Dear Backers,
First, I want to begin with an apology for the long stretch of silence. I know it can feel unsettling when there aren’t frequent updates, especially on a project you’re excited about. The truth is, I didn’t want to keep sending messages that simply said “nothing has changed.” I’ve been waiting until I had something real and meaningful to share with you, and now I finally do.
As many of you know, the tariffs that were imposed last year created an enormous financial burden for our projects. Across everything we have in production, those tariffs added nearly $100,000 in additional costs, which forced all of our projects into a holding pattern while we tried to find a path forward.
During my last update, I had indicated that the decks would go into production on February 24th. However, because the U.S. Supreme Court was scheduled to rule on the constitutionality of those tariffs, I made the decision to pause and wait for that ruling before committing to production. If the tariffs were struck down, it would dramatically change the financial reality for us.
On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs were unconstitutional. That decision changed everything. The removal of those tariffs going forward saves us tens of thousands of dollars across our remaining productions. That shift is what finally allows us to move forward with Shadows of Wonderland Tarot and the other projects that have been paused since last spring.
There is another important piece of context I want to share as well, because it helps explain how our production schedule works. We work with two different printers, each chosen very intentionally.
The majority of pour projects (with the exception of our Earth, Moon, & Shadow Oracle), are printed using a very small, family-owned and operated print shop in Shenzhen, China. We chose this printer very deliberately. They are not a giant factory running endless production lines. They are a small shop run by a family that genuinely cares about their people and the quality of the projects they produce. From the very beginning it was clear that they take enormous pride in their craftsmanship, and that mattered deeply to us when deciding who we wanted to partner with.
However, being a small shop also means they simply cannot run multiple large productions at the same time. Unlike larger factories, they need to complete one project before beginning the next. Because of that, we have to space our projects out in their production queue.
Because several of our projects have been waiting in line much longer, those projects are now moving into production first. Shadows of Wonderland is still very much in the queue, but it will enter production after the earlier projects are completed. With the tariff situation resolved and our printer’s schedule now confirmed, we are able to share the projected timeline for Shadows of Wonderland Tarot.
Here is the updated schedule:
📅 Updated Timeline for Shadows of Wonderland Tarot
- Printed with our small shop in China
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Production Start: September 2026
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Production Duration: ~60 days (Estimated completion: November 2026)
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Freight Shipping: November 2026
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Arrival to Us: December 2026
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Fulfillment Begins: As soon as freight arrives
As soon as the decks arrive here at our studio, we will begin fulfillment right away.
I know this project has taken longer than I had hoped, and I want you to know how deeply grateful I am for the patience, kindness, and encouragement so many of you have shown along the way. The past year brought challenges none of us could have predicted, but the lifting of the tariffs finally gives us the breathing room to move forward again.
Thank you for sticking with us through this journey. It truly means more than I can say.
Serefina Mesa
Rue & Vervain
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