Poll time again! Help me design the box!

Here’s a first look at the box design for the Eilat Tarot!

I’ve created two mock-ups. One is in black-and-white to match the cards and companion book. The other is in color, inspired by a box of Chanukah candles-but with ten candles to represent the ten sefirot.

The deck itself will be entirely black and white. But I’m still torn about the box! Should it match the cards or stand out like the festival of lights? I would love your thoughts? Black-and-white or colorful?

Thank you to everyone who’s been cheering this project on!

And a bonus view of the back of the box!

My favorite writing implement? The eraser!

I just deleted 10 pages of my guidebook and replaced it with a clearer introduction. Real progress!

If you're curious, the footnote says: "Throughout this guidebook, I’ve italicized Hebrew titles and terms such as Sefer Yetzirah and sefirot. Quotations from authors such as Aryeh Kaplan retain their original formatting."

Barbie: The Movie

Just watched Barbie, and I loved it!

The anti-woke outrage? Totally overblown. This is a fun, clever movie… about dolls. It takes the unrealistic world of Barbie and spins it into something self-aware, entertaining, and surprisingly moving.

One thing the movie nailed: as kids, we never knew what to do with Ken. He really was just Barbie’s accessory—and the film captured that perfectly. Honestly, I found myself cheering for the Kens. They weren’t portrayed as villains or victims, just as dolls waking up to the fact that they had no defined identity of their own.

Helen Mirren’s narration is perfect. Of course. The human mother and daughter added some warmth and grounding to the story—though Gloria’s big speech went on a bit too long for my taste. It was really touching when Gloria's daughter began singing along to the Indigo Girls with her mom. And I really enjoyed Barbie’s quiet, unexpected conversations with the ghost of Ruth Handler, the woman who created her.

Also amusing: the human father/husband's cameo. A nice parallel to Ken’s role in Barbie’s world, and a funny little nod to how secondary male characters can be in stories addressed to women.

I was never at all attached to my own Barbie doll, but I did love rebuilding her pink townhouse every time we moved. And I had a great time sewing clothes for her by hand—since the glue in the Barbie Sewing Machine never worked.

Also: when is Mattel releasing Barbie’s Enormous Gem Necklace? Asking for a friend.

What about you? What are your Barbie memories? Did you love her, ignore her, cut her hair off? Feel free to share your stories in the comments—I’d love to hear them.