When I was in high school (or maybe even middle school?), I had a wax seal with the letter J on it (mom, any idea where that might be?). I loved how it made me feel like royalty and how it made everything I sealed with it much more important. The seal was only to be broken by the person to whom the note was addressed, and if it was broken in advance they’d know the secret enclosed in the note would be out! I mean really, as if the world didn’t already know that Frank had a crush on Erin, c’mon…but still, any notes sealed with it were TOP SECRET.
Now that I’m seeing all these pictures of invitations or favors from Flush Designs that use wax seals, I am convinced that I once again need one.
{images and designs by Flush Designs}
The white one on the bottom reminded me of marshmallows! We had been thinking of having s’mores kits as favors, and how cool would it be to seal it with brown and white wax seals? Yum.
I had found a monogram of our initials in a book of monograms from the 1800′s, and after quite some time with it in photoshop, I’m leaning towards incorporating it into our wedding:
Will I lose a lot of the detail though if it’s in a seal? What I love most about this monogram is all the detail that it has and I’d hate for it to come out looking like an insect of some sort. Has anyone ever ordered a custom seal before? Any words of advice?
Another blogger friend of mine, Kristal, suggested using colored glue sticks and a glue gun instead of melted wax which sounds like SUCH an easier way to stamp. Anyone try it?
So, I’ve seen wax seals on invitation suites, programs, and I’m thinking of using them to seal bags for favors. Has anyone seen or used seals in these ways or other ways? OR, better yet, have you tried it yourself? Is it a DIY nightmare?
i used wax seals on our invitations and they came out great! i bought wax glue sticks for use in a glue gun, it was really easy and really fun!
Kim – did you find that you lost some of the detail in your seal though? Do you think if I had one custom made with that monogram that all the detail would still be there?
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I love wax seals too! I don’t know if we’ll add them to our invites, but now that I know about the glue gun trick I might consider it.
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I’m currently working on an invitation suite for a couple that incorporates a wax seal and they are so unique.. I will be sure to share when they are finished!
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What a beautiful touch to an invitation! And s’mores favor bags? Yum!
Can’t wait to see your DIY adventure with the wax. :)
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My fiance got me a custom wax seal when we were dating with my initials. I don’t remember off the top of my head if it’s as detailed as what you’re proposing, but it’s certainly more detailed than the wax seal images you showed and it comes out just fine. It’s not that much to get them made, so it would be worth a try!
I would recommend taking a look at this web site:
http://www.ateliergargoyle.com/
Linnea Lundquist & Ward Dunham are a married couple and fellow calligraphers. They’re located in San Francisco. They work with a fellow in England bringing back vintage seals and they can help you design custom seals. They’d be able to answer all your questions about the image you’ve chosen. I’m sure of it. They are very, very, very nice people. Don’t hesitate to call or e-mail them.
I use Atelier Gargoyle’s sealing wax all the time too. It is THE best sealing wax out there – I swear by it. When sealing an envelope, I’ve never had a client say the seal was crumbled or missing. That’s because of its unique flexibility. It’s always been just as beautiful received, going through the postal system, as it was when sent. The wax even has a pleasant, mild scent. I little bit of clove and cinnamon is what it reminds me of. Just a hint.
Hope that helps! Using seals is sort of a dying art so it’s always nice to see a come back in unique and creative ways.
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I am also currently working on an invitation suite using wax seals. However, we have decided to go with some peel n’ stick wax seals with a custom monogram that I found over at waxseals.com. The bride figures if they’re good enough for Wolfgang Puck, they’re good enough for her, which is good enough for me. Plus, she doesn’t want to spend upwards of a minute per invite hand-stamping 175 invites. Anyone else used the peel n’ stick seals before? I hope they’re good!
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This is a divine post! I have just gotten so much inspiration.
I just ordered a wax seal with my fiance and mine initials (bit of an impulse purchase from Inscriber) now I think I have some good ideas!
Ta
I share your love of wax seals. We used a custom monogram for our wedding and I always send special packages sealed with wax for that extra flair.