Set, ready.... TRIM!

My love for trimmed decks began when I received a trimmed copy of the Druidcraft tarot, from a friend at Aeclectic Tarot. I had owned the DC before, but could never use it due to its big cards, so I ended up trading mine away. It was a wonderful surprise to receive a well-loved and smaller copy of this beautiful deck - one I could shuffle without problems.

But it took me a while to muster the courage to grab the scissors and cut a deck myself. My first victim... I mean, experiment, was another deck I found nearly unusable due to the big cards and the extremely stiff cardstock: the Enchanted Tarot. The result was good, but there were some problems. I didn't realize the Majors and Minors were very slightly different in size, which made the final result of the trimming rather uneven (although you can only notice that if you look closely). Scissors are not the the most stable tool when it comes to cutting. I trimmed the King of Pentacles wrongly, and only managed to have a complete deck again thanks to another AT friend, who sent me a replacement of the card.

It was learning experience, but still a vexing one. I was frustrated by my less-than-perfect result, even though I still found the deck much better without its borders. But I promised myself I would not trim a deck again.

So I kept looking for decks trimmed by other people who, I had no doubt, had a greater hand coordination than I. I welcomed in my collection a beautiful copy of the Wildwood and a perfectly trimmed Hudes. And I was determined to never approach a deck with scissors again... until Sharyn, of Quirkeries, kindly sent me a corner rounder punch.

There. The trimming bug bit me again.

The most recent victim of my scissors (and corner rounder) was the Mystic Faerie tarot. When I told other card readers that I was trimming the deck's golden borders, I was surprised to get a very negative reaction. But these borders are perfect!. For others, maybe. For me, they were a constant distraction. In my defense, I can say that the shiny effect made it very difficult for me to pay attention to the card itself. And unfortunately, I happen to use the pictures in my readings, not the borders.

So bye-bye borders.

It was a very good experience. The result was much better, because I cut with more confidence. My hand was steady, and my scissors were new. I did not let the small imperfection ruin the final results, and for me the cards are much better (you can see a before & after here).

I know some people consider 'trimming' an insult to the deck. Heck, that's more or less the response I got when I posted in a tarot community that I was trimming the Mystic Faerie. Things like I'd never deface my deck like that or it feels like desecration, or even I am annoyed to see people trimming the decks I created popped up very often, much to my dismay. For me, trimming is an act of love. It's the act of turning a deck I'd not use into a deck that I am willing to read with.

To each his own. But I am not letting go of my scissors any soon...

My next victim... you'll know. Soon!