giveaway: silkscreen tea towel
today's giveaway is a pretty tea towel from pata pri
her modern designs & colors would be refreshing on my cinderella days!
giving :: one large tea towel, design of your choice
please comment today to enter to win
tell me how you make mundane household chores more fun
to the girl who makes hedgehogs cute, thank you yuko
congratulations...
abby, you are the winner! it's funny when someone i actually know wins a giveaway (completely fair and square of course). she comments, I sometimes have music on, but the fun we have is counting to 14 before turning on the vacuum. Jake loves to clean. Counts down for the vacuum, and gets the duster out to help. Love these towels!
144 comments:
Loud 80's/90's hair band music makes cleaning more fun to me....along with great smelling cleaning supplies.
What fun designs!!! Yaaaay!
We seriously crank up the tunes on cleaning day.
I have four kids (ages 4, 6, 9, and 11) and we all pitch in and dance and sing our way to a clean abode. It is actually a ton of fun. I'm sure our neighbors know when it's cleaning day over here.
The best part for me is to see how they all pitch in and help each other. We actually bond while we clean. :)
Kim
klbarth@comcast.net
Mrs. Meyer's are a favorite of mine! The lovely scents make it just a little less of a chore.
katie_ruder(at) yahoo (dot) come
I love to have a purpose in cleaning--a party, a nice dinner, clean underwear....it all motivates me.
PS I used your CD mix idea (Christmas) for my daughter's wedding. She made the cases from beautiful paper, tied them with twine and attached a metal tag for favors. The songs were chosen by the bride and groom and it is precious! We refer to it as the Love CD.
Mundane household cleaning suddenly seems fun when I think about all the school work I have to tackle! Household cleaning > school work
Music. And NO chemicals! And getting my 3 year old in on the gig...
hmmm, I'm not sure! I LOVE cleaning, so I consider it fun without any thing else. I guess I usually have the TV on (always a good soap opera) to help keep me entertained! :)
(GREAT giveaway!!)
by blasting music and doing them as quickly as possible! :)
xo
Kelly
I listen to Edith Piaf and The Beatles and dance and sing at the top of my lungs. For the Edith its better when no one is around because my french singing is probably worse than my french singing.
lots of music, and envisioning relaxing or inviting friends into a clean/organized abode, rather than a tornado hit one!
Pretty dishtowels to hang up are also good motivation to clean the house around it!
Yes, I agree with those above...music, good cleaning supplies (Method- all arranged and organized in a cute bucket). I also like to have something bakin in the oven while I'm cleaning...cookies, cake, banana bread, etc. The place smells great as I'm cleaning, which is a motivation to get it done faster...so I can reward myself with dessert at the end!
I make them my workout. Because working out is worse!
I let my 1 year old 'help' me!
The colors in these are beautiful!
Our house is 480 sf. I gaze out the window a lot in the kitchen.
Thank you - LOVE these.
Katie
Music, music, and more music! Nothing makes cleaning more fun than turning up the music and singing along while doing the chores. Cute giveaway!!
Music, of course... and if I'm cleaning, maybe company is coming over and that is exciting.
music and dancing and the joy of crossing it off my list at the end. oh-the-joy!!!!
one word. music. (especially works well with madonna or britney!) ;)
Love that tea towel!
I clean house every Saturday morning. It's become a ritual for me. Turn up some loud seventies music, tie back my hair and get down! Plus it's great to enjoy a sparkling clean home the rest of the weekend.
I like to clean...I sort of love how I can have control over this one part of my life, however mundane a clean kitchen may seem to others.
Of course, a little music doesn't hurt either!
and those towels...LOVE
When I was little, my mom would turn up ABBA and dance while doing the cleaning.... and now I do the same thing!
I bust out my iPod and crank it up while I go around the house cleaning up. That way I have no distractions and I also get so involved in the music that I forget I'm cleaning. :) The only bad part is that I sing too loud... :P
Love to strap our scrub brushes to our feet and clean the house Pipply Long Stocking style....
ok, we only wish.
But we do turn the music up and go crazy!
I love those towels! Household chores are made more fun by cranking up the music, sending the man grocery shopping to get him out of the way, and then, when all is said & done, sitting in the clean & quietness of it and enjoying the tidiest my home will be all week.
Sounds like lots of us use the same trick -- music! I'll either put on some upbeat jams (Phoenix is my current favorite) and clean away. If there's something good on TV (soap opera or cooking show) I'll put that on to.
I love to use Method products. They smell great which makes cleaning a lot more fun!
What a bright and cheery tea towel. About the chores, to be honest, I have my husband do them, but if I have too, I turn on the music.
I love these tea towels. I've been eyeing them for a while now. Household chores are always more fun when you have some good music playing!
So cute! I listen to NPR while I'm ironing. I always feel oh so 1940's.
so cute! and the one you pictured would actually match my kitchen perfectly!
i blast the tunes, so i can dance around + sing while i clean!
Just like everyone else, always music.
I don't think it's more fun, but we got 2 new puppies just before Christmas, so we have to clean more often. It's fun to have the puppies jumping around us as we try to keep it clean.
I am addicted to pretty household textiles to help make cleaning more fun. I am a sucker for a pretty print and have way to many towels, dishclothes, etc.!!
I love a clean and organized space to I don't find much mundane in the work, but I enjoy it most in silence to think.
parsonslena@gmail.com
While the housework itself may not be the most fun, the feeling after I finish is worth every minute! It also helps that my husband is so willing to help with things, cleaning with a friend is much better than cleaning alone!
music or a tv show on DVD (Alias, LOST, and Pushing Daisies, specifically) make the dusting and straightening more fun. I also am switching over to eco-friendly and homemade cleaners (like baking soda + vinegar) which makes cleaning a fun experiment while knowing it's good for the environment.
I splurge on the all-natural cleaning products from small companies. They have pretty labels and unusual smells. This makes cleaning way more fun.
That and interesting podcasts.
I start singing "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" and the mice and the little birds come out to help me, just like Cinderella. And before you know it "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" the cleaning is all done. If only it was really that easy and fun!
I make chores more fun with the buddy system. I find that I enjoy chores and am more efficient when I am doing them with someone -- like my sweet husband!
Like many have mentioned...MUSIC!!! It definitely gets me in the mood and moving.
Yummy smelling organic cleaning products make all the difference!
i tell my sisters to do it,
or with really loud music (seems to solve everything for me :D)
i try to convince my kids to clean/wash/sort/sweep along with me. i get a kick out of their efforts.
I refuse to do more than 20 mins a day of cleaning. I guess it doesn't make it more fun so much as it makes it seem like I don't do many chores! I try to clean a tiny bit every day. I'm a big mess maker :)
Music...and having my 2-year-old "help". It is super nice when my husband is home to help chase our active little guy so I can focus on cleaning.
Always madonna on:)
Loud music and wearing a pretty apron. Fun might be a stretch but it does make things better.
I'm with everyone else on the music. And maybe just a little chocolate treat after each yucky job.
That would be cranking the music up loud and rocking out while I do the mundane.
music, for sure, but I also tend to wear really wacky clothes that don't match, which always makes me giggle.
--elizabeth
Wow, this is gorgeous! I took like to crank up the music and rock out, though sometimes I also yell at the spots and stains (generally things I want to say to real people but don't) which makes me feel good too!
music, apron, and good smelling cleaning supplies.
I let my friends on the tv keep me company! They are so easy to get along with!
I love the Pata Pri towels! I'm a sucker for a pretty kitchen towel!
spruce up...
a little lip gloss...
a cute apron...
a good soundtrack...
makes the mundane merry.
Cleaning with my husband and some tunes makes it way more fun!
I made a little chart and instead of check boxes I have smiley faces. I put the chart on a cool clipboard that's fun to look at.
That tea towel is perfection!
I make cleaning more enjoyable by setting a timer for 10 minutes and going room by room throughout the house. When the 10 minutes is up, whether I am finished with the room or not, I move on to the next room. After I've spent 10 min. in each room, I go back to whatever rooms I hadn't finished and spend 10 more minutes in each until all of the cleaning is done.
It really helps break up the monotony!
Absolutely adorable! I love her designs... um- for me- music. Loud music!
I iron while watching movies. Something like Sabrina or The Age of Innocence. Sigh.
I put on the iPod...usually a podcast, sometimes an audiobook. It keeps my brian distracted from all the scrubbing and tidying!
I play the most danceable music I can find very LOUDLY. Then I dance with my kids while cleaning to make it seem more like a party than a "have to do" chore.
easy. mrs meyers geranium scent. makes every cleaning day feel like that first day of spring.
Saw this tea-towel today and thought of your giveaway!
http://www.materialistic.com.au/catalog/good-homemaker-teatowels-pi-2022.html?s=2
Made me smile at least!
xx
Good loud pumpy music, and setting a timer help the time fly by faster.
holliyoho@hotmail.com
Definitely music like everyone else. Or sometimes when I'm watching a show I like, I'll get up during the commercial breaks and try to get as much as possible done before the show comes back on. Breaking it into small increments like that helps.
letting the kids help...even when it takes longer.
and music blaring in the background.
I guess I have no original idea: music seems to help! but also I break down the cleaning into smaller tasks and make a list that way as I am cleaning I can start crossing things off my list! it feels more productive that way
cute towel!
Oh I really LOVE the apple tea towel and the beautiful spring ones! BEAUTIFUL! Great giveaway!
I like to 1) listen to music, 2) take "reward breaks" and do something more pleasant to break up the monotony, 3) wait until I have so much to do that the cleaning is wonderful because my house looks so much better afterward!
i try to do a little everyday so i don't feel like it takes me so darn long!
I like to listen to music. It makes it seem to go faster.
A to do list. I am a big geek and get great joy out of accomplishing a task and crossing it off my list. Such satisfaction :)
I make sure that I'm not the only one in the house doing chores and turn up the music!!
I make sure that I'm not the only one in the house doing chores and turn up the music!!
Good music and Starbucks! Cute giveaway!!!
I like to rearrange the pillows and placement of my tea towels every once in a while - why do you have to be stuck with the same scenery at home? Since I work at home, I need to change things up!
I absolutely love Yuko's work - I would love to win this giveaway!
doing chores with my husband always makes them a little more fun. we love cleaning while rocking out to regina spektor.
i turn on a good movie (i cross my fingers for annnnything on tcm). then i bustle about so that i don't miss any good parts! and laundry folding turns into the best b/c i can do it on the couch...in front of the tv!
I like to listen to dance music when I clean: Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Pink.
My roomates and I open the windows to let the fumes out, bleach everything (an use Mrs. Meyers Products, they smell so fresh!) and blast the music as loud as we can every Sunday afternoon. Sometimes we even dance. It's our little end-of-the-week party. :)
One word: Music!!
If I am singing and dancing around household chores go faster. Promise!
I sometimes have music on, but the fun we have is coutning to 14 before turning on the vacuum. Jake loves to clean. Counts down for the vacuum, and gets the duster out to help. Love these towels!
super cute towels!
cleaning is always fun around here with my tiny helpers (ages 4 & 2!) & with fun bum-shakin' music to clean to!
all though i am not sure how much "cleaning" actually gets done! :)
Haven't figured out how to make household chores fun except to skip them altogether :) thanks, Maureen (jnomaxx at hotmail dot com)
Oooh, pretty towels. And actually, pretty towels help make the chores more enjoyable. As does some good music and nice smelling candles.
Diet Coke and Soul Music make housework better. But it's still house work.
I cheat and use the most convenient, easy-to-use products as I hate cleaning. Clorox wipes, Swiffers, all my friends.
trying to beat the clock. If I time myself to see if I can beat my last time in how fast I folded the laundry or what not, it makes it a game. The best part no matter what I win. Of course learning tricks from my 2 year old helps too. I'm amazed at how much she out-smarts me.
Help from my 3 yr. old son makes everything more fun :)
i open all the blinds & let the sunlight in... and of course, turn up the music. i love cleaning and i would love this tea towel.
If it is just me then music but if my husband is helping I try to make it a competition and we each set out to conquer a room!
Hip hip hooray... I thought I missed it. What a cute giveaway!
I am crazy about tea towels!
Music always helps make cleaning more fun. Also lemon-scented cleaning products, my favorite. And when my 4-year-old daughter wants to help, that's the best!
how pretty! i like to include my 21-month-old in my chore time; she thinks sweeping and scrubbing is fun, so her enthusiam rubs off on me!
Fabulous, I would love to win! Such lovely designs.
I do them first. They are my frog to be eaten.
Mundane chores are much more fun when my 3 yr old helps out. And, yes, music is so helpful. Sometimes I promise myself that I'll buy a small bouquet of flowers once the house is spit-spot and it helps motivate.
wow, another lovely giveaway!
lately my 1-yr-old son and i have been enjoying "they might be giants" abc's & 123's music while doing the dishes and laundry. i've learned to let him help unload the dryer. it takes a little longer to fold, but he is so entertained and happy that the time flies by!
Love pata pri! their designs are so fabulous!
cleaning... i'm not a fan, but making a list helps. i know it's not very exciting, but crossing things off that list makes me feel happy!
oh I didn't know they could be fun. still working on that part.
I put some good music on!
My babe really likes to "help" me fold laundry, so I let him.
i beg my roommate to do 'em! or wait until i'm stressed.. then i enjoy cleaning :)
fun giveaway~ i crank up my ipod and play a workout playlist to get me pumped up for cleaning my house
What perfect designs!
I like cleaning to a familiar movie or a television show.
I have an iPod dock in my kitchen and I blast music from it. Although with a 5 week old I'm lucky if I get any chores done at all:)
singing....
and paying my son a quarter to clean the baseboards for me!
music and dancing, of course!!
I listen to classical music. And have the windows open when the weather permits it.
pretty towels!
clean often and turn up the beats.
It seems I'm with everyone else! MUSIC is what makes the job bearable for me! I have iTunes on three different computers in the house...plus use the iHome every chance I get. A little Franz Ferdinand and STYX ALWAYS helps me move!
It took me forever, but I also found the joy of cleaning with microfiber cloths and baking soda. Microfiber for the dusting and baking soda for the bathroom. (Baking soda on a washcloth gets my flat iron INCREDIBLY clean!!!)
j
sunshine and a funny podcast make my housechores more do-able... plus a pretty apron and a handsome towel to hang up afterward!
I eat a treat every time I complete a task...For example: dishes done, good! I get to eat a cracker with avocado...bathroom done: great, that piece of mango is mine. It works...
i usually listen to the really bad (but really awesome) girl bands ala brit, lady gaga, shakira to get me to clean better and faster.
Music is always a great way to energize your cleaning routine! And a mop makes a great microphone!
This tea towel is lovely and could make my kitchen!
What a sweet and lovely design!
I make mundane household chores more fun by enlisting my husband to help me and playing rock music in the background.
Here's to hoping....
Thanks!!
Have a happy week!
the anticipation of the outcome... a nice, orderly, neat house pumps me up... along with what everyone else said :)
MUSIC!!!
i try to make my chores fun by doing them at weird times (like maybe when i just got done getting dolled up) and blasting bouncy music.
ps. wow, i'm loving this simple pattern and jazzy colors. thank you!
I'm sure it's been said a million times, but some good music always makes cleaning more fun.
And nothing gives you motivation for cleaning like an episode of "Hoarders" from A&E!!
By really throwing myself into it so I can appreciate as job well done!
I try to think about how lucky I am to have a home and a family to care for, and beautiful things to look after... it helps snap me out of the "oh, why is it always me unpacking the dishwasher?" blues.
I break it up... small tasks for each day and I do brief cleanings each week and one room a week gets a full overhaul. Slow and steady... makes it bearable. Ha!
I pump up the tunes as loud as neighborly possible and dance my house clean. I love it! A workout and a clean house. I love the towels! So cute!
I break it up over the week - I'd go crazy if I did it all in one day!
i set a timer, turn up the music, and see if i can "beat" the timer! :)
-sarah
i listen to music -- it somehow takes over and i don't realize i'm doing the dirty work. i keep a pace when it's on.
thinking of my vacations, watching my year old son talk away, background movie, music, etc
That tea towel is too cute! Definitely blasting whatever guilty pleasure music you have is a must. :) And I often take advantage when I'm in the mood or need to work out some frustration. ;)
reaching waaaaay down, being a grownup, and being thankful. Saying thank you for being able to vacuum...others don't have a house...thank you for being able to clean my bathroom, others don't have indoor plumbing...you get the idea...
pschultz@weatherfordisd.com
Love this towel!
Yummy smelling cleaning products always makes cleaning more delightful.
I have a 17 month old too, so he goes into the pack'n'play, music comes on loud, and I dance around from room to room singing to my little guy. He stays entertained, and I stay focused on mommy-duty!
That towel is adorable!
Blasting the jams and dancing in the kitchen is the way to go.
Definitely more fun with my husband, both for the company and because he's better at cleaning than I am! Thanks for the intro to Yuko Uemura. We've been calling our new baby (due in April) our little Hedgehog, and I was so pleased to see her hedgehog towels.
Music is about the only thing we do to make chores seem fun. Races too, who can clean something the quickest or beat the timer, etc.
i wish i knew what to do to make chores more fun. i guess i should read all the comments.
music, music, and more music! without it, i don't know that the chores could even begin to get done! ;)
email:lindsaymutchler@yahoo.com
The only way to clean house is with the music turned up and singing at the top of your lungs.
hmmm... thinking about how happy I'll be when it's done & listening to music. Thanks for the giveaway!
i'm a long time lurker! :)
i listen to "the moth" podcast to make household chores more fun. i love listening to the stories!
chickpeasandpeonies@gmail.com
I give my little one a dustrag and we chase each other around the room, dusting a little at a time. I also like to let her sweep and sort laundry. Doing chores is easy when your working with your best friend!
I imagine how great it will feel when I'm done to have a spotless space...or I will remind myself of the reward I give myself when the chores are done: more blogging time:)
honestly? While washing a load of dishes for instance, I'd be dancing to Lady Gaga with my headphones on as if no one was watching. I probably look RIDICULOUS. Or I'd be waltzing to James Hunter while I'm vacuuming or sweeping the floor.
I sing! I love singing! Especially when no one is home!
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