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AllStar SuperStar Machine Review

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I am absolutely on cloud nine today because I get to introduce you to a new product that I have fallen in love with- the AllStar SuperStar Machine from Ellison Education!

This post is sponsored by Ellison Education, but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

 

Ellison Education Die Cut Machine

What is a Die Cut Machine?

If you’re a teacher, you most likely have heard of Ellison Education and used their die cut machines at school. (I think we’ve had them in every school I’ve taught in!) For those of you unfamiliar with die cut machines, they are basically machines that can cut all kinds of shapes, designs, and letters from various materials.

Die cut machines cut materials much more quickly and in a greater volume than just using scissors alone. They are a huge timesaver!

 

Ellison Education's AllStar SuperStar Die Cut Machine

What I Thought about the AllStar SuperStar Machine

When Ellison Education asked me if I’d like to review the AllStar SuperStar Machine, I was absolutely thrilled to try it out!

The first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box was how lightweight and portable it was. It has a handle right on top so you can carry from one place to another easily. I currently store it in my “office” (which is a corner of my bedroom) and bring it out to the kitchen to use. I can imagine a classroom teacher could easily store this in a cabinet and pull it out to use at any time in the classroom or even bring it home to prep. Super convenient!

 

dies for the Ellison Education's AllStar SuperStar Die Cut Machine

 

It’s also a cinch to use. Simply sandwich the die and material to be cut between two cutting pads and use the handle to pull the sandwiched pieces through the machine. Voila! That’s it!

 

pattern block shape activity for kids

 

I was surprised to learn this machine can cut more than just paper. It can cut felt, thin balsa wood, magnet sheets, foam sheets and more! I love the idea of being able to easily make all kinds of felt sets and crafting supplies.

 

What can you do with your own die cut machine?

I had actually been wanting to do some activities with my kids that required lots of little shapes, but the thought of cutting them all out had kept me from doing them- so reviewing this machine was perfect timing!

The kids love playing with pattern blocks, so I wanted to provide them with a way to create on paper using the same pattern block shapes. I used some dies to cut out all kinds of pattern block shapes from construction paper. (For this activity I made sure the construction paper shapes matched the color of the corresponding pattern block.)

 

pattern block paper shapes

 

We had fun creating all kinds of pictures and designs! You can use the shapes to make rotationally symmetric designs like these…

 

Create rotationally symmetric designs with pattern block shapes

 

… or just create your own picture like my six-year-old did.

 

design using pattern blocks

 

Even my 3 year old had a blast using the paper shapes. He loved using a gluestick to stick each shape onto his paper. It also provided a wonderful opportunity for using the names of shapes as he worked. He was so happy he learned a new shape, a hexagram, and felt so proud being able to identify it and say its name.

 

preschool shape activity

More Shape Activities

What I love about this die cut machine is you can individualize each activity. I wanted to use the pattern block shapes for creating fall pictures. Instead of cutting the shapes out from the usual pattern block colors, I cut out the shapes using fall colors, and we used them to make fall pictures.

 

fall colored paper shapes

fall crafts for kids: create fall trees using paper shapes~ BuggyandBuddy.com

 

My next after school enrichment class session is going to be all about robots, so I have robots on the brain constantly. I decided to cut out shapes in gray, light blue, and red and create a shape robot on some graph paper. This activity was so much fun that I’ll definitely be using it in my upcoming class!

 

robot craft using paper shapes

How to get your own AllStar SuperStar Machine

Head on over to Ellison Education where you’ll find the AllStar SuperStar machine, as well as all kinds of accessories for it. (You’ll go crazy over the all the dies there are to select from! I already have a list of more that I want.) You can also find the SuperStar Machine on Amazon!

 

You can find Ellison Education on:  Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter 

paper shapes cut from a die cut machine


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Comments

  3. Asia Citro says

    November 4, 2014 at 8:16 am

    This looks SO FUN! My kids love playing with shaped magnets, so I know making art with shaped paper would be a total hit. What an easy way to make tons of shapes all at once – there’s no way I’d have the patience to cut that many. Thanks for introducing me to such a cool product!!!!

    Reply

  6. Shaunna says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:15 am

    Whoa! That looks amazing, and I’m totally in awe of all the different die options. We would have so much fun with this if we won!

    Reply

  7. Nancy says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:21 am

    I have been a fan and user of Ellison die cutting machines and their dies for many years. Their products are sturdy and help promote creativity in children!

    Reply

  12. Lynn says

    November 4, 2014 at 10:04 am

    I work with a group of kids learn to love reading. They learn social skills as well.We do a lot of
    crafts to compliment the stories we read to them. Right all the cutting is done by hand by me. This little baby would sure make it easy.The kids could do cutting themselves. I just love this machine!!!!! Thanks for this chance! Lynn

    Reply

  18. Tanya Rubezhov says

    November 4, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    That looks awesome. I would really love to win it.
    Thank you so much for the giveaway and for sharing your pattern blocks ideas.

    Reply

  25. Victoria says

    November 4, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    I have been a children’s librarian for many, many years. My library owned an Ellison machine. It was absolutely wonderful. It made making flannel stories, displays, and craft programs a snap.

    Reply

  27. Lise says

    November 4, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    Oohh…you got me with those paper pattern blocks! I was just looking to see if I could buy some for my kids, who adore pattern blocks. No way do I want to cut all those out! I’ve also got some felt-story ideas waiting to be made, but haven’t had the time yet…

    Reply

  28. Yolanda says

    November 4, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    I would love to have my own die cut machine. I am a teacher of students with special needs. I only have the option to use a machine and a variety of dies 1-2 times a month for only a 2 hour time period. There are multiple lessons and activities that I could create with my own die cut machine that would enhance my students education. I think a die cut machine would benefit my students education while allowing then to be creative.

    Reply

  39. Kat Juel-Guy says

    November 5, 2014 at 2:49 am

    So exciting…between this and my laminator, my Grammy crafting would go to a whole new level!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  47. Poorva says

    November 6, 2014 at 3:21 am

    Would love to use this machine for my little one and her play date friends. Also a great craft to have for birthday party, for all age groups. Thanks for sharing the idea. Would love love to have one.

    Reply

  55. kristen mcclary says

    November 7, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    thanks so much for this awesome chance i could make so many awesome things with this oh the possibilities

    Reply

  61. Stephanie Shipley says

    November 9, 2014 at 6:54 am

    I would love to have this die cut machine! My family and I would have such a blast making crafts with this.

    Reply

  65. Amanda Baker says

    November 9, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    This would be so cool to have to do art projects with my daughter! Of course, I think I’d enjoy it even more than her!! Thank you for this amazing giveaway!

    Reply

  66. Susan Fuerts says

    November 10, 2014 at 4:43 am

    Wow! I didn’t know this existed until now. these shapes are so wonderful for all ages and for learning about so many concepts in math, design, and more. I paid for paper geometric shapes, but to be able to cut my own would be wonderful!

    Reply

  67. Marnie Ward says

    November 10, 2014 at 8:13 pm

    I would love to win an AllStar SuperStar die cut machine. I belong to several scrapbooking clubs and this would not only aid me in making great scrapbook pages but I would be the most popular person in the room. I also like that the die cut machine is so portable and I can take it anywhere. As we all know craft supplies are so expensive and $100 worth of dies is like hitting the lottery.

    Reply

  72. Montanna Sutherland says

    November 11, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    My kids would love doing art projects with this and it would also be great to cut the felt circles for the headbands I make.

    Reply

  82. iris says

    November 13, 2014 at 11:20 am

    I would LOVE one of these! As a preschool teacher, we make alot of paper art projects so this would be a great addition for me so my prep work isn’t so overwhelming. I could also use this to make manipulatives and use them in my classroom!

    Reply

  90. carla sharp ball says

    November 14, 2014 at 7:26 am

    Amazing machines and soooooo want one for my quilting as well as crafts My 3 daughters and I go to our local school and use theirs when they are not busy and owning one of our own would be a grand gift to us. Thank you for the chance at winning such a fantastic product.

    Reply

  98. Kimberly says

    November 14, 2014 at 10:36 am

    This looks amazing for crafting with kids. It would save time over hand cutting shapes and money over buying pre-cut designs.

    Reply

  101. Mary Catherine says

    November 14, 2014 at 12:48 pm

    Oh how I LOVE Ellison die-cut machines! 🙂 You can use the dies for so many playful learning activities! I adore all of the learning and creating you’ve done with the die-cut shapes. 🙂

    Reply

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