That's a Wrap
For Macro Monday's "Wrapping" Theme
This is one of those spangly ribbon/bows you simply stick on top of a present. They are life savers! Let me explain why.
I believe there are two types of people in this world; those who are wrapping-gifted (not rapping gifted necessarily), the category A wrappers, and then there are those like me, severely wrapping-challenged would be the PC term. Wrapping is like some impossible dark mysterious art to me. It starts with the paper….
Possibly my 30 year old scissors are blunt, or maybe it’s the $1 rolls of wrapping paper I buy from The Reject Shop. (Yes, there is actually a shop here called that. I’m not sure if the name is aimed at the products or the customers like me 😉) Don’t see the point of spending money on paper that will be thrown out in a few days’ time when it could be better spent on something to benefit humanity, like camera equipment 😊 Anyway, I see the Cat A’s cut paper with perfectly straight edges, seemingly easy. Mine looks like I have hacked at it with a wood saw while drunk & blindfolded! And that’s if it doesn’t rip, which it inevitably does. Then there is “the wrap”, horrifying ordeal. How do people make origami swans when I find it next to impossible to fold a piece of paper around a perfectly symmetrical rectangle box? (My family only get rectangular presents, they are hard enough to wrap, any other shaped present is out sorry) This results in one of two outcomes generally. The first being the paper doesn’t quite reach around the present somewhere. In this case you have to stick a “band-aid patch” of paper over the gap. I generally try and use the same paper so it’s not so obvious. You are welcome for that tip 😊 The other outcome is you misjudge the amount of paper needed and you need to wrap it around the present about 4 times. The present is generally looking like a mutant pinata at this stage, On to the next battle, the dreaded Sticky Tape.
I’m sure they pay scientists money to make sticky tape rolls with no discernible edges. They should call it Salvador Dali tape! After spending an hour on average trying to find the edge of the tape I generally give up & try to find someone fingernail-gifted who magically always seem to find the edge in seconds. It's usually at this the fingernail-gifted one will say something like "for goodness sakes give it here & I'll do it; a 5 year can wrap better than you" If that doesn't work and you have to do it yourself, like for example if it's the fingernail-gifted one's present, then handy hint - stick half a dozen pieces of tape on your arm for ease of access,
Then, the Final Wrap. Unless you were born double-jointed, or are a contortionist this is tricky. It’s like that old of game of Twister. Right hand – yellow, or edge of the wrapping, left leg - top of present to hold it still. Nose on top of present holding paper in place. Whatever appendage you have left to get a bit of tape off your arm. Even smarmy Cat A, fingernail-gifted contortionists must struggle here. You pull the tape off your arm, ignoring the pain as it rips your arm hairs out (your arm may be numb anyway from the unnatural positions it it’s been in from Wrapping Twister) If you actually manage to get a piece of tape onto the paper before it sticks to itself and is completely useless, you start feeling like you might be starting to see the finish line in sight. The hairs from your arm stuck to the sticky tape give the present an authentic, artistic look I reckon, a personal touch. The game continues, left hand green, right foot present, now using mouth to get tape off the arm.
Then suddenly, with much amazement, you realise you are done! Your body starts to slowly bend back into its normal shape. And the wrapped present is there in all its glory! Looking like a FedEx package that has spent the last 10 years on a desert island with Tom Hanks. You proudly put it under the Christmas tree amongst all the other Cat-A wrapped presents. I always feel quite attached to them by now after all we have been through together. Your special enemy-become-friend present, now called Wilson. And the beauty is no one will guess it’s your present! Although the hairy rectangle bandaided looking pinata may give the more astute ones a clue 😉
Happy macro Monday, and happy wrapping out there !
That's a Wrap
For Macro Monday's "Wrapping" Theme
This is one of those spangly ribbon/bows you simply stick on top of a present. They are life savers! Let me explain why.
I believe there are two types of people in this world; those who are wrapping-gifted (not rapping gifted necessarily), the category A wrappers, and then there are those like me, severely wrapping-challenged would be the PC term. Wrapping is like some impossible dark mysterious art to me. It starts with the paper….
Possibly my 30 year old scissors are blunt, or maybe it’s the $1 rolls of wrapping paper I buy from The Reject Shop. (Yes, there is actually a shop here called that. I’m not sure if the name is aimed at the products or the customers like me 😉) Don’t see the point of spending money on paper that will be thrown out in a few days’ time when it could be better spent on something to benefit humanity, like camera equipment 😊 Anyway, I see the Cat A’s cut paper with perfectly straight edges, seemingly easy. Mine looks like I have hacked at it with a wood saw while drunk & blindfolded! And that’s if it doesn’t rip, which it inevitably does. Then there is “the wrap”, horrifying ordeal. How do people make origami swans when I find it next to impossible to fold a piece of paper around a perfectly symmetrical rectangle box? (My family only get rectangular presents, they are hard enough to wrap, any other shaped present is out sorry) This results in one of two outcomes generally. The first being the paper doesn’t quite reach around the present somewhere. In this case you have to stick a “band-aid patch” of paper over the gap. I generally try and use the same paper so it’s not so obvious. You are welcome for that tip 😊 The other outcome is you misjudge the amount of paper needed and you need to wrap it around the present about 4 times. The present is generally looking like a mutant pinata at this stage, On to the next battle, the dreaded Sticky Tape.
I’m sure they pay scientists money to make sticky tape rolls with no discernible edges. They should call it Salvador Dali tape! After spending an hour on average trying to find the edge of the tape I generally give up & try to find someone fingernail-gifted who magically always seem to find the edge in seconds. It's usually at this the fingernail-gifted one will say something like "for goodness sakes give it here & I'll do it; a 5 year can wrap better than you" If that doesn't work and you have to do it yourself, like for example if it's the fingernail-gifted one's present, then handy hint - stick half a dozen pieces of tape on your arm for ease of access,
Then, the Final Wrap. Unless you were born double-jointed, or are a contortionist this is tricky. It’s like that old of game of Twister. Right hand – yellow, or edge of the wrapping, left leg - top of present to hold it still. Nose on top of present holding paper in place. Whatever appendage you have left to get a bit of tape off your arm. Even smarmy Cat A, fingernail-gifted contortionists must struggle here. You pull the tape off your arm, ignoring the pain as it rips your arm hairs out (your arm may be numb anyway from the unnatural positions it it’s been in from Wrapping Twister) If you actually manage to get a piece of tape onto the paper before it sticks to itself and is completely useless, you start feeling like you might be starting to see the finish line in sight. The hairs from your arm stuck to the sticky tape give the present an authentic, artistic look I reckon, a personal touch. The game continues, left hand green, right foot present, now using mouth to get tape off the arm.
Then suddenly, with much amazement, you realise you are done! Your body starts to slowly bend back into its normal shape. And the wrapped present is there in all its glory! Looking like a FedEx package that has spent the last 10 years on a desert island with Tom Hanks. You proudly put it under the Christmas tree amongst all the other Cat-A wrapped presents. I always feel quite attached to them by now after all we have been through together. Your special enemy-become-friend present, now called Wilson. And the beauty is no one will guess it’s your present! Although the hairy rectangle bandaided looking pinata may give the more astute ones a clue 😉
Happy macro Monday, and happy wrapping out there !