pop culture

 

Art - art to wear, mask-making and other fiber arts

Bettie Page - American Icon

  • Bettie Page was an artist's model whose all-American good looks and perky smile made her an icon.  Her image has moved into the realm of pop culture and continues to be an influence decades after her retirement.

Cyber culture

Eclectic Spirituality

  • Alchemy - Alchemy is the study of transformation, and this discipline overlaps the worlds of art, science, philosphy, medicine and spirituality.
  • Altars
  • Auras
  • Labyrinths - A labyrinth is a shaped path, a form of walking meditation that can be found in cultures throughout the world. 
  • Temple of Artemis Orthia
  • Zodiac

LINKS

PEZ

Photography

The Ren & Stimpy Show

  • They first appeared in animated shorts, then there was The Ren & Stimpy Show (a kids TV series on Nickelodeon), then they were canceled.  Recently the pair been re-claimed and re-animated.

Tribe

UpDos For Proms, Weddings or Just Everyday

An "updo" is when long hair is styled and fastened so that it is held up on the head, exposing the neck.  The term is sort of modern verbal shorthand for "doing a hairdo that's up." For some, updos are quick and easy. ...

Temporary Tattoos

  Want some skin art, but not forever? Take a look at what's available in TEMPORARY TATTOOS!

Body Painting with Makeup, Henna or Liquid Latex

Painting is one of the oldest forms of body art.  It can be done for camouflage or to enhance features.  It can create the illusion of another surface or texture. Body painting can be done with makeup, latex or henna.  Each has its own...

Make Your Own Fairy Wings

The most essential part of any fairy outfit, costume or persona is a pair of wings. Fairy wings are good for costume parties, conventions, gatherings, festivals, Halloween, stage plays, happenings and rainy days. Please let me know what you think of...

Corsetry, Tight-Lacing and Waist-Training

Corsetry, also called tight-lacing or waist-training, refers to the practice of wearing a boned garment that laces tightly around the body, thus reducing the waist measurement.  Corseting can be done occasionally for fashion purposes or pursued...

The Ins and Outs of Body Piercing

Knowing as much as you can about the procedures, healing routines and legal angles before you get anything done can help ensure you have a good piercing experience. If you found this lens helpful, please rate it. ~thanks~ If you know someone planning...

Koi

Koi is short for Nishigikoi, the Japanese word meaning "ornamental carp."  These fish have been cultivated and bred for generations to produce the brilliant colors and patterns for which they are known. This is a tattoo of a Koi that a...

Gongfu Tea

Gongfu tea is about a communal tea experience, where small pots of tea are brewed and the drinkers sip rounds of tiny cups of fresh tea.

European PEZ

Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome....  This lens is all about PEZ dispensers made for the European market. Shown here, an ET dispenser brought back for me by a friend from Italy.

The Illustrious Rachel Schwarz

  Who is this Rachel you speak of?  Does she have superpowers?  And what's with all the purple? Welcome to the lens about Rachel Schwarz, eclectic human and Squidoo Lensmastress. Photo of Rachel by Mark I. Chester, July 2005, San Franc...

Sin City: Las Vegas Travel Guide

You know that Las Vegas is on a roll when celebs are all buying condos there, everyone's playing poker these days and hot tv shows are set there.  The vibe behind Sin City is that you can push your usual limits of fun, but they really don't want...

Battle Born: Nevada Travel Guide

For two years now, I've spent a good chunk of May, traveling in the state of Nevada.  Here's what I'd like to share with you about Nevada.  These stories and recommendations are drawn from the experiences of two women, best friends/fellow g...

Emerald City: Seattle Travel Guide

Seattle sits at the edge of Puget Sound, with Lake Washington nestled on the other side.  It's a city of bridges and islands, where the high-tech sector regularly has a morning latte with environmental engineers and Burner artists.The joke is, i...

The Worlds of John Varley

John Varley is a science fiction writer with several Hugo and Nebula awards to his credit.  He's produced many short story collections and novels in his career.  You can learn more about him and science fiction and fantasy writing with this...

Enjoy A Refreshing Beverage Headquarters

Enjoy A Refreshing Beverage! Sit down and have a cup, glass or mug of whatever is your favorite!

Promethea

PROMETHEA was a 32 issue comic book/graphic novel, created by Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III.  Drawing from various references in history, the saga weaves art, magic and mythology together to tell the tale of a strong female heroine who manife...

Vagaries, Whims and Fancies

va·ga·ry n. pl. va·ga·ries 1. An extravagant or erratic notion or action. [From Latin vagr, to wander, from vagus, wandering.] 2. an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, e...

The Director's Chair Headquarters

The Director's Chair features lenses on film directors.

TV EYE Headquarters

++ TV EYE ++  Taking a focused look at all our favorite science fiction, fantasy and horror television shows of days, months and years gone by.

The Costumers' Guild Headquarters

The Costumers' Guild Theatrical and movie costuming, Renaissance Faire and SCA, historical re-creations and DIY costumers.

My Dream Office

"They don't work for money anymore, or to earn a place in heaven...They are working and inventing because they like it! Economics has become a spiritual thing. I must admit it frightens me a little bit. They don't seem to see the difference betw...

Neo-Paganism

Neo-pagan is a term that encompases a vast variety of modern, Earth and Goddess-oriented spiritual practices.  Neo-Paganism can include Wiccans, Druids, Alchemists, Witches and even New Ages practices.  Neo-Pagans generally follow a series...

Rel‰CHE

The approval of the public must be avoided above all. The public must be forbidden to enter if confusion is to be avoided. -- Andre Breton

Big Apple: New York City Travel Guide

When most people say "New York City" they are really referring to the island of Manhattan, a borough of NYC.  When most people visit New York, this is where they go.  The area is small compared to the State, but the history is a r...

Art Cars

Art Cars are One-of-a-Kind!  Whether you drive one or just look at them, it's an experience.  They combine fairly common modes of transport and unique artistic visions into rolling works of art.  Some people create them to make statm...

Body Art - Customize Yourself

Chances are, even if you don't have tattoos or piercings, you practice some form of body art.  Do you cut your hair or shave any hair off?  Paint your fingernails?  Have braces as a teenager?  Body build or work out at the gym?

Betta Splendens, aka Siamese Fighting Fish

These native Thai fish are characterized by the male of the species, being brightly colored with full fins used for mating and fighting displays. Please let me know what you think of this lens by rating it. ~thanks~  (free reg required for voting...

The Condom - For Health and Pleasure

Here is information about condoms, how they work, what people think of them and where you can get them. I'm someone who came of age just as AIDS was happening and I have to say the condom has been my constant sexual companion.  This image is one...

Tribal Belly Dance

Tribal Belly Dance is a modern fusion variation of belly dancing that originated in the San Francisco/Bay Area and is now spreading throughout the world-wide belly dance community. photo at left and immediately below by Rachel Schwarz

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves is an actor best-known for his roles as Neo in THE MATRIX, a male street huster in MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO and as the airheaded Ted in BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE. Fandom for him seems polarized, with people either being fans of his...

Kimono: Wind and Water Made Wearable

The word "kimono" is Japanese for "clothing" and it is this wrapped and tied robed garment that is the national costume for Japan.  Whether your kimono interest is historical, theatrical, fashionable or textile, this lens has...

Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters

Join those who follow Lord Voldemort... Welcome to the Lair of the Death Eaters! Explore the characters and history of evil created by J.K. Rowling for the Harry Potter stories.

Kitsch!

Fab-u-lous or tacky-Tacky-TACKY? Kitsch is either cutsey fun or hideous ugliness, depending on the viewer's opinion.  The word comes from the German, and sources debate whether it is derived from words meaning "trash" or "to make...

Roger Dean

Roger Dean is a British illustrator, designer and architect best known for the distinctive album cover illustrations he created for rock bands such as YES, Uriah Heep and Asia.

BoingBoing Goes BodyArt

BoingBoing has their fingers on the pulse of body modification, with connections direct to the extreme cutting edge. Bodies are explored, modified, digitially photographed and uploaded.  The right to do these things to your own body is debated...

The Cheese Shop

Welcome to the Cheese Shop! Sliced, cubed, shredded, melted, grated, or spread, we entreat you to sit down and sample a bit from the offerings below.

Blintzes

blintz [BLIHNTS] A blintz is as a crepe-like pancake that is folded around a cheese-based filling.  Blintzes are associated with Eastern European and Jewish cooking, and can be made either sweet or savory. In the US, they are most often served a...

My Dream House

So I've got this idea that I'm going to build a house someday, and it's going to be a round house.  I've been investigating dome houses, yurts and tipis as part of my research, and thought I'd share it with you.Please let me know what you though...

Moss Farming

Moss can be a filler on top of a potted plant, it can be a little accent in a garden, or a lush, full-fledged replacement for a lawn. Shown here, moss growing in a pot in my backyard, just before it was transplanted in the '06 Moss Migration (details...

Flame ON!

I'm one of those humans who is a collector of stuff, and one of the things I collect is clothing and items with a flame motif on them.  Boots, watches, belts, fabric, I love just about anything that has a good flame pattern on it.

Get Dressed Archie McPhee-Style!

So, you look in the closet and it's just sooooo not happening, right? Fear not, Archie McPhee's fashion style can get you going again.  Here are some of the things and even a few thangs that can retro your grade, help you find a gift for a frien...

All About Rachel(s)

From the Biblical wife of Joseph to the modern day, take a closer look at some women named "Rachel."  This is a picture of the Tomb of Rachel, located in Bethlehem.

Miso Soup

It can be made as a breakfast, an appetizer or soup course, and a full entree.  If you enjoy my exploration of miso soup, please let me know by voting for this lens. Irrasshaimase!

The Apiary: On Bees and Beekeeping

This lens is about bees and beekeeping.  An "apiary" is a place where bees and hives are kept, especially when it is for the production of honey. I don't keep bees presently, but it is an ambition of mine.  This lens is my reposit...

DEVO

The Devolutionary Oath: 1. Be like your ancestors or be different. It doesn't matter. 2. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. 3. Wear gaudy colors or avoid display. It's all the same. 4. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. 5. We Mus...

Cow Parades... and Beyond!

Then more cows.  Then horses, pigs and even big hearts. Welcome to the fundraiser benefit phenomenon known as the Cow Parade.  A shape, most often a cow, is painted or otherwise decorated by local artisans, at the sponsorship of local busi...

Here Be Dragons

In mythology, a dragon is described as a large beast having the scales and tail of a snake, the claws and beard of a lion, wings and able to breathe fire. Be careful, here be Dragons!

Caesar Salad

The salad is named after Chef Caesar Cardini who first whisked up this romaine lettuce and egg dressing combo at a Tijuana restaurant in 1924.  It's been one of the most popular salad recipes ever since.

velvety goodness

Is it a texture? A color?  An image? A feeling? A concept? A state of being? A surface?  A flavor?  A sound?  A particular scent?

City By The Bay: San Francisco Travel Guide

San Francisco, also known as the City by the Bay, sits at the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay.  It connects to Marin via the Golden Gate Bridge on the North, and to Oakland via the Bay Bridge on the East. S...

The Goddess

The phrase "the Goddess" can mean a female deity, it can refer to the concept of a singular supreme female deity, or it can refer to the concept of the Earth as a feminine creative lifeforce. It is often heard in expression of women's spiri...

MaD ProFesSor

This lens is about the book Mad Professor by Mark Frauenfelder. I won this book as 1st runner-up, or 2nd place winner (depending how you think of it), in the Squidoo BoingBoing Lensmaster Challenge.  This lens will follow my explorations o...

My Dream Kitchen

Here are some ideas for the kitchen and dining area of My Dream House. One of the tricks to designing in a round house is to remember that there aren't any interior walls breaking up the space.  Also, there aren't corners to put things into and...

Purple

pur·ple (pûrpl) noun a group of colors with hues between violet and red. adjective Of the color purple, imperial or regal. transitive & intransitive verb purpled, purpling, purples - To make or become purple. A color can be a visual...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle PEZ

They're Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... They're PEZ.... They're Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle PEZ Dispensers!

The Banned Book Club Headquarters

The Banned Book Hideout Where banned books and authors take cover.

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