Friday 21 January 2022

The Unsung Hero

I have an unsung Hero. It’s been on my desk and on the workshop bench in the shop, quietly delivering. That means it’s been in my crafting armoury for nearly twenty years and I don’t think I’ve once acknowledged it! I’ve talked about all sorts of storage and products and techniques. If this desk tidy could talk, it would have a lot to share!
Its MDF and was sold to me by a Sales rep called Graham Hansford. It was years before any of the big companies had produced their own desk tidied and even more years before these sort of things came as kits to paint and stamp. I can’t remember why I painted it red, but I remembe and still have that lovely Dawn Houser stamp, I remain a big fan of hers, can’t part with any of the many wood mounted stamps she designed for Inkadinkado back in the day. She has a presence on Pinterest but I can’t find her on Instagram and her blog is out of date, but I still love to browse through it! 
An aerial view to make you giddy!
 I’ve no idea who made this sturdy and not about to be under-used desk tidy, but I owe him really. I expect at the time I thought it was expensive, but it has endured far better than some more considered purchases I can tell you! I’m mildly amused to remember that my entire felt tip collection of Marvy Le Plume used to fit in the grid holder along the back. The overall use has therefore morphed a little. Instead of being storage, it’s become a catch all and desk presence, used every time I sit at my desk, as you can tell from its contents. I note too that despite having a deckle edged cutter, I still hang on to the long faded deckle edge scissors (pink handles). Not the first time, isn’t it strange what you notice when you take a photo? It’s not a very tidy desk tidy, but my word it deserves a long service and good conduct award. I think it and me are rather attached, my desk would be bigger without it, but I’m not sure I could cope! I expect if I look around carefully, I might find something else overlooked, but I doubt it could be so overlooked and so useful.


8 comments:

Elizabeth said...

I spotted this post and just thought 'Snap!' My unsung hero is a lot newer than yours and nowhere near as decorative but it serves a similar purpose - it's stores a mass of essential stuff! It's so useful, I searched for it's double but only succeeded in finding a smaller version - useful too but not for the same purpose. Anyway, I love the colour and the stamping on yours and can see that it will carry on being a hero for many years to come. Hugs, Elizabeth xx

Helen said...

I know the name Graham Hansford.... not sure where I'd have come across him though... but your desk tidy looks exceedingly useful, well loved for sure and crammed full! so all round, perfect!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Your unsung hero is a lot prettier than mine, It's bigger and more useful than mine (which is faux leather), too. I'm super impressed.

I have at least 30 decorative scissors and the only ones I actually use are the deckle scissors. I can see why you hang on to yours. That truly IS an unsung hero.

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Love your tidy Julia and most of all love how you’ve decorated it, something I’m always going to do but never do! They stay used but I decorated mostly. Scissors we really do have an addiction don’t we I can’t bear to part with now underused that don’t quite work either!
Crazy!
Thanks for sharing with your much loved humour on subjects, it always puts a smile on my dial, praying for mumma.
Love Shaz in Oz. X (who’s way behind in commenting, predictably!)

Sylvia/LittleTreasures said...

So glad to be browsing around and enjoy this post. I never heard of Dawn Houser, but googling I found a 1 only on Etsy of the stamp you used on your box I ordered it and one other of an adorable Vintage lady I too enjoy the wood stamps, sturdy, seeable on my shelving. See you WOYWW, with a -30 wind chill wicked cold here a few days. Making oven meals !! Best Wishes always.

BJ said...

Love it, super storage, funny how "all" the pens don't fit anymore LOL. I use a little "The WORKS" canvas deck chair type one, tiny in comparison. BJ

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Looks good to me Julia. Happy organising Angela xXx

Ali Wade Designs said...

How fantastic. One thing I resisted buying over the years is one of those sets of scissors - the set that had a pair for every possible sort of design you could imagine. I realised that I would never use them and I was right. Ali x