My Favorite Rub-ons

I'm in Fremont, CA, blogging from my phone so I'll try to go back in and add links to this post next week.

Cat asked me what my favorite rub-on companies were.

Chartpak-Yup, the "old" ones that graphic designers used to use. I love finding these in my travels. Do a "test rub" by rubbing off the name or some bit you don't need as if they are old, they could be dried out (though I have ancient ones that are fine. More on that in a minute.)

Hambly-Hambly makes the best everything! Their rub-ons are like butter.

Bo-bunny-They make some seriously cool ones. They also make some seriously cute ones, too. You can guess the ones I buy.

American Crafts-yum!!

Crate Paper-I only have a sheet of theirs but they are good!

Basic Grey-another damn good company!

Some tricks to storing rub-ons:

1. Keep them away from heat. And water. And never. Ever. Feed them after midnight. ;) (Seriously, heat dries them out.)

2. Keep them with their backing paper or else they will rub off on everything!!! When I buy them in a package instead of taking them out of the package, I just cut though the whole thing. Makes life easier. This obviously only works if it's one sheet.

3. Keep them flat and don't put anything heavy on them. My rub-ons at home have their own special plastic case. The rub-ons you see above live in my journal bag and I try not to put anything heavy onto them.

Use a bone folder or special burnishing tool (Basic Grey makes a good one for stubborn rub-ons) along with some patience and muscle to get the rub-on to work. Make sure you don't touch the rub-on until you are happy with the placement or else it may stick where you don't want it. Burnish. Burnish. Burnish. You should see the image start to look "softer" as it peels away from its plastic sheet and adheres to the page. Gently and slowly peel back the plastic sheet to make sure it has transferred. If it hasn't, use more elbow grease and try again!

Have I forgotten any of your favorite rub-on companies? If so, please leave a comment and let me know some of your favorites!

Comments

LuLu said…
Howdy Kelly,

I like to use rub-ons too in my art journals - started using them not long ago. Don't have any faves yet.

Temporary tattoos (from Michaels) work great too! Like decals. I use them with a waterbrush filled with water. No rubbing needed...

Rub-ons, custom transparencies, custom image transfers, small stickers and other embellishments I use when when travelling are kept in a small accordian folder designed for checks (from The Container Store). Each section is labeled to make stuff easy to find.

Peace,
LuLu
Kelly Kilmer said…
Thanks, Lulu!

I tried the mini accordion file and it didn't work for me. I also tried the small $2 iris photo cases and that didn't work either. For some reason, tossing them in a ziploc bag or plain ol' envelope works for me. Funny how different we all are. :D

Thank you for commenting!!!!

Have a great night!


Kelly
Lori Wostl said…
I went and looked. I always thought my Magenta stickers were rub-ons...shows how awake I am...sheesh.
Debby said…
I may have had some of those ancient ones when I was a kid. My dad gave me some with alphabets on them and when I played office or something as a kid I used them. Still love rub ons today!
Cat said…
Thanks, Kelly!! I'm leaving here and going straight to the Hambly site!! I just pre-ordered some rub-ons from Pink Paislee (sp?) that look good but I have no idea how well they will transfer. I really got into rub-ons a few years ago and then got away from them--now I can't wait to get more and start using them again!! I will look for a better storage system for them though!!
Nicole Austin said…
awesome. those are my favorites. i also LOVE october afternoon. they make such pretty and vintage inspired images. and jenni bowlin, too!
Hagit said…
I love rub ons, and I really like Hambly and Basic Grey and 7Gypsies, and well, it really depends on the design, more than the brand. But since I hoard them so much, I have a very important tip - Use them!! I have so many that just won't peel off - because they'be been on my shelves for so long! So I now have to stick them down with glue! But I guess that applies to all art materials - use them! :-)) (as opposed to waiting for the perfect occasion, or just enjoying looking at them because they're so beautiful! :))
Janet M said…
Some of my favorites are from Kaisercraft. Good quality and some awesome borders too.
Kelly Kilmer said…
Janet, I totally forgot about Kaisercraft. They are one of my favorites, too!!

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