Japanese Harajuku Street Style fashion ideas

Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan.

Every Sunday, young people dressed in a variety of styles including gothic lolita, visual kei, and decora, as well as cosplayers spend the day in Harajuku socializing. The fashion styles of these youths rarely conform to one particular style and are usually a mesh of many. Most young people gather on Jingu Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku to the neighboring Meiji Shrine area.

Harajuku is also a fashion capital of the world, renowned for its unique street fashion. Harajuku street style is promoted in Japanese and international publications such as Kera, Tune, Gothic & Lolita Bible and Fruits. Many prominent designers and fashion ideas have sprung from Harajuku and incorporated themselves into other fashions throughout the world. (read more)

How to Make a Paper Spike Bow | Tutorials paper craft

This fun little paper craft is something my grandmother taught me to make as a small child. I usually make one when I want to add a special touch to a wrapped gift. They also look pretty sitting on a shelf or turned into a fridge magnet.

Here is what you need:
Wrapping paper or craft paper, glue- any craft glue that dries clear,
a sharpened pencil, scissors, a cup or other circular object to trace around,
a damp cloth to wipe up the glue that you are sure to get on your fingers!

Trace & cut out several circles from your paper, 5 or 6 should do. Fold each circle in half, half again, and again (you will have 8 sections).
Cut on each fold line about 3/4 of the way, leaving the center in tact. Roll each cut section by holding the pencil at an angle to one corner.
As you roll the paper around the pencil it will make a cone.
Add a dab of glue near the end. If your paper is heavy,
you may have to hold it in place for a moment so the glue can set.
This is where I get glue all over my fingers and
use the damp cloth to keep clean. Now you are ready to assemble your bow!
Layer each circle one on top of the next with a dab of glue.
Be sure to off set each layer so the points land in between the
previous layer's points. When you get to the very middle,
use the eraser end of your pencil to stick the last layer in place. What a nice way to top off a gift!

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Spiral Island - Artificial Plastic Bottles Islands

Spiral Island is a name given to two floating artificial islands built by British eco-pioneer Richart "Rishi" Sowa.

Sowa is a musician, artist, and carpenter. As an environmentalist, he believes in recycling and low-impact living. A book about Sowa's journey in building the original island and his philosophies, Spiralogically Speaking, written by the German author Tanja Samed with Sowa, is due to be released in 2008. Spiral Island has been featured in a number of newspapers and TV documentaries around the world, including in Japan and South Korea, and was seen in an episode of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! television program.

The first Spiral island was located in a lagoon near Puerto Aventuras, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico south of Cancún; Sowa began constructing it in 1998. He filled nets with empty discarded plastic bottles to support a structure of plywood and bamboo, on which he poured sand and planted numerous plants, including mangroves. The island sported a two-story house, a solar oven, a self-composting toilet, and three beaches. He used some 250,000 bottles for the 66 feet (20 m) by 54 feet (16 m) structure. The mangroves were planted to help keep the island cool, and some of them rose up to 15 feet (4.6 m) high.

Almost all of the sand Sowa used for Spiral Island I was taken from the end of the beach, where it came up against the man-made rock pier on the edge of the canal system where the Island was tied. Due to the prevailing winds, beach-sand was constantly being piled up because of the constant motion of the waves and wind. The beach sand was dredged out using large machinery so that boats could continue to come through the canal. Since Sowa gathered 8 to 10 large buckets per week, the builders of Puerto Aventuras Canal did not need to dredge it again, as he was doing it for them.

The island was destroyed by Hurricane Emily in 2005. The island was washed completely onto the beach in one piece, and a small proportion of the bags of bottles washed up on the beach away from where it landed. The roots of the 7-year old, 7 metres (23 ft)-tall mangroves were intertwined through the island's base and the strong net that was wrapped totally under the whole island helped to keep it together.

Spiral Island II In late 2007 and 2008, Sowa built a new Spiral Island in the waters of Isla Mujeres, the "Island of Women", also near Cancun. It opened for tours in August, 2008.

The new island is about 20 metres (66 ft) in diameter, and plants and mangroves are already growing on it. It contains about 100,000 bottles. The new island has beaches, a house, two ponds, a solar-powered waterfall and river, and solar panels. Volunteers helped with the project. Sowa will continue to make improvements to the Island, so it will always be a work of art in progress.



































Source : Wikipedia