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You are here: Home / Create / Crafts for Kids / AllStar SuperStar Machine Review

November 4, 2014 By Chelsey 112 Comments

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


Filed Under: Crafts for Kids, For Teachers, Shapes Tagged With: crafts for kids, pattern blocks, shapes

« Marbled Christmas Tree Craft for Kids
Gift Ideas: Toys Perfect for Exploring Shapes »

Comments

  1. Georgina says

    November 4, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Wow – I could use this for SO many projects!

    Reply
  2. Stacy @ Share&Remember says

    November 4, 2014 at 8:14 am

    How fun! I love the open ended opportunities presented with all the colored shapes! Oh & all the felt pieces and foam shapes…would love to get one!

    Reply
  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
  4. Jessica @ Play Trains! says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:03 am

    Ooooh, how cool! I would love to own one of these!

    Reply
  5. Anna@The Measured Mom says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:05 am

    I would LOVE having a home Ellison machine… so many possibilities!

    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
  8. Angela says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:26 am

    This looks like an awesome tool to have in our pre-school classroom!

    Reply
  9. Melissa says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:29 am

    Great giveaway!

    Reply
  10. Kristi Wolfe says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:33 am

    I love these! I even used them with middle schoolers (science).

    Reply
  11. Kandy Pople-Gill says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:45 am

    Fun!

    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
  13. Heather says

    November 4, 2014 at 10:12 am

    Wow! That’s an awesome giveaway. So many possibilities.

    Reply
  14. Tommie Sue Schindler says

    November 4, 2014 at 10:12 am

    Wow! What a great tool when you’re tired of cutting with scissors! Sooo many possibilities….

    Reply
  15. Dayna @ Lemon Lime Adventures says

    November 4, 2014 at 10:18 am

    Umm ,Okay What blogger should be without a die cut machine? I think none! This blogging, homeschooling mom needs one of these! Oh the projects that could be thought of!

    Reply
  16. Janice Cash says

    November 4, 2014 at 11:07 am

    This would really be fun to use with my grandchildren would really get those creative skills flowing.

    Reply
  17. Kristen says

    November 4, 2014 at 11:47 am

    very cool giveaway!

    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
  19. Dorothy Hall says

    November 4, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    HOW CUTE!

    Reply
  20. charlotte says

    November 4, 2014 at 12:57 pm

    I could really cut my prep time using an Ellison all star superstar machine.

    Reply
  21. CS Calkins says

    November 4, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    Always wanted one of these! Many thanks for posting a review.

    Reply
  22. Jen says

    November 4, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    So many fun ideas…but those pattern blocks! Those would be perfect for my firsties!
    Thanks for sharing about this!
    Jen 🙂

    Reply
  23. Leanne says

    November 4, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    I would love to win a die cast for our three children

    Reply
  24. Genesis Rodriguez says

    November 4, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    wow thus is awesome! would love to win

    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
  26. jeanette keath says

    November 4, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    This looks like a fabulous new product! Can’t wait to try it!

    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
  29. Desiree Rutten says

    November 4, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    Whoa, I love using this at the school, but to have my own would be so convenient!

    Reply
  30. Meredith @ Homegrown Friends says

    November 4, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    Oh, I would LOVE to win this! What a fantastic giveaway!

    Reply
  31. Sara says

    November 4, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    wow! That would be an awesome thing to have in my PreK classroom!!

    Reply
  32. jen s says

    November 4, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    This machine is a teacher’s dream. Endless possibilities!

    Reply
  33. Danielle says

    November 4, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    What an awesome giveaway!

    Reply
  34. Donna says

    November 4, 2014 at 7:35 pm

    This would be such a time saver to use in my Pre-K class. Also for scrap booking!

    Reply
  35. dianne says

    November 4, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    This would be so fun in my first grade classroom!

    Reply
  36. Sarah Larson says

    November 4, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    This is a great giveaway!

    Reply
  37. Katie Pinch says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:22 pm

    I love all the great ideas you have for using a die cut, it looks so fun!!!

    Reply
  38. Kelly says

    November 5, 2014 at 2:01 am

    I could really use this!!!

    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
  40. Cindy says

    November 5, 2014 at 3:19 am

    Sooooooo many possibilities! Love this 🙂

    Reply
  41. Lori H says

    November 5, 2014 at 4:16 am

    This is so nice and would come in handy for so many projects with my 6 children 🙂

    Reply
  42. Nichole {youclevermonkey} says

    November 5, 2014 at 4:40 am

    We love our wooden pattern blocks but this looks amazing! And such a time-saver! Adding one to my Christmas wish list!

    Reply
  43. Clarissa Hooper says

    November 5, 2014 at 7:21 am

    Ooohh! We could really use this in our preschool co-op! Hope to win it!

    Reply
  44. Nida says

    November 5, 2014 at 8:35 am

    Wow! This looks like so much fun. I can’t wait to try it out.

    Reply
  45. Christina G says

    November 5, 2014 at 11:00 am

    would love to win!! 🙂

    Reply
  46. Audra watts says

    November 5, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    This would be great for crafts

    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
  48. Marcia says

    November 6, 2014 at 9:55 am

    I want this to make the robot!!!

    Reply
  49. Lesley Boatright says

    November 6, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    We had one of these at the first school I worked at. It made making centers, name tags, and decorating a breeze. I would love to have a personal one.

    Reply
  50. Jessica says

    November 7, 2014 at 9:19 am

    I could so use this for my classroom!

    Reply
  51. MaryAnne @ mama smiles says

    November 7, 2014 at 9:48 am

    What an awesome giveaway! I would love this, and so would my kids!

    Reply
  52. Krystal Ellis says

    November 7, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    Awesome giveaway, I could use this for a ton of projects!

    Reply
  53. Suzze says

    November 7, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    Great looking machine! So many craft possibilities!

    Reply
  54. Jennifer Finn says

    November 7, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    great for school!!

    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
  56. Erin Hodge says

    November 7, 2014 at 9:40 pm

    This looks amazing! This would really help me out in my preschool.

    Reply
  57. annette says

    November 8, 2014 at 2:33 am

    My twins would love this.

    Reply
  58. Stefani says

    November 8, 2014 at 6:47 am

    What a great giveaway!! The possibilities are endless!!

    Reply
  59. Dominique says

    November 8, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    This is so neat! I played with TanGrams as a child and this would be an awesome way to make homemade ones!

    Reply
  60. Janie Prather says

    November 8, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    Would love to have, looks like so much fun. 🙂

    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
  62. Holly E says

    November 9, 2014 at 7:40 am

    Very nice giveaway!

    Reply
  63. Roxanne Schmidt says

    November 9, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    Need this for a start up church preschool.

    Reply
  64. Miss Linda says

    November 9, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    What a fantastic giveaway…..Ellison is a great time saver with professional results.

    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
  68. Becky says

    November 10, 2014 at 10:28 pm

    Love this! I teach homeschool arts and crafts classes – it would be awesome to have this.

    Reply
  69. Crystal Young says

    November 11, 2014 at 4:22 am

    What fun to have my own personal di cut machine! You can do so much with it.

    Reply
  70. Bryan says

    November 11, 2014 at 6:03 am

    What a great idea! The possibilities are endless!

    Reply
  71. Aaren says

    November 11, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    Wow! This looks SUPER great!

    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
  73. Max says

    November 12, 2014 at 5:00 am

    I love this, lokks so much fun!

    Reply
  74. Robin says

    November 12, 2014 at 5:01 am

    SOOOO AWESOME!!!

    Reply
  75. forestfire says

    November 12, 2014 at 5:03 am

    Many many many thanks

    Reply
  76. Amy Tebow says

    November 12, 2014 at 5:42 am

    This would come in super handy for kids school! Thanks

    Reply
  77. Missy says

    November 12, 2014 at 7:45 am

    I love these craft ideas, so fun.

    Reply
  78. Lisa Vanhook says

    November 13, 2014 at 12:14 am

    This is so neat,,,there are tons of craft ideas for this..

    Reply
  79. Marnie G (Derrick Todd) says

    November 13, 2014 at 4:22 am

    This s really neat! I would love to win this for my sister.

    Reply
  80. Jessica Medina says

    November 13, 2014 at 4:47 am

    This is amazing. I could use it for so many projects!

    Reply
  81. Corey Olomon says

    November 13, 2014 at 9:45 am

    This looks like fun.

    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
  83. Denise says

    November 13, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    I never even heard of this machine till now. the possibilities are endless with this for my daughters and myself

    Reply
  84. Linda says

    November 13, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    looks very cool

    Reply
  85. June Ebinger says

    November 13, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    I NEEDED ONE OF THESE WHEN I TAUGHT A CRAFT CLASS

    Reply
  86. megan tilley says

    November 14, 2014 at 5:34 am

    I would love this to use for homeschooling my daughter!

    Reply
  87. John Hutchens says

    November 14, 2014 at 5:34 am

    what a cool crafting tool , the kids would have alot of fun with it

    Reply
  88. Darlene Owen says

    November 14, 2014 at 6:06 am

    I would love one of these to work crafts with my grandchildren.

    Reply
  89. Danielle Jones says

    November 14, 2014 at 6:16 am

    My mom would love to have this in her 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
  91. Diana Hatch says

    November 14, 2014 at 7:33 am

    I could do such fun projects with my granddaughters

    Reply
  92. jodi says

    November 14, 2014 at 7:42 am

    This looks like it would be great to use! I would love to win and donate it to my daughter’s teacher for class!

    Reply
  93. Anonymous says

    November 14, 2014 at 8:04 am

    This looks soooo fun! Wow! My kids and I would have a blast making stuff with this!

    Reply
  94. mechele johnson says

    November 14, 2014 at 8:05 am

    This looks soooo fun! My kids and I would have a blast making stuff with this!

    Reply
  95. Trasina McGahey says

    November 14, 2014 at 8:19 am

    Awesome!!! I can think of so many fun things to do with my kids with this!

    Reply
  96. Dawn Monroe says

    November 14, 2014 at 8:26 am

    This would save my daughter so much time.

    Reply
  97. Mandy Kauffman says

    November 14, 2014 at 10:27 am

    This looks super cool and would make craft time awesome! Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂

    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
  99. latanya says

    November 14, 2014 at 10:37 am

    Thank you for the chance to win!

    Reply
  100. Michelle short says

    November 14, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    This looks like a lot fun for arts and crafts time.

    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
  102. Deborah says

    November 14, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    I hadn’t heard of these before, but they look like so much fun!

    Thank you for the review and giveaway!

    Reply
  103. liz l says

    November 14, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    My mother in law would make so many things!

    Reply
  104. Carri Zajac says

    November 14, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    This has so many uses!! I would love to share it with my children.

    Reply
  105. Fiona N says

    November 14, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    Great giveaway! I also would love to win and try this awesome Ellison die cutting machine
    Thank You for the chance

    Reply
  106. Kate says

    November 14, 2014 at 6:53 pm

    This is such a cool way to use this product! I love some of the different ideas you and your kids came up with.

    Reply
  107. Melanie Comello says

    November 14, 2014 at 8:28 pm

    This would be absolutely perfect to do craft projects with my little girl and some friends 😉

    Reply
  108. desiree says

    November 14, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    ihave so much i ould use it for and then hodiay coming up make ornament out of hte page of the boodk

    Reply
  109. Jenny Ham says

    November 14, 2014 at 9:24 pm

    What a neat product love it thanks for the chance to win one and the information on the product.

    Reply
  110. Laura at Mommy Maleta says

    November 15, 2014 at 6:12 am

    That die cut machine is certainly handy! Thx for linking it up at the Thoughtful Spot!

    Reply
  111. Malia says

    January 26, 2018 at 10:07 pm

    What is the dame of the die cut you used for the pattern blocks? I can’t seem to find them anywhere.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Pattern Block Turkey Craft for Kids - Buggy and Buddy says:
    October 13, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    […] using my AllStar SuperStar Die Cut Machine and pattern block die sets. (You can read more about my die cutting machine here. I absolutely love it!) Other options would be using pattern block stickers or printing out your […]

    Reply

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Welcome to Buggy and Buddy! I'm Chelsey, a former teacher and parent living on the central coast of California. I love sharing crafts, science, STEM and STEAM activities, free printables and more! Read More…

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