​In 2014, I went to see a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, California. I had just decided to take a break from art school, which was scary, and I was having anxiety. I wanted to take acting lessons, which really weren’t helped by the anxiety.

That psychiatrist prescribed me an anti-psychotic.

If you’re thinking, “Wow, that seems extreme,” you’d be right. You may also be thinking “If you have no form of psychosis, that doesn’t seem good.”
And you’d be right again.

When my partner (Lou) and I were evicted from our Montréal rental home in December 2025, we thought we were going to be out on the streets. While each fighting life-threatening infections. We didn’t know how we were going to survive.

After a two-year battle to get necessary repairs to the rental for defects causing toxic mold, the local housing tribunal allowed our absentee landlord to evict us instead, without ever hearing our case. This was also a battle against language exclusion, discrimination and non-functioning infrastructure— and it cost us both our health and our livelihoods as remote workers.
​
After this harrowing two years, fighting not only that landlord but moving immigration goalposts and dental malpractice, the creative work I’ve built a life around became impossible. The nexus of the mold issue was in the basement, which had been my studio office. (We chose the house entirely because of that space, by the way.) If that didn’t keep me from working, the severe infection from defective dental work spreading to my face certainly did.

I couldn’t make videos about crafts without a workspace, or characters and stories while fighting facial infections, so with no other option, Lou and I began to record what we were going through. We pivoted, hoping to at least raise awareness around the unnecessary hardships imposed on us.

That may sound like its own saga, (and you can certainly watch the ongoing docu-series that chronicles it below: The Last Threshold) but it’s actually where our story begins.

Faux wax-sealed parchment envelopes that actually close. No wax, glue or even parchment required. Just your printer and some scissors.  Find the free printable template and instructions below. 

From wizard schools to Austenian estates, a wax-sealed parchment envelope is a pretty integral part of the vibe. Though, as fun as authentic sealing wax is, I think we can all agree that not everyone has that kind of time. Or money. Or burn tolerance. (Just because I dedicate a corner of every living space to traditional letter-writing... )
​
​If you're making party invitations or props for a roleplaying game, you probably have about a hundred other jobs to do as well, and it quickly adds up. 

So I wanted to develop something that feels right, looks good, and that anyone can make quickly. 

It's never a bad idea to know how to fold an envelope.
Since I've hand-drawn my own instructions anyway as part of When The Wisplings Call, our new game of fairy letters, mini quests, and paper props, I thought I'd share them.
​
These are obviously for a little seed pouch in service of a creature named Tigwin, but as long as you have a square piece of paper, you can fold it at any scale.

I actually really enjoyed drawing these kinds of instructions, and if I get to a place in life where I'm able, I'd love to do more or even take commissions. 
Here are the instructions, and you can download this page as a PDF:

As always, I LOVE seeing what people make over on the forum!

​-Az

Pepper's Ghost is a stage effect dating back to the 1500s, allowing designers to 'project' a ghostly image seemingly into a real space with only glass and clever lighting. It was popularized in the 19th century, and is still used in themed entertainment today. A famous example for theme-park fans would be the ballroom scene in Disney's Haunted Mansion, but even within Disney the effect has been perfected, now for a pretty stunning impact in Tokyo Disneyland's Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast.

Make any window into a gothic cathedral fever dream. This is my process for DIY window-safe, peel away, re-usable "stained glass" window films, using deceptively simple supplies. They can be used for anything from Halloween decorations to themed events, parties, or photoshoots. This knowledge is my gift to you.