Andrea's Review	Kathleen's Review	Catherine's Review	Chris's Review	Terri's Review

Review by Andrea

A real retro "feel" with fuzzy rub-ons!

My first thought when I heard of fuzzy rub-ons was the black velvet unicorn picture that I received for my 16th birthday! How could THIS be used on a scrapbook page? The feel is retro, but the look is hip and fresh! Enter Heidi Swapp's fuzzy rub-ons. Nothing like some texture and dimension to make a decent layout really exciting. Innovation should be Heidi Swapp's middle name - many of her products are unlike anything else in the industry. That's the fun of Heidi's products, they MAKE an industry exciting! Who ever thought of making rub-ons fuzzy before? I'm sure the initial reaction to the idea was rather uncertain, but add ease of use and funky design to the mix and out pops an awesome product.

Ok, so I spilled the beans about my thoughts on the product first thing. Listen up for the details coming next. The rub-ons come on a 4" x 9" fuzzy solid sheet of cardstock-like material. A thin, clear protective sheet covers the rub-ons. A tri-color insert printed on one-side explains the product and shows a picture of the rub-on designs. The top of the package has a black and white stapled piece of thin cardboard to close the clear cellophane wrapper. The color of the fuzzy sheet is the color of the rub-on. It is deceiving because the rub-on looks white, but you're looking at the adhesive side, not the front of the design. So just pay attention to the color of the fuzz and you'll be fine!

The theme of each package varies with some being shapes, flowers, travel, girl and family. The number of rub-ons vary per sheet also, from 7 on the shapes sheet to over 24 words or phrases on the family sheet. Rub-on colors are white, jet, pink or crimson. On the sheets with words and phrases, the font and size vary providing a nice selection for almost any project. There is also very little word repetition per sheet.

The package insert contains easy to follow instructions for applying the rub-ons. I found it helpful to have this when I was ready to use the product. The package does not come with the traditional "popsicle stick" or any other burnishing tool, so using one from your stash works just fine. Taking care when cutting the selected rub-on from the main sheet is important because you can use the edge as a positioning feature for the rub-on. Firmly rubbing the design is also important for a full transfer to the project. The paper's edge can be lifted slightly to see if the transfer has occurred. If it hasn't been, the paper can be placed back down and burnished again. I found that the paper curled slightly at the ends when the rub-on was transferred to the paper. The following layout uses words from the "travel" sheet, so all of the black words are the fuzzy rub-ons.

Title: Escape
Products used: Cardstock (Prismatics Twilight Dark and Exclusives Bianco)
Fuzzy Rub-ons (Heidi Swapp Travel Jet)
Ribbon & Fiber (Shoebox Trims)
Flowers (Prima)
Brads (Jo-Ann Scrap Essentials)
Ink (Ranger Distress, Faded Jeans)
Heart Punch (Creative Memories)
Staples (Target)
White Gel Pen (Uni-ball Signo)
Metal Letters (PM Designs)
Buttons (unknown)
Adhesive (Ad Tech Permanent Glue Runner)

Transferring the fuzzy rub-ons to photos was as easy as it was to paper. There was no residue or marks from the burnishing due to the thickness of the fuzzy material. The transfer was clean and crisp! You can see the different fonts for the word "fun" that came from 2 different sets.

Title: Just For Fun
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Exclusives: Celeste & Cielo)
Patterned Paper (Rhonna Farrar and MOD)
Fuzzy Rub-ons (Heidi Swapp: Girl White & Travel Jet)
Conchos (ScrapWorks)
White Gel Pen (Uni-ball Signo)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner)

The cursive words were just as easy to transfer as any of the printed words. The phrase "sweet smile" was just perfect for my grinning niece at her birthday party!

Title: Happy Birthday
Products used: Cardstock (Prismatics Frosted Kiwi)
Patterned Paper (Sandylion Lollia: Small Floral Glitter, Stripe, Dot & Stitched Stripe Embossed)
Cardstock Stickers (Sandylion Lollia: Parker-Love & Parker-Birthday Girl)
Fuzzy Rub-ons (Heidi Swapp, Girl White)
Ribbon (Offray)
Ink (VersaMagic Cloud White)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)

I've really enjoyed working with these fuzzy rub-ons! I found them no more difficult to transfer than other rub-ons. Once they are applied, it is very difficult to remove them. Getting the right placement is the hardest thing with this product, but with a little practice it is not an issue at all. I think the benefit of the rub-on's dimension and texture far surpasses the little extra time it takes to ensure proper positioning on your project. After completing the 3 scrapbook pages for this review, I still have a BUNCH of rub-ons left on every sheet! Please see the Heidi Swapp gallery for even more projects that have been added since completing these pages. Make your layouts "warm and fuzzy" using this unique product from Heidi Swapp, you'll just love it!

---

Review by Kathleen

I ‘LOVE’ rub-ons. I think they are one of the coolest products in the scrapbooking industry. So when I heard about Heidi Swapp’s FUZZY rub-ons, I was very excited to try them out. However, until I actually held the product in my hot little hands, I could not quite get the concept of how the rub-ons would work. How do you transfer a fuzzy, velveteen product without smashing it?

Leave it to Heidi Swapp to come up with a very cool product, make it work, and make you wanting more.

I received seven different packages of Fuzzy Rub-ons ranging from pink flowers, to phrases in black and white. When you first look at the front of the package, you see a velvety surface with your design backward. A protective film covers the entire sheet. You do not want to lose that protective film. On the back of each package is your “roadmap” to what your design will look like once you transfer it to your project.

When you choose the rub-on you want to use, you will need to cut it apart from the rest of the sheet. This is important because using these rub-ons is a bit different from what many crafters are currently used to. Once you decide where you want to place the rub-on, remove the protective film and lay the rub-on on the project surface. This is where it can get a bit tricky because you cannot actually see your design and it is easy to misplace it if you have not cut the design out carefully.

My first project demonstrates why it is important to cut your design out carefully and to take care when you are transferring the rub-on to your project. For the title in this layout, I cut out two words, “growing” and “boy”. I successfully transferred the first word, but when I transferred the word “boy”, it was not until after I was done that I could see the word was crooked. While I am not particularly fond of this look, I did feel it was an important to show this layout as one of my projects so new users to this product can learn from my mistakes.

“Growing Boy”
Products used:
Heidi Swapp: Fuzzy Rub-ons (Baby/white)
Prism Paper: Prismatics cardstock
Micron: black pen
Zsiage: patterned paper
Adhesive Tech: Glue Runner

My second project is one I just love. I adore the bright pink flowers and the soft velvet look of the title. I altered some of the white rub-ons with Craf-T Glitter chalk to help the small words stand out against the patterned paper. I also used a piece of the backing to make a photo corner since I just could not let that wonderful texture go to waste!

“My Little Sweet Girl”
Products used:
Heidi Swapp: Fuzzy Rub-ons (Flowers/Pink, Girl/White)
Prism Paper: Prismatics cardstock
Sandylion: patterned paper (Panacci collection)
Craf-T: Glitter chalk
Adhesive Tech: Glue Runner

In summary, this product rocks. No doubt about it. It is ingenious, fresh, and looks hot on the page. The only detail I would change if I had the power would be to print the design on the backing so that you see a real size image of what you are transferring.

My words of “wisdom” when using the Fuzzy Rub-ons from Heidi Swapp: cut your design out with care, use extra pressure when transferring to your project, lift the backing up slowly to ensure you have the entire design transferred, and have a blast using this innovative tool. The Fuzzy Rub-ons from Heidi Swapp are a MUST have.

---

Review by Catherine

I must admit to having a weakness for all things Heidi Swapp. I’m slightly jealous of the fact that Heidi Swapp gets to use her products all of the time and doesn’t ever encounter a shortage! That being said, I find myself reaching for Heidi Swapp products for pretty much every layout I work on and I have yet to find a product that I’ve been disappointed in. After being sent to Heidi Swapp Fuzzy Rub-ons to review, my opinion has not changed.

Heidi Swapp’s Fuzzy Rub-ons are unlike any other product on the market that I have encountered. Once you rub the images onto your paper or any other surface, they have a velvet feel and texture that is slightly raised. Heidi Swapp Fuzzy Rub-ons are available in twelve different styles, and most styles are available in two colors. There are six different styles which include words and phrases and six that are primarily images. I have found the rub-ons to be easy to use, and amazingly fun to include on a page.

I love the look of rub-ons on a photograph corners, so I used words from the “Girl” set along with stars from the appropriately names “Stars” set to enhance my photograph for my first layout. The one drawback that I have found when using the Fuzzy Rub-Ons on photos is that there is a little bit of “fuzz” which can attach itself to the photo if you’re not careful about how you rub the images on, and this can be difficult to remove. Otherwise, aside from having to rub slightly harder than with traditional rub-ons, I had no problems at all.

 

Love That Smile:
Products used:
Cardstock (Prism Exclusives - China)
Patterned Paper (Cherry Arte)
Ribbon (Variety)
Silhouette shapes (Heidi Swapp )
Fuzzy Rub-ons (Heidi Swapp)
Journaling card (Sassafrass Lass)
Alphabet Stickers (Making Memories)
Other (Machine Stitching)
Stamp (Sassafrass Lass) Adhesive (Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner)

For the next page, I decided to use the Heidi Swapp Fuzzy Rub-ons as the main background element for my page. I love the bright pink color that the “Flowers” rub-ons are available in, and I really liked how they contrasted against a black background. After using the rub-ons on the page, there was very little other embellishment that I felt the page needed.

 

Nikki:
Products used:
Cardstock (Prism Papers – Black)
Patterned Paper (KI Memories)
Fuzzy Rub-ons (Heidi Swapp - Flowers & Girl)
Ribbon (Heidi Swapp)
Velvet Alphabet (Making Memories)
Date sticker (7gypsies)
Pearl sticker (Making Memories)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner)

What a fun and unique product these Fuzzy Rub-ons are! If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly recommend that you do so soon. With all of the different styles and images available, there is sure to be one to fit any scrapbookers needs.

---

Review by Chris

Heidi Swapp has done it again, bringing another awesome, fun and versatile product to the scrapping table. I love rub-ons and own more than my fair share, that's for sure. Their variety and ease of use are what appeal to me. However, I've come to learn that some are less easy to use than others. When I received these rub-ons, I was anxious to see how easy they would be to use and how well they would transfer and stick to my projects.

I received a variety of themes: baby, love, shapes and travel in both black and white and flowers in pink. The rub-ons are packaged in a single layer sheet, covered with a protective film to keep them from coming off before they're supposed to. The instructions are detailed and include special precautions for use of this medium of rub-on. No applicator is provided. Because of the nature of the material, you cannot see the rub-on from the back. Carefully cutting out the word or shape with a straight alignment edge is the key to placement success.

My first project was a layout about my son and his dog. The Love themed rub-ons were perfect for this very special relationship. I applied two words to the photo and a third one overlapping 3 pieces of cardstock. I also used a shape as a large embellishment. The rub-ons went on each surface smoothly with little difficulty. I did have to re-rub in a couple of places as I was lifting the backing of the large oval shape. As with any rub-on, removing the backing slowly allows you to rub areas not completely adhered. If you do make a mistake and damage a portion of the rub-on, you can repair it by cutting a small piece of the background fuzzy material and adhering it in place of the damaged section.

Title: Love
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Paper - Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket , Wanted)
Fuzzy Rub-ons (Heidi Swapp, Shapes, Love)
Mask (Heidi Swapp, alphabet)
Ribbon (Michaels)
Staples (Making Memories)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)
Paint (Ranger Dabber, Hazelnut)

For my second project, I altered a double mat frame by painting and stamping, then applying baby-themed rub-on words as decoration. The rub-ons adhered perfectly to the painted surface. These rub-ons are very sticky and will stick to your surface fairly easily. However, because of this stickiness, caution is advised as you position your rub-on. If you place it down too firmly, you will have difficulty repositioning it. If you do make a mistake in placing your rub-on, I found that it can be removed by rubbing your finger firmly over its surface. I love the texture and dimension that these rub-ons add to this project. They make you want to reach out and touch them! And you can because they stick so well.

Title: It's a Boy
Products used: Frame (Savage Universal Corp., Easel-mat)
Fuzzy Rub-ons (Heidi Swapp, Baby)
Paint (Ranger Dabber, willow, lettuce, butterscotch)
Stamps (Making Memories, foam stamps, flower)
Flower (Prima)
Rhinestone (Heidi Swapp, jewels)
Ribbon (Offray)
Heart Charm (Target)

Additional projects by the Review Team using the Heidi Swapp rub-ons can be found in the Heidi Swapp folder in the gallery.

With this new product, Heidi Swapp has succeeded in taking rub-ons to a new level. Their texture adds a new dimension to projects using them and their ease of application makes them a perfect addition to a scrapper's arsenal of embellishments.

---

Review by Terri

When I saw that I received Heidi Swapp Fuzzy Rub-ons to review I was excited. I use Heidi Swapp products on a regular basis, but had never tried the Fuzzy Rub-ons. My mind instantly wandered to all the pages that could be enhanced by a fuzzy texture.

Heidi Swapp Fuzzy Rub-ons are available in images (shapes, damask, diamond drama, flowers, paisley and stars) and words in theme sets (baby, girl, boy, family, love and travel). I received fuzzy rub-ons in jet (which is black) and white. Some sets are also available in pink and crimson. The fuzz is similar to the texture of an iron-on. I could see right away that the fuzzy rub-ons would add texture and dimension without any bulk. A big plus!

I was pleased to see that the packaging included instructions since these rub-ons are different than any other I have tried. I also liked that a thin plastic sheet covered the rub-ons. This prevents any part of the rub-ons from accidentally rubbing off while in the package. The words appear backward, but the back of the package displays the words so you can easily see what is in the package.

Right away I was attracted to the shapes image set. It is actually a variety of shapes with words inside. I also liked that each package of words contains a variety of fonts. This really adds to the versatility of the product.

As soon as I saw the fuzzy rub-ons, I thought they would be great for a page about my puppy as she is pretty fuzzy herself! The paper I chose for this page is dark, so I decided to try the white fuzzy rub-ons, and combine a shape with words from the baby set.

I read the instructions and carefully cut out the rub-ons I wanted to use. The instructions specify that it is important to cut from the side of the rub-on sheet so you can use that straight edge as a guide for positioning the image or word straight. This is necessary because you can not see the rub-on while it is being applied. An applicator stick is not provided but I tried several different sticks and they all worked.

I did find that I needed to rub a little harder than I would for normal rub-ons to get all of the word applied. If you lift the rub-on sheet slowly you can see if your rub-on has transferred. A few times I saw that the rub-on was stretching between the cardstock and the rub-on sheet. This was an indication that the rub-on was not transferred all the way, so I just placed the sheet back in place and rubbed again. Just like any rub-ons, if the rub-on is not completely transferred and you pull the sheet it will break.

On this page I applied one of the shape fuzzy rub-ons so that it overlapped my photo and paper. Since these rub-ons are thicker than regular rub-ons you can do this without any breakage. I love the look and was excited about the possibilities this offers.

Title: Adore
Products used:
Prismatics Cardstock: Prism Papers
Patterned Paper: me and my BIG ideas
Fuzzy Rub-ons: Heidi Swapp (white shapes and white baby)
Quote: Die Cuts With a View
Stitched rub-ons: Doodlebug Design Inc.
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)

This picture is my daughter the first time she met her brother. The page shows how each themed set contains a variety of fonts in size and style. Both of the word fuzzy rub-ons I used here are from the baby set in white, but you can see one phrase is a perfect size for a title, while the other works great as an accent. I also used another one of the shapes rub-ons, but I accidentally held it upside down when I was rubbing it on the page. Luckily these rub-ons are very easy to pull off if you make a mistake so I just pulled off the upside down word and I could still use the circle. It was a good reminder to double-check the position of the rub-on before using it.

Title: little one Page
Products used:
Prismatics Cardstock: Prism Papers
Patterned Paper: BasicGrey
Fuzzy Rub-ons: Heidi Swapp (white shapes and white baby)
Flower: Prima
Canvas sticker: Inspirables by EK Success
Ribbon: Li’l Davis and unknown
Chipboard: Deluxe Designs
Flat clip: Making Memories (mfg)
Rub-ons: BasicGrey and 7gypsies
Letters stickers: Carolee’s Creations
Lace: unknown
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner

For my next project I was looking forward to trying the rub-ons in the jet color. I have to tell you my husband is not one who makes a lot of romantic gestures, so when he does they are worth scrapping. I had this picture and I knew the fuzzy rub-ons from the shapes image set and the travel word set would work perfectly.

Title: always
Products used:
Prismatics Cardstock: Prism Papers
Patterned Paper (mfg)
Patterned Paper: Creative Imaginations and KI Memories
Fuzzy Rub-ons: Heidi Swapp (jet shapes and jet travel)
Photo Corner: Heidi Swapp
Cardstock sticker: 7gypsies and Creative Imaginations
Photo turn: 7gypsies
Brad: Die Cuts With a View
Flowers: Target and Wal-Mart
Ribbon: unknown
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner

The Heidi Swapp Fuzzy Rub-ons are a great way to add texture and stylish images and words to a page. The variety of images and words, as well as fonts and colors, mean you could use these on almost any page. Once I got the hang of how much pressure to apply (more is better), they were quite easy to use. I would recommend these rub-ons to anyone and plan on making them a regular addition to my pages.

For more information visit Heidi Swapp