{ Krafted } My very own wax seals!

There are some of us, who are "old souls" who get excited over things that remind you of the good things people saw, heard, felt or used in the past. You've probably heard of wax seals. They are tiny circular flat objects made of wax the size of a one peso coin. In the past, they were used to seal letters and would bear the family crest or emblem of the sender. They are still made today more of an accessory for aesthetic purposes than functional. But you have to admit — they are classic, elegant and would make lovely additions to traditional mail and these days, it can be added to invitations, packaging and other craft projects.

Sealing envelopes with wax is easy but it takes a bit more time to produce (compared to how we seal envelopes these days). You need a few important supplies — the wax, source of heat (candle) to melt the wax and a stamp — the stamp being the most expensive of these.

What makes the seals so close to people's hearts is the fact that it's representative of its owner or sender. The appeal of wax seals is from the fact that you see your name, or alphabets of your initials ora a family crest when you send out something – anything that says it's from you. Very much like signing it before sending it out.

I went looking for resources because I was definitely wanted to design my own. I will tell you now, and I think you already know it, that it's not cheap to have a wax seal stamp custom-made. But the crafty person that I am, I had to give it a shot and satisfy the curiosity.

I drafted options. I didn't want it to be too specific (due to the cost), so I decided on designs that other people can use. And I wanted it to be in calligraphy because I'm big on personal touch. My final designs were inspired by countless pins saved to my Pinterest boards... all those amazing work and photography always gets me excited and craving for more.

So far, my wax seals are:

1. with love 25mm
2. handmade 25mm
3. thank you 30mm
4. Krafted "K" logo for personal branding needs

Here they are!

Expecting { Ling and Anton }

This has been a long-awaited blessing for Ling and Anton. Soon they will be welcoming a bouncing baby boy. Ling and I know each other through a common friend and have seen each other occasionally in events and gatherings in the past. It was only this warm but nice Saturday afternoon that I got to sit and talk with her and her hubby ever since we were introduced.

This maternity shoot allowed for us a chance to chat about her anticipating a child and a few stories about the world of weddings and event photography. A friend of mine was with us that afternoon who is also a mom, which was great because it was a perfect time for them to exchange stories of motherhood and anticipating the journey of caring for a child.

Ling and Anton are not used to having photo sessions and they told me they chose not to have a pre-wedding shoot. I thought of giving them a little bit of those couple moments along with intimate shots with Ling's beautiful baby bump. They were willing to go an extra mile for the photos but I kept it safe and relaxed because I wanted them to be comfortable and not feel shy or awkward. This was a very low-key session, no fuss at all. Actually just the way I liked it.

We wrapped up after an hour. We spent the rest of the afternoon over pizza and pasta, enjoying the sand in our feet and the breeze under a shade. We're sending warm congrats to both and we look forward to meeting this baby boy, praying for a safe delivery for Ling!