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design

Sustainability

Mother and daughter duo transform their boring backyard into a breathtaking plant paradise

They also show how just about anyone can easily do it themselves.

TikTok

"Here's the story of how we created a lush habitat garden."

Nature is healing. After a century of rampant urbanization—deforestation, invasive species, paving paradise and putting up a parking lot—we’re finally coming back to our roots. In Southern California, a mother-daughter design team is leading the way, teaching the public and their clients how to transform ordinary outdoor areas into extraordinary plant sanctuaries. In a viral TikTok video, Donna and Caitlin Whelan demonstrate how they created a lush habitat garden out of an ordinary backyard. It’s captured the hearts of green-thumbed viewers and offers an inside look into the process of eco-friendly landscaping.

Trust the process

Donna and Caitlin run Whelan Design House, a boutique interior design firm that specializes in high-end projects. Drawing on their combined talents and impeccable taste, this mother-daughter team create beautiful living spaces with a human-centered approach. Their commitment to healthy environments shines through in their design philosophy. As they state on their website, "Our world is full of synthetic materials, but we believe there are other options. We guide our clients toward sustainable and environmentally respectful choices and away from chemical-laden fabrics and unhealthy materials."

grass, backyard space, bare, old, before picture Where we started.TikTok

Which brings us to the viral backyard renovation. This was more than just a design project: it’s a masterclass in the power of family bonds and environmental innovation. The 18-part video begins with a plain, unremarkable yard. “This is how it looked when we started,” they write. “The grass wasn’t providing anything for the local [ecosystem], and it required way too much water to maintain.”

America has a “perfect lawn” problem. Dreams of white picket fences and a manicured lawn have driven the country into a “green, monoculture carpet,” and our human-dominated landscape is no longer equipped to support functional ecosystems. Like everything else in life, our front lawns do not exist in a vacuum. Everything, from the trees to the flowers to the grass to the soil, all work harmoniously to create a thriving home for insects, birds, and other wild creatures. But when native species are replaced with alien ones, these exotic plants disrupt the flow of life, wreaking havoc and degrading the natural habitat.

So, Donna and Caitlin tore it up. All of it. They removed the neatly cut grass and trees from unknown origins. Ripped up swaths of concrete (“concrete suffocates the soil, preventing the growth of microbes that are essential for healthy soil,” they write).

after photo, pebbles, backyard, green space, oasis Paradise in the backyardTikTok

California’s natural beauty

Once the land was returned to ground zero, Caitlin and Donna got to work, replacing the non-native species with ones that were suited to the environment. “Native plants are adapted to the timing of the seasons, harshness of the weather, and water availability of the particular area they evolved within,” describes Defenders of Wildlife, a premier U.S.-based conservation organization. “They are also typically adapted to surviving local pests and, therefore, do not need chemical pesticides.”

So, the dynamic duo began anew, carefully planning and selecting the right plants. They chose drought-tolerant flora that was either native to the area or regionally appropriate, like the wattle-leaf acacia, whose delicate yellow blooms and fern-like leaves added a wonderful splash of splendor to the landscape. Plus, it’s known for its resiliency and minimal water needs—an especially crucial component in Southern California, where droughts are unfortunately quite commonplace. The orange-hued apricot mallow, another star of their garden, brings another pop of color and radiance and attracts butterflies to the space. “The flowers smell like honey,” write the Whelans.

nature. yard, large plants, makeover, native plants Welcome to Whelan Design House.TikTok

Beyond the lush wildlife, the mother-daughter team also drew upon their impressive art experiences to design the garden of their dreams. They installed a lovely wooden bench, shaded beneath a Palo Verde tree. Small tables that look like sculptures dot the yard. Rustic Saltillo tiles, made of gorgeous terracotta, were used to create a mosaic patio floor. Suddenly, everything clicked. The resulting space is nothing short of awe-inspiring: truly one with nature.

Comments flooded in, with viewers praising Donna and Caitlin for their work. “You created your own slice of paradise while considering the wildlife and native plant species. I’m in awe,” someone wrote. “Thank you for planting native plants in CA, it’s so helpful. So many people buy houses here and plant non-native plants,” another user replied. Their viral TikTok even motivated some to rethink their own backyards. “My house is also a small older Spanish-style with a big backyard,” writes another. “This just inspired me to take action. Even my patio is just like yours, it’s coming down now lol.”

Change is always possible

Tired of mowing the grass and applying harmful pesticides? There are countless ways to incorporate native vegetation into your life, whether you have sprawling acres or a simple, small plot out front. For those interested in following in the Whelans’ footsteps, here’s what you need to know about starting your own native plant oasis:

Take stock. Before planning your beautiful new garden, examine your surroundings and evaluate what makes this particular area special and unique. How much sun does the yard typically get? Does it snow here? What’s the elevation like? Is the soil drainage poor?
Research, research, research. This is a great excuse for an excursion and to explore your local surroundings! Find a park near you with native plants or a botanical garden. Really get to know your local ecosystem—every region has its own personality and specific native plants that are meant to thrive there.
The fun part: Shopping spree. Find a nursery that specializes in native plants. And be curious! Ask questions, like “Where did this plant come from?” “Do I need to fertilize it?” “What soil and soil pH is best?” To create a native plant garden is to become a steward of the land, and the more information you know, the better.
Don’t stress. Caitlin and Donna are professionals. You don’t need to transform your entire backyard overnight. Start small, beginning with just a section of the garden. This will take time. In fact, the Whelans note, “patience is incredibly important. The beauty of [the garden] reached new depths with time and only time.”

yard, table, backyard, oasis, makeover Beauty is possible!TikTok

By choosing native plants and working with nature rather than against it, the Whelans remind us that environmental stewardship is always possible—and can even start in your own backyard. With some careful planning, the correct plants, and an eye for design, anyone can take a step towards contributing to a natural, thriving ecosystem.

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gardening

Joy

12 strange everyday objects that make zero sense until you know where they come from

That weird tiny pocket on your jeans is an example of a phenomenon called 'skeuomorphism'

Sabine/Flickr, Unsplash, Andrew Ng/flickr

Somehow, they're common and mysterious at the same time.

There are certain words, phrases, or idioms in our culture that don't seem to make a lot of sense, and that's because they are holdovers from a time when the words had a different meaning or context. Still, we cling to them anyway as a form of shorthand that everyone understands. But did you know that there are real physical, visual, and (sometimes) tangible objects we interact with every day that have taken a similar journey of defying obsolescence?

These things are sometimes called "skeuomorphs," which Dictionary.com describes as: "an ornament or design on an object that mimics the form of the object when made from another material or by other techniques, usually one that reflects a previously functional element, as an imitation metal rivet mark found on the handles of prehistoric pottery."

If you've ever come across something that seems functional but has no discernible purpose, you might be looking at a skeuomorph. Sometimes these objects continue to exist for aesthetic reasons—because they look nice. Other times, retaining "outdated" features or design elements may help people quickly understand what the object does.

Confused? Here are some examples of skeuomorphs you'll definitely recognize. In fact, you probably see or interact with these almost everyday.

1. The infamous tiny jeans pocket

tiny pocket on pair of jeans A super common skeuomorph you didn't know was there.Andrew Ng/Flickr

Most pairs of jeans will, in addition to the main pocket, have a small additional pocket that has been baffling people for generations. There are a lot of rumors about where it comes from and what it's for—condoms, coins, matches, etc. But I think we can all agree that 99% of the time it's pretty much useless.

The truth is that this pocket on jeans is a skeuomorph stemming from the 1800s, when it was designed to hold the face of a pocket watch. Wrist watches didn't become widely popular until after World War I.

2. This computer and phone icon that everyone recognizes

Vintage floppy disk against white background Vintage Floppy DiskUnsplash

Skeuomorphs are really popular in the digital design world, where designers often try to mimic real-world counterparts (we'll get to plenty of these!).

Probably the most famous example is the universal "Save" icon, which mirrors an old-fashioned floppy disk from the 1980s. Floppy disks like the one above haven't been common for a long time, but their likeness is still globally accepted in this specific context, and probably will be for a long time to come.

3. The sound your phone camera makes

You might not be familiar with this sound at all if you're below a certain age and used to having your phone in silent mode. In some places, like Japan, phones are required to make a sound when a picture is taken—for privacy and safety reasons.

The sound is a digital mimic of the noise a physical shutter makes on an actual camera and is not required at all for any functional reason!

4. Email CCs and BCCs

When you add someone to an email chain, publicly or secretly, you'll use these functions—but most of us don't stop and think about where they come from.

CC and BCC—"carbon copy" and "blind carbon copy," respectively — come from the age of typewriters, when carbon paper was used to make multiple copies of a document at once. In fact, so much of modern email and keyboards harkens back to typewriters. The Shift key initially shifted up the case stamp to change lower case letters to capital. Caps lock, or Shift lock, locked it in place. And did you know that some people say the entire QWERTY keyboard that is standard today was not chosen because it's the optimal layout? Instead, they claim, QWERTY was designed to separate commonly used letters and prevent typewriter jams.

Others say QWERTY came about when typists were attempting to rapidly transcribe blazing fast morse code. In any case, who knew typewriters were so influential!

5. The teeny, tiny handle on a bottle of maple syrup

Close up of bottle of syrup What's that for, anyway?Joe Zimny Photos/Flickr

Look at that thing! No one could possibly grip it or actually use the handle to pour their syrup. So why is it still there?

Surprise! It's a skeuomorph. The tiny handle is a leftover from—or at least meant to evoke — old timey and gigantic stoneware jugs with which people used to store liquids. Ultimately, the tiny handles were a marketing gimmick meant to inspire nostalgia in potential customers.

6. The little bow on women's underwear

A surprising majority of women's underwear features a tiny little bow prominently placed on the very front. It looks nice, but serves no purpose functionally—so why is it so pervasive?

The most likely explanation is that they are a holdover—skeuomorph!—from the days before elastic, when undergarments and many other types of clothes were held up by a piece of ribbon that had to be pulled taught and tied. When elastic came around, the bow was no longer necessary, but too cute to ditch completely, apparently.

7. Window shutters

yellow house with green shutters Window shutters add style and flare, okay? Photo by Evan Wise on Unsplash

Homeowners fuss and fuss over the color and style of our shutters, and meanwhile, they don't do a dang thing.

Shutters have been around for hundreds of years. Originally, they were the only way to open or shut a window, long before glass was readily available. By 1920, they were pretty much made obsolete by modern windows, blinds, storm windows, screens, and more, but again, they looked nice so we kept them!

Similarly, muntins—the thin bars that separate most windows into smaller panes—and mullions —the thicker vertical bars that separate one large window into two smaller ones—were originally necessary for support, but fell out of favor as larger single panes of glass became available. But we liked the way they looked, so they eventually found their way back to our homes.

8. The noise your vacuum cleaner makes

Early versions of vacuums were extraordinarily loud. Rumors have persisted for years that modern vacuum manufacturers could almost completely eliminate the noise, if it weren't for the fact that consumers prefer it. When a vacuum is loud, we perceive it to be powerful—so some manufacturers add it back in.

Similarly, electric vehicles make almost no noise. But a lot of people miss the sound of a roaring engine, which has prompted certain manufacturers to artificially add it in even though it's not necessary, according to Cheddar, an authority in financial news and tech coverage. Skeuomorph!

9. Fake pockets, buttons, and buckles

The only thing weirder than the tiny pocket on jeans is having a completely artificial pocket!

Jeans have been around for a really long time, becoming popular during the California Gold Rush thanks to Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis. With such a long history, we're pretty used to seeing pockets in the usual spot. But at some point, some designers decided pockets were disrupting the cut and aesthetic of their clothes—particularly in women's clothes. The solution? Create a fake pocket. It'll look like what we're used to without altering the lines of the garment.

You'll also see plenty of clothes with fake buttons or fake buckles on shoes, likely holdovers from features that used to be functional but weren't necessary anymore.

10. Grills on electric cars

The grill on a car allows air to enter into the engine and help cool the radiator. Electric cars, which are becoming more and more commonplace, don't need this feature. While they do still need airflow, they need much less—yet you still see many of them with a large grill in the front.

Turns out people just really like their EVs to look as much like regular cars as possible.

11. Candle-shaped lightbulbs

a chandelier in a room with a marble wall Have you ever stopped to think about how weird these are? Photo by Edoardo Botez on Unsplash

Here's an obvious but extremely prominent one. Most of us really love candles, lanterns, and other fire-based sources of light. But unfortunately, working with real fire just isn't practical in a lot of cases.

Light bulbs are safer and more convenient most of the time, but we've put a lot of effort into making them look as much like candles and lanterns as possible. There are even light bulbs that artificially flicker like a real flame!

12. Half the apps and icons on your phone

Skeuomorphic design was really common in the early days of smartphones, and it's still fairly prevalent today.

You'll probably recognize a ton of examples: A Notes app that looks exactly like a sheet of paper. A calculator app that looks exactly like your elementary school calculator. A podcast app that looks like a cassette tape playing in a tape player.

Skeuomorphs are extremely common in icons and logos. The Gmail app logo itself resembles a letter in a paper envelope. The universally accepted symbol for phone calls resembles an old-fashioned handheld phone receiver, not a cell phone. The battery symbol looks nothing like modern lithium ion batteries, but much more like a AA.

Skeuomorphs are everywhere you look! Not only do they often look cool, they quickly convey meaning and function to people who may not be familiar with the app or design.

design

Modern Families

Teachers share 22 ways they avoid getting sick

"I have never missed a day from work."

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

boy in gray sweater beside boy in gray and white plaid dress shirt

Schools are germ cesspools. Parents know it, pupils know, and yep--teachers know it better than anyone. With sickness easily spread in close quarters like schools (and especially during the colder months), staying healthy can seem impossible.

However, some teachers seem to have immune systems of steel–or have simply mastered how to *never* get sick. Even when entire classrooms go down and out, some stand strong. How do they do it? Thankfully, they have spilled their wellness advice for fellow educators and parents alike. Here are 22 ways teachers avoid getting sick, according to teachers.

1. "I make sure to tell students how disgusting they are in very clear terms and enforce a hands washing and hygiene regimen in my classroom. For example, 'did you just eat a bag of chips and touch my computer?' Student: 'I used hand sanitizer...' me: 'go wash your hands now before you do anything else.' Less sick kids in my classroom and less sick me." – Fit-Meeting-5866

2. "No magic bullet - I got Covid for the first time this past year - but here is what I do and it is moderately successful:

Vaccines. No joke.
If you are able, open windows and air out the room as often as possible. When sickness is at its peak times, I will run the AC or heat and leave the door and windows open, if only just a crack. Air circulation is critical, I am lucky to have control and I don't have to pay that bill.
This one will vary according to building policy and your school demographics, but I leave my door open all the time unless we are being loud or there is a lot of commotion in the hallway.
I have a small fan at my desk that I use to blow the air away from my face. Kids just think I have hot flashes, but that's rarely true. I just don't want their funk.
Turn in as much work as possible online. Paper goes in the tray. Not directly to me.
I don't conference much anymore if I can help it. Makes me sad, but my spouse is Very High Risk, so I do what I gotta do.
Wash those hands
Keep that air moving out, if possible (yes, I know that is a repeat)
Sanitize your desk/tabletops as often as you can.
I don't hand out or collect pens, pencils, etc. anymore. They are also in a tray. Get one, take it if you need it, put it back when you finish. I don't want to touch it.
Avoid cafeteria, teachers' "lounge," hallways during passing periods, sitting in the crowd at pep rallies and assemblies (I always volunteer for door duty)
I sit behind them. They breathe forward.

Hope some of this is useful. Exercise. Eat well. Do something to de-stress." – Two_DogNight

3. "Never forget to wash your hands and don't get close enough to a student that you can smell their breath. I still get teacher crude every few months though. Also, when a kid asks to go to the nurse for a cold like symptom? Out comes the Clorox wipes for every table." – Sea_Row_6291

4. "I spray a cloud of Lysol out the door after every kid who's going to the nurse." – InDenialOfMyDenial

5. "Students may not cough or sneeze in your face, but they will on their assignments. Treat any paper that is turned in, as infectious." – Bumper22276

Cough Sick Friends Tv GIFGiphy

6. "I teach over 300 students so I wear a mask, I sanitize my hands any time I sit back down at my desk or touch my personal belongings, and I try not to get too close to kids since I teach older students. I take vitamins and try to drink lots of water. I go for a walk every day and try to get a decent sleep so I'm not run down." – ladyonecstacy

7. "Don’t be afraid to where a mask when you know there is something going around. Drink lots of water, vitamins, wash your hands often. Have students help sanitize the desks and high touch locations. Have everyone put hand sanitizer on as they come into the classroom." – mashed-_-potato

8. "I still teach fully masked. I teach teenagers and they are pure Petri dishes and don’t take care of their own immune system. I have never missed a day from work for being sick from something you can catch." – UncomfyNobleGas

9. "This is a small thing, but the box of tissues goes as far from my desk as possible. That means sick kids don't come to my desk with their sniffles." – TeachingAnonymously

Tissues Sick Flu Season GIF by Emma DarvickGiphy

10. "Sometimes when I suddenly feel tired and wonder if I’m getting sick, I’ll allow myself to plan a low prep day the next day instead of doing to 1-3 hours beyond my contact that I often need in the beginning of the year. One of the best vet teachers at my school plans a sick/personal day each month and has one of the experienced subs cover her class. She uses that day to recharge & recover. She rarely seems to get really 'really' sick." – JoyfulinfoSeeker

11. "In terms of catching whatever is going around the school, it comes down to proximity control. Don't get too close, don't let them get too close. Don't reach across them (I've had students sneeze on my arm..). Hand sanitize frequently. Don't touch your nose or your mouth. Wash hands often. Get some Lysol or Clorox wipes and routinely wipe down surfaces. If you have student supplies in your room, leave those for the students only. Don't share supplies with them. Don't let them use your stuff.

Otherwise, hydrate. I have a 32oz water bottle, and drink it down twice every school day. I don't seem to suffer from small bladder, so do whatever you need to do for you, but make sure you're hydrating regularly throughout the day.

Take a look at what you're eating. We've all been guilty of "teacher lunch" aka vending machine food (my go-to is a bag of funyuns and a cherry coke zero), but make sure that you're actually eating things with nutritional value and not just refined carbs and sugar. Eat good, feel good. Obviously this depends on your own dietary needs, but look... I'm guilty of dipping into the candy and snacks when I'm busy or stressing and it always makes me feel like shit.

In terms of stress management... I hate to oversimplify here but you gotta just... be less stressed. And I don't mean that in a dismissive way. First year you're panicking about everything, and you're now about to enter your 4th year. You know what is and isn't important, you know what is and isn't worth stressing over. Make sure you are drawing some boundaries.

Also, if you're just generally feeling lousy all the time, go to the doctor. I finally did after a few years of just generally feeling bleh and it turns out I'm slightly anemic. So we fixed that, and I feel better now." – InDenialOfMyDenial

12. "Same rule I had in healthcare: treat everyone like they have the plague." – MuddyGeek

13. "KN95 or better mask. HEPA filters and/or CR boxes. Open windows for ventilation. Clean everything." – youdneverguess

14. "If you can help it, avoid the school cafeteria. It's a giant petri dish of germs and bad hygiene." – JMWest_517

Cafeteria walking eating GIF by South Park Giphy

15. "I don't see it listed yet, but don't eat in your room! And establish clear boundaries for your desk. Kids don't walk anywhere near it and don't touch anything on it." – positivesplits

16. "I got sick more than eight times my first year, teaching elementary physed, I was told by my doctor that the first few years this is going to happen and then after that, my immune system should be pretty good. And so far, I have only gotten sick a few times a year since. Immunity pro tip sure you’re eating healthy, or at least getting your fruits and veggies in. They can’t cure sickness. But many Americans are deficient in many vitamins, minerals, and vital chemicals that are helpful for immunity." – Plus_Bench_4352

17. "You need the following to not get sick often as a teacher

Good sleep
Exercise
Diet
5 years of teaching experience to build immunity.

Half the shit my kid brings home from daycare gets my wife sick and doesn't touch me, because I've already had whatever it is." – MemeTeamMarine

18. "I am on year 21 and I used to get sick a lot. Now I do not. I have not changed my lifestyle at all. I eat healthy for the most part I honestly think it is the amount of citrus that I consume. I put true lime, grapefruit, or lemon in every single glass of water I drink. I eat oranges and clementines as snacks. In the last 5 years I have been sick with covid one time and other than seasonal allergies, no illness. Vitamin C is the only thing I can think to attribute it to." – User Unknown

Lemon Dance Dancing GIF by javadoodlesGiphy

19. "Vitamin C and D every day! Sanitize everything. Keep your hands clean and carry sanitizer with you. I use that stuff after I touch anything. Lysol spray between classes or have students sanitize desks. Don’t touch your eyes, nose, mouth, ears. That’s where most of your illnesses enter the body. Regularly remind kids hygiene practices that prevent the spread of germs." – User Unknown

20. "I personally eat Halls Defense Drops like candy. It’s a Vitamin C supplement. It’s also nice for soothing your throat after a long day. I know some people swear by elderberry supplements and Emergen-C as well, if you’re looking for that kind of thing. But besides that, a few basic practices:

Practice personal space with your students. I have no problem telling my kids to take a step or 2 back if they’re way too close. My desk is a 'holy area' - they shouldn’t be behind my desk, even if I’m sitting there.
If kids leave a tissue or trash on the floor, don’t pick it up. Yes, I understand wanting to make your custodian’s life easier. But if it’s a used tissue, you’re asking for whatever crap they have.
During cold and flu season, spray or wipe tables at least once a day, multiple times if possible. You can also use an air freshener that has disinfectant in it (I think Lysol makes one).
Model good hygiene habits for your students (no matter how old they are!). I have a sink in my class, and I occasionally wash my hands during class for whatever reason. It just reinforces those habits." – H8rsH8

21. "I got sick every two weeks one time during the winter. From November-April I was sick and I felt like crap the entire time going to work because I couldn’t keep taking time off. I bought elder berry/zinc mix through Amazon (liquid version). Put two full droppers in your mouth or drink. Not even joking, I haven’t been sick this entire year and if I did get sick, it was with a mild sore throat that went away in two days. Worked great." – Jiinxx10

22. "I teach math and the only papers that were coming in to me were the tests I gave students. I have them turn in their exams in to a folder away from my desk and I don't open it back up for 24 hours. When I started doing that, I noticed I stopped getting sick as often. Most of my good kids would still show up on test days when they're sick and gross and get all their germs over their papers." – broteus7

Family

Interior designer says that having family photo 'shrines' in the house is poor taste

Is decorating with family photos tacky?

via Travis Isaacs/Flickr

A collage of family photos.

Shannyn Weiler, a Utah-based interior designer, has caused a debate on TikTok after she urged people to use caution when displaying family photos in the home. The discussion started a debate over whether a home should be decorated for visitors or the family itself and if having a “shrine” dedicated to family members is tasteful.

The video began with a stitch from a designer passionately saying that one should “never’ display “personal photos” in the living room.

“So family photos can become a problem when they become what I refer to as the shrine,” Weiler begins the video. She shared an example from her life, to make the case why family photos should be hung judiciously.

“I got married when I was 21,” she shares. “We were both in school, absolutely broke, we had $50 to buy a couch, so imagine what type of couch that was. We went to go decorate our first apartment and lo and behold, there’s no money for decoration. So we do what most newlyweds do, we use our wedding photos, because we’re so cute and we’re so in love and we just love our wedding day. Everywhere in our apartment was wedding photos… it felt like what I call ‘the shrine.’”

“It’s very real. This also happens if you have one baby, and you might have baby photos taken and it’s the shrine to the one kid,” she continues. “This also happens if you have one grandkid.”

@shannynweiler
Interior design art tips Art decor interior design Interior design 2024 art prints Interior design art trends 2024 interior design trends #hometips #homedecor #wallart #decortips #walldecor #interiordesign

Weiler believes that people should hang artwork or photography about more than one subject.

“They can’t just be on every wall with one subject,” she says. “We need to mix it up. There needs to be a mirror in the space. We need some Etsy art prints or something like that. We just need to mix it together to get rid of that shrine feel.”

The post bothered many who love having pictures of their family around the house. The vast majority of commenters were people who love having family photos strewn about their homes

"The house is for us not company," Sarah Murdock, the most popular commenter, wrote. "I’d rather have pics of my kids and our life up than prints of random flowers and art," Ty Harman added.

"I grew up in an interior design magazine and HATED that my mom never displayed any photos of my family. Felt like she cared more about material things," Alexandra DiGiovanni wrote.

Others noted that people decorate their homes for themselves, not for guests.

"OR we do what we want with the homes WE live in, not guests," Ergot wrote. "I like myself, I don't have a problem seeing myself everywhere. After all, I paid the bills," Gege Chic added.

Some people agreed with the interior decorator and said that having too many family photos in a house looks tacky.

"YES. Photographs of ourselves in my own house feel so weird to me. Narcissistic kind of Jamiecakes wrote. "I don't have a single photo of a person in my house. I think they look tacky," C wrote. "One friend's house comes to mind for me, it was tacky (for me) to see nothing but wedding pics. Like, do you have other interests? Just my opinion but also, they’re divorced now. Mixing in art helps," _sigred added.

Even though the post received a pretty sizable backlash, Weiler’s opinion is widely accepted in design circles. “To us, having too many portraits of yourself on display in your home is kind of like having a tattoo of yourself on your own body. It can come off as vain and tacky,” Sarah Han writes at Apartment Therapy.

After her thoughts on family photos went viral, Weiler posted a follow-up video where she shared an example of a student changing their mind about home decor.

“Sometimes in design, we hear the design ideas and go, 'Mmm nope, that's not for me.' Sometimes, we try those ideas and we still say, 'Nope, that's not for me.' But occasionally we try things and we go, 'Okay, I do kind of like that,’” Weiler concluded her video.

@shannynweiler
reply to @Shannyn #homedecor #interiordesign #hometips #interiordesigntrends2024 #wall art

This article originally appeared last year.

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design

Pop Culture

60-year-old walks for hours on end to create epic snow art with just his feet

The photographs are truly something to behold.

Simon Beck's Snow Art/Facebook

Simon Beck didn't set out to become a world-renowned snowshoe artist, yet here he is. The former cartographer was trained in engineering at Oxford, but has spent the past ten years making jaw-dropping art in the snow and sand using only his feet.

Beck uses geometrical and geographical tools to plot out his designs, but it's still baffling to see him walk exactly where he needs to to create them. His designs can take 12 hours of walking or more, and he'll take around 40,000 steps for an average-sized piece. It's beautiful, it's creative, it's exercise—and it's fleeting.

Being made out of snow and sand, which are constantly being blown or washed away, Beck's artwork doesn't last. Such is the nature of creating art in nature, but that doesn't bother him in the slightest. "Most people will only ever see most of the world's artwork as photographs," he said in an article in Artsy. "Even with the Mona Lisa—probably only a minority of people have actually seen the real thing, but everyone's seen a photograph of it." As long as Beck gets a photo of his massive designs, it's all good.

And the photographs are truly something to behold. Check out some of his snow creations on Facebook and Instagram.

See on Instagram

One of the challenges of working in the snow is that conditions can change throughout the creation of a piece. Snow might melt or become exceptionally icy.

Or, other people might not realize what is happening and inadvertently mess up your work. For instance, there's nothing to stop a skier from plowing right through a design.

Beck's sand drawings offer a different kind of challenge. Timing out the tides and dealing with the wind—as well as other beachgoers—makes sand art tricky, but the final product is totally worth it.

See on Instagram

On occasion, Beck even uses his art to make statements about issues in the world. For instance, there are 81 triangles in this drawing, but he says he left 77 unshaded to represent "the 77 countries where LGBT people are given a hard time."

Beck has created most of his 300-plus land drawings in Europe. However, he will be spending two weeks of January 2020 in Silverthorne, Colorado, where he will create between five and 15 of his iconic works of snow art.

ABC News did a segment on Beck and his work, where he explains a bit of his process and how he uses a ski pole to measure parts of the design. Watch and enjoy:

Simon Beck has become a global sensation for his installations made by stepping through snow with snowshoes and a ski pole.

This article originally appeared on 01.01.20

From Your Site Articles

art

Science

Cool clock combines ’80s digital displays with ancient sundial technology

Via Mojopitx/YouTube

Cavemen must have been perpetually late, given that humans didn't get around to inventing the sundial until 1500 BCE. The first attempts at measuring time via sun movement were shadow clocks created by the Egyptians and Babylonians. These led to the sundial, an instrument that tells time by measuring shadows cast by the sun on a dial plate. Sundials were our preferred method of timekeeping until the mechanical clock was invented in 14th-century Europe.

Photo via (cc) Flickr user Sara Bogush

In 1972, Hamilton introduced the world's first digital watch. Its $2,000 price tag was hefty, but by the '80s, digital watches became affordable for the average person. Now, both technologies have merged in a cool invention, the digital sundial. Created by French Etsy seller Mojoptix, this outdoor clock uses the patterns on a suspended wand to mold natural shadows into a digital-looking time readout. The digital sundial has two major drawbacks: It only reports the time in 20-minute intervals, and it's not very effective after sundown. But it sure does look cool.

Here's the digital sundial in action!

This article first appeared on 9.15.17.

From Your Site Articles

innovation

Technology

Inventor reveals 9 design secrets that will forever change how you see everyday things

via @designsecretsss / TikTok

Masters of design are like magicians. They have a beautiful gift of being able to manipulate our movements, thoughts, and emotions without us even knowing. Their clandestine work is all around us but only those who practice the arts can see it in action.

One such master is Svilen, an inventor, designer, and futurist originally from Bulgaria who's since moved to the Washington, D.C. area. According to his Medium page, he invents "concepts for products and experiences ranging from reimagining the mundane, to protecting fundamental human rights."

In his downtime, he's created a TikTok page where he reveals the design secrets behind everyday things that we take for granted. He has nearly 600,000 followers and his videos have received 5.6 million likes.

Here are nine of his most popular videos that reveal the hidden secrets behind everything from kids' cartoons to snack foods.

1.) Why do old cartoon characters wear neck collars?

"By giving characters something to wear around their necks, it meant that animators could keep the exact same body position and only animate the head while it was moving and talking, which not only meant that the frames required for a 7 min cartoon were reduced from 14000 down to just 2000, but this move is actually credited with saving the entire animation industry."Why are the interiors of movie theaters red?

@designsecretsss
Why old #cartoon characters wear neck collars #designsecrets #animation #anime #design #fypシ

2.) Why are movie theater interiors red?

"If you ever noticed that in theatres curtains and seats tend to be the color red, that's no coincidence, that's by design. And that's because the color red is the first color that the human eye loses sight of in dark and low light conditions, making it easier for you to focus on the performance or movie screen and not get distracted by the surroundings."

@designsecretsss
Why movie theater seats are colored red #movie #design #designsecrets #ux #color #learnontiktok #fypシ

3.) Why do snipers wear their watches upside down?

"The reason snipers wear their watches upside down like this is to avoid the sun or moonlight from reflecting off their watch face, into the enemies eyes and therefore, giving away their location."

@designsecretsss
#watch #design #time #designsecrets #ux #fypシ

4.) Why are Pringles shaped that way?

"Pringles enlisted the help of supercomputers to come up with an aerodynamic shape for the potato chips known as a hyperbolic paraboloid, so the chips don't fly off of the production line."

@designsecretsss
@pringles #designsecrets #food #design #manufacturing #fypシ

5.) The mysterious power of Baker-Miller pink

"[Alexander Schauss] discovered that this very specific shade of pink had a very profound calming effect on people. It would make them relax, lower their heart rate, breathing, and even curb their appetite."

@designsecretsss
#color #psychology #design #designsecrets #ux #learnontiktok #fypシ

6.) How an airport reduced complaints at airport baggage claims

"The Houston Airport in Texas was experiencing an extraordinary amount of complaints regarding the baggage claim wait times. ... Upon further investigation, they found out that it only took passengers 1 minute to walk from their arrival gate to baggage claim and then 7 more minutes for their luggage to arrive. ... They moved baggage claim as far as possible, so now it took passengers 6 times longer to get to it. And just like that, overnight complaints dropped to nearly zero."

@designsecretsss
How an #airport reduced complaints #travel #trip #plane #psychology #design #designsecrets #learnontiktok #fypシ

7.) Why do London pubs have weird names?

"Since many of the pubs in Britain are hundreds of years old, back in those days, a lot of people were illiterate, which meant that they couldn't easily identify and discover businesses. So business owners got creative and instead of using letters, they started using pictures of easily identifiable and recognizable objects in their logos, so that even people that can't read can still find the business easily."

@designsecretsss
Why #London pubs have weird names #designsecrets #pub #london #uk #graphicdesign #learnontiktok

8.) How does blue lighting stop drug use?

"The blue lighting makes it impossible for the drug user to find his or her veins because they're also colored blue; therefore, it elegantly prevents them from injecting drugs in the first place in a non-confrontational and cheap fashion."

@designsecretsss
Preventing drug use with blue light #designsecrets #design #interiordesign #learnontiktok

9.) What secrets are lurking in your elevator?

"Moving down to the lobby, you will notice a lot of mirrors and reflective surfaces. It could be the elevator doors themselves or just decorative mirrors hanging around. And those are there to actually distract you from the fact that the elevator is taking a long time."

@designsecretsss
Secret user experience design of elevators #ux #design #designsecrets #learningontiktok

From Your Site Articles

design

Mother and daughter duo transform their boring backyard into a breathtaking plant paradise

They also show how just about anyone can easily do it themselves.

Trust the process

California’s natural beauty

Change is always possible

12 strange everyday objects that make zero sense until you know where they come from

That weird tiny pocket on your jeans is an example of a phenomenon called 'skeuomorphism'

1. The infamous tiny jeans pocket

2. This computer and phone icon that everyone recognizes

3. The sound your phone camera makes

4. Email CCs and BCCs

5. The teeny, tiny handle on a bottle of maple syrup

6. The little bow on women's underwear

7. Window shutters

8. The noise your vacuum cleaner makes

9. Fake pockets, buttons, and buckles

10. Grills on electric cars

11. Candle-shaped lightbulbs

12. Half the apps and icons on your phone

Teachers share 22 ways they avoid getting sick

"I have never missed a day from work."

Interior designer says that having family photo 'shrines' in the house is poor taste

Is decorating with family photos tacky?

60-year-old walks for hours on end to create epic snow art with just his feet

The photographs are truly something to behold.

Cool clock combines ’80s digital displays with ancient sundial technology

Inventor reveals 9 design secrets that will forever change how you see everyday things

Woman who traveled abroad for 2 weeks realizes why she can't marry an American man

Motivation expert explains how two simple words can free you from taking things personally

An entrepreneurial Ph.D candidate sheds light on how technology helps her grow her small business

Kerri Strug vaulting with a broken ankle at the 1996 Olympics lands a bit differently now

Mom took her teenage son to the ER, and the doctor seriously doubted their relationship

We have a small favor to ask of you

design

They also show how just about anyone can easily do it themselves.

Trust the process

California’s natural beauty

Change is always possible

That weird tiny pocket on your jeans is an example of a phenomenon called 'skeuomorphism'

1. The infamous tiny jeans pocket

2. This computer and phone icon that everyone recognizes

3. The sound your phone camera makes

4. Email CCs and BCCs

5. The teeny, tiny handle on a bottle of maple syrup

6. The little bow on women's underwear

7. Window shutters

8. The noise your vacuum cleaner makes

9. Fake pockets, buttons, and buckles

10. Grills on electric cars

11. Candle-shaped lightbulbs

12. Half the apps and icons on your phone

"I have never missed a day from work."

Is decorating with family photos tacky?

The photographs are truly something to behold.