One of the reasons Dollar Tree gave for its recent price hike was that they wanted to offer a larger range of craft supplies. This week I am going to be testing out some of those new products to see if they are worth buying. I bought a few packages of the new dollar store rub-on transfers and put them to the test in three different DIY projects. Read on to see how they performed.
DO DOLLAR STORE RUB-ON TRANSFERS WORK?
DOLLAR STORE RUB-ON TRANSFERS
If you have multiple Dollar Tree locations in your area, you already know that the stock can vary from store to store. The store that I most often visit has a pretty good selection of craft supplies. I found these rub-on transfers both in the craft aisle and on an end cap. I did have to do some digging to find transfers that I liked, so just be aware that there are often multiple designs hanging from the same peg on the display.
In addition to the packages I ended up buying (seen in the picture above), my dollar store also carried rub-on transfers of letters and numerals, full sentiments, and larger single designs.
These are all affiliate links, if you make a purchase (of anything from the site, not just these items) after clicking through, I will earn a small commission. Ads and affiliate links are the way I am able to keep this website running and to offer you free tutorials all year long. Thank you so much for supporting me and Mad in Crafts!
- Crafter’s Square Gold Metallic Rub-on Transfer Decals
- Crafter’s Square Themed Rub-On Transfers
- Crafter’s Square Wood-Framed Chalkboard
- Crafter’s Square Craft Scraper
- Scissors
- Cardstock
- Ceramic pot
Want to know which craft supplies I always keep in my craft room?
Visit the Mad in Crafts Amazon Storefront to learn more and to buy your own supplies!
USING THE RUB-ON TRANSFERS ON PAPER
This is what the Dollar Tree website has to say about these themed rub-on transfers:
Rub-ons are a great addition to scrapbooks, birthday cards, and other papercrafts because they blend with the paper much better than traditional stickers!
Using these transfers on paper is super easy! Just cut out the designs you would like to use from the sheet of transfers. Remove the backing sheet, position the transfer where you want it to go, and rub the back of the transfer with your fingernail (or a craft stick or a credit card). Remove the transfer sheet and you have a pretty design that is flush with the cardstock.
Be sure you have rubbed the entire design before removing the transfer sheet. You can see that the bottom right portion of the daisy’s flower pot is a little jagged. I wasn’t as careful applying that transfer as I was with the rest of them. For this cartoon-like design, it’s not very noticeable, but it’s something to keep in mind when you use the transfers on paper.
USING DOLLAR STORE RUB-ON TRANSFERS ON A SIGN
The Dollar Tree site says this about the metallic transfers:
Crafter’s Square Gold Metallic Rub-on Transfer Decals are lovely, delicate, and ready for the perfect place within your scrapbooking, crafts, and DIY projects.
I wanted to try the transfers as part of a simple home decor DIY. I found this cute house-shaped framed chalkboard in the craft aisle of Dollar Tree. The chalkboard is a non-porous surface, but it does have a bit of texture, so I thought it would be a good test for the rub-on transfers.
I cut a few of the metallic transfers out and decided on a layout for them on the sign. I removed the backing sheet and positioned the first transfer on the sign. I tried using a dollar store scraper to rub down the transfer, and it worked quite well!
These transfers are much more detailed than the cartoony plant transfers I used on the cardstock. I was impressed both at how well the small details transferred and how well they took to the textured surface.
Overall, the transfers worked really well to create this quick and easy home decor sign. You can see there are one or two places in the stems of the dandelions where the transfer sheet shifted as I was rubbing. This caused the transfer to not apply perfectly, but it’s probably something only I would notice.
CAN YOU APPLY DOLLAR TREE RUB-ON TRANSFERS TO CERAMIC?
The packaging of the transfers says that they can be used on most smooth surfaces, so I wanted to test that out. I had a spare plant pot that seemed like a good test for the transfers. It is ceramic and rounded, both features that I thought might give the transfers some trouble.
It was not difficult at all to apply the transfers to the rounded surface. I made sure that I was rubbing the entire surface of the design horizontally and vertically. You can see in the picture above that I did have one issue with the transfer. I wasn’t aware that this ceramic pot was actually painted. In some places, the transfer brought up the paint when I removed the plastic transfer sheet. Again, something to keep in mind if you are applying them to a painted surface.
I will likely cover the transfers with a coat of Outdoor Mod Podge before using this pot with a real houseplant. I am not confident that the transfers are waterproof. The packaging doesn’t say anything about it, which means they would likely wash off over time.
SO, ARE THE TRANSFERS WORTH BUYING?
Depending on your plans for the rub-on transfers, I think they are worth the $1.25 cost. I found them to work really well on paper, and fairly well on home decor projects. You get quite a few transfers on each sheet, and they are incredibly easy and quick to use.
How would you use these rub-on transfers from the dollar store? Do you have any questions about them that I didn’t answer? Please let me know in the comments!
You might like these other posts:
