The Year of the Dragon is upon us!

The Year of the Dragon is a very special year, because the dragon is celebrated as the luckiest year on the Chinese/Mongolian zodiac. Also, the Dragon itself is the only creature on this calendar that is legendary. This makes it a super-duper important year for the Chinese people…and also those trying to make a quick buck.

As far as commercial viability goes, the Year of the Dragon is without doubt the best the Chinese zodiac has to offer. After all it is hard to get excited about years such as that of the rat, dog, or pig for instance. About the only other animal with a bit of fire and excitement is the tiger.

This is why big brands, especially clothing related brands, are going out of their way to milk the Year of the Dragon for all its worth….some more successfully and with more style than others!

There are 2 sneaker companies that I would like to point out for you all, not to give them trouble, but to rather applaud that they have actually pulled off a very slick Year of the Dragon range.

First up we have the ever dominating footwear giant, Nike.
Their range of sneakers features some of the most lavish textures and colors I have ever seen. There is absolutely nothing simple about this range. Every single one of the 4 models that have been revamped are dripping with an opulent majestic aesthetic.

Here are the sneakers that have been pimped, ‘Dragon style’:
Nike Kobe VII System Supreme - Nike Zoom KD IV - Air Jordan - Air Force 1 Low Supreme.

If China still had an Emperor this is probably what his kids would be wearing around the castle :)
The Nike Year of the Dragon sneakers are in a word, “blinging”. If you are the chilled type, who likes comfy performance sneakers, but who doesn’t like to bring attention to themselves, then these are probably not the series for you. These sneakers probably have the power to blind astronauts floating in space, hehe. This goes especially for the uber bright and funky Nike Kobe VII System Supreme and Air Jordan 2012 models.

My favourite sneaker in the Nike Year of the dragon series is undoubtedly the Air Force 1 Low Supreme. The reason being is that it steps outside the ‘norm’ but without being too over the top. Yes, these are undoubtedly the most modest of the range! However their silky black vibe has an air of nobility and power, no matter how subtle.

The second sneaker brand I have to tell you about is Converse, who also did a great job with their Year of the Dragon range. Converse has really come out fighting with their re-imagined Jack Purcell, One Star and Chuck Taylor models. Once again the prevailing literal ‘dragon’ theme has been used to great effect, especially on the Jack Purcell and Chuck Taylor styles.

The One star is in essence the ‘plainest’ of the range, even though it’s a bright fire-breathing dragon red and has subtle scales. There is also a black Jack Purcell version, but it has an honestly super horrendous ‘dragon scale’ texture that looks way tacky. Sorry Converse, but it is the only one I don’t like!

The Chuck Taylor Chinese New Year model is my favourite from the Converse range. It is probably a tad bit brighter than what I usually wear, but hey exceptions have to be made from time to time!
When I find these puppies I will most certainly be acquiring them, awesome.

The Converse Chinese New Year range is limited edition - so if you see something you like here, best pounce while you still can ;)

What do you think guys and girls? Do you like my choices for the best Year of the Dragon sneakers?
If you have seen other brands creating awesome stuff that you think should be included, please drop us a message and a link.

Here’s wishing everyone out there a happy Year of the Dragon, may we all have good luck and make 2012 a power year!

Hey there all you awesome Springleap designers.

We are so excited about our Spirit of Manentines Day contest, this is going to be such a fun theme to work with. Have you come up with any cool ideas yet?

We thought it would be a good idea to give you all a few ideas and perhaps some direction to help get your creative juices flowing.

In the original posting we laid out the ‘Mission’ of the contest:

“Create a design that embodies The Spirit of Manentine’s Day.

Show us the Spirit of Manentine’s Day by illustrating just how much you love your man (or for the guys – how you love to be loved!) and all the ways in which you celebrate him and show him your appreciation!”

Basically we are looking for a design that would show the ultimate MANS VALENTINES.

There are many guys who feel that Valentine’s Day is really just for the girls. They take their ladies out to fancy restaurants, buy flowers and even crazy expensive gifts, but what do they really get out of it? Men don’t really care about roses or boxes of chocolates, but they do love a big juicy steak or a round of golf. This is why Manentines Day is all about doing the kind of things men like to do!

No flower arranging, painful yoga classes, or tea parties with cupcakes and scones. Nope, it’s time to watch some football, down a few pints of beer and order some greasy take-out.

Here are the Top 10 Rules from the official Manentine’s Day website:

1. Plan for Your Man
2. Dress to impress
3. Present a man bouquet
4. Do something sporty
5. Do to a manly restaurant
6. Cook or bake something
7. Surprise him with a gift
8. Do something relaxing
9. Stroke his big ego
10. Sexy time

To check out the full Spirit of Manentines Day contest brief, please check out the OFFICIAL POSTING.

This contest is pretty open to interpretation and has loads of avenues for creative concepts.
Please remember that the community and the Springleap Team are here to help you create the best possible submission, so don’t hesitate to ask questions, or perhaps even collaborate with another designer.

Here is a GREAT EXAMPLE of a super cool Manentines Day T-shirt design by Noah Jacobus.
We like it!!!

Guys and girls there is obviously a ‘line’ in how far you can take your designs. Don’t make your submissions overly rude and misogynistic. We don’t mind if they are a little bit ‘naughty’, but not downright gross. We are looking for fun and quirky examples of what men want for Valentines, so please don’t be crude…after all, it’s all about the LOVE!

If you would like to find out more please check out the Manentines Day official page, Facebook page, or Youtube channel.

We are so excited to see your Spririt of Manentines Day designs coming through, we have no doubt you will all come up with some hilariously fun concepts.

Have you ever heard of 3D goldfish paintings?

A colleague of mine sent me a video link earlier on in the day and I was surprised by what can actually be created and what kind of possibilities you have when you use this kind of painting technique to create 3D effects, truly amazing.

It’s without doubt fabulous!
I’ve seen a lot of paintings in national galleries, but I’ve never seen such an amazing 3D painting/ idea before.

The Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori is creating incredibly realistic three-dimensional goldfish paintings, by using acrylic paint layered over clear resin. He paints the fish layer-by-layer, with the sandwiched slices revealing slightly more about each creature. The entire process seems very similar to the function of a 3D printer.

It took me a while to really understand the combination of painting using acrylic paint layered over clear resin, but it definitely helps to watch the video first and then look at the photos again, it enhances your understanding of the technique in a whole different way. The first half of the video below shows Fukahori's process. The second half is also interesting, but basically shows him working on a more conventional large-scale painting.

I cannot express my impressions into better words other than by saying that this is truly magnificent art work. It is realism in its finest details!

Such a pity, that Fukahori just closed his exhibition at ICN Gallery in London, but you can see many more images via the Facebook page of ICN Gallery.

Miriam

I’m not sure, but am I the only one who is getting the feeling that everyone is talking about this year’s Tomorrowland music festival? Plenty of my friends are already constantly posting about it on Facebook. Others are saying that attending this incredible music festival is their goal for 2012.

I don’t have any past experience with this festival, so I tried my best to get as much information about it as possible. I must admit that I’m really impressed with the sound of this upcoming event.

It’s that kind of festival that every electro fan dreams of going to. Once you attend Tomorrowland you will find yourself coming back again and again, until it starts to become an addiction. Tomorrowland has been held in Antwerp, Belgium since 2005 and is a massive success every single year. People seem to have the most enjoyable time of their lives and the music brings everyone together. Tomorrowland is basically the Glastonbury of the house-music world and the Coachella of the trance nation.

Tomorrowland always has an immensely diverse stage set up, which including dancers, a smiling sun with a functioning opening/closing mouth and amazing fireworks. This is something you seriously don’t want to miss out on. I wanna go there so bad!!

The organizers of the event are enticing the crowd with not only an impressive line-up, but also by only announcing little bits-and-pieces of info at a time. Updates of which top international DJ’s will be attending are released slowly over a 6 month period. This is cool because the year is then filled with gifts and mysteries – true to their motto ‘Yesterday is History, Today a Gift, Tomorrow is Mystery’. You can get a little impression of the line-up here.

Tomorrowland – OFFICIAL DATES: 27 -29 July 2012

If you would like to find out more about Tomorrowland please cruise across to their homepage.
Alternatively you can catch them on Facebook or their Twitter pages.

Now this is what I call the ultimate electro music festival. It’s insane!!

Miriam

Springleap loves the Friends of Parent and Child team!

It is not very often that you find a group of people so committed to making a positive change in the lives of South Africa’s youth.

Friends of Parent and Child are a charity organization that seeks to uplift the lives of township children and to help them to fully realise their dreams.

This dedicated team of individuals juggle their normal lives while also managing to help educate and inspire a group of 60 wonderful youngsters.

Every year the team throws an amazing fun filled party for the kids. Springleap wanted to help out and ensure that the kids were treated to a little something extra. We really wanted them to feel as special as they truly are!

Two years ago we donated 60 of our awesome t-shirts to the kids and they were totally overjoyed.
Last year we got involved once again, but this time around Springleap donated 120 tees. That means that each child received 2 of our funky tees. Lucky lucky!!!

The event itself was held at the Village Mall in Hartbeespoort. The kids looked like they had an amazing time! It’s always so uplifting to see those smiling faces enjoying themselves.

If you would like to find out more about Friends of Parent and Child please take a look at my original posting or alternatively check out their Facebook page.

We salute these fine men and women as they strive to make a real difference in the lives of impoverished children, forging ahead to a brighter future.

…………………………

Please contact the team at Friends of Parent and Child to make a donation:

PO Box 93866, Yeoville, 2143, South Africa
Tel: (011) 484-1734
Fax: (011) 643-2957 or 086-690-2771
e-mail: jennie@jpccc.org.za