wax seals...

wax seals:

are. just. plain. awesome.

the spectrum of appeal ranges from romantic to modern. they add that little something extra to an invitation or envelope. and the colors are endless!

my favorite wax is from nostalgic impressions - and get this: it comes in sticks that fit into a large glue gun! oh, yeah...you got this, let's make this process easier.

now, when i first heard of glue gun wax sealing techniques - i was like: "finally! a no mess solution!" now, whereas they do help make the wax sealing process more fluid and less disastrous - please do note that you will still make a mess. the glue gun likes to spurt out wax randomly, so make sure you have it sequestered to its own area (and completely away from anything that you do not want wax on). because of this + the river of wax that will run down from the tip of your glue gun - ensure that you do purchase extra sticks of wax. the website says that one stick can do 10-15 wax impressions. this is a fairly accurate estimate which will vary on the size of your seal + the extra wasted wax. i always do the math based on 10 impressions, and add three more sticks for good luck. always best to be more prepared than not.

last piece of advice, keep a stopwatch on hand (or the stopwatch feature on you phone, that's what i use) - because you do not want to press the seal down automatically. give the wax 30+ seconds to finish bubbling, and slightly begin the hardening process - then press the seal down. definitely do a trial run before moving on to the real deal, wax will set differently depending on the temperature in your house too. a cool day will quicken the hardening of wax, for example. 

as for the glue gun you used - i would keep that particular glue gun just for that color of wax. buy glue guns in bulk if you can, or use the coupons always offered through michael's or joann's fabrics to get a gun here and there for 40-50% off. 

don't want the mess or timeliness of wax? seals do come self-adhesive as well. i order these by the bag, because they are great to have on hand for styled shoots or mockups for clients. 

have fun!


xo,

​raina