Removing Borders - I did!

There is a bit of controversy and discusion out there about removing borders from Tarot cards, that it either liberates the imagery or that it's disrespectful.  I have to be honest and say that removing borders from some decks has been something that i've thought of doing quite a few times but never actually carried out ..... until this weekend.

For me, Tarot, Oracle and Lenormand cards should be borderless, that's just my personal preference and each to their own.  I just love the way borderless cards draw you in to the image and also how, when placed side by side in a reading, they harmonise visually.  

Before going ahead with the removal process I ordered a second copy of the Druidcraft Tarot, my chosen deck for first time experience of de-bordering.  You may well ask why I did that if i'm so sure about the process and my answer is twofold.  One is that I love this deck so much and have always wanted a spare copy in case of loss, damage or it going out of print.  Second is that i've never de-bordered a deck and so if I feel later on down the line that i'd prefer borders now and again then i'd have the choice.

My next step was to watch a few videos on Youtube for the purposes of seeing how other's had approached the process and if they had encountered any issues.  The more I watched and saw cards emerging from within their borders and coming alive the more I knew this is what I wanted to do.  My super-sharp scissors and photo corner rounder from my crafting stash were my tools of choice rather than a paper trimmer.

Making the first cut was a little bit nerve wracking because my cards are very precious to me and I treat them with utmost care.  Cutting them seems to contradict this which was why the nerves.  However once i'd removed the first border I was absolutely thrilled by the result and happy to continue.

It was a long job,  though enjoyable  and i'm really happy with the result.  Additionally the cards are now a more manageable size to handle for my small hands.