Stolen Thyme

Art & Crafts

Petit Lenormand

In a frenzy of a few days in Fall 2019 – a break from Anecdotes Tarot – I made a Petit Lenormand based on images from Joanna Newsom lyrics.

You can download the images and print files on the Downloads page.

The Card Images

The original drawings were all quick felt-tip pen doodles. In 2022, I decided to redraw the deck digitally to clean up the images a bit and add my own lettering. I changed some compositions a bit, but tried to keep close to the original. Below you can find the new images.

Some card titles are changed from the traditional Lenormand deck in order to fit the lyrical reference better. Others were just changed because the word was too long to squeeze in!

A person in a wide-brimmed hat rides a leaping horse along the seashore. In the background, a noose hangs from a scaffold near some small houses, and seagulls fly over the water.
Song: “You and Me, Bess”
A four-leafed clover standing in the grass, with a smaller three-leafed clover on either side. Underground, a horned dragon is curled up, surrounded by swirls which come from its mouth.
Song: “Only Skin”
A four-masted ship floats on ocean waves. A birdcage hangs from its bowsprit, and its largest sail is decorated with a flying bird. Two hot air balloons rise in the sky behind the ship.
Song: “Bridges and Balloons”
A one-story house with a chimney, in a field of poppies. Pine trees and mountains in the background cradle the house.
(a.k.a. House)
Song: “Emily”
A rabbit crouches next to a small birch tree with falling leaves.
Song: “Baby Birch”
The crenellated towers and walls of a castle rise through swirling clouds. There are some scrubby grasses in the foreground.
Song: “En Gallop”
A coiled serpent with fangs and a spade-shaped tail, surrounded by flames.
(a.k.a. Snake)
Song: “Kingfisher”
(a.k.a. Coffin) Song: “Cosmia”
A frog in fancy clothing holds a bouquet of daisies.
Song: “Easy”
A scythe rests on a pile of hay. Five black birds circle overhead.
Song: “Make Hay”
A woman brandishes a whip between two lines of hooded monks. A spider hangs from a large bow on the back of the woman’s dress.
Song: “Have One On Me”
Two nightjars with tiny beaks and big eyes sit on branches.
Song: “Anecdotes”
A swaddled baby encircled by two leafy stems. There is a kite shape below the baby and stems with two blackberries and heart-shaped leaves above the baby.
Song: “Esme”
A fox prances by the side of a fishpond, with a fish in its mouth. There are pine trees in the background and decorative flourishes in the air.
Song: “In California”
A bear stands waist-deep in the ocean. She looks up at the “big dipper” constellation in the sky.
Song: “Monkey & Bear”
The constellation Cassiopeia, which is made up of five stars in the shape of a W.
Song: “Cassiopeia”
A flying Canada goose. There are decorative flourishes in the air around the goose.
(a.k.a. Stork)
Song: “Goose Eggs”
A dog playfully lifts her tail in the air with her front legs and head low to the ground. She has a bone in her mouth and holds a pinecone between her front paws. There are decorative flourishes in the air around the dog.
Song: “Sadie”
A crenellated tower with two pointed arched windows. The tower has two legs, in pointy-toed boots. It stands on an assortment of bones, including a human skull.
Song: “What We Have Known”
A horned dragon and a person sit on a blanket in a garden. The person wears a cloak decorated with a cross. Behind them, there are rows of flowers and a low wall covered in heart-shaped ivy leaves. There is an arched door in the middle of the wall.
Song: “’81”
A domed observatory with a telescope sits on the side of a mountain whose base is enveloping in swirling clouds. A crescent moon hangs in the sky on the left side of the mountain, the sun is on the other side.
Song: “Waltz of the 101st Lightborne”
A road in the foreground splits in two, traveling over rolling hills. On the left side of the card the road leads toward a city skyline. On the right side of the card the road leads toward a barn and trees.
(a.k.a. Crossroads)
Song: “Leaving the City”
Two running rabbits with bows around their necks. Decorative flourishes surround the rabbits.
(a.k.a. Mice)
Song: “Jackrabbits”
A white heart is in the center of a starry night sky. At the bottom of the picture, there are outlines of buildings and mountains, and a ladder leads up to the heart.
Song: “You Will Not Take My Heart Alive”
A ring with a knotted string around its top. Below the ring, there is a small circle and two spiraling stems with leaves on their ends.
Song: “Sprout and the Bean”
A book with the title “Right On” and an image of a sun on its cover.
Song: “The Book of Right-On”
A person sits at a desk in the dark, writing on a scroll with a feather pen. The scroll is surrounded by a many-pointed star shape. There is a pointed arched window in the wall which looks out on a crescent moon and stars.
Song: “Inflammatory Writ”
A man wearing a hooded jacket and large boots stands in front of a mill wheel in a creek, with his thumb hooked in his belt.
Song: “Same Old Man”
A woman wearing a hooded jacket, large boots, and a kerchief around her hair stands with a basket near a washing line, where a dress hangs.
Song: “Same Old Man”
A stuffed dove with a heart-shaped patch sewn on its chest. Its wing is made of a glove, the fingers of the glove forming the feathers.
(a.k.a. Lily)
Song: “Sawdust & Diamonds”
The sun has both triangular and wavy rays. Below the sun, a black kettle decorated with a heart sits on a round cloth.
Song: “Anecdotes”
Water flows from a crescent moon into a thimble.
Song: “Bridges and Balloons”
A key with a heart drawn on its head is in the air over an open trunk. The trunk contains a high-heeled boot, three buttons, and a folded dress.
Song: “Does Not Suffice”
A narwhal with a long horn. The narwhal is surrounded by decorative flourishes.
Song: “Colleen”
A person with long hair swims down toward an anchor surrounded by oysters. One oyster shell is open to reveal a pearl.
Song: “Divers”
A person’s ankles are wrapped in bandages. The ends of the two bandages trail down and cross each other, forming a X-shape.
Song: “Go Long”

Printings

I printed the first version of the deck in two small runs, for a total of twenty copies.

The printed cards are all laid out in a grid.
The first printing had 2 inch by 2 inch cards with plain yellow backs.
The card back is a picture of a small house in colorful mountains, made of felt stitched together.
The box is made of white paper with the word Lenormand printed in red ink.
Hand holding up the deck.
The deck and its box on a table next to a blue glass vase
This second version of the deck has 2.5 inch by 2.5 inch square cards with card backs scanned from an applique project.
The boxes are unfolded and laid out on a table, waiting to be glued into shape.
I made the boxes myself with watercolor paper and a rubber stamp.