Wax seal stamps on letters may be synonymous with period dramas but they can be a lovely touch to modern-day post too.
Although you might not want to send them entirely without an envelope, it is still possible to fold and seal a letter without one. And even if you do end up sending it within an envelope there’ll still be a sense of surprise and joy at cracking that seal and unfolding the letter within. Not to mention feeling VERY sophisticated.
It is actually really simple to do. When you know how.
The main thing to remember is that you only want one unfolded edge to be visible, and that’s the final fold which is the first to be opened. Otherwise everything else is folded inwards so there’s no gaps. And when doing the folding make sure you go over the fold more than once, so it’s sharp and crisp. It not only helps keep the paper neat so it’s easier to read but also cuts down on bulk and helps keep it all tight together without putting extra strain on the seal.
This example has been done with a [UK] sheet of A4 paper, mainly because it’s a standard size and easier to demonstrate with than smaller sheets, but obviously the same folds can apply to paper of any size.
With your paper flat, start by folding one side just over halfway into the centre, and then spin it round 180 degrees and do the same to the other side. By being just over half you get a little bit of overlap in the middle which is what you’re after.
Next, spin the paper through 90 degrees and fold up the edge nearest you away from you, just under halfway up. Keeping the paper the same way then fold again so the folded edge from the first fold is level with the edge of the top layer of paper, leaving about an 1.5” at the top with nothing covering it.
This is then your final flap which you can fold down and seal.
Next question is which seal and coloured wax are you going to use?!
To help all of this make sense, there's a little video of the process on my Instagram account.
And don’t forget we’ve got seal’s that are very much for modern day correspondence - which you can find right here, along with other accessories you might want too.
Pin me to your board for later on!
