Helping You Help Japan - One Love!

I have lived all over the world and I have always said that Japan is my home away from home.  It is magnificently gorgeous country filled with people who have the most beautiful spirits.  It is a safe and warm place that has always welcomed me and shown me more community and love than I have ever known.  As the wrath of last weeks earthquake and tsunami breaks my heart, I know that we can come together to make a difference.  So please take time to look at how you can help and take time to send healing and positive thoughts to Northern Japan, as that is who needs it most.

I have put together a list of ways that you and your families and friends can help Japan's….people, economy, pets and spirit!

• The Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Fund launched by GlobalGiving.org

• Second Harvest is taking care of the people who have suffered from the devastating effects of last weeks earthquake.

          To send food and supplies to the area in need
          Send donations to Second Harvest

• I  believe that all beings are equal, and the animal suffering need to be rescued and cared for, just as the people do.  Pets are part of our families, they are our children.

          Read about the animals
          Help the animals         
          Help the animals - Japanese site

• If you can speak Japanese, volunteer by translating

• Apple is also Dedicating Resources to the crisis in Japan

• iTunes has created a simple iTunes donation page that makes it simple to donate anywhere from $5 to $200 to the Red Cross with just a few clicks.

    •    Canadian Red Cross

Please be smart and very conscious about what you hear.  Do not be fooled by the media who is on its way to creating a Hollywood film from the disaster. 

Do Not believe everything you read and see. 
Believe that people are suffering
Believe that the community is being strong and people are coming together to help each other
Believe that no one person can do it alone, but together we can make the biggest difference!

This is a fantastic blog post that my good friend Dan from Tokyo Dandy has written, and I stand by him in his efforts to direct the concern and prayers to the North of Japan, to those who are truly suffering.


One Love! ♥

Amber Joy & Ebony Fleur

Wined, Dined and Valentined

I always think it is a little bit funny that on Valentine's Day in Japan girls give chocolates to boys and more specifically, office ladies give chocolates to their co-workers.  So while many ladies around the world are getting showered with roses and being wined and dined and valentined, the ladies in Japan are giving heart shaped boxes of chocolates away.

 However, I have learned that if Valentine's Day happens to fall on a Sunday, women need not feel obligated to give because it's a holiday and they won't even be at the office.  Snap!  I also learned that when someone really doesn't want to give away a sweet Valentine surprise, they call it "giri-choko" meaning "obligation chocolate".  So seeing as this year Valentine's is on a Monday, I am sure there is a lot of cheap insincere chocolate floating around the offices in Japan!

 On the brighter side, I really do hope there is some love in the air today so that the boys are getting "honmei-choco" too... aka "Chocolate of Love" or the "true feeling chocolate".  I bet those chocolates taste much better!
Psssst:  If anyone doesn't want their chocolate....please send it this way!

 Not to get ahead of myself and just so no one thinks this is unfair, don't you worry ladies, you get chocolate treats in return on March 14th, "White Day".  And the best part about this special day is that we can expect more than just chocolate....this is where the men roll out the big guns.  The term "sanbai gaeshi" is used, which means "three times the return".  They say good things come to those who wait, and by waiting til March 14th.....the good things will most likely come in the form of cookies, jewelry, lingerie, white chocolate and marshmallows!  Oh My!

To get in the mood for love on this lovey dovey day....here is a heartwarming song about sweet Valentine's Kisses from Japan....


So on this chocolately romantic day we send u almost revolting amounts of love and kisses!!!
mmmmwah!
X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡X♡

Friday Night Full of Kanye and Nippples!

It was meant to be a quiet weekend in Tokyo, as it was the only weekend where I could feasibly be in bed before 2am every night.  A very difficult thing to do in a city that actually never sleeps.  But an uneventful weekend quickly warped into on of the best Friday Nights of my life….

Yulia, Sachiko and Jo on our charriot for the evening...

Kanye West was hosting a super secret showing of his new unreleased film "Runaway".  It was essentially a 40 minute music video for all the tracks on his new album to be released next month.  After he gave a quick introduction for the film in an old movie theatre in a strange location in Tokyo, Kanye took his seat in front of me and then turned around to say "what's up?" to me.  And as the lights went down, I smiled and felt a little star struck.  It was awesome watching him get into his own beats in the opening scene.  The old school, non computerized explosions and the ballerinas were definitely my highlights and there were a few amazing tracks that upped my respect for Mr. West once again.

After the Q&A, where I actually asked a question and could feel my voice quiver as all the coolest B-boys in Tokyo turned to look at me, we hung in the lobby chatting.  Kanye came and talked to us for a while and it was refreshing to hear is views on inspiration and criticism, as well as how good he was at taking a few jokes I jabbed at him.

Mademoiselle Yulia, Kanye West and me (Amber Joy)

The new Kanye vinyl that he hadn't even seen yet!

As everyone scattered format he theater, I rushed to Shibuya to see my friends filming a music video / documentary in a Kareoke booth.  The Trippple Nippples are some of our best friends in Tokyo, and I have witnessed enough of their shows to know I was in for a magical experience.  Once I finally found the kareoke place on a loud dirty street, I wandered up to the 4th floor.  Like Hansel and Gretel's trail of bread crumbs, I found a trail of feathers and knew I was in the right place.  As I walked up to room 403, I opened the door and sweat, smoke, flour, and feathers poured out. 

The small room was packed with about 30 people screaming and dancing a sweaty dance to the infectious performance given by Yuka and Qrea

Yuka and Qrea Nippple after the shocker of a show!

 The gentlemen geniuses behind the Nippples, Jo and Jim, couldn't have looked better in their fuzzy bear heads.

The Trippple Nippples have been on the Tokyo scene for a few years now, and have performed in China, Korea, Japan and Sydney.  There are some big things brewing for these Nippples, so look out for them…a Trippple Nippples show should never be missed!   In fact, as I left the sweaty slimy Kareoke booth, I almost forgot that just hours earlier I had been hanging with Kanye.

Just another Friday night in Tokyo…..

Oh yeah.  P.S.  This is what I wore...

Before I left my hood I went to Garter (my favortie place in the world) for find something to wear.  The lovely Koshiro let me borrow this killer Garter jacket and after too many compliments (even from Mr. West) than are good for a girl, I obviously had to have it.   A borrow turns into a buy!  Thanks Koshiro!  x

You Light Up My Life

It is winter time here in Sydney, and though this means that it is still warmer than most places in summer, I am getting into the winter spirit. Sometimes the house does get so cold that it actually reminds me of real winters in the great white north (aka Canada...my motherland) and recently I have even been feeling like Christmas is coming?!?!

Confusing, I know! So whether it be June or January, I am succumbing to this so called "winter" here in Australia and getting into all that she brings. A few weeks ago we went to check out the VIVID light festival that went alongside the music fest that was curated by the one and only Brian Eno. We didnt get to see any of the music, cause we were out of town for most of it, but we did take in some of the bright lights in the big city...

The historic reenactment of a ship catching fire beneath the Harbour bridge.

The MCA lit up in light designs by Yayoi Kusama

Disguised as Gotham city

Oli serenaded us on the baby grand piano which was hooked up to an incredible tea cup light show...magical

And of course, the Opera House has never looked better!

So winter is here and we are ready to drink mulled wine, sit by the fire and go tobogganing! Obviously just joking about the tobogganing, but not the mulled wine and fire!

xo

Make Believe + Trippple Nippples + Tokyo Dandy = ♥

It feels like a million years ago now, but it was just at the beginning of April that Ebony and I were gearing up to say Sayonara to Tokyo and fly away back to our sunny studios in Sydney. In the last few days leading up to our departure, we had a million zillion things to do and more than enough determination to do it. Nights without sleep, days without stopping, and meals eaten in convenience stores without sitting.

We had arranged a photo shoot on our second last day in Tokyo, so when our morning business meeting in Shibuya ran over, it made us late. As we zipped to meet our musical genius models, the Trippple Nippples we split up in taxis to conquer all. It was such a whirlwind day...the Nippples were helping us slather on their make up, and we were doing all the last minute adjustments to the clothing and jewelry. All the while, our very special photographer friend, Dan Bailey from Tokyo Dandy was waiting patiently for us in the serene park Shinjuku Gyoen amongst hundreds of people who were also there to view the cherry blossoms.

We arrived at the park with juice, hairspray and capes in hand and began to seek out the best places to get some incredible shots. For a park that you have to pay to enter and go through turnstiles, we managed to find such peaceful tranquility. It was one of the most glorious days of my life, and as the park emptied at 4pm, we found ourselves alone in the magical park. And as the sun tucked behind the big bad buildings of Shinjuku, it truly felt like we were in the land of Make Believe.

xoxo

Photography: Dan Bailey. Tokyo Dandy
Models: Trippple Nippples
All clothes, accessories and styling: Make Believe (Amber Joy and Ebony Fleur)

To Asia and Back for Only $22

Let me first tell you a little something about us here at Make Believe. We love Asia. Not exactly sure what it is, but put us in any Asian county, in any restaurant or in any awkward language barrier conversation and we love it! Be it the bright colors, the mystery meat or that fact that you can get anything you ever imagined at almost any time of day. Maybe this isn't true everywhere, but it is something we love about the Asian corner of the world.

Saying all that, you can only imagine the sheer happiness I felt when Ebony took me on the 2.5hr, $22 toll round trip (by car) from Sydney to Cabramatta. I couldn't stop saying, "I love this place.....I seriously need to move here.....look at these panties with a built in zip pocket....can we eat AGAIN!" Heaven!

Since we are working our buts off in Sydney right pumping out the latest jewelry collection 'Petal to the Metal', time does not allow for us to jump on a plane and head into the world of exotic fruit, bartering and sugar cane juice. So instead we have be jumping in the car with magazines and gossip in tow and heading to Vietnamese Land (aka Cabramatta) to do some serious eating and fabric shopping.


















I really need to move to Cabramatta!

xoxo
Amber Joy

She's Got The Look

It was a glorious morning full of make up, flashing lights and the new 'Petal to the Metal' jewelry collection by Make Believe (that's us). And we are proud to say that in just one painless day, we are on our way to our first look book! In fact there was no pain involved whatsoever!

Ebony and I had the chance to meet and work with some fabulous ladies here in Sydney and had a blast on the shoot. We spent the day with the lovely Pip Vassett from Pages Online, Jasmin Lo our hair and make up wizard, the photography skills of Sally Griffiths and of course our beautiful muse, Victoria Lee.

Sally setting up the lights that Ebony continued to trip over and hit her head on. Very graceful morning!

I would kill to have a suitcase full of make up and "have to" carry it around all day. I would be flawless and covered in MAC face and body foundation!

Kitchen turned studio. Not bad, not bad at all! And I must say that I prefer to turn other peoples kitchens into studios, I have done it to mine one too many times!

I am not sure what I am doing here. Clearly Pip is working, but am I falling asleep?

Our weapons of choice for an 8am call time...water, knives and Gummy Bears.

What a babe! Victoria is fresh on the modeling scene, and is working her way up awfully fast!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!!!!!!! We cannot wait to work with all these precious gems again soon!!!!

The pics of the new jewellery turned out incredible! And before you know it, we will have the new look books in our hot little hands! yesssssss!

xoxo
Ambony....
(that's Amber Joy & Ebony Fleur for those of you who didn't catch on yet!)