DIY-vination: Crafting My Own Lenormand Deck
Before I even created the Practical Magic Starter Deck using digital collage, I actually made my own Lenormand deck—old school style, using glue, scissors, and tons of washi tape.
Before I go into the nitty-gritty of things, I first have to tell you about my card-creating and card-reading history. While tarot and oracle are the more popular ways to read tarot, what really drew me into learning the cards again was a system called Lenormand.
Lenormand is a straight-up fortune-telling card system that uses only 36 cards. I bought my first deck, the Fairy Tale Fortune Cards from Fully Booked after seeing it multiple times in my neighborhood branch, ignoring it, and panicking when I saw that it was gone~ I drove all the way to Greenbelt on New Year’s Eve the day they disappeared from the Greenhills store… I had to ask customer service where they still had it stocked and immediately headed there in a cold sweat.
So before I started studying tarot and taking all the online tarot workshops, I did Lenormand. I’d bring my cards to the yoga studio where I worked, and I’d read for random students and fellow teachers before and after class :)
I primarily learned how to read Lenormand cards using the book that came with my deck. I also searched YouTube for tutorials a lot, too. Back in 2016, Jess Rollar of Coffee with the Fool had a YouTube channel and in one of her videos, she was doing a show-and-tell of a collage Lenormand deck she was making. I was super inspired (thank you, Jess!) and decided to make my own.
Crafting your own Lenormand deck is a lot less intimidating than drawing / collaging the entire tarot.
One, you only have 36 cards to work with. Two, there aren't any deep symbolisms to consider—a dog is a dog is a dog, as far as Lenormand decks are concerned (easy-peasy!). Armed with this knowledge, I set out to snip and glue.
Here's what I worked with (it took me about three days to get everything together):
Index cards — if you want an easy-to-handle deck, the smaller you go, the better. Cutting down a standard index card in half will work well. I was used to the Fairy Tale Lenormand being a giant deck, so I just kept to the standard index card size.
Washi tape — oh, joy!
Scissors
Old magazines — I have a ton of old Teen Vogue issues, so my deck comes across as super young and colorful.
Glue sticks
Laminating machine — I went to the neighborhood copy shop to get these done. Because the cards are laminated in thick grade plastic, I can't riffle shuffle them. That’s okay though, because the laminate makes it possible for me to bring my deck to parties and not have to worry about them getting wet or dirty.
Crafting my own deck gave me a chance to flex my creative muscles, and also put some use to all the magazines I had stashed in our attic.
This was fun for me because I was able to make something that really followed my style sensibilities. The thing about being really particular about design is that it's pretty hard for me to find decks I love. I’m not into pagan-inspired artwork, classical paintings, or even fantasy-themed illustrations, so it’s always slim pickings for me, especially in the Lenormand department. Creating my own deck allowed me to create cards exactly the way I want them to look.
That said, my deck isn’t as simple as most Lenormand decks are. I couldn’t find a picture of a Lily in Teen Vogue so Lily Collins had to suffice. LOL. I think this adds to the fun of creating cards, though. The symbols I used (including Zac Efron to represent the man) are ones I understand and resonate with—which makes me want to use my deck more. Using all the pop culture stuff also makes this deck a great conversation starter when I use it with friends.
It’s been four (!) years since I made these cards and I still remember just how therapeutic this exercise was for me… Plus, I feel it really sparked something in my imagination! I wouldn’t have been able to design my own tarot deck if I hadn’t done these first.
I totally recommend crafting and doing some DIY, whether you’re looking for a creative exercise or want to actually learn to study Lenormand. I’m curious though—is anyone here interested to learn?
PS: FYI, my dream Lenormand deck is the Seventh Sphere Lenormand deck by Labyrinthos.co. It! Is! Gorgeous!
This entry is an edited version of a post I made last November 2016.