Sealing wax

Use sealing wax to seal a letter, a wedding announcement, an invitation or a gift. Here you'll find sticks in packs of 4 as well as beads that you melt in a spoon. The wax comes from the French brand Aladine in metallic, pearlescent, pastel, glitter and translucent shades, along with classic red and black. Seal stamps, handles, wax guns and kits are in the wax sealing category.

Sealing wax sticks or beads – which should I choose?

• Sticks come in packs of 4 and you melt them in a hot glue gun. The wax flows straight onto the paper, so you can quickly make dozens of seals in a row, for example for wedding announcements. The wax is flexible, which means the seal on an envelope won't crack easily when it bends.
• You melt beads in a metal spoon over a candle. They're handy when you're making just a few seals, and you can mix your own shade right in the spoon. They come in single-colour packs as well as boxes with several colours.

How do I make a wax seal?

1. Melt the wax – a stick in the glue gun, beads in the spoon.
2. Pour a small blob of wax onto the envelope, paper or ribbon.
3. While the wax is still soft, press the seal stamp into it and hold it for a moment.
4. Lift the stamp only once the wax has set – the impression stays sharp.

What colour of sealing wax should I choose?

Red, burgundy and black look classic on letters and envelopes. For wedding announcements and invitations, gold, copper, pearl or pastel shades work well and match the paper and ribbon. Glitter sticks brighten up Christmas gifts, while translucent beads give a soft, light seal. A wax seal also decorates album pages in scrapbooking.