Mum's Tarot Cards

I have a set of mum's tarot cards which i dont use but i like the creativity of the imagery and what they may mean. It's not a full set and they are newer than the ones i remember from my childhood which i think came from my Granny in Hungary. I wish i had those !

This set mum gave to me many many years ago - i think she thought I might play with the gift of reading but my left brain always took over. In recent times during de-stashing whirlwinds I found them and this week decided to do something with them.

I created a A book of tarot cards that turned out nicely. I have the images below of a few steps in the making. and this link will take you to our you tube channel showing this book in its final form with the box.

Do let me know what you think.

Materials :

tarot cards 

a long sheet of heavy weight paper/card - i used 26 inches long and the height is exactly the same as the height of a tarot card

bookbinders glue, bone folder

book board 

fancy papers to cover boards

matt medium or PVA glue

 Measure the height of the cards and cut a strip of heavy weight paper to create an accordion fold spine.  

The number of folds depends on how many cards you will 'tip in', plus an extra on both ends to fold the covers over.  The cards are glued into the valley folds.

To make the box : once the cards are tipped in (glued), fold the book up and measure the front of the book and the width of the side and bottom.  I use the book itself to mark a measure on the board before cutting to size. Ensure enough 'give' is allowed for the spine of the box - not too tight a fit and not too loose.

I covered the board on the outside with the same heavy weight paper I used for the spine. Glue all folds down and then cut chosen (fancy) papers to size to fit the inside boards and glue on. 

CONSTRUCTING THE BOX

This was the fiddly bit. Once the boards are covered and the fancy papers glued to the inside of the boards. Lift the bottom fold up and tape it to the three sides (front, spine and back) of the box.

I used a little bit of tape on the bottom flap to stick it to the side of the box.

Now cover the whole box in fancy papers and coat with PVA to create a silky finish. 

I concentrated on the bottom half of the box when wrapping it in the fancy papers and then covered the whole box including the bottom a second time. This creates a sturdy well constructed box.  

I chose for my box not to have a top on this occasion.

the book in its box looking from the top with the spine showing outward 

here is the box on its side showing the book spine.  

this link will take you to our you tube channel showing this book in its final form with the box.

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