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!