Want to learn how to create fabulous old-fashioned wax seals? I promise it’s easy! Here’s everything you need to know to use a wax seal stamp to make your very own personal wax seals.

Wax stamping is an easy and elegant way to add a timeless and old-world charm to your letters, wedding invitations, parcels, pages, planners or anything else that sits still long enough to attach your wax seal!  You can achieve beautiful results on the first try and there are a rainbow of wax colors and thousands of wax seal stamps to choose from, one for every conceivable occasion.

But where to begin?

Let me answer that question by walking you through the basic materials and the simplest way to start your wax stamping journey, but be sure to subscribe to see more ideas that you can use for any art, craft, journaling and even your planner!

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3 Basic Wax Stamping Supplies

1. Sealing Wax either as a wax stick or as wax beads.

• Wax Sticks - Like candles some wax sticks have a wick through the center.  You light the wick using a match or lighter to melt the wax, which you then drip onto your project - I find this a messy process so I won't be talking much about these!
• Wax Beads - Just like the name says these are small beads of wax that you melt in the bowl of a spoon and then pour onto your project or a non-stick surface.  These are my favorites as it's simple, you can use multiple colors and clean-up is easy.

2. Wax stamps consist of a handle (usually wood, metal or plastic - some are works of art!) and the metal wax stamp that screws onto the handle.
There will be a wax stamp design (also called a Head) for every possible style you might like, from romantic wedding stamps right through to Halloween!  While wax stamps are most often round, they come in ovals, squares, rectangles and other shapes.  Can't find exactly what you want - then you can even get your own personalized stamp head made!

3. Heat source to melt the wax, usually, a tea light candle or a tealight that is part of a Sealing Wax melting pot also called a wax seal warmer, wax seal furnace, sealing wax stove or wax seal spoon holder.  These are used with a wax spoon and the wax beads I mentioned earlier, though you can also cut up wax sticks and melt these in the furnace as well.  Make sure to purchase a wax spoon with a heat-resistant handle (wood, acrylic etc) or you might end up with burned fingers!

With these 3 simple supplies: wax, stamp and heat, you can create gorgeous stamped wax seals for a variety of uses (of course there are also ways to make your wax seals even more amazing but that's a story for another post).

There are multiple ways to create a perfect wax seal including the traditional wax sticks, wax guns etc. but I'm going to focus on the way that's simple, and most likely to give fabulous results - all without burning your fingers or making a mess!   So let's talk about creating a wax seal using a wax furnace and spoon.

BASIC PROCESS

The easiest way to make a simple wax seal is to:

How to make a Wax Seal with Wax Beads, a Furnace and a Wax Stamp

1. Start by getting your materials together, when working with hot wax everything you need should be in easy reach.
   
   
2. Light your tealight candle and place it beneath your wax spoon - I like to use a wax furnace to hold the spoon so that I don't need to!
   TIP: make sure to do this on a heat-safe surface or even a heat-safe craft mat, you should never place your candle on paper or plastic!
   
   
3. Add 3-4 wax beads into the bowl of the spoon (or 4-5 for larger stamps), and leave the spoon over the flame for a minute or so until the wax beads have melted.   If the wax starts bubbling, you have over-melted it, let the wax cool until the bubbles disappear, before placing back over your heat source.
   TIP: If you hold your spoon too close to the flame you will end up with soot on the bottom of the spoon, make sure this does not end up in your wax seal by cleaning thoroughly between uses.
   
   
4. Slowly pour your melted wax onto the surface of your project completely emptying the melted wax from the spoon (or onto a non-stick craft mat if you would prefer to use your seal later).  Your wax should be just a little smaller than your stamp. 
   
   
5. Check your wax stamp is the right way up and gently place the stamp onto the pool of wax.  The excess wax will squeeze around the edges of the stamp. 
   TIP: If you'd like to make your seals more quickly then rub an ice cube onto your stamp head before stamping into the hot wax.  This will cool down the stamp and make the wax cool quicker.
   
   
6. Let the stamp sit in the wax for a minute or two and then gently pull the stamp away from the wax to reveal your design, if you feel resistance then leave it to sit in the wax a little longer.
   TIP: If you want to use the wax seal for later, pour the wax onto a craft mat or other non-stick surface, and then once it cools you can remove it and attach it when ready. 
   
   
7. Oh and don't forget to clean the wax or soot from your spoon, use a paper towel and wipe out any leftover wax while the spoon is still warm and the wax is still liquid.

Take a look at my Wax Stamping Basics video to see these products in action

If the idea of needing to choose each of these items leaves you feeling a bit overwhelmed then many major companies sell Basic Wax Stamping Kits, Amazon and Craspire  have so many to choose from you are certain to find something perfect.  Most kits will come with wax beads, wax stamp and stamp handle, wax spoon, wax furnace and may even have the tea light candles you'll need.  Make sure to read the description to make sure you will have everything you need before clicking BUY.

If you are looking to stock up on any of the Wax seal supplies I've mentioned be sure to check out the amazing ranges of Wax Seal stamps, warmers, sealing wax and accessories on:

• Amazon - https://capitaloneshopping.com/s/amazon.com/coupon
• eBay - https://capitaloneshopping.com/s/ebay.com/coupon
• Happy Wax - https://capitaloneshopping.com/s/happywax.com/coupon
• Craspire - https://www.craspire.com/Craspire

So now that you've made some simple wax seals what do you do with them?

How to use Wax Seals

You can use wax seals to:

1. Close the pages of a letter before popping it into an envelope
2. Seal an envelope closed before popping it in the mail (though your seal might become damaged in the post.  I'd recommend using 2 envelopes and placing the wax-sealed envelope inside a plain outer envelope).  If you'd like to make extra sure your beautiful wax creation is protected, consider singing your letter/invitation, etc in a rigid mailer or a very thin cardboard box made for fancy cards.
3. Decorate a journal page
4. Decorate a document or certificate
5. Create special baby shower or graduation party invitations
6. Add to ribbon or twine on a parcel for an extra special touch
7. Add seals to presents for an extra luxe touch
8. My favorite idea and how I first learned about wax stamps - Wedding Invitations

I hope you've enjoyed these ideas, and can see that with only 3 basic materials you can begin creating wax seals, that are just perfect for a wide variety of memorable projects. Not only will you be adding a little old world charm and personal flair, but you are likely to delight your recipients when they pull your envelope out of their mailbox. Give wax seals a try today and let me know how you go!