quiet0ne
Hello everyone, first post! I’ve been lurking for a few months here at ATF. In all that time I haven’t seen anything quite similar to a project I completed for myself in November, so I thought I would share.
I only have three decks: Waite-Smith, Morgan-Greer, and Osho Zen. I love all three, and they get a decent amount of use. Yet, I hated the boxes! The flimsy little cardboard boxes that my WS/M-G decks came in were getting awful beat up. I always had an awful time getting them back IN the box once out. Osho’s packaging is nice for the shelf but bulky. As someone who loves to take a deck with me whenever I’m a friend’s house, the original boxes were inadequate for my tastes. I’m also a bit of a klutz (understatement here) and I was always terrified of hurting the decks, even in their box. I needed a TANK to protect them in.
So I looked for wooden boxes. It’s surprising the little amount of variety I found! I’m not pagan/Wiccan/whatever, nor am I terribly big on Celtic knot work. Those preferences eliminated every ready-made box I came across. I decided that if I were to have a wooden box, one that matched the vision in my head, I’d have to customize my very own. After digging to what felt like the very bottom of the internet, I finally found a suitable site with the perfect size of raw, unfinished wooden boxes. Huzzah!
One weekend later, here are the results. I’m very happy with them, despite being painfully obvious that I’m no master with varnish. They look great on the shelf, feel great to handle, and still fit neatly in my purse or backpack to come along on trips.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/tarot_box_set.jpg - all three boxes
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/morgan-greer_2.jpg - Morgan-Greer
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/osho_zen1.jpg - Osho Zen
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/RWS_3.jpg - Waite-Smith
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/ - additional photos, including pictures of the raw boxes and the materials I used for each one.
Props go to the store I bought these from. Very friendly, fast shipping, and excellent packaging. The wood has great potential, very soft but generously portioned, with a fine grain. I’m sure someone with more talent can make some truly beautiful boxes for their collection. I’m afraid they ship only to the US or Canada, though. Here’s their website. They even have a small collection of ready-made tarot boxes available!
http://www.worldofboxes.com/unfinished/unfinished.htm
[if it’s against rules to post this sort of link, I’ll remove]
I only have three decks: Waite-Smith, Morgan-Greer, and Osho Zen. I love all three, and they get a decent amount of use. Yet, I hated the boxes! The flimsy little cardboard boxes that my WS/M-G decks came in were getting awful beat up. I always had an awful time getting them back IN the box once out. Osho’s packaging is nice for the shelf but bulky. As someone who loves to take a deck with me whenever I’m a friend’s house, the original boxes were inadequate for my tastes. I’m also a bit of a klutz (understatement here) and I was always terrified of hurting the decks, even in their box. I needed a TANK to protect them in.
So I looked for wooden boxes. It’s surprising the little amount of variety I found! I’m not pagan/Wiccan/whatever, nor am I terribly big on Celtic knot work. Those preferences eliminated every ready-made box I came across. I decided that if I were to have a wooden box, one that matched the vision in my head, I’d have to customize my very own. After digging to what felt like the very bottom of the internet, I finally found a suitable site with the perfect size of raw, unfinished wooden boxes. Huzzah!
One weekend later, here are the results. I’m very happy with them, despite being painfully obvious that I’m no master with varnish. They look great on the shelf, feel great to handle, and still fit neatly in my purse or backpack to come along on trips.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/tarot_box_set.jpg - all three boxes
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/morgan-greer_2.jpg - Morgan-Greer
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/osho_zen1.jpg - Osho Zen
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/RWS_3.jpg - Waite-Smith
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/quiet0ne/Tarot Boxes/ - additional photos, including pictures of the raw boxes and the materials I used for each one.
Props go to the store I bought these from. Very friendly, fast shipping, and excellent packaging. The wood has great potential, very soft but generously portioned, with a fine grain. I’m sure someone with more talent can make some truly beautiful boxes for their collection. I’m afraid they ship only to the US or Canada, though. Here’s their website. They even have a small collection of ready-made tarot boxes available!
http://www.worldofboxes.com/unfinished/unfinished.htm
[if it’s against rules to post this sort of link, I’ll remove]