How to Make Your Own Fortune Telling Cards

Tarot cards come in a variety of incarnations. You can go classic with the traditional deck, or take the fortune card new-age approach with one of a hundred different specialty sets. Everything from Angel cards to Native American decks, they all rely on the same thing. Random selection. Creating your own Tarot deck can be complicated, but making your own version of fortune telling cards provides you with a more personal approach to card reading.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Blank set of playing cards available through arts and crafts website
• Computer with Internet connection
• Ink jet printer
• Personal artistic photographs or online artwork

1. Get your blank playing cards to use for your fortune telling deck. Blank playing cards are basically a set of 52 cards with printable faces and backs. They are inexpensive and easy to use. See reference below for just one of many web sites that offers blank cards for sale.
2. loniless~Michal Zacharzewski SXC Pick a theme for your fortune telling deck so that all your artwork coordinates. For example, use only photographs for your deck, use all sepia toned images or select images of tattoos! Whatever you want is fine.
3. Find a variety of images within your theme. Even though an average playing deck is 52 cards and most tarot decks have 78 cards, you don't need to follow the rules. You can use your deck to do one-card draws for a quick answer to a question or do a three card spread. Make your first deck 25 cards so that finding artwork isn't too difficult.
4. Photo by Milda Hadaway Once you have your 25 images, begin printing the images on your cards. Set up a Word document page to match the size of your card and print the images on the best quality setting, or you can print the images on photo paper and glue down with a dry glue stick to your playing card. Allow to dry thoroughly.
5. Look over your images one at a time. What does each image say to you? Do you have a lonely scenic image of a beach or an angry skull tattoo image with snakes creeping through it? Think about each image and what it says to you. Hand write those thought on the back of that card, or type and print it on your computer to use during readings. Remember, to phrase the information on the back of the card in the form of an answer. For example, for a lonely beach photo you might write: "Now is the time for you to contemplate and find peace and serenity. Your life may be chaotic, or you may just need to check out of the rat race for a while..."
6. Photo by Paige Foster Once all the cards are complete, try them out with a friend. Pull one card in answer to a question, or do a Past, Present and Future spread using three cards. As you use them you may realize you need a few more cards to round out your groups, so use your extra cards in that way.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a unique set for a friend using images that they relate to or enjoy.
• Use a classic tarot deck to get some ideas on what things you want to include in your own. For example a death card (which stands for change)or a fool card might be great to include.
• Try printing your image on a spare card or paper template to make sure your printer settings are correct and that the card takes the ink well.
• When buying your blanks, make sure they can handle the media you want to use.