6 Reasons to Invest in a Home Laminating Machine

Luckily, it's possible to buy a laminating machine in a small size, which is ideal for home office and craft use. Read ahead to see why you should have one in your home!

1) Place Mats: This is especially great if you have kids. Take those drawings that are piling up and make some place mats. You can make them double or single sided, but if your child has only drawn on one side of the page, I recommend making a few double sided place mats. You can easily achieve this by laying two drawings together with the picture sides facing out. Not only does it save time, but it cuts down on the bulk of place mats. Make sure to date each picture and have your child sign them so that they're immortalized forever. Give the place mats as gifts or keep a few for your family.

2) Place Mats Part 2: How many times have you gone on vacation, taken hundreds of pictures, and then promised yourself that you'd organize them (whatever THAT means...)? Make your own collage of favorite photos and turn them into place mats. This way the photos can be appreciated by everyone. You can mount the pictures on paper before you laminate, or simply place them between two sheets of laminate without paper.

3) Awards & Certificates: It seems there's a lot of paper pile-up these days. Precious items tend to get lost among all the rubble in our personal lives. Awards and certificates hold special meanings, and too often, I've found mine lost among all the other junk in my place. Laminating these items is a simple step to making sure they remain flawless. Next step: find a frame...

4) Education: Even if your child isn't home schooled, there's no reason why learning and education shouldn't continue at home. Laminating machines can provide you with an endless array of possibilities. It's easy enough to find printable worksheets and games online. Laminating, cutting out, and using a little sticky Velcro is so simple, it's almost ridiculous. Michael's & Jo-Ann Fabrics are good places to start your search for Velcro. Early Reading First uses this idea a lot, especially when making kits for classrooms!

5) Dry Erase Boards: Okay, so it's not a board, exactly, but it's almost as fun as covering the television screen with plastic wrap and coloring all over it. Take a favorite picture from a magazine, family trip, or coloring book, blow it up if necessary, and laminate it. You can do this with several different pictures and pop them into a binder for an instant fun book. Round up some dry erase markers, and have a silly good time. When you and the kids are finished, wipe the pictures clean and start again!

6) A World Of Difference: When my daughter began sitting up and scooting around on her bottom, I wanted her to have a whole world of images, faces, and pictures at her eye level. I found pictures in magazines of other babies, puppies, colorful images from outer space, bright flowers, mommies, and more. What I wanted was to laminate these pages and wallpaper the rooms in the house at her level so that she could touch them, kiss them, and smear them with peanut butter, while being able to just stoop down and wipe them clean so that she could continue to explore and love them. We don't all have the luxury to be on our knees all day with our kids, but we can give them the world at their level for those times when the grown-up world is calling.