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Xyron Creative Station - Laminate, Magnets, & Stickers - ad

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As an elementary teacher, people always say, “You must be so creative and full of fun ideas!”  Unfortunately, that’s far from the truth.  I do not have a creative bone in my body and will happily admit that. In fact, I am the teacher who recruits parents to design bulletin boards and hang imaginative wall murals designed by someone else. I’m also the pathetic sister who calls her big sister to save her when it comes to fashioning a creative learning environment for my students. While many of the teachers around me have “cool” classrooms, mine leans toward pathetic without a little artistic and inventive help from others.

So as a holiday rolls near, I find myself frantically searching the internet a few days before, for an inexpensive art project that parents and their kids will enjoy. And let’s be honest, one that will dry overnight or possibly that afternoon before it needs to be sent home.

Xyron Creative Station - Laminate, Magnets, & Stickers - ad

When I came across the Xyron Creative Station I felt slightly intimidated, but I’m working on trying new things and stretching my design sensibility, so I thought I would do this the right way and start by reading the directions.  Thankfully they’re well written and easy to understand and in a nutshell, using the Xyron Creative Station is simple. Just place a cartridge in the slot and turn the knob. Then slide the blade across to cut. That’s it! The best part is that the Xyron Creative Station doesn’t use heat to seal so there are no batteries or electricity required … simple enough!  I figured out how to use this amazing tool in minutes and was extremely proud of myself!  Of course when I read “Suitable for ages 8 & older” on the box that fuzzy feeling of accomplishment faded just a bit. But I love that it’s kid-friendly!

Let me TELL you what this product can do: it laminate items, make stickers, and create magnets.  It’s like a dream come true to this highly incapable teacher who never has ideas for gifts.  I couldn’t wait to try out each of the cartridges and after removing it from the box, the only piece of paper in sight was an old bill from our utility company, so I quickly tore it into three pieces to test all three functions. Crazy right! But that’s how excited I was to try it.

Xyron Creative Station: Laminate to your heart’s content

I was skeptical of the laminate feature when it said heat was not required.  I’ve laminated enough items in my life (sorry Earth) to know heat is the main ingredient.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the advertisement on the box did not lie and heat was not required!  The piece of paper was protected with a clear layer on both sides, almost as if you laid a clear piece of tape across both sides and stuck it together without the mess of air bubbles.  Success!

Xyron Creative Station: It’s a good thing my fridge is stainless steel…

The magnet feature creates a similar effect as the laminate cartridge but rather than a clear coat placed on both sides of the item of choice, the back is covered with a thin magnet.  I had a fellow teacher over for dinner a few nights after testing this fun feature and she was surprised when she saw the finished product. It happened to be the first picture I could grab off of the side of my fridge and was of my sister-in-law and her new husband (it’s the little things… don’t judge.)  Ideas immediately began to run through my mind on how to use this product not only in the classroom but at home.

Xyron Creative Station - Laminate, Magnets, & Stickers - ad

Xyron Creative Station: Stickers, stickers, and MORE stickers!

The Creative Station came with this cartridge currently in the machine and seems as though it would be a huge hit for people who enjoy crafts such as scrapbooking when sticking items together.  The adhesive leaves a smooth finish when pages are stuck together with no air bubbles or ugly glue wet spot lines (parents and teachers, you know what I’m talking about.  That tacky, pun intended, line that takes all the attention away from the amazingly beautiful art work your child put his/her heart, soul, blood, and most definitely, boogers into.)  Aside from creating a sticky bill, I wanted to use this cartridge for something more creative- so I grabbed a shipping label for a product I needed to return, ran it through the Creative Station, and slapped that sucker onto the box.  With the entire back of the label now a sticker, shipping the package was simple!

The Xyron Creative Station is a simple to use product that has multiple features for everyday use in the home, classroom, or office.  It requires no electricity, batteries, or heat so getting started today is as simple as turning a knob.  I cannot wait to try this out for my next classroom project! I am already looking around my house for other strange items that need assistance in functionality other than my old utility bills – it almost makes bills not seem so terrible when they become a sticker.

Learn more about the Xyron Creative Station on the Xyron website and get creative ideas on the Xyron Pinterst page. Check out their Where to Buy page or purchase at Amazon.com.

What would you create with the Xyron Creative Station?