How to Make Your Own Oracle Card Deck Out of Paint Swatches

I’ve always loved Oracle cards. They can be as simple or as deep as you want them to be. Some decks have just a single word on them, some are just images with no words at all. There’s really no right or wrong way to use them--it’s all super personal and intuitive. That’s what I love about them.

But also… decks are super-duper expensive. Like, $40 to $60 for the pretty ones I drool over. And your girl is broken sometimes. I don’t always have the money to drop on a fancy deck, even though I’d love to support those creators (and I still do when I can!). But part of having a spiritual practice is also knowing how to customize your tools and make them feel personal and meaningful to you. So, I’m going to show you one of my favorite little DIY projects: How I made my own oracle deck… out of paint swatches.

Yes, you read that correctly! Paint swatches! And it turned out to be one of the most fun and magical things I’ve done in a while.

WHY PAINT SWATCHES?
  • First of all--free!
  • The color names are often super poetic and weirdly deep. Like “Whispering Pine” or “Soft Moonlight.”
  • The colors themselves carry meaning and energy.
  • They’re sturdy, easy to shuffle, and feel like little cards already.
  • And honestly? The whole thing becomes a meditative creative practice.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
  • A stack of paint swatches (I got mine at Walmart, but anywhere with a paint section works)
  • A Sharpie or whatever you like to write with
  • Any extra stuff you want to decorate with: pens, markers, stickers, paint washi tape, glitter--go wild
  • Optional but encouraged: some crystals, incense, music, or whatever makes it feel sacred
  • A notebook or journal to jot down meanings

HOW TO MAKE AN ORACLE DECK OUT OF PAINT SWATCHES.


1. Let Your Intuition Pick the Swatches

Head to the paint aisle and let your gut guide you. Don’t overthink. Just go with the colors and the paint names that call out to you. Trust that there’s a reason you’re drawn to them. I just stood there for a bit grabbing the ones that called out to me. When I got good handful of them, I took them home.

2. Gather Your Stuff and Set the Mood

Next, grab your supplies. If you’re like me, sometimes you want to go full aesthetic mode and other times you just want it done and functional. You can use markers, paint, stamps, ink, whatever floats your boat. To set the mood I simply meditated to put myself into the right headspace. If you'd like to take it a step further, you can create an entire ritual out of it by lighting a candle and creating a sacred space with some incense.

3. Sit With Each Card and Assign a Meaning

When I finished meditating, I shuffled through each card and wrote down the meanings as they came to me. I also doodled drawings on them that related to the card. In order to do this, you might want to write in sharpie on the card if you plan on further drawing and covering it up with paint later.  You can also tune into each and see how they feel. You may ask yourself:

  • What does this color feel like?
  • What message does the name give me?
  • What situation or energy might this card represent?

You can write the meaning on the back of the card or keep a journal where you list all your interpretations. This step is where you really get to infuse your intuition into the deck.

4. Personalize and Decorate (If You Want)

After writing down the meanings on your card or in your journal, it's time to make them pretty, if you'd like! Use whatever media floats your boat to decorate. If you’re like me and just wanted to get the magic flowing, only using a sharpie and drawing some doodles did the trick just fine. The point is to make them yours. You’re not trying to impress anyone---this is about connection, not perfection. The goal isn't to stress yourself out with this project but to use it as a tool to hone into your intuition and the messages that you need to receive. 

If you try this, I would love to hear about the paint names you picked for your deck. Comment Below!



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