The Search for the Perfect Trimmer

I have been a scrapbooker for roughly 7 years now.  In that time, I have been through many, many trimmers.  Here are their stories.

1. Like many people, my first trimmer was a Fiskars.  Compact, inexpensive and readily accessible, it served me well for many years.  Sure, it didn't cut straight, but my scrappy style does not rely on precise, straight lines.  We co-existed comfortably: without passionate feelings but with a certain understanding of each other and acceptance of one another's flaws.

2. One fine day, I was introduced to the possibility that I wasn't just a crooked-ass paper cutter.  That the askew lines may not have been all my fault, because even when I really really tried to cut straight, things happened.  Like crookedness.  And askewness.  I learned that it just might be my trimmer and not me at all.  After a few years of crooked, this was quite a revelation!!!! And so I invested in a Tonic trimmer.  It had a rotary blade, a pricier price tag and lots of promises of straight lines.

It was still portable, and could easily pop into my bag and accompany me to crops.  It had a cool factor because not the many people had a Tonic trimmer.  I was in love again!  Cue fresh beginnings, endorphin rushes, and slow dances in flower filled fields.  Life was good.... for a while.  Until the rose came off my glasses and I realized that this thing was actually kind of hard to use.  The extension arm didn't lay completely square.  It was unwieldy to get the paper under the paper holder.  The markings were hard to see.  AND! The tab that held the blade loosened up, causing my blade to go flinging off if I wasn't careful in stopping it before it bumped the edge.  I returned to my Fiskars which still cut crooked but was ultimately more cooperative.

3. AND THEN! I heard about the Purple Cow.  Everyone raved about the purple cow.  Two blades on one cutter! There were fancy shaped blades for the rotary end! It could cut up to 10 sheets of paper at one time! It was named the purple cow!  By this time, I was teaching classes and decided that despite it's large size I needed it for quicker class prep. Hel-lo? Cuts 10 sheets of paper at once!!!! And so I invested. I spent more money than ever before on a trimmer.

And quickly learned that 10 sheets at a time actually meant 2.  If you were careful.  If you cut real slow. It made fine, clean cuts.  Straight cuts even.  But functionally only on one sheet of paper at a time. And it was large.  So, it fell out of use and I returned to my aging, crooked but familiar Fiskars.

My craft area looked like a hillbilly junkyard filled with surly and decrepit trimmers.  I was defeated, resolved to invest in no more trimmers.  Until now....

4. Enter Westcott.  And compact trimmers in fun colours.  That work.  Like, as in, cut straight lines. Even for me! I am tickled that I was not too jaded to try another trimmer.  I am so pleased with it that I have even tossed out my good old backup Fiskars.  And my Tonic trimmer.  Like as in, kicked them to the curb!!!! I now have a lilac trimmer, with scissors to match and an attitude of gratitude for the good folks at Westcott who make such great tools.  Compact, affordable and they work!

TaDah! The glorious Westcott TrimAir Trimmer.  Behold it's purpleness:0)

I am so glad they came out to Canadian Scrapbooker's Great Canadian Scrapbook Carnival and gave us a chance to try them out. I am a happy girl!