Social Ideas, Tips & Guides

Ever wondered why spending time outdoors is so important for children’s mental health? This article by children’s wellbeing author and psychotherapist Becky Goddard-Hill will help you understand the powerful impact playing outside can have on a child’s mood and wellbeing.

Collaborative post

Carson Downing

Pizza Hut

In March 1910, readers of The Daily Mail were confronted with an advertisement that read, ‘Ten Thousand Englishwomen could be ranged in a line and shot. No one would be sorry. Everyone would be glad. There isn’t any place for them.’ This was pretty strong stuff, but it was just an extreme example of a widely held belief: that the country was burdened with ‘surplus women’. In 1854, author and social campaigner Harriet Martineau estimated that there were over 500,000 more women than men in Great Britain; by 1891, the number had risen to over 900,000. The chief reason given at the time was the high level of emigration among young men seeking opportunities across the British Empire. Every young man signing up to be a colonist, a member of the armed forces, a civil servant or a trader in the British colonies was one less for the women left at home to woo and catch. There was real anxiety that as a result there were ‘surplus women’ who would not find a husband to take care of them after their fathers died. The ‘surplus’ or ‘redundant’ women that bothered commentators most were middle- and upper-class women. Single working-class women were not viewed as surplus; they could go into paid occupations deemed suitable to their station, such as domestic service or factories. For ‘respectable’ women higher up the social scale, however, conventional society offered very few options.

Burazin / Getty Images

If you have a pile of cardboard boxes sitting around your home and aren't quite sure what to do with them, consider reusing them to create home decor accents or a playhouse for your kids or pets. With a sturdy structure thanks to an inner layer of fluted material, a cardboard box can often be useful a second or even a third time.

Burrow

Is it really the start of a new season if you haven’t swapped out your seasonal decor yet? Adding a few seasonal pieces is a great way to give your space a refresh that matches the mood of the season—plus, it’s an easy way to add intrigue to your home, keeping it from feeling stagnant over time.

With DIY projects and home renovation ideas filling our social media feeds daily, achieving the home of your dreams has never been more affordable and accessible. Just like any other facet of home decorating, DIY home decor trends come and go, often following suit with standard interior design trends. 

juliannafunk / Getty Images

IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY LONDON LIMITED

Learn the “why” behind ladybug tattoos and get inspired by a bunch of awesome designs in this article. Exciting inks await!

If the latest whirlwind of social media-fueled interior design trends has you feeling a bit dizzy, you’re not alone. These fresh and splashy trends can be fun to try out in your own space, but if you plan on selling your home in the next several years there are some trends you may want to avoid.

If you've watched some of Tabitha Brown's videos, read her books, seen her TV show, or even tasted some of her recipes, you likely already have a sense of her warm and highly-energetic personality. Tabitha's star really started to rise after a video of her eating a vegan BLT sandwich from Whole Foods went viral. She quickly became an ambassador for Whole Foods, began sharing vegan recipes on social media, starred in her own children's series, Tab Time and as host of Food Network'sIt's CompliPlated, cofounded the hair-care line Donna's Recipe, created a line of seasonings with McCormick and a line of home products for Target, and authored four books (so far). She does this and so much more all with an effusive warmth and giant smile. Here's a glimmer of insight into how she does it all so seemingly effortlessly.

When it comes to organizing your space, are you on Team Decant or Team I Just Can’t?

Spider Plant Takeover I was warned that spider plants can get out of control, but I had to find out for myself... The prolific spider plant

With TikTok and Instagram churning out new micro-aesthetics fast enough to give you whiplash, the number of new design trends that popped up in our social media feeds throughout 2023 was seemingly endless. Unsurprisingly, not all of these trends were a hit among the professionals.  

When it comes to bathroom design, striking the perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics can be a big challenge. Everyone wants their space to look beautiful, but as one of the smallest and most frequently used rooms in the home, practicality plays a huge role too.

As 2024 home trends rise in popularity and take over our spaces, we are seeing everything from earthy color palettes splashing interior walls to thrifted decor being styled in charming ways.

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Instagram over the last few weeks, you’ve likely seen an increased interest surrounding The Soprano’s Carmela Soprano or Casino’s Sharon Stone, clad in fur coats, animal prints, black leather, and smokey eye makeup. It’s being hailed as the “mob wife” aesthetic, and the hashtag on TikTok already has nearly 158 million views. As trends tend to go, you could consider this a natural progression as social media moves away all things “clean girl” and “quiet luxury."

If there’s one thing celebrity recipes are guaranteed to do, it’s spark a (lightly-controversial) conversation in the comments of their social media. Reese Witherspoon did just that after she shared a new creation with the world on TikTok January 18: a mug of snow mixed with cold brew topped with salted caramel and chocolate drizzle.

This year, TikTok saw no shortage of fresh interior design trends, ranging from pop culture-inspired to just plain innovative. Barbiecore seemed to have led the pack once again, carrying over from its debut in 2022 and spawning a whole new world of pretty-in-pink design styles.

As we set sail into the seas of 2024, an abundance of fashion trends are on the horizon (ironically, one being a sailor-inspired style, according to Emma Chamberlain). And as you may know, many trends often make their way from the runway to clothing department stores, and, eventually, into homes. Take food in fashion, which caught on in 2023. Aesthetics like tomatocore and grocery girl popularized by celebrities on red carpets and social media became a home decor hit.

Anthropologie

Ah, New Year’s resolutions. Maybe they motivate you each year, or maybe you think, “Why bother?”. Studies show that by the end of January, over 40% of those who made resolutions at the start of the new year quit. There are many reasons for backing out on a new goal- life changes, unrealistic expectations, and lack of accountability, just to name a few. However, following a few simple strategies when creating and implementing resolutions can make you more likely to achieve your goals this New Year.

If you’ve been scrolling through your TikTok feed, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over charmingly layered decor styles, you’re not alone.

With 2024 around the corner, we at Modern Farmer are looking ahead to a whole new year of stories and reporting that will help inform and enable people to get involved and help build a more equitable and resilient food system.

We love a good IKEA hack, and 2023 brought us some of the most inventive, fun, and beautiful IKEA DIYs we’ve seen yet.

Seeing two cardinals together can be a remarkable sight for nature lovers. With their deep red plumage, these birds carry deep meaning and are believed by many to be a symbol of good news!

Whether you’re house hunting, looking for a new apartment, or considering a move, Zillow surfing is one of the most lovely experiences you can have online. There’s no comment section or social media aspect to it; it’s simply a tool for exploration and fun, and, boy, did we take advantage of that this year.

Broken ornaments, tangled lights, dusty stockings—sometimes, pulling your holiday decor out of storage isn’t as enchanting as you intend it to be.

There are two major components to a homeowners association (HOA). The first is that the organization oversees a set of rules particular to the residential community. The second component is the associated fee required for living in the community and how the HOA fees benefit the homeowners.

Do you know that you don’t have to spend a single dollar to have a new snake plant? With a few simple steps, you can turn a single leaf into a flourishing one! Let’s have a look at the best tricks!

Not only do these pink birds look stunning, but they also play a vital role in balancing the ecosystem. This article will showcase the best ones with a salmon hue!

Anthony Masterson