Oracles of June

Happy June! We are all back in the studio after a wild whirlwind of April and May events and travel. All three of us are back in the studio together and hard at work on lots of projects. We have been putting together a ton of Animal Guide and Entomology Kits to send out to shops across the country! Oracle-made work can now be found in brick-and-mortar small businesses in 12 states and 14 cities across the US! Check out our list of stockists to see if there’s one near you.

Speaking of our Entomology Kits… they got an upgrade!!! Now every Mini-Ento Kit and Double-Feature DIY Bug Kit include a pocket-sized copy of The Bare Basics of Bug Pinning book. This means the kits truly come with everything you need to pin the specimen; a self-contained DIY at-home project kit. We are so thrilled with these kits as they truly fulfill our mission of empowering the at-home learner with the information and tools to deepen their knowledge and connection to the natural world.

And because we also believe in the power of group learning and hands-on workshops, Alessandra is planning more classes! First up will be two insect-pinning classes: Butterfly (Friday the 21st) and Cicada (Saturday the 22nd)! Details aren’t out yet… you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled on our email newsletter when it comes out. That’s where you’ll get all of the info and be able to sign up with priority access!

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Animal Guide Kit
$30.00
Mini-Ento Kit
Mini-Ento Kit
$44.00
The Bare Basics of Insect Pinning Zine
The Bare Basics of Insect Pinning Zine
$20.00

By now it’s hard to escape talk about the 2024 cicada emergence (sounds so wonderfully dramatic, doesn’t it?) But actually it is pretty dramatic… the predicted numbers of cicada which will emerge from the ground per square foot is truly mind boggling. As a Midwesterner the sound of cicadas and summer are so inextricably linked. The massive numbers that will be calling out nightly these next few months will just be like summer amplified! You may wanna carry a pair of earplugs with you this season.

In the studio we’ve been making sure to highlight some cicada love and honor this fascinating insect as a symbol of summer, transition, and song. Melissa’s been creating lovely spread cicada domes and small frames. Laura made a cicada-themed fortune scratch card. We’ve been framing cicada specimen, making cicada ento-kits, and of course planning the cicada pinning class with Alessandra. So please do come in and geek out with us about these noisy wild-eyed summer visitors and tell us all about your cicada encounters!

Enjoy your Summer, friends! Whether you’re off on adventures or soaking in some sun on your own porch… let the sounds, smells, and sights of the season bring you joy! If you’re in KC during our shop hours (Wednesday through Sunday 11am to 6pm*) *We will be closed for vacation on July 3rd and 4th.

— Laura

{ Oracle Holiday Guide - Part 2 }

{ Holiday Gift Guide - For the Taxidermist }

Figures of Taxidermy - Perfect for the curio collector! We have specimens ranging from taxidermy, bones, and wet specimens. Have a fancy friend who enjoys wrapping themselves in furs? We got you! Can’t decide what to get? Join our Curio of the month club!

Our taxidermy tends to be a little bit more on the expensive side for our gift guide; with small specimens starts at $150 and our beautiful birds at $320. Hanging bats would be our best seller with our tiny new specimens starting at $30 (but they are selling out quick!)! If those don’t fit the ticket, we have a variety of furs and tails starting at $15, where you can choose from rabbit, fox, and even wolf! Of course, we pride ourselves at Oracle for working as ethically as possible, sourcing our specimens from local farmers, abatement programs, and natural death… so make sure to ask us and we can tell you where your specimens are coming from!

{ Holiday Gift Guide - For the Osteology }

Figures of Osteology is one of my favorites with a variety of beetle cleaned skulls we do ourselves, skeletons, wet specimens, loose bones, and vials of bones, teeth, claws, and stones! These are perfect for the yearning scientist, beginning collector, or even the bone collector who has it all (secret to my own heart, hah)! Just like the taxidermy, we work as ethically as possible and do everything in house; come in and see the new skeletons and skulls we are working on… our pouncing bobcat will hopefully be ready by the holidays ;) And if you can’t decide, then Curio of the Month is the perfect solution, where each month we handpick items that suit YOU… and not to mention first dibs on new merch in shop shipped directly to you!

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Bug Club
$36.00 every month for 4 months

{ Holiday Gift Guide - For the Entomologist }

Figures of Entomology is perfect gift for the aspiring scientist. Our handmade frames and spread insects are done here at Oracle, sourced from farms in South America and Southeast Asia where not only do they wait for the specimens to drop naturally but also aids us to protect those beautiful pieces of rainforest… Our double glass frames are also made so you can see the specimens in the round (seeing the interior and exterior patterns of butterflies and those juicy fangs of those beautiful tarantulas). We also will be having a holiday class, Mimics and Disguises, where you can learn how to spread insects yourself! Or… if you are already an accomplished collector or want to practice more bug spreading OR just want to do it yourself, join our Bug Club!

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We are so thankful for all of your support and our community of science and occult enthusiasts! We wouldn’t be able to put this all together if it weren’t for you all! Thank You! And especially thank you to our local artists and artists we are honored to carry and work with at Oracle. There are so many things that sometimes it doesn’t get to our social media or online store, so definitely try to make it in… Our Holiday Party, Dec 21st & 22nd, is the best way to see all our goodies and meet all the cool people that make Oracle possible - hope to see you then!

Thank you & Happy Holidays!
- xo Oracle