One of the biggest downsides of city living is the inevitability that you will step in something unpleasant during your days strolling about town. While there are certainly grosser things to step in, used chewing gum is probably one of the most annoying things to find stuck to your shoes. Now, there are a few companies taking up the mantle in order to find a way to repurpose those sticky wads of gum, before they find themselves stuck to your soles.

Explicit Wear, Gumdrop, and Iamsterdam, an apparel designer, sustainability firm, and a marketing company have joined forces to create a shoe made out of recycled chewing gum.

Gum and rubber aren’t entirely dissimilar substances, as the companies found when they developed a shoe sole fabricated from chewing gum. “We discovered gum is made from a synthetic rubber. And by breaking down these properties, we were able to create a new type of rubber,” Anna Bullus, the managing director and a designer for Gumdrop shared.

The initiative is being undertaken in part to help dispose of the 3.3 million pounds of gum that are discarded directly onto the pavement of Amsterdam each year. Named the Gumshoe, the soles are made up of a composite material partially produced by gum, which has been titled Gum-Tec.

“We started looking for a way to make people aware of this problem […] That’s when the idea began to create a product people actually want from something no one cares about,” Jonathan Van Loon, a company representative, told The Verge. 

While the sole itself is made from Gum-Tec, the rest of the shoe will have a leather upper. As the shoe is coming to the final stages of design, the producers are wondering whether to offer customers the option to replace soles for a nominal charge after they’ve worn out.

We all want to believe in magic, but most of us have given up on it. However, every now and then, something happens, or we see something that sparks a tiny belief again. Have you ever seen a picture that looks like something is floating, but it is really just a trick of the eyes? This is what we are talking about. We found some real photos that look like pure magic that we hope sparks a little joy and belief in magic for you.

This image looks like something out of a big-budget Hollywood film. When you look at this long exposure shot, it is like the elemental gods are having a knockdown drag-out fight. But the truth is that it is not something so fantasy-driven.

The image is actually of a volcanic eruption in Chile. The release of the debris into the air has caused lightning to join in with the lava and fire of the eruption.

Japan is known for its cherry blossom trees and is a tourist destination during its blooming season. Many lanes are lined with them that make a picturesque image, but not all of them have this interesting effect on their surroundings.

The light going through the trees seems to have tinted the world a beautiful pink color. How beautiful is that? And oh so very Instagramable.

The stunning scenery of the terraced hills of China is beautiful and magical in and of itself. But when you see it lit up like this, they become even more magical. It looks like some giant has decorated the hills with strings of lights.

But this is actually a festival that goes on when it is planting season. Each of these lights is a prayer for a good harvest.

Art is meant to create emotions and wonder, which is exactly what this sculpture seems to do. This testament to magic sits in Cairo just outside the airport. Trying to figure out how it is done may cause you some serious time, though.

The gravity-defying artwork may make you reconsider your belief in magic, but also make you able to accept things we take for granted but are nervous about, like flying.

Water is smooth and flows back and forth easily, right? So there should be no way in the world that an image like this should exist. It has to be magic, right? Well, in some ways, yes, as it is the magic of science.

This image is taken where several wave systems come together. When this happens, it creates these almost subdivisions like squares and looks like something we have never seen before.

Realism in painting is nothing new, but this is taking that tremendous artistic style to an all-new level. It is almost uncanny that this artist was able to paint this scene so life-like.

This painter’s eye is outstanding, and the piece is stunning, but it is crazy how detailed they were able to get.

From far away, it looks as if this stump has miraculously sprouted a new limb. There is no way after being cut like this that it would happen, but it certainly appears to be the case. But on closer inspection, it is just a trick of the eyes.

In truth, this stub is being used to nurture a new young sapling. It just so happens to be standing in front of the tree, so it makes you question your sanity.

There are a lot of strange trees in the world. Some are creepy, some are funny, and some look like trees crafted to deliver magical wands. That is what we thought of when we first looked at this very odd-looking tree.

Though this might be a little hard to wrap your head around, there are many reasons that this tree could look like this. One of those is that as it grew, it was wrapped by a vine.

In the US, there are a few holidays more important than the 4th of July. It is Independence Day for the country and, most notably, one of the biggest days for fireworks. Taking a time-lapse of all of them will leave you with a pretty epic image.

This one was done in LA, and it certainly, upon first look, seems to show the city on fire. But as we have said, it is still from a time-lapse. But if you didn’t know… magic, right?

Sailors for centuries have told the story of the famous Flying Dutchman. Most recently, the tale has been spun in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. It is a ship that flies over the water, but few believe it actually exists.

That may be until they see images like this. But this is a natural phenomenon called fata morgana. The fog messes with depth perception and erases the horizon.

Most of us at some point have played with those little bits of paper called Pop-Its. But taking an image of the moment the little packet of gunpowder pops, looks so very magical. The Pop-Its are actually gunpowder and gravel, and that is what causes this to happen.

When the thing is struck against the ground, the paper is ignited, and a still of this gives you an image that looks like a small meteor.

Modern art is always full of optical illusions. Using this helps give the pieces more interest and has the people wondering what the meaning of the piece is and just how it was done. That is what happened to us, and most likely you, when looking at this.

No matter how hard and how much people explain this, we are sure most of us will still just label it as a little bit of magic.

If you were walking into this hospital parking garage, you might be startled and a little scared to enter, especially after a good rain. The combination of the water, bright lights, and a red ceiling give this garage the look of rivers of blood flowing down it.

This is a crazy magical light trick that maybe should have been thought about before this hospital chose the color of the roof. It isn’t very comforting to the patients, we are sure.

At first, when you look at this image, you probably say what a beautiful bird. But when you look real close, you will soon see that this is actually a painted woman sitting on a stump. This is an excellent piece of optical illusion work.

But it is also magical how well this painting is done, and the forced perception is executed. This is so very cool and maybe a little disturbing.

Coffee is a way of life for many, and many use the French press version of brewer. But few get this magical occurrence where it looks like everything is divided into their elements…air, water, and earth.

Why this happened, we can’t explain, but it certainly looks like some sort of magic trick. We just hope it didn’t affect the flavor of that cuppa. Or someone is liable to be very upset!

There are a lot of different types of lightbulbs, but very few make you think magical. But this specially designed lightbulb certainly does. The small tendrils inside lit up and created an almost otherworldly look.

If it is not magical, it definitely looks like one of those crazy fish from down in the depths. We wonder how much this light bulb costs because who wouldn’t want this in their home as a conversation piece.

Have you ever heard that saying, “you have the world in your hands?” This might be the truth when you hold this seemingly alive rock. Having a vegetation-rich galaxy in your hands, but actually, it is just a polished rock.

This rock is from Indonesia and is what they call a polished moss agate. It is, of course, named that due to the fact it looks like the rock is full of moss, and it certainly is magical looking.

It is tragic when something bad happens to the family pet. This beautiful black kitty is totally blind. Because of this, it gives the cats eyes this almost possessed-like look, which could be startling if you don’t know why those eyes are like that.

But it doesn’t seem to take away from the cat’s life as he is out and about roaming around the patio. But those eyes are still unnerving, almost as the cat can look into your soul.

Having read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe as a child, we are sure many of you out there saw this image and thought, yes, now we have a way to an alternate universe. But you would be disappointed as it is not that magical at all.

In fact, this is just a mirror paper put over a door. Why it looks like the door is melting into a portal, we don’t know. But it is trippy, right?

Clouds have always been a source of magic. Whether you are a kid looking for objects in them or the way they move through the sky during a storm. But every now and then, they appear way more magical than ever.

Like when you look up and see a giant face in the sky. That is pretty epic! Even though we all know it is just your mind finding familiar shapes, it feels like magic.

Sometimes it is a trick of the camera, but even though we know that, it still seems magical. This person was simply taking a picture of the sky in a puddle from the recent rains. Little do they know they could end up with something so epic.

The reflection, coupled with the pavement below, lends the image of a beautiful nighttime sky even though the image was done in broad daylight, as you can see in the corner.

Scary and a little disturbing! Two words we thought when we first saw this image that looks like people being sucked into the netherworld. But it is not as scary as it seems upon first glance, we promise.

This is the result of lava that has cooled as it began to pour down into a hole. The hole is a vent in the volcano that you can see the light of the lava. No need to worry, the gates of “down there” haven’t opened!

Who sticks a camera in their guitar and takes a picture. It is unique and eventful, and if you didn’t know that was what it was, you might have a whole different idea. The inside of this guitar looks like a very expensive penthouse.

This is the magic of looking at things from a different view. A little misdirection and omission of the source, and it is quite magical.

How stunning is this view from the space station? It is pretty with its swirls of clouds and slight lens flare from the rising sun. How do they capture such an amazing image? The answer to that is that they didn’t do well, at least with this image anyway.

This is actually the roof of someone’s car after a bit of a frost. But it definitely looks like an outer space picture.

Sometimes nature does strange things. This includes something as simple as frost from a dip in the temp or a coming winter storm. Strange, like making a person’s car door look like one of those old school UFO photographs.

If you look at the handle of the door, it will look like the UFO, and from it comes a ray of light like it is searching for something to beam up. So cool and just a little magical.

Sometimes magic is to be found in the simple things in life or the unique way that nature shows up. Looking at this image, you might think that a panda and an anteater made friends. The two are so tight they are inseparable.

You are partially right as this anteater’s leg just happens to be colored to look like a panda. So the two are inseparable but nowhere near as magical as you might think.

Magically the small crustacean was mutated, and it is now big enough to take on the world. Like something out of a bad sci-fi movie, this image is one of those that just looks crazy but super cool too.

The way the light bounces off the bucket with the leftover water forms a pretty epic image but one that is just not possible unless, of course, magic exists.

How much would you pay to have an island all to yourself? Maybe you can purchase this one that was magically shrunken down. That is, if this was an actual island. This is, in fact, just a well-taken picture of a rock in the shallows.

The camera must have found that sweet spot that created this amazing photo and a little bit of imagination and magic.

Doesn’t this look like someone used a spell to capture the sky of some faraway planet? That is what we thought when we saw this image, but the truth is less magical but just as cool. This is a unique opal.

The opal was formed with these billowy cloud-looking formations and is an amber color mimicking the sunset. Even if it isn’t real magic, it is magical to look at.

If you are not looking closely, this image looks like a caterpillar that could well find a home in the world of Alice in Wonderland. But it is not a caterpillar at all. Instead, it is a line of very close birds.

These birds huddle together to keep warm and to protect themselves from their predators. But it creates this mystical looking amalgamation where you cannot easily tell where one started and the other ends.

The ocean has risen higher than the trees and brought with it this mystical scene. It is an epic and magical image that you will never forget. Capturing the tops of the clouds from a mountain nearby, this person had no idea what they were going to get.

What they got was a stunning image that has us all wondering about the world below the almost water-like ocean of clouds.

If it weren’t for the rooftops, this image would be one of those you just were not sure what you were looking at. But even with those houses, the sky still looks like the gods of old are having a bit of a storm up there on Mt. Olympus.

The way the clouds are formed and the wind mixed with the storm creates an almost oceanic landscape in the sky. How magical is that?

Stargazing has been a part of magical practices for eons, and so when you first see this image, you feel like you are staring into the formation of a nebula. Looking at an amazing feat like that will bring an overwhelming feeling of magical energy for sure.

But that is only if it is a real nebula and not a fireworks display like this image actually is. Even still, it is pretty cool to see.

There are many people out there that would count seeing a UFO as a pretty magical experience. We are sure these people may have thought that as they looked out and spotted this unique structure in the clouds.

Eventually, though, we are also sure they realized this was the reflection of the light fixture in the room they were standing in. How disappointing, but still, the picture is one they can use to tell a good story.

The path less traveled is the road that you should take. All the poems tell you this, and especially if they look this magical. After all, who doesn’t want to skip down a tree-lined walkway to find the hidden cave with the magic item in it?

But be careful of this one because that is not a path; in fact, if you try to walk down it, you will wind up very wet. The leaves have coated the tops of a stream so thickly that it looks like a path.