I never get around to things, I live a straight straight line

[venta]

Some inventions make you go "wow!" Some inventions make you go "wow.... why did no one thnk of that before? Why doesn't everyone do that?"

I am wrapping Christmas presents, using some wrapping paper I found in the back of the cupboard (probably bought in the January sales). I think it's Tesco Finest, though I can't now remember.

The back of the wrapping paper is marked with a faint dotted 1cm grid, to make it easier to cut straight. Genius!

Comments

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I too discovered this stuff for the first time this year and I hate, hate hate it! :-(

First and foremost, I don't want people who unwrap stuff I've wrapped to have little grid lines and pictures of scissors all over the inside of their parcel. It looks really tacky and unprofessional. It would be like having a bit of furniture with little oil pencil construction marks all over it. Ugh!

Second, it should never be necessary to cut a precisely straight line when wrapping anything anyway. If one of the paper edges if going to be visible in the context of the finished wrapping, make a sharp fold 1cm in from the edge and use that as the edge instead. This will be perfectly straight evey time, much better that you could do with a guide grid.

</rant>

[venta.livejournal.com]

I was hoping people who unwrapped my presents would be distracted by the contents and not notice the unprofessionality of the wrapping :)

I don't mind not precisely straight edges, but I suspect you are both more skilled at cutting and less slapdash than I am. When cutting all the way across a roll, I have been known to veer off at such an angle that the resulting piece of paper isn't big enough at one end for the present. This is easily solved by - say - folding the paper and "cutting" with a ruler, but I combine my slapdashery with unassailable self-belief and the conviction that I won't be making stupid mistakes like that again.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Hehe - I am now imagining something similar to Mr Bean wrapping a present. ;-)

[venta.livejournal.com]

While I deeply resent the comparison, I do often get into a dreadful lash with sellotape :)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Oh, if we're talking sellotape I am at least as bad. I find I have to stick tape to the edge of the table to avoid the problem where it curls up and sticks to itself. :-(

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

The edge of the sellotape dispenser also works.

...and if you're not using a sellotape dispenser, you have only yourself to blame :)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

If I give anybody a present and they sit there looking in disgust at my giftwrapping methods they can give the damn present back!

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sure nobody would be so rude, but anyone using wrapping paper in the first place clearly cares about presentation or they wouldn't be bothering.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Waitrose do this and they have some dotted lines bolder than others so you can follow which line you are cutting along. Genius!

[nisaba.livejournal.com]

I found one of those a year or two ago and was likewise blown away by the brilliance. Simple things!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Good stuff! I've only previously seen it on a dead expensive sold-via-parties paper, which we bought to help our friend get her business off the ground. It was lovely but would be good to find the same effect cheaper.

I generally use paper with a repeating pattern, so I cut it with that side upwards and use the pattern as the guide for if I'm going straight or not. With plain paper I have the same too-small-at-one-end probs as you.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Phew, I'm glad it's not just me! After bateleur likening me to Mr Bean, I was getting worried :-)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

At least he stopped at likening you verbally, and didn't get the Photoshop out :-)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Shhhh, you'll only encourage him!