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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

How did I not know about this??!

My friend Gail Stouffer introduced me to something the other day that just blew me away. We were working on fine-tuning the project prototypes for our upcoming retreat workshops, and it involved laying out some templates for sawing. She promptly pulled this out of her stash.

Sticker-Maker

Sticker-Maker-2

It's called the Xyron Sticker Maker (affiliate link) and apparently scrapbookers have known about it forever. Low tech - no batteries, handles or cranks - but it turns out to be an absolutely brilliant addition to the metals bench. And here's why: usually, affixing paper templates to the metal we're going to saw requires the use of spray adhesive or rubber cement. Both are smelly and messy. This, on the other hand, creates a perfect repositionable sticker that accomplishes the same thing.

Simply print your image on plain paper, cut it out, and drop it face up into the hopper at the top of the unit.

Insert-Paper

Then pull the end of the paper roll sticking out of the bottom of the unit.

Pull-Sticker

Pull-Sticker-2

Rub the surface of the paper firmly, then peel off the clear plastic sheet on top.

Peel-Off-2

What you're left with is that classic waxy sticker paper with your own personalized sticker on it, ready to be used.

Peel-Sticker-1

Peel-Sticker-2

And it really works! Stick it on your metal and saw away - it won't move unless you peel it off.

On-Metal

It's absurdly inexpensive, too - $8 on Amazon for the unit and about $6 for the replacement cartridges (affiliate links). No smell, no mess, just a custom sticker perfectly sized for each project.

I love finding tools that make life easier! What's your "latest and greatest" tool find?

Until next time -










17 comments:

  1. I don't saw metal to speak of but I can think of couple other ways it will be useful for me in my studio. Thanks for sharing!!

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  2. How clever! I love this idea!

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  3. Ha. I have to look into this. For 20 years I have been drawing onto masking tape.

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    1. Heh. I felt sort of the same way - all that rubber cement! ::shaking my head::

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  4. Human ingenuity never ceases to amaze me!

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  5. I love when something from another craft can be incorporated to fit what you need. Hell I use fishing line! LOL

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  6. omg - awesome!!! Thank you for sharing. I always have hated the low tech way with rubber cement, but this is just so clean.

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  7. very cool! Thanks for sharing, Francesca!

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  8. What an excellent little gadget!! Thank you!

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  9. Thanks for sharing this idea. I don't yet work with sawing metal, but will have to see if this will stick to fabric for little applique uses!

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    1. Louise, I bet it would work if you use the permanent stick cartridge instead of the repositionable. Let me know if you try it!

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  10. This is great and has also put the mind in high gear to see what other uses we could have with this product. Thanks for the inspiration

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  11. I have the smallest to the Creatopia the largest. I love them all. If you are a crafter period you need them all! :)

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  12. If you use the permanent one you can use a wonderful product called UNdu. Put on drops, peal stickers off and when it dries the sticky comes back! I love to use it on Christmas present stickers and misplaced postage stamps.

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  13. Just FYI - Xyron makes several other sizes that work essentially the same way. 3.5", 5", and 9" I think!

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  14. IMPULSE BUY! Thanks, I got mine already, and am plotting what to do with it.

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