Product test
The top tidying tip copied from my hairdresser
by Natalie Hemengül
My daughter’s Trojan horse hides nothing but pencils and art supplies
5.1.2024
Translation: Katherine Martin
Our daughter’s crazy about painting and doing arts and crafts. That’s why we’ve repurposed a trolley so that she can easily grab her supplies. Plus, it keeps everything more organised.
In Homer’s epic, the Trojan horse ended a war lasting more than ten years. The gift from the Greeks proved to be the Trojans’ downfall; Greek soldiers smuggled themselves into the city of Troy, hidden inside the hollow belly of an oversized wooden horse. When night fell, the Greeks threw open the city gates to their awaiting army. Troy was lost.
The arts and crafts trolley our soon-to-be five-year-old daughter uses is a peacetime Trojan horse. The most significant difference between her version and the Greeks’? Our Trojan horse only hides good stuff. And it keeps things tidy. Okay fine, if you look at it from Greek mythology’s perspective, the original did too. Moving swiftly on...
Source: Sofia Vogt
Pens, paper, scissors
Zoe can find just about anything her creative heart desires in her art supply trolley. The drawers are stuffed with paper in various colours, colouring books, craft supplies such as glue sticks and tape, and a variety of sticker books and stamps. We’ve even labelled the drawers to show what goes where.
Source: Sofia Vogt
You can also make use of the top shelf of the trolley. Most of ours is taken up by a turntable filled with colouring pencils.
Source: Sofia Vogt
Art on wheels
We haven’t always used a trolley for art supplies. A small chest of drawers in the dining room used to play host to my daughter’s arts and craft materials. Not only did it quickly fill to the brim, but it also wasn’t portable. Thanks to the trolley’s wheels, Zoe can now push her supplies to wherever she’s painting or doing crafts, and she always has her tools within reach. As the trolley also has limited space, the chest of drawers has taken on the role of back-up supply store.
Source: Sofia Vogt
Just one Trojan horse of many
We’re aware we’re not reinventing the wheel (or rather, the Trojan horse) with Zoe’s painting and craft trolley. My editorial colleague Natalie Hemengül, for example, had a very similar idea way before I did:
Despite this – or maybe even because of it – good ideas should always be shared. You know what they say, sharing’s caring. So if you too are looking to get things a little tidier, whether it’s in your home office, kitchen, bathroom or kid’s bedroom, feel free to dive into the world of trolleys and filing cabinets on wheels. You’re sure to find something to match your needs.
Zoe’s painting and craft trolley is a real asset to our home. This Trojan horse really has proved to be a trophy of victory. It’s put an end to the trail of destruction left by our daughter’s artistic endeavours. Well, almost. We’re still working on getting her to tidy up her arts and crafts herself.
How do you keep your painting and craft materials tidy? Which trolley or other nifty solution do you swear by? The Community and I look forward to your pro tips in the comments.
Header image: Midjourney
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.