I have to admit that I haven’t given rub-ons much thought in a few years. It wasn’t until we recently polled our Facebook fans about the products they loved and the majority of them expressed their love for rub-ons that I even realized they were still being made! To me, I thought they were solely for scrapbooking and card-making, two crafts I haven’t done in a long time. Once I saw the designs that are out there, I saw that they could be used in so many different ways! Imagine my surprise when walking the floor of the annual Craft & Hobby Association show just a couple days ago and I noticed a ton of new rub-ons in the various booths. Who knew? Rub-ons are back and in a big way. On a Journal I knew I wanted to keep the designs simple, allowing the rub-ons to take center stage. I keep a supply of Kraft-colored Moleskine journals as well as a lot of blank wooden surfaces in my craft stash, so I grabbed them and some paint and got to work. For the journal, I just did a quick messy layer of gray paint. Once it was dry, I used a portion of a flower rub-on from the Secret Bird Society set directly on top of the paint. Sometimes stamps smudge when applied to paint with the wrong ink, so rub-ons are a great alternative. On Vintage Signs I had been wanting to use these small wooden signs I found at my local craft store, but wasn’t sure what to do with them. Once I saw the In the Attic collection of rub-ons, I knew they’d go great on the signs. They rub on easily to flat, wooden surfaces. On a Bracelet I loved the In the Attic collection so much that I wanted to make an accessory to wear. Keeping the wood its natural color, I applied the rub-ons around a blank bracelet. Because of the curved surface of the bracelet, I had to tape the rub-on down to keep it in place as I applied it. If you do this project, I advise using a flat bracelet, as the one I chose was a little tricky. I have to admit that I’m a little hooked on rub-ons now. They are great for one-time use, rather than investing in a pricey rubber stamp that you might not use as often as you thought you would. They adhere to just about any surface, and there are so many designs that you’re sure to find something to suit your personal taste. About the Artist: Christen Olivarez is the Director of Publishing for Stampington & Company and editor-in-chief of Somerset Studio, Somerset Life, Mingle, HandCrafted, and Artists’ Café. Interests: art, slow food, writing, books, yarn, authentic living Follow Christen on Her Blog: thedeliberatelife.typepad.com
