New Death in the Family boxes.

I am so proud of these. They are part of the new Alchemy Moon range of  boxes that have been made from the bottom up. This makes each box totally unique and an instant collectors piece. This goes along side the Tarot box (see below) and a new box that will ship out with the last few Cuss Cards sets (you know these are going to be special!).

The first four DITF sets sold since these boxes were developed went out  with the new boxes at no additional cost. Unfortunately these all sold by word of mouth before I could even put them up on the website. However, the boxes will be available as  separate stand alone, as they have many uses for the Bizarre Entertainer.

This first one is the most complex box. Although beautifully made when it comes to me from my woodsman, I then spend a day kicking it around and smacking it with hammers and damaging them with chemicals to make it look like a neglected box found in an old attic.

However, these boxes hold a surprise…..

In some of the boxes, it appears that the spirit of Tilly Heart has made itself known. This is not true of all boxes, as it does not always happen, and the technique is a difficult one. I cannot show an image of these, but those of you who have one will know what I mean.

She does not always manifest, so there is no guarantee that she will make herself known on all of the boxes.

There is a further surprise.

It seems that Tilly, used this box to keep all of the tools of her mediumistic trade. I noticed that the top of the box seemed ill-fitting – it looked rather badly stuck down. As I investigate the whole top of the box fell off, revealing a secret chamber what is more, the top could be reversed as there is a rather gorgeous pendulum board printed onto it.

 

The second box is a little simpler, and this is the box that will be shipped with the standard DITF Elite.

 

As you can see, there is little to choose between the two. This box does not have the secret chamber or the reversible top. It also looks a little less ‘beaten up’, also the image of the pendulum board is arrived at in a different way.

There are only four sets of DITF Elite left before I have something of a break from making them. So if you want one, put an order in smartish!

The boxes two will be limited runs – I do not know how many yet, but this information will go up on the website as soon as I know.

I also still have two of the Tarot boxes left, still at the intro price.

Again, go have a look on the website for these.

 

Extra, Extra Read all about it…..

NEWSLETTER – if you do not have one download it here be sure to get yourself on the mailing list too – just send an email to sales@alchemy-moon.co.uk – put ‘newsletter in the header.

Newsletter and new Email

Just to keep you abreast of what is happening up there on the Moon.We will shortly be starting a newsletter. The newsletter will consist of…..

….well, news obviously.

But also gossip, reports, competitions and rumors.

It will also be the place to get the latest news on what Alchemy Moon is planing and what new goodies are coming up next. Also we will have user reviews, tips and the best of the Wiki.

It will also be a great place for you to promote yourself and what you are doing (as long as what you are doing is legal – cuz, we don’t want to hear about that, thank you!).

We will start small and will probably stay small, but if you contribute some ideas, it could grow.

To get things rolling, we will be giving a super prize for the best review of any Alchemy Moon product. We are not just looking for sycophantic ranting, but a genuine independent review that will accurately tell future customers what to expect. So, what are you waiting for?  Break out that old Smith-Corona Galaxie DeLuxe and get writing!

Any other idea for stuff to go in send them to our new email address: sales@alchemy-moon.co.uk

By the way, remember, this is the Alchemy Moon news letter, not a rival for the excellent Mystic Menagerie. So anything that looks good for the MM, send it there first please.

Oh yes, the new email address is where you will get your subscription too. Just send an email with the title ‘newsletter’ – -and we will do the rest.

 

Finally, we had to get a new email provider as the last one went into meltdown and filled our laptops with adverts for skin-replacement (I am not kidding here!). Upshot – we lost a lot of email. So, if you wonder why we are being so pig-ignorant – it could well be that your mail got lost. Please mail us at the new address and we will reply.

 

 

Get your aging Tutorial Here!

Just a note to say that Psyclops has finished his tutorial on aging the Cuss cards Kings. It is fantastic, and has broader applications than aging just the Kings Cards.

Get it on the Wiki now!

Go here….

Tarot Boxes – Last Two.

Wanted to just point out that there are only two Tarot boxes left of the current stock.

Furthermore they are both ‘Performers Boxes’ (the one on the left – made so that the image is the right way up for the audience/sitter). Both have the ‘Tarot Minor Arcana crib sheet on the inside.

These will go to the first two customers to hit the Paypal button on the website.

I will be making more stock – but in the future this will be to customers order rather from existing stock (just so I can also get on with other projects). Also, remember that the first batch was at an introductory price, so the next batch will be slightly more expensive.

(hey, do you remember when you missed out on getting the Cuss cards for their original offer price of £80?!!)

Where is my stuff?

Well, it is fair to say that the launch of Alchemy Moon could be considered a success.

Some people found the secret door and got in before the actual launch time (some people were also given the key).

Upshot was, we were selling out of some items within the first few hours, and all the new stuff within a day or two.

We really were not prepared for this, as we did not think that there were that many bizarre magicians out there (honest, we did a head count!).

Still, people were putting in orders before we had chance to put up the ‘out of stock’ stickers.

So we decided to send what stock we had from whatever country we had it. So some stuff for the US got shipped from the UK and vice versa. We thought this would be better than people waiting for stock to be replenished.

Then we hit a problem with customs. Basically, they started to rob customers blind.

I have of course issued a curse on all the customs officials who handled the parcels (nothing too severe – I have gone for a temporary but highly embarrassing disease).  Also, we have been working hard to put things right with people who have been hit particularly hard.

Obviously, we did not have to do this as customs charges are a fact of life. It seems crooked, it seems wrong and designed to just stop the development of small businesses. It looks like legitimised criminal activity – but it is what happens.

Put simply, as soon as we hand the parcel over, it is out of our control. I am coming close to thinking about buying a small aircraft and delivering everything by hand, it may be cheaper in the long run.

So it is a fact of life, but we are also looking to do right by our customers too.

So what is the situation with stock and post, and what is our policy for the future?

____________________________________________________________________________

First thing to say is, we are working like crazy to replenish stock – but we are also aiming to get enough stock to not be in the same position of disappointing people again.  As soon as we have the stock in both the US and the UK we will send out an announcement and obviously those ‘out of stock’ stickers will disappear too.

This means that if you order from the US it will be delivered from the US – if it is ordered in Europe it will be delivered from Europe. So an end of the highway robbery indulged in by the customs office! However, certain areas of the world (i.e. Canada and Australia) are still on the ‘duty wheel of fortune’. You guys must be used to it. Maybe in the future we get a Canadian and Australian distributor!

Also, in the future, if we have been caught out with stock we will offer to either refund the cash, or offer the customer the choice of waiting or delivering from where the stock is. However, as with all other companies, this means that you will have to spin the wheel and take a chance with the duties.

Also, bear in mind that when you buy something you normally get the note saying that the expected delivery time is between ’10 to 28 days’. This is because the crappyness of the postal service is a universal truth.  So contact us if nothing shows up within 28 days.

This seems the fairest option.

Orders are coming though now and some very positive and encouraging comments coming our way. It really is great to hear what you think and to get both positive comments and constructive criticism. Keep ‘em coming, your feedback is the fuel which keeps us going.

Finally, thanks for buying so much stuff!

More on the Tarot Boxes.

First thing to say, is that there are now only three left of the current batch.

All of you who have already put an order in will be guaranteed a box.

The last three go to the first three to order.

After this, the price will have to go up to reflect the time spent making one of these. However, this will still represent really good value for money, as you are essentially buying a piece of artwork for under £100.

Also, we will be bringing in an entry-level Tarot box – this will not be considered as part of our Elite range, and this will be reflected in the price.  However, it is still a very solid ‘worker’ for your cards.

If you put in an order after the current stock has run out, you will be offered a refund of the full amount. You are then free to order at the full price, or hold back to see the new range.

Finally on the boxes – by popular demand there are two styles of elite Tarot Box available – the first one, pictured on the website is the ‘Collectors Box’. This in intended for your own use, as the image faces you. The other style is the ‘Performers Box’ as the image looks upside down, but when the box is open, the image is the right way up for the audience or sitter.

See the image below to illustrate the differences.

The box on the left is the Performers box, the box on the right is the Collectors Box.

But here it is from the sitters point of view. The image appears the right way up for the sitter.

You can say which on you want when you order, or I will email you to ask.

Tarot Boxes ‘off the shelf’.

Alchemy Moon has a stock of Elite Tarot Boxes ready to ship and at a special introductory price. 

 These are made up and ready to ship. Each box has the ‘Hand of Mysteries’ design on the front (as illustrated) and a handy Minor Arcana crib sheet inside. At the price of £60/$96 for individually hand made pieces – these are going to go pretty fast, so it is a case of first come first served. First six clicks gets one.

It is just a simple matter of clicking the papypal on the website!

Go to the website also to look at some alternatives to the crib-sheet.

Also, if you have one of these ordered provisionally – just send me a confirmation email and you are top of the queue.

However, no need to cry if you miss the first batch. After we finish the first batch of Death in the Family Elite, we will be making another batch, just in time for Xmas – so it is worth getting in the queue anyway.

same email for this.

As this is all hand-made stuff you can suggest your own image too – no extra charge for existing images.

You can even commission an original Christopher J Gould piece of artwork for the Tarot box.

Same email for this or any other inquiries.

Don’t hang around too long on these!

Want some Elite Looking Kings Cards?

The story of the Cuss Cards is this – for many years I had been performing Cuss Cards with a set that was essentially the Kings Set. Then I was thrown a challenge… The idea ate away at me for months; to produce a set of Cuss Cards that looked 100% authentic. This took a lot of research, practical experimentation and financial outlay (every thought of buying a small printing press?) – but in the end the Cuss Cards Elite were born, and went down into bizarre history!

This was all well and good for the working performer and for the serious collector.

But I also wanted to make the effect available for a broader audience.

(I have never been a fan of exclusion!)

So I worked hard and long on producing the Kings Set for the general public – as I was not concerned with absolute authenticity – I could let my imagination run riot and produce a set of cards that were colourful, very detailed and full of symbolic references (Oh, yes and a portrait of George Bush Jr!).

These were far more ‘pretty’ than my original set, and I fell into using them myself. (although, I obviously have my own Elite Set now).

So I put them out at the lowest price I could. So, for the money you are getting a LOT of highly detailed artistry, and a LOT of thinking. Real good value, in anyone’s books. Also, a real-world worker. However, you DO have to perform the cards as modern reproductions. They look like what they are; imitations produced on a modern printer. This works fine, as you explain the sympathetic link between these cards and the ‘real’ Cussing Cards (that, due to their malignant rarity, are stored in your high-security vault).

Still some people, like Tony (aka Psyclops) want their cake and eat it.

So Tony sent me the photo above – of his Kings Cussing Cards that he has hand aged.

Of course, I could well have retreated into my cellar and activated my favorite curse on him for doing this. However, there is no doubting that he has done a fine job of this…

So I persuaded Tony to part with his secrets – as a result of this – Tony will soon be putting a tutorial on the website. We will also put up all the files for you to be able to achieve this. So that you can have a set of ‘Elite Kings’ – in some ways these will be even rarer than the Elite set!

So why am I doing this, is it not commercial suicide? Well, not really, as the Elite are still the gold standard and the only set that you can convincingly ‘claim’ to be authentic. It is still the case that if you have the Elite set, you have a piece of Bizarre Art. We are not claiming that the modified Kings set in any way come near the Elite set. However, I do like people modifying and individualizing their props. And it does allow you to make your own unique set.

And it could be a whole lot of fun to do……

Watch this page of the website for more details as they emerge…

All of the keys have gone out to the Wiki members….

All of you wiki members should have got the key by now – pm me on the wiki if this is not the case.

For everyone else – less than three hours left.

And for all you who have found the secret door – tut, tut!