By now, you've probably seen a few cards featuring this cute donkey telling 2020 to get outta here! This particular image from the Darling Donkeys stamp set was begging for the task. I made several of these cards after Christmas and watercolored the sky and hilly pasture, although this was the only pasture that was brown (dirt). The others were green and looked much better, but I had the envelopes sealed before I realized that I had not taken photos. I had one other design as follows:
This was actually the first card that I made, and I thought the donkey looked cute taking a bite out of 2020.
Now . . . what are your thoughts about wax seals? Maybe I was a Victorian lady in a previous life, but I could waste a lot of time (and I have) watching videos of wax seals being made. There's just something about the process that I really enjoy. It's kind of like the enjoyment of watching someone decorate cookies and cakes. You enjoy that, right?
On some of the envelopes for my donkey cards, I placed a wax seal. I'm aware that the mail wasn't fancy or formal, but I often forget that I have a collection of wax, melting candles, brass stamps, etc. When I saw the supplies on the shelf, I decided to go for it. Personally, I love the look of wax seals and whenever I "play" with fire and wax, I want to put a pretty seal on everything! But . . . the process really slows down the time between addressing an envelope and getting it to the mailbox. And, of course, there's the dreaded reality of having to affix additional postage since the envelopes most likely will need to be hand-cancelled. A person also has to be mindful to keep a cup of water close by if using candles instead of a suitable wax/glue gun because the desk/table can become cluttered, and a plethora of items could go up in flames quickly. Of course, wax seals could be made ahead of time and placed on envelopes with adhesive, but I haven't tried that yet.
One of the fun things about losing time while watching wax seals being made is learning little tricks such as pouring wax over a twine bow. This was something that I've wanted to try and . . . no . . . I have never (until recently) sent an envelope with a bow attached to it. This is something that would really dress up a gift box or even a tag but, if you're going to pour wax over a twine bow on an envelope, maybe it would be best to hand-deliver that envelope. As far as I know, all of my cards got delivered without issue. Did the envelopes "require" additional postage? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't send a wax seal through the postal service without it.
Let me know if you enjoy making wax seals and how you like to use them. As well, do you like the look of them or think they look like an ugly blob of something that spilled onto the envelope? :-)
1 comment:
These were really cute cards, I know I got a kick out of mine! Back in the 70s after I moved to NC I did A LOT of letter writing and used wax seals. It was fun and added a bit of elegance to my parchment stationery and fountain penned letters.
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