Is Stickley is the New Ikea?

...nk of the lifestyle adjustments that would justify a weekend in the garage making a copy of the L. & J.G. Stickley dinner gong. How exactly would a dinner gong work out in our 1,000 square foot house occupied by just two people? Would its existence prompt more inspired daily meal prep? Would reheating a frozen Trader Joe’s meal (what a friend calls the Ikea of food) in the microwave justify a bang on the gong? Would it cause the cats and dog to sc...

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Saturday Tweets: It’s 2017!

...itter.com/KE9NWqLqWN — Thomas Rainer (@ThomasRainerDC) January 5, 2017 Tea making tips movie from (1941) https://t.co/MqZaPLK9Lv — Root Simple (@rootsimple) January 5, 2017 What's your hoarding/clutter level? https://t.co/VhNWzNQBLa — Root Simple (@rootsimple) January 4, 2017 A Month Without Sugar, via @nytimes https://t.co/fmtuObKbyu — Michael Pollan (@michaelpollan) January 2, 2017 Someone changed famed Hollywood Sign to read 'Hollyweed&...

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Epic Rants and Raves

...early 20th century literature. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been slowly making my way through all of Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Magazine (I’m reading the 1905 issues this week) as well as Moby Dick (never read it in school), May Morris’ Decorative Needlework and the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris. From these tomes I’ve bookmarked a few epic rants that I suspect Root Simple readers will appreciate. First, as quoted in The Craftsman,...

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Federico Tobon’s Kinetic Sculptures

...ments never before published and several which have only recently come into use by Henry T. Brown. Follow the link for a website with all the movements (and even some that have been animated!). A tip of the mechanical hat to Federico for both the amazing sculptures and for making Facebook, Instagram and Twitter worth looking at again. As Federico says: My personal rules for social media, inspired by @michaelpollan and @rootsimple: “Post positive t...

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Salted Spruce Tips and Pine Infused Garlic Salt

...and see how it goes, because you can always add more. Feline assistance in making the pine garlic salt. A Tale of Two Salts To give you some concrete examples, I made two small batches of salt today. I often make herbed salt in tiny batches that get used up quickly, because I like to experiment. The first one I made was with spruce tips. These are the fresh spring growth of a fir tree, the tender chartreuse tips which stand out in such brilliant c...

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