If you’re using a single stamp multiple times in a row, put it in a bowl with a bag of ice cubes after each use. This keeps your seal stamp cool and the design stays sharp. (I saw this tip on a different channel and do it every time I use my wax seals!)
I personally haven’t had any issue with condensation. I just haven’t sent most stampers/crafters suggest chilling the stamp, so I wanted to mention it in case people only had one stamp or wanted to use one stamp multiple times in a row.
I set up a double boiler kind of thing, with ice in one bowl and another bowl on top. The ice chills the top bowl which cools the metal of the stamp between uses. I do blot the stamp on a microfiber cloth to get rid of any moisture before using it. Works like a charm when I have a massive amount of Christmas cards to seal!❤
@@Rebeccacell when the ice is in a plastic bag with the barest bit of water, since you’re resting the stamp on the bag, not the ice, there’s very little condensation. But having a little, folded microfiber towel by the bag to quickly press the stamp onto will remove any, if there is some.
I do something similar to that in which I fill a plastic sandwich bag with ice and water and seal it shut, then I place my stamp on top of the bag to keep it cool. Works great! Love your idea too ❤
for cooling off the stamp you can just get an ice cube and press the stamp on it and then wipe the wetness off and your good to use it again more faster
I cut up clear glue sticks and add a little to the melting wax. It stretches my wax bead supply and I find the highlighting pens stick better. I’ve added the glitter glue sticks to get a very pretty sparkle without the mess of loose glitter. I use about the equivalent of two wax beads for the glue.
Love the tips! If you want less soot, you should try clean burning candles. Paraffin wax produces soot but candles out of soy or bees wax (cleaner than soy) burn cleaner, producing little to no soot. You can search for "clean burning tea candles" to get more information, including where to buy. Thanks for all your videos!
You will get smaller, thinner and more perfect wax seals if you practice a lot using the pressing technique. I don’t let the was stamp sink into the wax by itself. I hold it down like you did when you used the twine and pine sprig. As you practice, you’ll get thinner rounder seals. I like them smaller and thinner because they use less wax and add less bulk to a card or envelope. I use a lot of layers and foam tape. If I add a large wax seal too I often have to pay more for either the thickness or weight of my envelope. When I lose my crafty mojo, I make wax seals to still get in some satisfying crafty time.
Wonderful hints, Yana! One more-put some ice cubes in a plastic bag to rest stamps onto so they’ll be chilled. When ready to use, press for a second onto a small microfiber towel (they don’t have lint) in case there’s any condensation, though there shouldn’t be much, if any. Tip is from Katrina Crouch on youtube who is a stationer and also artist who teaches drawing. (She’s not a card maker or paper crafter.) And other than with your affiliate links, I’d love to know how else to support you, since there isn’t the additional choice just under your videos that some have. So many people think of you, I do every day. May there be peace in the Ukraine.
That is a very good tip, thank you for sharing. The temperature of the spoon does matter, so I'll definitely give this cooling method a try. I appreciate your support and kind words. Thank you ❤️
thank you so much! i am a 40 year old man who in his whole life never did anything creative and this gave me so much inspiration! having fun trying out wax sealed flower letters 🙂
One last hint: not all beads are created equal. 😊 The size and the quality varies, so if you’re having trouble making good seals and have purchased a bunch of inexpensive beads, that could be the issue.
That is old is new again, isn't that how saying goes? I'm glad seals are making a comeback. I think they are an amazing addition to handmade cards and envelopes ❤️
Does anyone have any tips for getting a smoother stamp surface? Every time I try (whether beads or wax gun) the stamped surface always comes out bubbly.
I wonder if the wax is the issue? Maybe try a different wax & see if that helps at all. Or maybe the wax is too hot when you’re pouring it. Perhaps a few seconds less over the flame? I haven’t encountered that at all, so I don’t have any other ideas for you. I hope someone does though, or that these couple ideas end up helping.
So much good information, Yana. Thank you. Stacey of Scrapbooking Made Simple uses a heat gun to melt the wax instead of a candle. I'm a bit clumsy, so prefer that method. No fire for me!!!
Thanks, Yana! Love your tips. I just opened my Spellbinders kit and I’m so excited to start making better seals. My old spoons are too tiny and I really like the size in the spellbinders kit.
Thank you for the ideas! I fell into the stamping rabbit hole a few months ago and it's become my obsession! I do have a question though- do you use anything to preserve highlighting powders, pens, or creams? I've found that any highlighting finishes often wear away quickly, and I have yet to find any discussion about this.
Have you also used a slab of marble to help cool off the seals between uses? It is excellent at absorbing heat away helping the metal to cool down faster. Dog groomers use this trick to keep their clipper blades cool.
Metallic markers are nice for a budget, but another more eye-popping option would just be to splurge on gilding powders. Simply breathe on a cool stamp to get it faintly damp with the humidity of your breath, then lightly tap onto the gilding powder. Lightly brush any powder out of the design grooves. This gives you a guilded background for your colored wax to rise through and looks fantastic for special occasion seals. But if you just want to highlight the raised design, then the markers/paint pens are still best (just tap instead of drag)
Will the wax seal melt on the card when sent through the post, or on a really hot day. I have had 40 degree Celsius in the house and my candle has turned into liquid . What I'm asking is the wax seal durable?
@@harriettezmalloy7182 Yes, that is correct, the candle wax is in a decorative glass container and it wasn't lit. Temperatures get very high in Australia, hence the wax did turn into liquid. Once the temperature dropped the wax solidified again The wax may have been poor quality , however, the candle purchase was significant. Thank you for your reassurance that you have had no issues. Good to hear.
GREAT Tutorial!! Thank you so very much for taking the time to make this tutorial! I'm new to using wax stamps and although I've had some minor success with it, I believe that what you've shown here will kick my seals over the top!!
Fantastic video! I love wax seals and you shared some tips that I hadn't thought of. Thank you so much! Quick Question... what is the grey mat you are using to make your seals on? It looks like either the Spellbinders adapter plate D or the embossing mat. I had thought of trying one of those to do my seals, instead of my glass mat, so I could easily move them around, but was afraid I'd damage the mat.
Lol, it is the rubber mat for embossing 😆 good eye! I could find the silicone mat that comes with the kit when I was filming, so I had to improvise, and this silicone mat worked so good.
Will that wax crack on back of an envelope? Can it go thru the mail? I have some sticks from years ago that didn't crack. They had no wick. Rather expensive. If I wasn't so lazy or tired, I'd go look at the brand. Like this video. Thanks!!
I've only used beeswax tealight candles, and I have a lot of soot on the back of my spoon. In my experience, it really depends on how tall the flame is and how close it is to the spoon.
Oooh! I can’t wait to try all these new tips! Your package was so beautiful! I never thought of using the seal that way…what a great idea. Looks like you’re having a lot of fun with your seal kit! 🥳 I just got some of the cool spellbinders dies to put under the seal so I’ll be creating with those soon! Thanks, Yana! We love you too! 💜💜💜
Yana such a useful video, thanks for taking the time to share what you have learned working with wax. It is definitively a technique I am already loving.
I purchased an inexpensive electric wax seal warmer from Amazon and it works a charm. Fits a standard wax spoon and eliminates the open flame entirely. I never loved the idea of an open flame in my crowded craft room filled with mostly flammable items (not to mention our Ragdoll cat) and this turned out to be a fantastic solution. Everyone is different but I prefer my seals to be round so I invested in a silicone wax seal mold and I love the results. A tip for the wax seal mold: you want the round cavities to be 1.2"/32mm for a standard 1" wax seal stamp. Most are 1.4"/36mm and it takes a lot more wax to fill the cavity.
Yana, may I ask for how long should the stamp stay on the melted wax before it is safe to remove it? I tried earlier to place a seal on top of a ribbon for my niece's gift and I did press the stamp on it but when I tried to remove the stamp it got stuck and trying to remove it lead to 2 ruined seals as they both came off being stuck to the stamp. Ugh! I must have done something wrong, but trying to figure out what. Maybe I pressed too hard? Did I remove the stamp too soon or too late? Help! And thank you! Awesome tips 🙏❤️🤗🙏👍🏻
Great tips, thank you! May I ask, what is the gray mat that you are using on which you are making the seals? I like the idea of making them separately and then adding them to my cards so that I don't accidentally ruin a card! Thanks again!
