Kickstarter: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Cabinet of Curiosities Playing Cards by Cellar Window

The Cabinet of Curiosities is one of the most intriguing deck of playing cards we've featured on Kardify. Designed by the team at Cellar Window, Cabinet of Curiosities is an art deck featuring a juxtaposition of elements such as mechanisms coupled with an organic look that inexplicably forms a truly unique and obscure object.

The 54 fully illustrated and imagined objects are inspired by the works and personal collections of naturalists and explorers. Here are 5 things you didn't know about Cabinet of Curiosities Playing Cards:

1. A Small Cabinet
Design and theme is always at the heart of what co-founder Nam Tibon do for Cellar Window. Creating a small cabinet design on the tuck box fits perfecly with the theme. "The idea is for people to carry this tiny cabinet around and to be able share the strange wonders found inside with friends easily."

2. Curiouser and Curiouser
Historically the Cabinets of Curiosities are predecessors of modern Museums we see today. It's a collection of a variety of things found all over the world. "The beauty I found with this theme is not its accuracy in exactly depicting nature but rather its notoriety for some of the objects to be manipulated in order to create a sense of mystery for the viewer on what other crazy things might be found out there."

3. Opening the Lock
Inside this cabinet is 56 illustrated objects each having their own personality. Anyone can interpret these objects as whatever they like and each one is a mix of organic and mechanical things that can leave you staring at it for a long time. "Rather than just focusing on court card design I wanted to create a vast collection reminiscent to a real cabinet of curiosities."

4. Inspired by Giants
Not literal giants but giants in the fields of naturalist art and scientific discoveries through the years. "As a child I was always inspired by famous old paintings about flora and fauna and always wondered what other things they might have missed and working around that thought I decided to create these strange objects. I don't have a clear idea on how an object will look before illustrating it but I am guided with a sort of stream of consciousness. That way I am always surprised on how it turns out, and so every card is born of my own personal exploration and collection."

5. Stream of Consciousness.
"I instantly fell in love with creating this art deck so I decided to make this the first of a series of art decks of different themes and all cards will be fully illustrated. I still don't know what my next playing card art deck's theme will be but I trust in that 'stream of consciousness' to guide me in creating some really unique stuff out there. This will by my first art deck and I invite you to watch out for more in the future."

The cards will be housed in an embossed matte finished tuck box with interior print and capped with a perforated tax stamp seal. Cabinet of Curiosities Playing Cards will be printed by NPCC on premium German card stock. Available now on Kickstarter and pledge starts at $14.

Deck View: Don Quixote (Hidalgo) Playing Cards Vol.1

Characters. Novel. Gentlemen.

From the team at Cellar Window, the Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol. 1 is a custom-illustrated deck inspired by the famous novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. The Hidalgo deck shares a glimpse of the beautiful characters within the novel written by Miguel Cervantes with the whole world.

Fully custom, the courts are personified by the main characters from the first volume of Don Quixote as well as their beautiful queens and very colorful characters featured as jacks. All memorable characters are illustrated in great details that befits a novel that stood the test of time.

The Hidalgo tuck features a classic matte black finish with gold foiling on all sides sealed a custom perforated seal design. The deck was printed by Legends Playing Card Co on Emerald Finish. Available now from JP Playing Cards.

Also, check out Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol. 2 now funding on Kickstarter!

Card Flash: Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol. 1

Cellar Window's Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol. 1 is currently being fulfilled by the Legends Playing Cards Co. The eye-catching deck features custom illustrations of the characters within the novel written by Miguel Cervantes. Printed on matte stock with foil on all sides, both tucks look great... especially the white deck. If you've backed this project, you will not be disappointed.

First Look: Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol. 1

[Update] Now LIVE on Kickstarter: Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol. 1 

Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol. 1 is a custom-illustrated deck inspired by the famous novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. In conjunction with the 400th anniversary of the famous Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes death, the team at Cellar Window will be releasing the Don Quixote playing cards inspired by his most renowned work on Kickstarter.

According to Nam Tibon, co-founder of Cellar Window,

Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol.1 shares a glimpse of the beautiful characters within the novel written by Miguel Cervantes with the whole world. Custom-Illustrations on these playing cards will allow you to revisit the beloved characters that the Hidalgo Don Quisote meets during his first travels as a knight-errant through Spain. 

Fully custom, the courts are personified by the main characters from the first volume of Don Quixote as well as their beautiful queens and very colorful characters featured as jacks. Nam continues,

From the tragic story of Lothario and Anselmo to the Captain Ruy Perez de Viedma who was captured by pirates to the ever elusive beauty of Dulcinea you will find eccentric and memorable characters illustrated in great details that befits a novel who stood the test of time towards greatness. 

Launching on Kickstarter on April 19th 2016, the deck will be printed by Legends Playing Card Co on Emerald Finish that is a traditionally cut European card stock. The tuck features matte white with black print and oil foil on all sides.

Pledge starts from from $14 and includes free worldwide shipping. Add-ons such as uncut sheets and illustration posters are available.


[Update] Now LIVE on Kickstarter: Don Quixote Playing Cards Vol. 1 

First Look: "Fuego!" Playing Cards by Cellar Window Part II

[Update] Fuego! Playing Cards are now live on Kickstarter.

Part one of our First Look of Fuego! Playing Cards generated quite an interest amongst the playing card community. In the second part, we look into the details pertaining to this vibrant deck and the inspiration behind the artwork.

The Fuego! Playing Cards deck is the debut deck of Cellar Window (CW). It will be printed by Lawrence Sullivan's Legends Playing Card Co. in their traditionally cut European card stock and Emerald Finish. Every card on the Fuego! deck is custom made with very thin borders because of LPCC's precise cutting and each suit represents a different social class of the period from the rebels of the Spades to the elites of the Hearts.

Special attention is also given to the back design in that appeals to the talented cardist as well as the serious collector with it's minimalist approach coupled with an intricate touch. Staying true to the Latin aesthetics, the Fuego! deck has a carefully selected color palette with a focus on the contemporary design feel.

The Fuego! Playing Cards deck is influenced by the works of Mexican political printmaker José Guadalupe Posada and his Calaveras. It also has it's roots in the colorful and vibrant tradition of the Day of the Dead. With the small detail of the suits being different social classes this gives a particular weight to CW's other inspiration, the Latin phrase "Memento Mori". A simple reminder of our inescapable mortality no matter what standing we have in society and for all of us to strive to change our life for the better in light of this predicament.

This project will be available via Kickstarter on May 5th. We wish the team at Cellar Window great success with Fuego!.

[Update] Fuego! Playing Cards are now live on Kickstarter.

To keep up to date on the latest happenings from Cellar Window, visit them on their webpage.

First Look: "Fuego!" Playing Cards by Cellar Window Part I

Coming soon... "Fuego!" Playing Cards by the team at Cellar Window. This Mexican revolution themed playing cards and was inspired by the work of Jose Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican political printmaker and engraver whose work were influential in the development of 20th-century Mexican art.

The team at Cellar Window has certainly been busy and designed some of the most notable decks over the past few months. From Crooked Kings' Get Made!, to the recently funded Lux Playing Cards' British Monarchy, each deck is a unique work of art. "Fuego!" playing cards will be their first individual project.

The deck will be printed by LPCC and the tuck will come with embossing, interior print, perforated seal and also that classic long flap.