A trip to our local antique textiles shop

It is still (just) possible to find amazing things here. We just stopped into our favourite antique textiles shop, only to find a full 1920s Pierrot/Jester/Clown costume. We bought it and will use it. It's out of period but on the other hand the Masquerade Hall that we are about to use has many wall paintings - which ARE genuinely Baroque - that look more modern than this. I think with some work, this will look amazing (work including that I have to find out how to starch and iron a four-layer lace ruff colour). Here is a scan of a corner of the fabric: The woman who runs it also loaded us up with a heap of free antique lace, silks and ribbons - saying that they were all slightly damaged so she can't sell them. Remarkable really. We will of course take her some postcards for now - and cards later (the embroidered panel on the front of our "Diva's" costume is from the same shop).

Cards - new beginnings and a happy home life

Apart from the brush with the mad vengeful deck "designer" person (and I've got to admit to being relieved as well as outraged when I realised she is attacking people other us) this week has been exciting in some rather more positive ways. The Tarot of Prague is reprinted!!! Yey! I will put up a photo soon (and I am trying to sort out our listings on Amazon which seem a bit of a mess - the deck has vanished again - never mind, it will settle down). We had a good burst of doing new cards - and somehow they all seem to be happy ones. A friend is trying to persuade us to do a collaborative project - not sure about that one, but nice to be asked as she is a well-known designer. We were asked (again - last time we didn't have enough) to submit work for a new Chinese design magazine - which seems quite good quality. Anyway, on balance a good week, though with some nasty moments. Thanks again to all here who helped with MVDD - as s/he shall be known from now on. Two more cards behind the cut:

The Three of Pentacles - l'Opera!

This for my friend fiammablu who I hope will find it funny. I'd love to know what this Diva-puss is singing... a closeup (the shadowing maybe still needs a little work):

The King of Wands

A real showman - he's a non-conformist tabby who just loves to be the centre of attention - and in fact expects to be. He's sitting in the surreal Masquerade Hall at Cesky Krumlov Castle - this is a ballroom in which everyone, even Death, is invited to the masqerade - a close-up

Nine of Swords

If you fly too close to the sun, you may end up plunging into the sea... A nightmarish quality to this card, which we didn't want to soften too much. Yes, I know it's cats, but the tarot needs always to be about life - all aspects of it - including the parts that wake you in the wee small hours of the morning and leave you sitting there shaking in anxiety. I think even cats have those moments - and as for people? - well, we all have them don't we? On second thoughts, I think the close-up of Icarus and Daedalus is needed:

Prudence is the new card in the Tarot of Prague

Good sense, restraint, self-control, a rational amount of caution. A certain moderation - and thinking before acting. Sister to Temperance, Strength and Justice. We just felt that we should restore this cardinal virtue to the deck. She is there in the Minchiate (the old Florentine 97-card deck that is half-forgotten now) and we did sneak her into the first edition of Tarot of Prague (you can find her in one corner if you look carefully through Pentacles :-) ) but this time we wanted her to play a full part. She can be taken out of the deck and it can be read as a conventional RWS 78 cards, but I would urge anyone to leave her in and read with her there. I think she has a lot to say. So - the first world preview (hey!) here she is - her border and title is not on this picture yet: We reprint tomorrow. Oh, that will be a good day I hope!