Is Your Papercutter Hiding A Secret?

Now before you judge me, just remember I’m new to all this paper wizadry. So I’m only just beginning to discover some of the tips and tricks that the more seasoned scrapbookers may have known for some time. The hidden super powers of my paper cutter is a case in point.

I’m currently building up my scrapbooking toolkit one bit at a time and, with each new purchase, trying to learn a new technique to add to my paper crafting repertoire. One of my very first acquisitions was a paper cutter which, after watching many YouTube tutorials, I quickly realised was a staple must-have. The price was amazing-I picked my So Crafty cutter up for just £4.99 in my local Aldi store. Perfect for quickly and efficiently cutting my papers to size, it saves so much time and the sound of the blade slicing through the paper is oddly satisfying-is that just me?

But, I have to say, one thing I just couldn’t get my head round was the measuring element of the paper cutter. It just didn’t seem to make any sense to me! The ruler started at 9cm on one side and ended at 8cm the other way which seemed an odd sort of length to want to measure. In my papercraft naievity, I assumed that there was some ‘special’ reason for this, some technical way of measuring that only the initiated would come to learn when they’d earned their scrapbooking stripes. I promised myself I’d research this (Google) but never quite got round to it, instead reverting to using my trusty ruler that comfortingly started at 0cm and ended at 30cm.

And then, one afternoon, I made a discovery so obvious that it had me slapping my forehead and shouting ‘Doh!’ like my name was Homer Simpson. I had accidentally dropped my paper cutter on the floor and it had landed upside down which meant that I saw the underside in detail for the first time. There, I discovered a circular shape in the plastic moulding which, on closer inspection, looked like it housed a hinge. When I turned the cutter back over, it suddenly dawned on me why the ruler only started at 8cm! I felt like Arthur, pulling the sword from the stone as I gave the side of the cutter a firm tug to reveal..........

Now of course I felt like a fool, a buffoon, a complete amateur! I mean, just look at the photo-it’s sooo obvious right?! But I soon saw the funny side and posted my new discovery on my favourite scrapbooking Facebook group #scrapbookingthedayaway

. (They are such a friendly bunch that I knew they’d forgive my beginners error!)

And guess what??!! Turns out it’s not just me after all! I got so many replies from my papercrafting buddies saying they too had only discovered this hidden, but very useful feature after weeks, months-and in one case 10 YEARS of having bought their trusty cutter. To me, this now says more about the manufacturer’s instructions (or lack of) than our ignorance 😊

So now I’m off to play around with my new extendable ruler feature and also to check out if my hole punch has a secret removable compartment for emptying out all those pesky paper circles…

Vicky x

The Secret Scrapbooker