Kena Desai, KenaliaCards

The colors bleed together on the cotton paper as I swipe my watercolor brush down the beautiful brick column of the house. This order was special because it would commemorate a family’s home that was lost years ago in a fire. I spread the sky blue across the top, wanting the finished house portrait to be bright and bold.

I have been painting since longer than I know, participating in competitions and gifting my work to friends and family. Then during Covid, I saw my passion as an opportunity to help people connect with their loved ones in a time of distancing. In getting to make watercolor paintings memorializing houses that burnt down or portraits of grandparents socially isolating, I have seen the impact of a personalized gift.

My company is called KenaliaCards, and we specialize in creating hand-painted watercolor greeting cards and portraits. In my experience, hand-painting cards, and working with local businesses, I’ve seen how high the demand for hand-painted cards and portraits is. Meanwhile, many artists struggle with finding buyers, leaving a disconnect between those who want paintings and those able to create them. Drawing from the network of artists I’ve built, I hope to leverage my web platform as a tool that allows buyers to select an artist to create their hand-painted card at affordable prices. Additionally, all of our products are packaged in 100% recycled envelopes. In my company’s commitment to service a portion of sales are dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs in underserved communities through micro-loans at 0% interest rates.

“KenaliaCards” logo on the left. A giddy feeling rises in my gut as it always does when I carefully push the stack of completed orders into the USPS mailbox.

In a world where we are always trying to see more, and need more to satisfy our ever-growing list of material desires, I love how a hand-painted card allows us to appreciate life’s little moments. KenaliaCards, the online greeting card shop I founded, has given me the opportunity to create watercolor cards celebrating first homes, birthdays, weddings, and even honoring passed loved ones, in an accessible way.

Through my bestseller Etsy product, “Photo to Hand-painted Card,” I have learned invaluable time management and communication lessons as I juggled the influx of orders and worked individually with each buyer to create their unique piece. My journey with KenaliaCards, from creating my first card to designing my own website, has allowed me to share my passion and connect with people in a meaningful way.