The hands that still create. 🎨

One of the exhibitions I went to this week was about folk customs, the details!

Packing for a short trip this week, thought I'd show you how little space our towels take. (This is how it looks in a 20-inch suitcase.) I usually take two hand towels and a big one with me, because I don't use towels in hotels, for obvious hygiene and comfort reasons; If on a long flight, I even bring a big one with me to stay cozy and warm.✨

In the spirit of sharing these wonderful ancient things, I'm going to add a few more well-kept secrets from my personal experience: Aleppo Soap Originally from the city of Aleppo, Syria, as the name suggests:) Made with olive oil and laurel oil, it smells quite earthy. I've been using Aleppo soap to wash my hair and body for years, it simply cleans without drying out my skin. It also won't easily become soggy or mushy and run out fast like most soaps, it still stays in good shape till the last bit. (I usually put a small piece of natural loofah under it.) Give it a try if you want to say goodbye to SLS, artificial fragrances, and other harmful chemicals. 🫶🏼 View quoted note →

I like quality things, not from big brands or fancy shops, but from people who spend years mastering one skill and pour their hearts into their creations. Life is so much easier once you identify who's doing what they love, saving a lot of trial and error, time, and money.

I love reading old books, so much good information is hidden there; people used to write to share their knowledge, NOT to become New York Times bestsellers. 😂 Another detail to note is that the binding and paper quality of the old books are so much better. View quoted note →

There are only a few places left in Anatolia that still do the pirn winding by hand. Since it's quite labor intensive and time consuming, you might be wondering why people still doing it the hard way then when automatic machines are everywhere? 🤔 As a lover of handmade crafts myself, I once saw a skilled lady turn raw wool into yarn, and I was completely in awe. Then she wove a shawl with local motifs (with stories) on an old handloom, which I still use each winter! It keeps me so warm and reminds me of what our hands are capable of; This is part of reasons why we are building @Saf Store continuing centuries of knowledge and reminding people of what their hands can create. View quoted note →

Do you pay in cash when you are out and about? I often get discounts when paying cash because shop owners simply don't have to pay so many fees, so it's a win-win at the end of the day. And the best part: you actually feel how fast the money goes when you pay in cash, whereas with swiping you don't feel anything. It feels like the best setup is: saving in Onchain, spending in LN, and using cash. What other good practice you've learned?

Discovered so much beautiful music coming out of Egypt, I wish I could understand them.

Deep-cleaned my home, why not take some photos of our towels? 👀 The hand towels are perfect to use in the kitchen or bathroom: absorbent, dry fast, and add such a beautiful touch! More is coming:) View quoted note →

Melon with cheese is sooo good; give it a try if you haven't. #foodstr

The constant struggle of buying something now or later is real if you are living in hyperinflation countries, because everything is going to be more "expensive" in the future, in fiat terms. I know many people are basically living on their credit cards to sustain their image. Meanwhile, I like how saving in Bitcoin completely changes the way you spend; the last thing you want to buy is anything popular or whatever the latest invention is, and then it slowly leads you to appreciate the old-time beauties, the things that were made to last. ✨ One good example is when I was thinking about which sewing machine to buy; many influencers recommended the Singer heavy-duty as the one to go with, but that machine is practically made of plastic! I later ended up buying a vintage one, all made of cast iron, with beautiful floral decals; the best part: it still works wonderfully! And it doesn't make the annoying sound the modern sewing machines do, money well spent:)

Any artisans on Nostr? I'm curious: do you price your crafts in sats or in fiat? If in sats, would you change the price when the Bitcoin price changes? #asknostr

Seeing in depth articels about Musk and Miswak, I like this calm side of Nostr.

What are the goodies that your grandmothers' generation used to clean homes? There's something called Arap soap in Anatolia, it literally cleans EVERYTHING; Natural and it smells wonderful.

Summer time happiness ☀️ It's made with a mix of sheep and cow milk! honestly, you can't go back to eating other ice cream once you try this. #foodstr