Jewelry to grow

Susan McLeary of Passion Flowers, creates beautiful pieces of jewelry that include a natural element, living succulents. Each piece starts out with a brass metal base, and then using locally sourced plants, she places each succulent on the base by hand, paying careful attention to the design and color of each plant, so that it all works together. The pieces are intended for special occasions, however they can survive for a few weeks, if treated gently. After the piece has been worn for a few weeks, you’re able to remove the plants from their backing and plant them in soil, giving you a long lasting gift.

Spring in Japan. Fuji Shibazakura

Shibazakura bloom from mid April to about late May. They spread over the ground like a pink carpet, and dazzle the eyes of those who visit. The following introduces two famous sites for Shibazakura that can be accessed easily from Tokyo.

Shibazakura is a flower that grows thickly, covering the ground like a lawn. The shape of its pretty flower petals looks like that of sakura (cherry blossoms) and it comes in a variety of colors including different shades of pink, white, and light purple, with some petals having striped patterns.

Near Lake Motosu, located at the base of Mt. Fuji, there is area where shibazakura grow. During the time when the first flowers bloom each year, the “Fuji Shibazakura Festival” is held. The view of Mt Fuji and shades of pink of the blooming shibazakura is spectacular. There are six different varieties and more than around 800,000 shibazakura, covering 2.4 hectares of land. Footbaths are provided at the venue during the festival period so that visitors can relieve the fatigue from their journey while enjoying the magnificent view. Moreover, the “Mt. Fuji Delicious Food Festival” is also held at the same venue, where you can taste local cuisines and sweets.

Chichibu City, Saitama, is located approximately 80 minutes away from Tokyo by train. “Shibazakura-No-Oka,” known for its beautiful shibazakura, is located in Hitsujiyama Park, which is on a hill that commands a panoramic view of the town. There are nine different varieties and more than around 400,000 shibazakura, covering 1.8 hectares of land. The gorgeous patterns created by flowers of various colors are worth seeing.

Flora Borsi - Animeyed

In New collection of self-portraits Flora Borsi creates a hybrid of humans and animals, matching her hairstyle, makeup, and eye color to the characteristics of each animal hiding one part of her face. For more of her works visit www.floraborsi.com.

The Spanish Church converted into a Skatepark

A church in Asturias, Spain that was converted into a skate park just got a stunning new coat of paint thanks to Madrid-based street artist Okuda San Miguel. Known for his stunning geometric vistas, San Miguel needed to paint the Church of Santa Barbera, a.k.a., the Kaos Temple, the moment he saw it on the internet. "[The church] with a skate park is an amazing image. I fell in love with the place, because both concepts were so right together," he tells The Creators Project.

The skate park's hallowed setting is heaven for holy rollers and blasphemers alike, but San Miguel's work brings it to a whole new dimension. It was originally converted from hundred-year-old place of worship to public half pipe thanks to a crowdfunding campaign on Verkami that got picked up by Red Bull.

Ani-Human Series by Lennette Newell

Lennette Newell was born in the high plains of Kimball, Nebraska. Daughter to a large animal veterinarian, her fascination with animal behavior sparked at a young age amidst a ranch equipped with a large animal hospital. Due to her father’s profession, she began to learn the scientific ideas behind various animal mannerisms. Though as a child she also observed many other characteristics mirrored in herself, leading her to see the animals as something beyond a patient to be treated. Her curiosity with animals was augmented by her captivation with the entire natural world, from the plants growing in her yearly garden to the dramatic cloud formations penetrated by diverse sunlight patterns. Mesmerized by her environment, Lennette chose to use the art of photography to capture these enthralling aspects of life. Beginning as a commercial photographer, she specialized in advertisements containing human and animals. Simultaneously she maintained a passion to pursue fine art, constantly photographing humans and animals in original styles to reveal the beautiful personalities of living creatures. Her work has been recognized for many photographic prizes, including the International Photography Awards 1st in Pets and the Graphics Photography Annual Gold & Silver Winner in 2014, and shown in several exhibitions, for example, Leo Burnett in London, LA Art Fair, Municipal Heritage Museum, Malaga and The Fair Art Show in New York etc. Acclaim for her Ani-human series has inspired her to continue expressing the exquisiteness of animal characters in a hope to make others aware of what we might be losing if environmental destruction continues. For more about her work visit her website www.lennettenewell.com.