My name is Allison McClanahan, and I am a calligrapher and stationer. For my wedding clients, I work with ribbon and wax seals which makes a piece of mail extra fun to receive. In this class, I’ll show you my favorite methods for creating wax seals and tying ribbons.  

Topics covered

• Wax and sealing stamps sourcing
• Ribbon sourcing
• Gold marker brand
• Wax seal formation--various methods and shapes with a focus on the glue gun method
• Ribbon/wax seal combinations
  • opposite direction tails
  • same direction tails
• Ribbon tying
  • knot
  • bow
• How to keep your wax seal and ribbon from attaching to the paper

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and available starting December 5, 2021 to enrolled students. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets right away!

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Supplies

• Sealing wax (I prefer glue gun sticks from Artisaire) 
• Sealing stamps (shown in video: Artisaire, Elisa Anne Calligraphy, Hobby Lobby) 
• Ribbon (I use...

Make a splash of brightly colored leaves and florals to bring a little happy to your work space or send to someone else. We will start with a step-by-step process of creating each of these different designs with watercolors. You’ll learn some special techniques for painting florals, how to give them an extra sparkle with gold paint, and how to get a layered pop-up effect for a 3-D card that will wow the recipient.

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available in the class archive.  Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

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Materials Needed

Pop up dots

EK Success Cutter Bee Precision Scissors

Watercolor Paint Palette

Silver Brush Black Velvet Round Brush Size 6

Princeton Aqua Elite 4850 Synthetic Kolinsky Round Brush Size 6

Strathmore Watercolor Cards and Envelopes, Pack of 10, or

Strathmore Watercolor Cards and Envelopes, Pack of 50

Daniel Smith Watercolors

Daniel Smith...

Calligraphy on envelopes! This is what drew me to calligraphy in the first place, and it is still my very favorite thing to do.

Topics Covered:

• Consistency in letter forms
• Using a Lightbox with your favorite guidelines
• Using a Phantom Liner
• Judging your spacing for centering
• Common addressing anxieties
• Flourishing to take up space/balance
• Knowing where to start on your envelope
• Suggestions for talking to clients about postage
• And other resources and tips spread throughout!

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available in the class archive. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Members Only: Access the Class

Enroll in Tier 2 Now

Materials Needed: 

• Envelopes. I recommend Paper Source and Cards and Pockets for smooth quality envelopes. In the video, I am using Crane and Co’s Lettra which is slightly more challenging to write on, but has a lovely texture. It is 100% cotton. I found my box of Lettra envelopes on Amazon.  I...

Got mail to send? Have you thought about decorating the front (and back) of that envelope? How many times have you seen a beautifully decorated envelope and thought to yourself, "That's gorgeous!" but stopped because it either looked too difficult or time consuming? Well, envelope art can be as simple as putting some creative lettering on the front or complex with intricate flourishes and designs. This class is about finding that middle ground with floral borders that you can easily create a handful at a time and have envelopes ready to address and mail!

Topics Covered

• Examples 
• Finding inspiration from what is inside the envelope
• How to decant watercolors from your pans to a palette
• A large loose floral element on one corner (front and back) and outlining it to make it pop
• Using masking tape to create a border
• How to use a wedge brush and a round brush for each floral element
• How to create a floral border with just paint and another with outlines and a last one without...

Sending old fashioned letters through the mail is a beautiful way to use your calligraphy. It brings joy to the receiver, and is relatively inexpensive! It can be so much fun, but you can't necessarily just stick any stamp on any envelope... different ink requires different postage amounts as does different weights, sizes, and even lumpiness! Then what do you actually put into the letter? It may be easy to write a page (or four!) to your best friend, but what if you want to send mail to someone you don't know well (like in the KCA Snail Mail Database)? I have you covered in this class.

Topics Covered

• Postage- how much it costs to mail a letter and what costs extra
• What to put inside the envelope, especially if you don't know the recipient well
• Some formal etiquette do's and don'ts
• How to make an envelope liner

Want to join us for class? It's offered on-demand and now available in the class archive. Enjoy this video and printable worksheets today!

Members Only: Access the...