside it that looks like a diamond. The cologne bottle has a band of fake diamonds surrounding it. I purchased a white diamonds perfume set that included a small bottle of perfume, a bottle of cologne and a tube of body lotion that go together with it.

When we got together for my oldest sisters birthday, I noticed that she was actually wearing white diamonds perfume. I commented on this and she said that she had liked it so much on me that she had bought herself a small bottle to try. She had to laugh when she opened the gift set I had bought for her birthday. She was very pleased with the gift. I told her that once again she had just gone out and bought what she wanted, but at least it was something that had to be replenished soon. At least now I know I have a fall back gift for her if I cannot locate anything else in her next birthday.

Animal Stuffed Wholesale,Wholesale Stuffed Animal

July 3rd, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

My husband and I have a tendency to spreadourselves too thin. We get overly involved in community and church activities to the point of feeling being used. In our former parish we were lectors, Eucharistic ministers, on the parish council and the environment committee. When we were asked to chair the fund raiser we agreed to do it for just one year. We ended up heading it for five. When we relocated to a different area we agreed that we would not jump in with volunteering with our new parish at all. Within a year we were both on committees. Last year we were asked to head our parish fund raiser event. I cannot believe that we said yes.

The parish had tried an adult prom the year before as a fund raiser event. It was to be a formal dinner followed by a dance. Such few tickets were sold to parish members that the event needed to be opened to the public community. The event raised a small amount of money once all the expenses were paid out. The young families in the parish could not justify the price of the ticket and the cost of a babysitter to attend the evening event. This year it was decided to have a family event instead. It was going to be a carnival evening with games for children and adults and concessions. We wanted to have very nice prizes. We decided that stuffed animals go over big with kids of all ages safely. We needed to find wholesale stuffed animals so that we would be able to keep the cost of the event as low as possible. We also solicited prizes from area businesses and took in donations for a silent auction.

One person on the committee volunteered to locate wholesale stuffed animals for us. They had worked in a large toy store for a while and thought that they could get some resources from the manager of that store. They thought that if we could not find wholesale stuffed animals, the manager of the store maybe willing to sell us some of the store’s supply at the store’s cost. The donations for the silent auction were very generous. People had great ideas of donating fishing trips, home made cookies for the holidays, lawn and yard clean up and other services as well as many other items.

A week before the carnival, we had a meeting with all the committee members to make sure everything was in place. The person in charge of the wholesale stuffed animals came into the meeting carrying four huge stuffed teddy bears. He said that he had several more in his van as well as smaller stuffed animals. He would not give us the name of the benefactor, but it turned out that an owner of a warehouse for wholesale stuffed animals had anonymously donated the prizes. We knew that all the kids that came were going to be delighted with the animals.

Wicker Storage Basket - 101 Perfect Gift Ideas For You

June 25th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Wicker storage baskets have many uses. You can find a plethora of reasons to invest in this kind of simple product. There are endless ideas for these traditional elements for the home and I’m going to share a bunch of the ideas here. Keep in mind that there are many more ways to put wicker storage baskets to use. These ideas are in no way comprehensive.

Gift packaging can be a real chore, especially challenging if you are combining a lot of different items in a particular theme for one person. The concept of using wicker storage baskets as a way of presenting the gifts is beyond genius. Not only does the person receive a great present in the items that you have chosen, they get a lovely wicker basket too.

But what do the recipients do with the wicker storage baskets once they get home? Well, there are plenty of uses for these items ranging from decoration to storage. Some of us like to use the wicker storage baskets to house gifts for other people in the same way that someone would reuse a gift bag.

However, there are some wicker baskets that never circulate around the gift circuit. These prime choices have other household uses that are far more valuable than simply present arrangements. I have received many of these woven items and I have a few that I keep for my personal use, not wanting to give it away.

The bathroom is the ideal place for this kind of product to be around. Storage that is functional and decorative is difficult to find, needless to say the nice design. Wicker baskets are great for holding those carefully folded towels and washcloths. I like to keep a collection of hand towels right next to the sink so that we always have a fresh towel at near distance.

The large wicker baskets are ideal for organization in just about every room. I have these decorative storage containers in my kitchen and bedroom and even in my living room. They provide a convenient and attractive home for many items that usually wind up in an utter cluttered mess.

Anyone who has kids knows how quickly toy clutter can become a nightmare. I like to keep wicker baskets on hand so that I can pick up toys before friends arrives. My daughter and I sort through the containers and put the items back where they belong each night before we go to bed.

The next time that you get a gift basket, do keep in mind that while what is inside is the primary present; the container has many uses as well. Wicker storage baskets are affordable, versatile and beautiful. I can’t think of a better gift than this.

Bette Davis Biography And Bette Davis Movies

March 7th, 2006    Subscribe To Our Feed

Bette Davis has always thought that she was unattractive—an attitude certainly not held by her millions of fans through the years. Such interesting information is added to the many minute details about Bette Davis, her acting career, and her life. Here are a few more fascinating facts about, as one fan calls her, the “incomparable” all time Bette Davis.

One of the most esteemed and most often impersonated Hollywood legends, Bette appeared in a total of 103 films and television movies and shows and made guest appearances in over 50 shows. Between 1934 and 1962, Bette was nominated a total of nine times for Academy Awards, and won two—the Best Actress Award for her role as a drunken performer in the 1935 movie, Dangerous, and another Best Actress Award for her primadonna “headstrong” character in Jezebel (1938).

When the American Film Institute (which honored Bette with the first Lifetime Achievement Award to a woman) announced its list of top 100 movie lines (in June of 2005), Bette Davis took second place, as quoted for her lines “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” [number 9 on the list]; “Oh Jerry, don’t let’s ask for the moon. We have the stars.” [number 46]; and “What a dump.” [number 62]—from All about Eve; Now, Voyager; and Beyond the Forest, respectively.

im Carnes scratched out a stunning song abut Bette, called the - “Bette Davis Eyes,” written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon. Upon hearing the song, being impressed with the amount of information about her life in it, and having her grandson thrilled that he now had a “cool” grandmother—because she had a song written in her honor—Bette wrote to DeShannon and Weiss, thanking them wholeheartedly.

Bette was for many years cast in many roles she found unacceptable. When the casting continued to displease her, she took off to England—until Jack Warner (of Warner Bros.) sued her for a breach of contract. She was forced to return to honor the remainder part of her contract, but at the same time, began getting much finer roles.

Bette Davis married four times, bore one child and adopted two more, and wrote three books, autobiographies that lean on each other as chronologies and/or updates of each other.

And Bette Davis too had her rivalries—specifically those with fellow star, Joan Crawford. Behind the scenes of the filming of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, for instance, Bette disliked Joan so much (then widow to Pepsi Cola president and CEO Alfred Steele) that she commissioned a Coca Cola machine to be brought to the set. In turn, Joan, also at odds with Bette, weighted her pockets for scenes in which the Bette’s character had to lift and drag Joan’s.

If you have seen …Baby Jane, you have seen that beyond the stunning fantastic performance was a palatable disdain that fed or carried the character acting. And if you have seen any of Bette’s other films, you have seen the best in pain, repression, suppression, elation, and liberation…in Bette Davis’ acting and, yes, in the Bette Davis’ eyes.

You can get view more rare posters of Bette Davis here. Enter the phrase “Bette Davis” into the search box and click “Search”.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Copyright © 2007 StuartBrown.biz

StuartBrown.biz |
KudoSurf Me! | Blogcatalog |