A 1950's prediction of cleaning made simple in the year 2000. If you take away the tiny girdled waist, coiffed hair and replace the pleasant expression with one of manic fury, that's me!I hosed out my polypropylene rug yesterday and am cleaning and organizing terminator style. I'm doing it all not because I love the joyful upkeep of my house but when finely tuned systems are in place, like using my kids as free labour, uh...I mean, delegating more age appropriate responsibilities to my children, I can do more art. I'm determined to fit at least 4 hours of studio time in a day this summer (broken up time it'll have to be). I think that's realistic, but anyone out there with advice for balancing the creative with the domestic, please speak up!
Here are more retro images of domestic bliss. I was too young for this ad, but I do have a faint memory of going to the grocery store and seeing coloured toilet paper.
And remember when luxury was a good slab of meat?
Things have changed, although now that my daughters are entering an age when being pretty = popular, I need to remind them that they are more important things,like brains. Check out these dumb blond commercials.
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17 comments:
Oooh, I remember colored toilet paper! I was always bummed out that is had to be pastel colors though, why not something brighter? Oh yeah, cancer causing chemicals.....
Tracy: Do you remember patterned toilet paper too? My mom bought a few of those when she felt like splurging. I love the small picture demo's of the woman on the ad, proving yes, it is indeed 2ply and oh so soft.
I don't recall patterned TP, but blue seemed to be a favorite in our house.....kinda gross to have colored TP now that I think about it:)
Oh and my kids have been recruited for housework too. Completely under duress I might add!
Thanks. E. I needed that (especially the ads) after the day I put in. I dusted/cleaned surfaces! It happens approx. once every two months and takes 3 hours. It probably wouldn't be an ordeal if I did it more often but I don't do it more often because it's such an ordeal! Maybe I'll just cancel dusting completely. It makes me sneeze.
So cute! And yes, I remember colored and patterned toilet paper. And when luxury was a good slab of meat! Seems like only yesterday, or was it last year?
I'm trying to teach my cats to do the housework while I'm at my day job. So far it's about as successful as teaching kids. I think they think that if they sleep around on the furniture, they're dusting. Consequently, housework gets done on the sly, randomly slotted in between my real job and my art and my blogging. See what I mean?
Oh yes, I forgot to answer your question about fused glass. It's quite durable and hold up very well outside. My chimes do well hanging in a protected area, like a covered porch, only because the fishing line that holds them sometimes breaks in strong winds. But the glass holds up unless it falls on rocks or concrete.
I remember(about 20 years ago) seeing brown loo paper. It didn't "take off" because all the fancy people thought the colour was too realistic!
And if Andrea can do her place in 3 hours, send her here!
tracy: good for you! recruiting my kids for housework is long overdue, their definition of helping out was looking for the remote.
Andrea: every 2 months is about my schedule too, but I've discovered my 6 yr old thinks dusting is fun! I'm going to exploit that for as long as I can, that's for sure.
Katie: Thanks for the fused glass answer. Hmmm, now if I can just get my garden looking pretty, it could use some of your colourful glass work.
Dinah: I used to buy brown toilet paper! it was the eco-friendly, unbleached kind. The colour never bothered me, but the texture, ouch, like sandpaper and it costs about a dollar a roll.
There still are coloured loos paper here. Mostly in pastel colours but what about this:
http://www.giftmonger.com/acatalog/Renova_Orange_Toilet_Paper.html
I meant loo paper... not loos!
And yes its just what I call toilet paper... I was brought up to call it lavatory paper but that takes even more typing...
Caroline: Ha! that's positively creepy! and fire engine red 'loo' paper? euwww.
hummm... I buy white but didn't know that colored/patterned was no longer available. But as I try to imagine a supermarket display, I think it's all white.
Really observant, aren't I? NOT.
hayden: ah, but you have bigger things on your mind to notice, like, building a house!
fantastic post! i don't have kids yet, but when I do, I hope to both be able to balance art/ work AND teach them that housework is oh so fun!
also, i was just about to post a bunch of crazy ads, too!
Molly: did you watch the first youtube video? I think it's so hilarious. And when you do have kids and get that art/work/life balance worked out, let ME know, because I often thing quantum physics would be easier than getting kids to clean.
Ick. I remember the coloured toilet paper, too. My mom used to buy it to match our bathroom. Ticky-tacky.
That blonde Ipod spot is unbelievable. Oy. I must confess that I find the 2nd blonde one hilarious, but that's probably because it's a library joke. Your daughters are blonde and beautiful, but yes, I can imagine it's a struggle during these sensitive years to convince them that there's more to life than one's appearance. I only have to remember how I felt back then...
The only domestic suggestion I can provide regarding saving time for more creative pursuits is – get a slow-cooker if you already don't have one! Just throw everything in the pot in the morning, and by 6:00 – voila! Delicious and nutritious dinner with minimum effort! Sure saves ME time...heh heh...
Patricia: yay, someone with advice! thanks. Actually I do have a slow cooker, just need to find better recipes I think. I knew you'd like the library ad. The ipod one really made me laugh. I read the ad is actually a student project, but I'm not sure.
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