A tiny squeak of a miaow, the Baroque Bohemian Cats tarot peers around the corner...

Tomorrow should be a MOST interesting day for you both! Just remember: deep breath.... inhale.... exhale.... inhale.... exhale........... I am sure the entire forum will be poised, waiting to hear the results of the trip to the printer..........

I'm holding my breath for you too Baba!

Yes, yes, it's real!

We have the card backs proof!

Alex has been there all morning - he said there was a fight (not a nasty one - in fact the printer has invited him to go fishing with him) over the percentage of black.

But oh - they are gorgeous! I think I'll try to post a photo somehow.

Now they print all the backs. Then they let them dry over at lest 24 hours. Then (maybe in two days?) they begin the fronts. Of course, there is also the varnish to apply.

THEN, there is cutting, assembling, printing book and boxes (they want to do that last) and putting it all together...

It is really exciting. But mad as we are still finishing off six cards (not as bad as it sounds, as they will do twenty cards at a time so we probably have several days yet - and all cards are three-quarters assembled now).

I don't quite dare to even think that I may be holding cards in my hands in about two weeks.

Oh - I forgot to say, I got an email from "Our Cats" magazine in the UK - the deck is featured there. It was SO quick - I only sent them some postcards about two weeks ago. So, if you are in the UK and see the magazine, please take a look! I hope they say nice things about the cards AND about tarot.

Karen -

So nice to see your excitement over the new deck! This deck is being eagerly anticipated (just like the ToP was for me last year).

Also, I received your PM and wanted to thank you .... your words touched me.

Dan

I cannot imagine the job ahead of you to contact all the people who pre-ordered....You must have a great deal of energy, and must be in great physical shape, goodness, I wish I had the energy to face such a daunting task with enthusiasm, energy and a great attitude! I guess the success of finally seeing another dream come to fruition has it's added bonuses!

Well, I've always been blessed with a lot of energy, but I'm not sure about being in great shape - we have hardly put our noses out of the door in weeks! I will need to take a week out in a spa if this carries on (spas here are affordable and everyone goes - I need to adopt this habit!)

It is a lot of work. Doing a second deck makes me again think of how much work is involved in publishing your own cards. Honestly, after Prague we did briefly wonder if we would ever do it again.

I talk regularly to people like Astra, Hudson and M-Press and I think the shared support helps all of us - it's a real strength of this forum. When you hit a problem with printing or pricing or just life gets in the way (we have, for instance, had to do a lot of official stuff with the company due to the new EU regulations - all silly red-tape things, but has to be done) it's a big help to be able to discuss it with someone going through the same process.

Anyway, almost there - and yes, you're right, the next step is to contact everyone on the list. - it will all get done...

oh, baba!
your post came like a sun ray through the window-only through the computer screen!
i'm amazed that you see us as support, because i'm sure that we (at least me), see YOU as the driving force of the whole thing, since you are so much ahead!!!
and yes, on one hand it's inspiring and encouraging, on the other hand, it's clear that it "doesn't stop there", and that we'll all need energy, and plenty of it, and much spa-space (only here these are really expensive-I need a massage for weeks !!!)

I see you as the Queen of Wands-who pushes the Tarot revolution to the front!!!!

becasue this is what it is: a REVOLUTION that will allow more creative freedom, more product that doesn't fall under the "mass-market-taste", and hopefully will open more doors, to more artists, to creative collaboration and to the manifestation of OUR dreams. (our=everyone that wants to decide how life should be)

The tarot path is a hard choice to sought for, and only the fact that there are at least *a few* out there that are willing to walk it, just reassures me, that there is something in it, and that I'm not crazy, after all!!!

Thank You baba!

*does a happy happy tap dance with all four paws*

Don't worry Karen, take your time I know we're all eager to get our paws on the Shiny! New! Kitty! Deck!!!, but we also want a reasonably happy and relaxed Karen and Alex too

*keeps her paws crossed*

the return of the cats

Loads of bits of both threads seem to have vanished, but not to worry. Let's celebrate that AT is back.

This is a final card to show. I adore this one - it is a lot of the things that I want the deck to be (can I say I adore one of our own cards? Oh I suppose so, anyway, you know what I mean - it's hard not to love the work that has taken us almost every day of the last year - and now it's DONE!!!!!!!!!!).

http://www.bohemian-cats.com/examples/c_10_pent_copy.gif


closeup of the couple behind

http://www.bohemian-cats.com/examples/c_10_pent_closeup.gif

All work is copyright - even though there is no notice on the picture, please do ASK before using it (we nearly always say yes).

The only hold-up now is the printing and boxes etc. As far as we know all this will take another (hmm, yes, it's long) three weeks or so, but if we can find some way of speeding it up we will. A total of five/six weeks printing sounds an awful lot, but it's been very stop/start (e.g. they won't even take the book until next Monday - good in a way as it gets a final edit, but in another way, I am drumming my fingers.)

WOW!!!!

Fantastic! Yes a five to six weeks wait sounds good to me as my tarot budget is now completely frozen
(he he, other *richer* tarotholics are going to hate me for that)

Kissa