Hello, soul friends!
Today's review is covering a deck that caught my attention when I saw it on Instagram, but actually - I found pictures of this deck way back in the day. I just didn't connect the dots until I had the deck in my hands. I love the kitschy feel and vibe, so decided to purchase these last year as part of a huge haul of decks. I wanted to have a "fun" tarot deck that I connected with, and that was a little less traditional that what I had. What can I say? 2016 was all about discovering my own rhythm.
I hope you enjoy my review of this fun 40s-50s and Americana vintage vibe deck!
Housewives Tarot
I purchased this deck from Amazon. It caught my attention when I saw it on an Instagram post and thought it was a unique expression of the traditional tarot decks I have been accustomed to, thus far. I loved the whimsical images right off the bat. I am usually captivated by the images of a deck first, so again - the artwork caught my attention, with it's different collage and 50s vibe.
Amazon's description is:
Within This Box Lie The Secrets of Domestic Empowerment Begin your journey by lifting the lid, dealing out your fate, and understanding the hidden messages of The Housewives Tarot. Through images of dinnerware (Pentacles), martini glasses (Cups), mops and brooms (Wands), and much more, these tarot cards can answer all of life’s most challenging questions. The enclosed instruction book will show you how to interpret all 78 cards and provides useful advice on giving a reading.
About the authors
Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum are better known as Headcase Design, one of Philadelphia's most innovative graphic design studios. With The Housewives Tarot, they make their debut as writer-illustrators.
My Personal Review
This 78-card deck is meant to be used as any other Tarot deck - it is just themed with Housewife collage art that includes some fun interpretations and images of traditional Tarot cards. They are campy, humorous, and light - like those weird jello mold things people made in the 50s. Is it fun? Yes. Nutritious? Maybe not.
I was struck by the really fun and detailed artwork. They did a great job of bringing a quality and fun deck to the table. All of the details really stand out and make you feel like you are diving back in time to a simpler time.
I love the sturdy box. It drives me nuts when publishers don't include boxes. So you get a box and it's well made. The box is fun and when you open it, the inside is set up like a recipe card box, with dividers for the majors and minors and LWB. This is really clever. There are some retro recipes inside, as well. Although I did love this box, it was not the easiest one to store. Overall, the presentation is wonderful!
All in all, I found the unique illustrations to be the main reason I would pull this deck out vs other Tarot decks in my current collection. I did not find it to be a good "client deck" for me personally, as there were some vital elements missing from the artwork, so it would be a little difficult to translate that energy to a client.
The size of the cards is like a traditional tarot card and the overall product dimensions: 3.4 x 3 x 5.8 inches (due to the large box) and Quirk Books is who publishes the deck.
The booklet that comes with it is delightfully tongue in cheek while still giving the classic definition of the cards. The descriptions of each card put a different twist on the typically boring approach to tarot card meanings.
The card stock is thin, eggshell matte, and allows you get a nice bend without cracking or flaking of the card stock. They do bend, but don't hold the bend (or crease easily), which I appreciate in a Tarot deck. This card stock photographs beautifully in natural light. Smaller hands like mine won't have a more difficult time shuffling, as with some other decks. This is smooth to shuffle, almost slippery.
The backs are reversible, and remind me of an old picnic table cover. It just reminds me of like Norman Rockwell's Coca-Cola ads from the 40s and 50s. Although the book does not give reversed interpretations. I wouldn't use the guidebook for a reading, more like a small guideline or reference words.
This deck has my all-time fave Death, Devil, and Star cards from any Tarot deck I have seen. Especially the Devil! I used that card as my avatar back when I was blogging in like the early to mid 2000s. I included a picture of those three cards below.
I think this deck is great for those wanting a more domestic or modern approach to the tarot. The humor is great at making light of many serious questions that you may pose, and does not seem to overly sugar-coat things. This is what I described as a tough-love type of deck, without some of the darkness of a traditional deck. Overall, I found it to be a nice complementary deck, and would be a good one for beginners.
It's lots of fun. It's lighthearted and it avoids a lot of the pitfalls that other decks fall into, which is being too dark, hard to read, or difficult to connect the images to everyday circumstances. It seems a lot of published decks give the assumption that cartomancy and Tarot reading is somehow a dark art. I am glad that these authors and creators decided to make their deck contrary to traditional expectations. I like that this deck doesn't take that approach and also allows for a more personalized experience with the deck. It's perfect for the domestic kitchen witch in your life.
And here is some gratuitous pictures of this fun deck.
My overall opinion is that this deck is a 3.5 star choice.
Artwork - 5 stars
Card stock - 3.5 stars
Ease - 3 stars
Guidebook - 3 stars
I hope that you enjoyed my deck review, and also enjoy other deck reviews that I add to this site. I have a passion for exploring new decks and also finding various ways of connecting to my intuition. I appreciate you checking out my site and taking the time to read my review.
Happy Reading!
