Custom Wax Seal

Create your own custom wax seal. Use your initials, monogram, or wedding logo. Give your invitations and thank you note some classic elegance!

SUPPLIES:
wooden dowel
wood burning tool with a fine tip
pencil
printout of design
xacto knife
sandpaper
tape
stain
old rag
vegetable oil
paper towels
sealing wax
matches

STEPS:
1. Prep the dowel by sanding the end you plan on using as the seal. Try to get out the little dings and scratches, otherwise they will show up in the wax impression.

2. Measure the exact diameter of the wooden dowel and design your seal. If you are designing a simple monogram, such as our RageHaus seal, you can easily design it in a variety of computer applications. Start by drawing a circle that is the exact diameter of the dowel with a thin stroke. Then arrange the letters within the circle. Keep in mind that you should keep the detail relatively simple unless you have a lot of experience wood burning small detail into wood.
3. Print the final design and cut out the letters with an xacto knife. Think of this step as making a stencil. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be perfect, but you do want to capture the structure of the design.


4. Flip your stencil so it reads backwards and trace the image onto the dowel. Remember that your design needs to be backwards on the seal so the impression it leaves reads correctly. Tape the stencil onto the dowel and trace your design. Once you have a good trace, take off the stencil and fill out the design where you see fit.
5. Carve out the design with the wood burning tool. I found that this tool works well for this task. They are readily available in most craft stores and come with a fine point tip that can capture small detail. I will warn you that this is the hardest part of the tutorial. I went through about three dowels before I was able to get a carving I was happy with. As you carve your design, keep the depth you carve relativity the same for the entire design so you can create an even, smooth impression in the wax.

For full directions and more pictures go to:

http://ragehaus.com/?p=1215

DIY - High Style Glamour!

I happened to stumble across this as I was looking for photos of what was in my head for my own wedding and these were nealry exactly it! They are so easy to make for a completely custom, one-of-a-kind look.

The vases are from Ikea and are 30" tall. You should be able to find something similar anywhere. Get creative with the shape too. As long as they are translucent so the light shines through and narrow at the top so you don't need 8 million feather, they'll work.

For these, they covered the vase with a peach colored girl's tights though you can use any color to match you decor. Then they wrapped the vase in tulle to give it texture.

They are lit with lights from Instalyte. There are orange, yellow and white lights used in these for a soft, peachy glow. They rigged a styrofoam light holder with tiny mirrors to reflect the light and attached this to some thread. On the morning of the wedding, the lights were turned on and lowered into the vases using the thread.

I would suggest attaching all the ostrich feathers to florist wire and sticking them into a piece for florist foam that will fit into the neck of the vase. This will make them more sturdy and you can sick them upward to make it look fuller.

Ostrich feathers are rather expensive but shop around. I found them on eBay at a great price. The people that did these got them through a place called Mother Plucker. You have to call to order them as online only sells boas and wings.

You can scatter faux crystals, tealights, or anything else around the base if you'd like. Gorgeous!