Aeclectic Tarot Forum - How do you "display" your collector decks? Not a simple storage question *s*

Musie

29-12-2002, 19:44

I am not really a collector, but I have decks that I can not read with or do not regularly read with, or I just can not part with them because I think I could end up reading them one day or I just love to ooh and aah over my deck so much that I keep it (ie: my halloween deck :)

I know that storage of decks has already been addressed on the forums, but there must be a nice way to "display" your favorite decks instead of simply stuffing them in say a shoe box or night table drawer *g*

Any of you have unique ways of displaying your decks or favorite decks in plain view in your home, like displaying your favorite collectibles? Putting all my decks in bags won't do it. But I can't afford to buy lovely wooden boxes for all of them either. I don't enjoy the large packaging many tarot decks come in now. Any of you actually frame any of your favorite cards?

Suggestions?

Thank you! :)

Kiama

29-12-2002, 20:02

I don't display my decks at all, cuz it would be too dangerous in the shared house I am in at the moment, particularly since I have lots of people round my house who I don't know very well... BUT I woudl consider, once I had my own house, displaying decks in a cabinet, one of those pretty glass ones with lighting that people use for oranaments or silver ware....

Kiama

Joywalker

29-12-2002, 21:16

I have seen a coffee table at Ikea, with a see-thru glass table top.Just put in the decks there (using the drawer)!It's so convenient.You could show or use them any time you want. :)

Teal

29-12-2002, 22:20

I have a variety of silk and velvet bags. I keep my decks in those and then pile them into a nice basket. It's a pretty arrangement, even though you can't see the decks.

Teal

29-12-2002, 22:21

Oh, and I have some in beaded buckskin bags, too. I forgot to add that.

truthsayer

30-12-2002, 00:27

i don't display my collector decks for a number of reasons. one being i'm too paranoid that they might grow legs and leave home. another that i am an "in the closet" pagan in a fundamentalist town. i don't exactly hide books etc but they aren't for display either. i've spent a long time in this community and don't want to ruin ppl warming up to me. i don't want them to turn the table and warm me up at the stake!

however, in a perfect world where i felt safe to display my collector decks re: electronic security alarms and insured against loss. i would consider displaying them in a display case or cabinet of some sort that would prevent my frisky pets from using them as an appetizer.

i keep them in different places all over the house in their personal little homes--bags, boxes or scarves in some sort of container. some are in a medium size bamboo chest. some are filed in their own cabinet drawer, some in a dresser drawer, some in their boxes in the bookcase, and some stacked in shoe boxes. those that i'm studying are usually gathered around my desk.

Musie

30-12-2002, 05:36

Thanks for all the suggestions :)
I like the curio cabinet idea! Perhaps I can find a small wall type unit *S* If I can't find anything for the wall, I think I may invest in a pretty chest :D

Macavity

30-12-2002, 06:45

I have been toying with the idea of framing one deck, but I never seem to get past considering quite how the cards should be arranged. I believe standard sheets are 10x8 but, would prefer something based on "sevens" e.g. 11x7+1... with the resultant gap at the top? ;)

I do have some ancient map reproductions on my wall - framed by my late father, so I inherited all the necessary equipment! <G> The only thing I observe is that a full deck laid flat covers rather a lot of "real-estate" and any glass is gonna be preeeeetty heavy? The table solution sounds (helpfully?) rather closer to earth! :)

Mac

Cocobird55

01-01-2003, 13:57

I have most of my decks in pretty bags. When I recently moved to a new house, I picked out my favorite six bags and hung them on the wall in my bedroom. The display is very cool. I keep the rest of my decks in two baskets.

Sue

Summerdream

01-01-2003, 15:43

I also have all my decks in pretty bags. They have all been ordered from Tarot Totes and I try choosing ones that would coordinate well with my decks. In the corner of my bedroom I have a shelf and on it is 2 wicker baskets full of my tarot decks. They look nice because you can see all the different colored tote bags with designs on them. Pretty soon I'm going to need to start a third basket. I like taking them out of their bags at times and looking at them all. I can tell just from the bags which deck is inside.

Musie

01-01-2003, 16:14

Thanks for all the ideas!
I've seen tarot totes - I love their bags!
I can make my own, but I wish I could get all those beautiful fabrics :) I live in a small town and I swear no one sews anything except gingham tablecloths *LOL* So I am now down to going to the second hand clothing store and ripping up pretty shimmery blouses for my decks *LOL*

I may actually make some tarot boxes out of plastic canvas sometime. And a chest too, might be quite meditative :)

cjtarot

01-01-2003, 19:21

HI,

Thank you for starting this post..I get great ideas from others, I like the idea of hanging the bags on the wall (so my 3 yr old can't play 78 pickup with my decks again).

I just got an amazing chirstmas present from a friend..she painted a wooden box for me..it's absolutely beautiful...so 1 special deck goes there and the rest are in a basket (that is now above the 3yr olds level).

Musie, if you are looking for fabric, check online..I go to a place called "the Fabric place" and I think they are on line. Hancock fabrics and joanne's are always an online option..

If you can find great shirts or even old fancy dresses to make bags out of..go for it..sometimes it cheeper than buying a yrd of material.

Blessings,

Cj

ps..take a look see..

www.geocities.com/magickcottage

OH I almost forgot...the other great gift from my artist friend was a cotton bag hand with a hand painted (and partially stenciled) image on it..

Musie

01-01-2003, 20:41

Thank you Cj for the fabric ideas ...
I had a look at the magic cottage - really pretty bags :)
How do you make a "double" drawstring bag?
I can sew the one drawstring. Actually I created a really nice big Rune pouch for myself last night from a shrunken olive green wool sweater and leather shoe strings for the ties. Turned out really nice. My runes are made from apple wood and they seem quite comfy and cozy in a natural environment in there! And it still has room for a small notebook for readings and my rune cloth and my glass vial of red ochre.

I just loooove bags :) An unfortunate thing I inherited from my grandmother *LOL*

violinlily

01-01-2003, 21:20

cool thread!
I like the idea of the glass coffee table!!
I have a book-case built into the wall in my family room (den) and if I were not living in a closet (sigh, its getting cramped in here...**note to self: work on the wallpaper in the closet.... ouch, hit head on lightbulb....**), I would find a nice sheet of clear, hard plastic to somehow hang in front of one of the shelves. And I'd put my decks behind there. But, for now, they'll (my decks) will have to settle to being immigrants between a special pocket in my over-large purse, and a wooden box in a desk drawer in my room.
Oh, and for my shapeshifter deck I made a cloth bag out of a busy-ish fabric (too hard to describe), and have a ribbon holding it closed.
found the materials around the house...
What do you mean "double drawstring"??

Jeannette

01-01-2003, 23:41

With close to 500 decks, storage was a challenge until my wonderful hubby stepped in and started giving me (for anniversaries, birthdays, etc.) special bookshelving with glass-front pull-down doors. Coincidentally, I just took a digital photo of my cabinets for Lori, who'd never seen them. If anyone else is interested in a gander, here's the pic:

http://www.tarotgarden.com/special/jcollection.jpg

(The glass doors are all in the "up" position so the decks inside can be seen.)

The really oversized stuff is lying on top, and the pictures hanging over the shelves are some of my Star Trek tarot prints. The messy table in the foreground is the Tarot Garden shipping counter -- LOL! (But not a joke.)

-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com

Musie

02-01-2003, 00:26

wow Jeanette!!! I adore the Star Trek! Deanna Troi ... she must be the High Priestess :) Is there a published Star Trek deck on the market? :D

Jeannette

02-01-2003, 01:35

Originally posted by Musie
wow Jeanette!!! I adore the Star Trek! Deanna Troi ... she must be the High Priestess :) Is there a published Star Trek deck on the market? :D
Yup, Deanna is the High Priestess. According to my information, the illustrations were originally created with publication in mind -- the project may even have had the "go ahead" from Paramount at one point. But for some reason, it ultimately went "belly up," and a complete deck never made it to market. I've been intending to contact the artist for some time to get the full story, but as far as I can tell, she's not "online," and I'm so bad about getting in touch the old-fashioned way (by phone or "snail mail" -- shame on me!). Anyway, I've managed to claw several of the prints into my collection over time; I know of at least one I don't have yet, and they're getting much, much harder to find.

Sorry for the digression.

-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com

truthsayer

02-01-2003, 10:26

jeannette, i'm so jealous! first for the star trek prints and the other for such lovely tarot cabinets. maybe one day we'll build a house and i'll make such cabinets part of my design. LOL yeah, right! ;)

how do you ever decide on a deck to read with? with around 100 decks, i feel like old mother hubbard who lived in a shoe and has so many decks she doesn't know what to do!

******you will let us trekkies know if you find a source for those prints? }) *************

Jeannette

02-01-2003, 11:38

Originally posted by truthsayer
how do you ever decide on a deck to read with? with around 100 decks, i feel like old mother hubbard who lived in a shoe and has so many decks she doesn't know what to do!
Well, then, you'll obviously know from wherefore I speak: I certainly didn't buy all those decks to read with. The vast, vast, vast majority are purchased for study, art appreciation, and collectibility reasons. I'm afraid when it comes to reading, my tastes are pretty boring -- I'm mostly a Crowley/Thoth person. I've used the Xultun deck with success, because I have an affinity for the Central American mythos depicted therein (having spent time in Central and South America during my youth), the Rohrig deck, and Perry's "Love Tarot," (the latter because the pictures are quite simple yet appealing and colorful -- it works fine). But of the nearly 500 decks I've got in my collection, that's about it. (And I can't even remember the last time I attempted a reading with the good ol' R/W deck.)

******you will let us trekkies know if you find a source for those prints? }) *************
I've got one extra copy each of the Picard ("Monarch of Wands") and Janeway ("Monarch of Pentacles") prints that I ended up with when I'd forgotten I'd already purchased them before. The latter is framed; I intend to sell them on eBay eventually. Other than that, I'll have to see if I can track down the artist to find out if any of the prints remain. Each was limited to a run of 150 copies, and most were originally produced 10 years ago. So it would be questionable as to whether any copies remain, and if so, for which "cards." I've managed to obtain 11 separate prints, and I know of at least one other one produced that I don't have.

If anyone wants more information than I've provided above, it's probably best to start a separate thread and let me know, because I realize this is way, way off topic now.

-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com

Jewel

02-01-2003, 14:55

I also keep my collection in book shelves. I have about 100 or so decks, many which are deck/book sets, so bookshelves seemed the best way to go. If I could find the space in my house I would like to get a corner curio cabinet and create a display using my Tarot Ambre, some silk scarves, cool lighting and who knows what else. I have also considered getting a table and putting glass over it ... I guess my fear is that somehow moisture would get in, the deck would stick to the glass and ... I don't even want to think of that!

Over my shelves, I also have 3 tarot boxes with actual tarot cards engrabed on them (HP, Magician and Lovers), these contain some of my favorite decks that do not have individual deck boxes.

Hummingbird

03-01-2003, 17:04

In the room I am in right now, I have a 4 tier glass stand from Pier 1. Top shelf is "Jazz" by Matisse, second shelf is a dragonfly candy dish and the other 2 shelves are occupied by decks, all standing in a pattern.

rota

03-01-2003, 17:07

As part of my house 'altar' I keep an RWS deck, with the outside card changeable according to mood or focus. At the moment - the 9 of Pentacles.

purplelady

06-01-2003, 13:47

I currently have all my decks and deck sets either in homemade bags, or in the box they came in , on a bookshelf. And the seperate books are on another shelf. But I have long been unsatisfied with this arrangement, and searching for a better place to store/display them. While I don't want them displayed where any visitor can see them, I DO want them somwhere nice where I can veiw them! So , I just went out and bought 2, 6 drawer little plastic rolling storage carts. ( And I got this idea from a thread sometime back , I think it may have been dolphingirl!)The drawers are clear. But , believe it or not, I have nowhere to place these in my apartment, especially since I just aquired a new headboard/bookshelf. So, the plastic carts without the wheels now sit on top of the headboard/bookshelf AND the decks will be placed in these drawers once I get around to it!

Keslynn

06-01-2003, 16:45

I have a set of the small I Gatti cards, which is a majors only cat deck (for those who don't know). I'm planning to have them framed as soon as I get the money. I also have to decide background colors and groupings. But it'll be a fun project.

Mostly though my reading decks go into bags and sit in a colorful pile on my bookshelf.

:) Kes

mythos

14-05-2005, 12:00

There is only one deck that I have 'displayed'. I knew as soon as I looked at it, that I was never going to read with it ... but I loved the majors images - The Goddess Tarot. So, I picked up a coffee table off a hard garbage collection (naughty me) ... stripped it back, painted it gold to balance the energies (I was into that stuff at the time), trimmed the edges from the majors and the aces, glued them onto the table top, and then painted over them with clear gloss. Mind you ... no one ever sees them, becuase it table is always covered with 'stuff' LOL.

The rest of my decks are in boxes and beaded bags.

tmgrl2

14-05-2005, 12:18

I don't display mine either...but

I would suggest that if you have them out, that they be away from direct sunlight so they don't fade..

And...I would be sure the wooden box doesn't have something in the wood that affects the deck. I keep most of mine in original boxes or in velvet or cotton bags..(silk may be better...but I don't have any right now).

I stored one of my Hadar decks in a lovely, new box I got from my metaphysical shop, and within a couple of weeks, when I opened the box, the top card had turned yellow.

Fortunately, I have a Hadar deck in a small photo album that I use for study so I switched that card...

terri

otherwise, it's personal preference. I have all my Beanie Babies in two large glass curio cabinets, otherwise, I might put some of my decks there....

tarotbear

14-05-2005, 13:15

Since I don't have a place to display anything at the moment - also collect tea leaf reading cups and antique mustache cups - I 'plan' on getting a 6 or 8 shelf glass curio cabinet, lighted, with a mirrored back. I plan to display the best of everything there museum-style, my gypsy dolls with their little tarot decks inbetween the tea leaf reading cups, etc. How else would I display my 'Solataire' doll, James Bond Tarot Game, authentic 007 edition of the Fergus Hall deck, and the DVD of the movie 'Live and Let Die' ????

However - the cabinet will LOCK and only I will know where the key is. I recommend to everyone, even if you live alone or have a significant other that respects your stuff - get a lock. The more interesting your items are, the more they will evoke the desire to 'handle' them in someone else's mind. Visitors may mean well, but ... I have crystal balls, wands, and other 'cool' occult-looking stuff that deserves to be displayed and seen by my guests ~ but that's as close as they will ever get.

Lillie

14-05-2005, 17:33

Most of mine are just randomly stuffed into one of those pretty 'gift bags' like you get prsents in sometimes.
Some are also wrapped in cloths. A few are in a couple of wooden boxes.

Don't those 'deck/book sets' take up a lot of room!

I realy have to make more of an effort.

However, I always thought it would be nice to get a deck that is really pretty, but that I do not read with, and frame the best cards in a big frame and hang it on the wall.
I have never got around to doing this, and the light would probably ruin the cards, so it would have to be a 'non precious' deck.
I think I would just buy a big frame, one of them 'click' ones, (is that the right name?) and arrange the best cards in it on a black background.

bodhran

14-05-2005, 19:19

I have all my decks (about 30) in beautiful bags from tarottotes.com that I display on a tall, narrow CD stand.
Blessings,
Bodhran

Lillie

14-05-2005, 19:54

I make beautiful bags.

But never for myself!

I ought to make some for my decks.

Annabelle

14-05-2005, 20:05

Sadly, I don't display my decks. There's simply no space for it. We're in an apartment and pretty much every single bit of space is already in use.

Even if I had the space, though, I'm not sure I would "display" them. I'd be worried about dust and fading and the like. Now, I do have a number of deck/book sets in bookcase-sized boxes that I keep on my bookshelves, so in a sense those are displayed (in that I can easily spot them and get to them).

Paul

14-05-2005, 20:38

I have a cool scanner and color printer, combined -- with photo paper. So, I use a lot of ink, but I scan in my favorite cards from my collectors decks on high resolution and print them out. Then, I place them in these a plexiglass frame with matting that I get from a crafts store ("Michael's") and they look magnifique!

Plus, with, my "ADHD" of decor, I can exchange the pictures of decks now and then.

Teheuti

14-05-2005, 20:44

Sadly, I don't display my decks. There's simply no space for it. We're in an apartment and pretty much every single bit of space is already in use.

I lived for a while in a tiny house where the only space available was behind the bedroom door. There was a three inch gap between the doorframe and the wall so I built a floor to ceiling bookcase out of 1x4 lumber - 35" wide. It was the perfect depth for all my deck-size boxes and not so deep that they got lost. Most of the shelves can be about 6-1/2" high (from the bottom of one shelf to the bottom of the next) - with a few shelves that are higher.

I've managed to move that case to a couple of other locations - where I always found a place to put it. Currently it's been cut in two pieces to form two bookcase units that go on either side of a window from the top of a four foot high (standard depth) bookcase up to the ceiling. So now I have my small boxes at the top and my tarot books and bookcase-size boxes at the bottom.

If I could have anything I wanted I would use 1x5 lumber (do they make it?) and attach glass doors to the front.

Mary

dadsnook2000

14-05-2005, 21:39

I have the Waite-Smith Magician standing (in full 3-D) at one end of a wooden base, his table, roses/lilly garden and tarot symbols at the other end of the wooden base. Together, these fully dimensional carvings act much like book-ends and hold several of my deck ready for use. I have them on the mantle of my fire place but sometimes keep them on my reading table.
Dave.

tarotbear

15-05-2005, 00:57

Anyone who wants to know how to 'do' a double drawstring bag - pm me. It's so easy you'll laugh at yourself! {double drawstring bags close much easier and open easier.} :smoker:

Briar Rose

25-12-2007, 13:14