if you want to know how i spent, oh, 4 solid hours of my life last night, let me introduce you to the wealth of inspiration that is the world of playing cards. playing cards, grace? really? yes, really. i don’t know how i ended up on this site, but i had to physically pull myself away from it after i’d covered every inch of my desktop with images i wanted to save and work with at some point.
i’ve always had a major soft spot for anything queen of hearts related (wait until you see amy’s “alice in wonderland” themed living in post today!), so i’ve always found myself collecting images here and there that remind of me hearts, spades and anything antique and regal-looking. so when i first loaded world of playing cards i think i felt my heart actually skip a beat. it was like i’d stumbled into a world of complete and total inspiration- there wasn’t a single image that failed to elicit an “ooh!”, and i ended up calling a friend and forcing her to put down her work so she could check it out.
simon wintle’s collection of images and information on the history of playing cards is astonishing. you can search and examine cards from all different countries, or search based on subject matter or specific designer. i learned so much more than i could have even hoped for, so if you’ve got some time (a few hours, maybe?) to spare, i highly suggest checking out the world of playing cards site. the tiny artwork on each card is beautiful, and it’s really amazing to see how the design of cards has changed over the years. click here to check out the site and get inspired…
*all images via the world of playing cards*
CLICK HERE for more beautiful playing card images after the jump!
*all images via the world of playing cards*
