The human + animal bond
Greeting Cards, Personal Rebecca Tillett Greeting Cards, Personal Rebecca Tillett

The human + animal bond

The day after Christmas of 2017 I had to put my kitty, Blue to sleep. He was in kidney failure and had gone downhill fast the week prior. A quick trip to my vet confirmed he was nearing the end and it was time. So I scheduled a vet to come to my place the day after Christmas the following week so he could pass in the comfort of his own home. I couldn’t get through that call without bawling.

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No womb. No gloom.
Greeting Cards Rebecca Tillett Greeting Cards Rebecca Tillett

No womb. No gloom.

But as you may have seen me post here before, women were not often portrayed in historical anatomical paintings, drawings, studies and illustrations unless it was in the context of pregnancy and childbirth. (It was assumed that females were otherwise identical to males. Thus the commonly held view was that the anatomy of females was only important as it related to bearing children; maddeningly, little has progressed in this regard—a rant for another day.)

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Going Stag No. 5
Art Collage Rebecca Tillett Art Collage Rebecca Tillett

Going Stag No. 5

Going Stag is such a fascinating series. No. 1 is the most popular everywhere but the popularity of the rest seems weirdly dependent on the region of the country. It’s been strange to witness and we never know if we’re bringing too few or too many prints of each one depending on the preferences of that area.

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Personal, Rant Rebecca Tillett Personal, Rant Rebecca Tillett

Basic human decency stuff

I’m grateful these are the only two real tasteless interactions we’ve had with customers in the last 3+ years since starting this business. And I don’t prefer to perpetuate or amplify such ridiculous negativity, but I am just so amused by these two experiences and am reminded that humans never fail to surprise the hell out of me with their award-winning audacity.

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Upward to Heaven
Art Collage, Poetry Rebecca Tillett Art Collage, Poetry Rebecca Tillett

Upward to Heaven

The original version of this piece (that you may have seen if you stopped by our booth in Houston or Dallas) had the subject’s head inside a birdcage. But even though I loved the concept in theory, there was something about it that didn’t feel right and I didn’t love it

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Femina Luna
Art Collage, Personal Rebecca Tillett Art Collage, Personal Rebecca Tillett

Femina Luna

About a month ago my daughter was painting with watercolors and painted a moon with flowers growing out of it (with a little help from me on the moon). When I saw it, one of my first thoughts was, ohh, I wanna create my own version of this.

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Friendships
Greeting Cards Rebecca Tillett Greeting Cards Rebecca Tillett

Friendships

I know this is ultimately how it works, though; people coming and going, many never meant to stay for good. But fuck, it gets harder the older we get, doesn’t it? Because the body count just keeps rising. it also gets harder to make new friends as we get older—or we just don’t have the time or the energy required to build new friendships…meanwhile, many of our older friendships are winding down.

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Surrender Boxes
Laser Engravings Rebecca Tillett Laser Engravings Rebecca Tillett

Surrender Boxes

A surrender box allows us to let go of our worries and desires so the universe can take care of them for us. We write down what we want or need to happen and then place the note into a box. By writing and placing our thoughts in the box, we are taking action and letting the universe know we need help and are willing to surrender our feelings.

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Lilacs and brain cancer
Tattoo Design, Commission Rebecca Tillett Tattoo Design, Commission Rebecca Tillett

Lilacs and brain cancer

In late 2021 Maria had been diagnosed with brain cancer and also happened to be 6 months pregnant. After emergency surgery, radiation and chemo and the birth of her healthy baby girl on Valentine’s Day of 2022, she wanted a tattoo to symbolize this crazy/scary/hard/beautiful time in her life.

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Divorce and Break-Ups
greeting cards, Personal Rebecca Tillett greeting cards, Personal Rebecca Tillett

Divorce and Break-Ups

10.5 years ago I ended a 7 year marriage/14 year relationship. It was one of the hardest and scariest things I have ever done and even though deep down in my soul I knew it was something I had to do, I still doubted myself every step of the way and it completely ripped me apart. I cried many tears and my heart broke for both of us. I think this is one of those things that you assume is very black and white until you’re in it. This shit is really hard and is accompanied by a very specific kind of grief.

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QWN Bee
Art Collage Rebecca Tillett Art Collage Rebecca Tillett

QWN Bee

Prepare the royal jelly, nurse, and warn the drones.
The flowers shall open soon and I must choose a deserving heir to my throne.

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A story and a warning to creators
Materials, Complaints Rebecca Tillett Materials, Complaints Rebecca Tillett

A story and a warning to creators

So, I had planned to spend most of January designing and engraving boxes for both the 2024 Oddities expos and our online shop. I deliberately cleared my schedule of everything else. I had only gotten about 5 boxes done when I began getting some strange error messages from our laser engraver. And then it just stopped working entirely.

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Woody Guthrie, Cherokee Bill and Bass Reeves
Grave Hunting, History, Personal Rebecca Tillett Grave Hunting, History, Personal Rebecca Tillett

Woody Guthrie, Cherokee Bill and Bass Reeves

First stop: Highland Cemetery in Okemah, OK to see the cenotaph for Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) (Fun fact: his full name was Woodrow Wilson Guthrie!) as well as the graves of his loved ones. We also went looking for his childhood home before realizing it was torn down in the ‘70s due to the demands of some very vocal locals who were whining that it had become a hangout for teenage hoodlums (when really it was likely they just didn’t believe that “commie” deserved any kind of legacy).

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25 Years Ago
Personal, End of Life Doula Rebecca Tillett Personal, End of Life Doula Rebecca Tillett

25 Years Ago

25 years ago I was angry with my dad and ignored him completely before going to bed. No goodnight, no see you tomorrow. Nothing.

Early the next morning I would be shaken awake by my mom as she said the most surreal words I’ve ever heard:
Your dad is dead. Get up. Your dad is dead.

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Santa’s Happy Pills
greeting cards Rebecca Tillett greeting cards Rebecca Tillett

Santa’s Happy Pills

A holiday card has been added to our new updated Calamity Card set and because of the nature of this set, let’s just say it is not all sunshine and rainbows. Look, I’m sorry ok, but at least it’s real. AT LEAST IT’S HONEST. Is the truth easy to digest? No. But can we find unity—comfort and camaraderie in our fellow citizens to help ease this burden? Also no.

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