Faux Wax Seals
As you've likely read somewhere on this site, I'm in the process of planning a wedding. If you've ever done it, you are exceedingly aware of the time, effort, expense, and the stress. Yes, the stress. Staying on budget, but still trying to have EVERYTHING that you and your future spouse want, trying to be good hosts (hopefully you're trying to, anyway..!) and not break the bank.
Then comes the do it yourself attempts. If you've been there, you know exactly what I'm talking about. These are the things that you see in the stores, think, "Oh wow, I'd love to have that, but it's SO expensive!" and then promptly begin to dissect it mentally to see if you can recreate it yourself, for far less expense.
Truth be told, 9 times out of 10, the recreation is totally possible, depending on how crafty you are. I have glittered my own shoes, will be doing my own gown alterations, am making our invitations, making all of our floral arrangements (using the Natural Touch realistic artificial flowers from Hobby Lobby), and now have decided to make self-adhesive wax seals for the invitations.
Let me start by saying that this sounds like it's way more difficult than it is. Before I started, I read lots of "tutorials" that said they were hard to get to come out right, or try this or that. Pfft. It's simple. Really.
First, let's get together our materials:
I did notice a few little things while working, however. My first 10 seals or so made a bit of a noise when removing them from the stamp: kind of like peeling tape from a roll of tape. This led to the background of the seals having an almost "cracked" look. As the stamp heated up from the glue however, this happened less and less, and around the 10th or 12th seal, I was getting nice, flat, shiny backgrounds. Therefore, definitely do several "test seals" when you first start a batch, to avoid this. I could have absolutely used these if I'd wanted, and no one would have probably even noticed but me, however I wanted them to be *perfect.* I also originally started by dipping the stamp in water before pressing it into the glue, as I had read in another tutorial. This also seemed to contribute to the background problem, because it cooled the glue far too quickly. So don't do it. :)
On my invitations, I was originally going to have a ribbon band around them, with a side bow, like you often see on David's Bridal's invitations. I didn't like how bulky they made the invitations, however. So instead, I am now wrapping the ribbon, cutting both ends at an angle, securing the two ends with an adhesive dot, and putting a seal to make it look as if the ribbon was sealed shut. Simple, easy, and less likely to cause problems with the postal service. And it's still pretty!
Now that everything's said, here are a few pictures. Please forgive my camera's refusal to take clearer images, but I did this in the evening, so the flash tended to wash things out.
Then comes the do it yourself attempts. If you've been there, you know exactly what I'm talking about. These are the things that you see in the stores, think, "Oh wow, I'd love to have that, but it's SO expensive!" and then promptly begin to dissect it mentally to see if you can recreate it yourself, for far less expense.
Truth be told, 9 times out of 10, the recreation is totally possible, depending on how crafty you are. I have glittered my own shoes, will be doing my own gown alterations, am making our invitations, making all of our floral arrangements (using the Natural Touch realistic artificial flowers from Hobby Lobby), and now have decided to make self-adhesive wax seals for the invitations.
Let me start by saying that this sounds like it's way more difficult than it is. Before I started, I read lots of "tutorials" that said they were hard to get to come out right, or try this or that. Pfft. It's simple. Really.
First, let's get together our materials:
- Wax Stamp (duh!)
- Mini Hot Glue Gun (I used a high-temp one, but it really doesn't matter much, I don't think)
- Colored Hot Glue Sticks in your choice of color (I used white glittery sticks I found at Michael's. Etsy sellers have all kinds of colors, so just look around!)
- Silicone-coated Parchment Paper (I used some Wilton's brand I already had for baking. A silicone mat will work just as well.)
- Adhesive Dots (Preferably a large size, mine were about 1/2" or so in diameter.)
I did notice a few little things while working, however. My first 10 seals or so made a bit of a noise when removing them from the stamp: kind of like peeling tape from a roll of tape. This led to the background of the seals having an almost "cracked" look. As the stamp heated up from the glue however, this happened less and less, and around the 10th or 12th seal, I was getting nice, flat, shiny backgrounds. Therefore, definitely do several "test seals" when you first start a batch, to avoid this. I could have absolutely used these if I'd wanted, and no one would have probably even noticed but me, however I wanted them to be *perfect.* I also originally started by dipping the stamp in water before pressing it into the glue, as I had read in another tutorial. This also seemed to contribute to the background problem, because it cooled the glue far too quickly. So don't do it. :)
On my invitations, I was originally going to have a ribbon band around them, with a side bow, like you often see on David's Bridal's invitations. I didn't like how bulky they made the invitations, however. So instead, I am now wrapping the ribbon, cutting both ends at an angle, securing the two ends with an adhesive dot, and putting a seal to make it look as if the ribbon was sealed shut. Simple, easy, and less likely to cause problems with the postal service. And it's still pretty!
Now that everything's said, here are a few pictures. Please forgive my camera's refusal to take clearer images, but I did this in the evening, so the flash tended to wash things out.