Selamor's Profile

Also, if you are thinking about getting a really nice piece of furniture but want it on sale, or deeply discounted, it's worth a trip to North Carolina's High Point and Hickory furniture outlets. And likewise, when I lived in NC I would find really great, extremely well made american furniture in salvation army and rescue mission type places for dirt cheap. These pieces had great bones and would be very affordable to reupholster and have fixed up.

eCloth. And water. That is all you need. Maybe a couple of different eCloths, with different textures. I use the all-purpose one on the bathroom sink and tub, followed by the polishing cloth. I use the stainless steel one on the stovetop, followed by polishing. Same for kitchen sink, counter-tops, kitchen table. I have not purchased a countertop spray or cleaning agent in years.

Minimalist slow-rise bread, am I right? A staple in our household, too. Love the vintage Creuset. Looks very familiar to me.

The lamp looks to be a Hector with a pleated shade by BTC electric. They are hard to find here in the US because they are made in Britain (and wired for Britain). I want it. And the bed cover. http://www.originalbtc.com/catalogue_item.php?catID=2859&prodID=13993

Clarification: I still use laundry and dishwasher detergent, along with dishwashing liquid, all from Planet. Plus Bon Ami in the Toilet. But the e-cloths completely eliminated my need for counter-spray, tub-and-tile cleaner, scrub-cleanser, and de-greaser. Some of them are made with colloidal silver and are anti-bacterial. The dusters, which I use instead of swiffer cloths, are good for 100 washes. They are so much easier to use that my partner, who never used to clean the countertops, now does it without thinking. They are also great for allergy-sufferers and people with sensitive skin, since they just pick up all the dirt and bacteria with water. I know I sound like an add, but I think the really important message here is not simply to replace cleaning products with green ones, but to eliminate as many disposable and wasteful ones as possible.

Looks very cute! But if you have fine, valuable scarves, you really ought to store them folded flat in a drawer. I recently started doing this (and separating some with tissue paper) and they just look and wear better in general. Fewer snags, and fewer wrinkles in the wrong place.

@Sparkula: I'm pretty sure that caveat doesn't apply to fresh, totally organic free-range farm eggs purchased directly from the farmer.

Another tip for Whole Foods discounts: see if there is anyone conducting marketing research in your area. They frequently need "secret shoppers" to interview the staff at Whole Foods, and will reward you with a $50 gift certificate. I did this, and although it took me about an hour to ask the questions, and more to write up the report, I found myself getting into it, and enjoying the experience. Then I blew the fifty bucks on cheese and expensive olive oil.

Blech, it looks so cold and wealthy and boring. There are truly great personal apartments in Tel Aviv-Yafo, some Jewish, some Arab, some Russian, and many of which would be interesting to feature on AT. But this reads like a brochure. What has happened to AT?

How is it that you were able to post so many beautiful photographs of Turkey without a single cat or kitten in any of them? Next time, stay in Istanbul.