sealedwithwax

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June 2023 weekly plan

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the only thing better than sending beautiful letters, is receiving them 💕

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the one thing nobody tells you when you get into fountain pens is that you are also going to spend the rest of your days covered in fountain pen ink.

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in love with my new stamps. desperately begging you not to look at my fucked cuticles <3

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not the best photo, but I have a very tender spot in my heart for this mimosa tree stamp.

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very emotional about my stationery collection.

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02.13.23 | Ocean Vuong has put me in a contemplative mood. I sat down over the weekend to relieve my mind of all of its meandering thoughts and ruminations, and it always leaves me feeling lighter and calmer afterwards. 

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead!

♫ Love in the Time of Socialism by Yellow House 

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2023 so far

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hiya, @megalunalexi-aesthetic​! it’s pretty simple; just wipe the excess away with a tissue or paper towel. it can feel wasteful to do it this way, but you get better at using less tissue when you wipe it away. wax being what it is, it’s not ideal to use fabric which would need to be washed later. it’s easiest just to use the tissue and toss when you’re done.

thank you for the question!

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This summery seal is on its way to Eugene, Oregon.

More wax seal videos on TikTok here

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Some recent wax seal stamps I've done

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I did some Christmas wax seals today and I really enjoy matching the seal to the paper

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my table in notion where i track all the stamp shops i find and whether or not i’ve bought from them.

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i got so excited about answering questions about stamps that i just made a post lol. you can read it here! but the short answer is, i believe i got this one on amazon <3

considering posting to this TikTok again 🤔

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no one asked! but i’m having a bad day and wax seal stamps always make me feel better. so here’s my beginner’s guide to wax seal stamping.

i’ll start by saying that if you are an absolute beginner, i do highly recommend buying a kit on amazon. this is the one i bought when i got started, and it’s served me well. the kits come with a stamp, a variety of decent quality wax, melting stoves/furnaces, the tea lights that go in them, some cheap stationery, and usually some metallic pens and maybe some glitter or ribbons for decorating. if you’ve got the wax seal fever though, the kits are pretty limited with the actual stamp situation. so when you’re ready to branch out and try additional things, here’s my breakdown of where to do it and how to use what you might encounter.

wax seal stamps: these are the metal (usually brass) devices used to make an impression in the melted wax. they’re the best part of the process, and come in countless patterns, images, symbols, etc. the higher the quality stamp, the cleaner the imprint in the wax.

stamps can cost anywhere from a few u.s. dollars to $50 or more. most quality stamps will run around $20-$35. some of my favorite places to buy (in order of lowest prices to highest) are:

craspire

misterrobinson

back to zero

artisaire

stoves and spoons: these are basic tools you can purchase anywhere. the ones on amazon are exactly the same as the ones you’ll find at fancier stamp studios and boutiques. you may find some variety in type of stove, but i’ve honestly had the best luck with the stove you’d find in any starter kit.

you’ll also find varietiy in spoons, though i’ve never really found a difference in quality. any differences you want in a spoon come down to size, in my experience.

sealing wax: okay! the best part of the experience after the stamps themselves. when buying wax online, depending on where you’re purchasing from, there is a higher risk of getting a less quality product. the biggest issues with cheap wax are a) the smell (can be strong and unpleasant) and b) the texture (may melt poorly, stain or stick to the spoon).

wax can be purchased on different forms and for different purposes. flexible wax is best for sealing letters and surviving the post office. older, more traditional waxes are inflexible, sticky, and break easily. they work better for hand delivering letters/documents. further, wax can be purchased in bead form (usually hexagonal in shape) or in stick form, designed for low-heat glue guns.

i recommend buying wax from all the places listed for stamps, minus craspire. i only hesitate to list them because i haven’t bought and tested their wax before, so i can’t speak to the quality. i also recommend wax from:

letter seals

sea and paper

accessories: these are the fun extra things you can use to prettify your seals, and the additional tools you might find useful. this includes silicone work pads, stirring tools, tweezers, more decorative handles, glitter, metallic inks, dried flowers, etc. the best place to get accessories in my opinion are:

sea and paper

paper ocelot

back to zero

fiona ariva

so, there you go! my guide to getting started with stamps. i’m kinda desperate to talk about stamps all the time, so please feel free to send an ask or reply to this post if you have any questions <3

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pls also peep the octopus from misterrobinson as well. letter seals probably has an octopus too!

eta, they have octopus and squids!

Outgoing letters 💕🖋️💌

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for anyone curious about wax seal stamps, i’m also happy to answer any questions, or even do color/theme requests i can film for tiktok 💕 i have a stupid number of stamps and a ton of colors of wax to play around with.