Succulents are unofficially the cats of the plant world. People either love or hate ‘em, and they make the most camera-loved plants for their crazy colors, shapes, and varieties.
But it turns out, there is one more way you can put these incredible plants to use. Thanks to mad crafty skills and aesthetic goals, people have been upgrading their tables into full-blown succulent gardens.
Both a green oasis and a place to put your mug, these tables are something I didn’t know I needed, but I am adding one to the basket at this very moment.
Dustin explained that blooming tables are perfect for people who lack the space for traditional gardening methods and want more plants in their homes. But since succulents require a good amount of sunlight to keep them from stretching and getting leggy, he suggested placing a lamp over them or adding incandescent light bulbs.
In order for the succulents to prosper while being planted as part of the table, one has to keep in mind that “plants tend to do better when you pull them from a similar environment that you are moving them to.” He gave an example: “succulents that grew up in low light areas will do better indoors than succulents who were sourced from high light areas.”
It turns out that, for a succulent, the table serves as a pot, which it may outgrow with time. “Sometimes a plant will grow too big for the table and need to be removed,” but it’s “completely natural.”#7
Dustin also said that it is in fact possible for you to make your own blooming table, and that’s how his own company was started. “We saw the beauty in housing our plants indoors this way and set out to develop a product that would solve a lot of the problems that come with an at-home build.”
Meanwhile, while many DIY succulent tables would look adorable, not all would function as a table. Dustin explained that “a lot of at-home builds, while beautiful, lack the functionality of an actual table—leaving you with something too unstable to set anything on.” So you’ve got to keep an eye on the stability if you’re planning on building one.#10
Pop culture apocalypse? That’s what digital artist and Prague-based 3D illustrator Filip Hodas had in mind when he created this unique twist on pop culture icons.
For the last two years, Hodas has dedicated an immense amount of time learning about creative programs like World Machine, Cinema 4D, and Octane in order to create these thrilling, foreign and creative alien universes into stellar illustrations.
You’ll find some of the most recognizable symbols centered in his work. Characters like Pacman, Gameboy from the 90s, Coca-Cola, Jenga, Tetris, and more.
This 230-foot sea-organ located in Croatia uses energy from wind and water from the Adriatic Sea and creates an incredibly soothing harmony.
Also known as ““morske orgulje” in Croatia the marvelous sea-organ opened to the public in 2005 and was designed by Nikola Basic, a Croatian architect. The organ works by water and wind entering through holes at the bottom of the steps, which are then directed into resounding chambers.
The sounds then make their exit along the holes of the highest steps. Not surprisingly, the giant organ has become a popular lunch spot and tourist attraction — a far cry from what remained of Zadar in the aftermath of World War II.
If you’re ready for the blistering cold to end, you’re not alone. We’ve found the perfect Springtime cakes that incorporate succulents and florals to make a decadent cake you’ll not only want to devour but simply can’t take your eyes off of.
Ivenovan, based in Jakarta, is the masterful bakery shop behind these succulent cupcakes and cakes made of buttercream frosting, powdered sugar, and food coloring.
The ultra-realistic floral cakes feature vines, leaves, needles, flowers, cacti, and other blooms that make for some of the most gorgeous cakes we’ve ever seen.
And the funny thing is, Ivenoven got its start with sugar cookies and a family’s passion for baking that was passed down to the next generation: a goddaughter.
“My baking passion and journey started one fine day when I was sneaking around in my godma’s house trying to look for her baking recipes, and maybe, just maybe, bring the recipes back home for my own collection,” write Ivenoven on their blog.
The bakery got its start in 2013 and originally began with cookies. The passion for baking and design grew robust and propelled the bakery into artisan cakes and treats becoming bigger every day.
What’s makes this bakery even better is the fact that all of the premium ingredients are sourced locally and internationally to preserve quality.
Ivenoven has attracted thousands of followers on Instagram from all over the world praising the cakes and begging for a stateside bakery who can replicate the work of this special bakery.
We have equipped our classic Desiree Chintz with a metallized backing, thus transforming it into an energy-saving sheer with a glare and privacy function that provides sun protection similar to a sunscreen. The metallized backing reflects the sun’s rays and thus prevents the room from heating up too much. This additional feature gives the backing a silver metallic shimmer without shining through to the front. The matt fabric side faces the room and creates a cosy, homely character. Desiree Sun not only protects against the sun, but can also serve as a privacy screen which at the same time – due to its slight transparency – still gives the room enough light. Particularly noteworthy is the soft drape, which is not present in classic aluminium-vaporized articles.to the article
TECHNICAL VALUES
Extensive tests resulted in the following photometric values:
Light transmission: 25% (percentage of total visible sunlight passing through the curtain)
Light reflection: 45 %
Light absorption: 30 % (The amount of radiant energy absorbed by the curtain and converted into heat)
UV transmission: 25 %.
Comprehensive tests resulted in the following solar technical values:
Solar transmission: 26 % (energy penetrating the fabric / the smaller the better)
Solar reflection: 46 % (energy reflected from the back of the fabric / the bigger the better)
Solar absorption: 28 % (energy absorbed by the material and converted into heat / the smaller the better)
g-value: 0.42 (total energy transmittance: energy input through the blind; the lower the g-value, the less energy passes through the blind and the lower the temperature behind it)
Fc value: 0.72 (reduction factor of a sun protection device, the smaller the better)
Although this product is similar in function to our DELITHERM products, it is a completely different article in production and in handling. As Desiree Sun has no metalized yarn but is metalized only on the backside, the article looks more homely and offers a larger variety of colours. Special attention must therefore be paid to the processing instructions.
Advantages of energy-saving glare and privacy protection:
Glare protection
improves the thermal room comfort
protects against strong heat radiation and UV radiation
reduces the intensity of air conditioning systems (reduction of CO2 emissions)
provides for more comfortable viewing at the monitor workstation
August 1, is the beginning of the harvest cycle and rests on the early grain harvest as well as those fruits and vegetables that are ready to be picked. Canning of fruits and vegetables goes into full swing, jams and jellies made and cabinets are stocked with herbs before the onset of autumn. As long as hand reaping lasted so the ceremonies of the “Last Sheaf” endured. In ancient times in Britain, it varied from county to county; some preferred to throw their sickles at it until there was nothing left, others thought it held an evil spirit and trampled it into the ground. Many treated it with honor for they believed the corn-spirit had retreated into it as a refuge when the rest of the crop was cut. On some farms the reapers took turns to throw their sickles at the last stand of corn, thus sharing the responsibility. In this, the corn-spirit was thought to sleep throughout the winter. In the spring it was taken to the fields when the seed was being sown so that the spirit could transfer to the sown seed and awaken it. This ritual re-enactment of the slaying and restoration of Lugh/John Barleycorn was associated with beer and cider drinking to follow. The last sheaf was then plaited (braided) into a woman’s form, which represented the Harvest Spirit. These were known by various names, the Corn-Dolly, Nell Doll, and in Whalton in Northumberland, a member of the same family made the Kern-Babby each year, for the church Harvest Festival. The Corn Dolly was set in a place of honor at the harvest supper, it was preserved over winter and plowed-in, in the following Spring; in other traditions, the corn dolly was fed and watered throughout the winter and then burned in the fire at Beltane. The vacant land was known as Lammas Lands, used for growing early crops or hay, were then thrown open for common grazing until the next Spring. This was also the time for Lammas Fairs, where the custom for unmarried persons of both sexes, was to choose a companion according to their liking, with whom they were to live for a year and a day. After this period, if the couple were in agreement, a ritual “Handfasting” or hand-in-fist, ceremony was performed to seal the marriage.- Ravenhawks Magazine
Documentary photographer Nicky Quamina-Woo has won the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2020 with her project, As the Water Comes, which documents rising sea levels in northern Senegal. As the Water Comes documents the village of Saint-Louis, on the northern coast of Senegal, which has been in a losing battle with the Atlantic ocean. A region that […]
An eco-village is defined by Global Ecovillage Network as, “An intentional or traditional community using local participatory processes to holistically integrate ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability in order to regenerate social and natural environments.”
They are essentially designed communities which strive to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural environment through intentional physical design and resident behaviour choices. They are consciously planned through locally owned, participatory processes to regenerate and restore its social and natural environments. An eco-village mostly ranges from a population of 50 to 250 individuals, although some are smaller, and traditional eco villages are often much larger. Larger ecovillages often exist as networks of smaller sub-communities.
While The Global Ecovillage Network lists almost 500 self-identified eco-villages around the world, from a network of remote villages in Sri Lanka to the popular Cristiana in Copenhagen, an autonomous commune of 850 people; we have picked 7 of the best ones for you to see what goes around and what needs to be learnt from these communities. With a rise in climate crisis (no, I will not call it climate change anymore), there are also 300+ Transition Towns and a growing number of green-focused co-housing communities, but few self-identify as eco-villages.
Findhorn, Scotland
As the community’s website says, the Findhorn Foundation is “a spiritual community, eco-village and an international centre for holistic learning, helping to unfold a new human consciousness and create a positive and sustainable future.” Widely perceived as “the mother of all eco-villages”, it began in 1962 as an experimental architectural community project based at The Park, in Moray, Scotland, near the village of Findhorn. Due to the village’s extraordinary results, now its members serve as consultants for the United Nations and multinational corporations. The village itself is a constantly evolving model used as a learning environment by a number of university and school groups as well as by professional organisations and municipalities worldwide.
Tamera, Portugal
Started in 1978 with a small group, Tamera is one of the largest and oldest eco-villages in Europe. It is located on 335 acres (1.36 km2) in the Alentejo region of southwestern Portugal, which is just 2 hours away from Lisbon. The community believes in a future without war, in love without fear, and work to build Terra Nova by creating Healing Biotopes as centres to research and model a new planetary culture, with strong ethical foundations. Tamera is a peace research village with the goal of becoming “a self-sufficient, sustainable and duplicable communitarian model for nonviolent cooperation and cohabitation between humans, animals, nature, and Creation for a future of peace for all.” The village today is a community of around 200 that attracts visitors from all over the world.
Damanhur, Italy
The Federation of Damanhur, or simply Damanhur, is a commune, eco-village, and spiritual community situated in the alpine foothills north of Piedmont, Italy. Founded in 1975 Oberto Airaudi with around 24 followers, the community today has roughly 600 residents live in 30 communities, called “nucleos,” spread across a spectacular subalpine valley in northern Italy. Each of these nucleos’ in the Federation is devoted to a specific field: solar energy, seed saving, organic meat production, education, healing, etc. The community is a centre for spiritual, artistic and social research known throughout the whole world. Damanhur may be the world’s most fast-paced, high-tech eco-village. Why? For starters: It has its own molecular biology lab that tests for genetically modified food, it has a smart-phone for every member and a highly successful complementary currency — the credito.
Sekem, Egypt
Sekem (named after the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for “vitality”) is an eco-village with 4 long-term dimensions for sustainability: culture, ecology, social, and economic. This agricultural and social settlement was founded by Dr Ibrahim Abouleish in 1977 with the idea of sustainable development and giving back to the community. Located on the desert land in Belbes, 60 kilometres northeast of Cairo, Sekem today has grown strong and prosperous, both economically and socially. Almost 40 years after its inception, the 2,800 hectares of the village’s green crops supply successful textile, natural medicines and herbal tea businesses that employ 2,000 people. All of this has been possible because of Sekem’s holistic approach and its ethical code of conduct.
In 2003, Sekem was awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize, the Right Livelihood Award as “a business model for the twenty-first century,” combining social and cultural development with commercial success.
Auroville, India
Auroville is an international township in the south of India near the former French colony Pondicherry which aims to embody the ideal of human unity — and its ecological work comes as a consequence. It is the largest existing eco-city attempt in the world, where “men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.” Auroville (City of Dawn) was founded in 1968 by the Mother (Mira Alfassa) in accordance with her dream a place where humanity can live united, in peace and in harmony with nature, beyond of all beliefs, political opinions and nationalities. Today, Auroville is home to over 2,000 people from 43 different countries and is one of the few places on Earth where biodiversity is actually increasing. With 50 years of experience and the support of the Indian ministry and international institutions like UNESCO, Auroville has now managed to build a social and economic system that is approaching stability. This kind of social security and cooperative today allows residents to meet most of the food and material needs and even receive a pension. The residents also have free access to education, basic medical care, sports and the many cultural activities of Auroville.
Ecovillage in Ithaca, NY, USA
Eco Village at Ithaca is a community of people seeking to create positive solutions to the social, environmental and economic crises our planet faces. Envisioned in 1991 and brought to life in 1996, this suburban cohousing community today promotes experiential learning about ways of meeting human needs for shelter, food, energy, livelihood and social connectedness that are aligned with the long-term health and viability of Earth and all its inhabitants. Covering 175 acres, it is located in the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York and provides the setting for a healthy, socially rich lifestyle focused on minimizing the ecological impact of humans. It is an intentional community and non-profit educational organization that invites you to live, learn and grow. This vast sanctuary boasts two community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms and 160 residents, 60 of whom are children.
Eco truly Park, Peru
Eco Truly Park is a magical self-sustaining artistic community located right next to the sea on the Chacra y Mar beach, a district of Aucallama, in the province of Huaral, one hour by bus or car (63 km) north of the capital city, Lima. This beautiful Peruvian Pacific coast ecological, the artistic community has a group of cute mud houses that offer a return to natural, healthy living inspired by Vaisnava principles. In the last 18 years, the members of this community have developed unique organic awareness cultivation and ecological program. The community is built 2.5 m above sea level and consisted previously of completely sandy, unworkable land. Today their community is visited by residents and volunteers from around the world who would like to travel to this retreat to experience living together in harmony with their surroundings.
As climate change accelerates, we need communities like these are trying to create viable models of sustainable, human-scale communities. Have you been to any eco villages? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below!
Art is a voyage, a discovery of ones inner muse.To understand and believe in my own art, my own style I had to first understand me, believe in me and to believe and understand me I had to know my muse, the soul that I am.
And through this voyage and discovery of my muse, soul; every painting, design, story becomes a masterpiece of creation, a magickal gift- Walking the labyrinth- Nisha Desai
More than 40 farmers in the UK’s East Yorkshire region are to create a “pop up rainforest” that will help them plant a diverse range of cover crops that will capture carbon, reduce flooding risk and improve soil health. The Sustainable Landscapes Humber Project – a collaboration between Yorkshire Water, Birds Eye, Future Food Solutions and […]
