Valentine’s Bliss – Jenel Roberts’ handmade cards spread love

…young entrepreneur customises cards, gift boxes

By Alva Solomon

Five years ago, Jenel Roberts created a handmade card business from the comfort of her home and this year, the young entrepreneur has taken her business a step further by introducing personalised gift boxes, stacked with goodies for those in love and, of course, her signature handmade cards.
She started making the cards after visiting the stores and recognising that there aren’t many options where a personalised greeting card is concerned. She went home, put pen to paper and explored her hand-crafted ideas, creating greeting cards which have wooed many in the public domain. Roberts named her business “All things Handmade” and these days, she spends much of her time creating her cards, making deliveries and managing the business while placing emphasis on the feelings the cards exude.

This year, Roberts decided to up the ante by launching a new product to complement her greeting cards, with the young at heart in mind. She refers to the product as a “Build a box” initiative which features items including chocolates, candles, wine and, of course, her specially made handmade cards. “The idea is to customise or personalise the box as much as possible to suit the recipient,” she said.
She said that if a customer prefers a specific type of wine, she would source the item and pack the box and deliver or the customer can pick up. “I realise that most people, when they ask for a card for Valentine’s Day, they want to also order a gift to go along so I decided to offer a service of both the card and the gift so that they don’t need to go looking somewhere else,” Roberts said. In addition, she designs the box with a hint of sentimental value to suit the customer’s request. “So, this shows that thought and effort went into giving that gift,” she added, noting that the boxes are reasonably priced. “The emphasis is on the packaging to be nice and neat and slick and to satisfy the customer,” she said.

In terms of her cards, this year’s Valentine’s collection is called “Hearts” and this, she noted, was a vivid awakening since all of her cards and gift boxes feature a countless amount of hearts. Roberts said the cards are made with a deep sense of feeling. “Every single card I make is specifically made with the receiver in mind,” she added. She creates her cards from scratch, beginning with a simple idea, which evolves into a drawing of her idea, then creating graphics on her laptop and then she brings the concept to life. “So, it starts in the brain, then the laptop then the actual product,” she added.
She said her all-things handmade business has evolved over the years, noting that she sells “feelings” in her products. She said it allows her to get more involved while exemplifying her creativity.
Roberts left her full-time job late in 2020 to focus on her handmade cards business. “I know that I want to focus on my own business and so I decided that in 2021 I would focus on my craft business and it became my livelihood, “ she added.
She said the COVID-19 pandemic affected the world economically and while she had to alter her schedules and follow the requisite health guidelines, it did not really hamper her business.
Roberts said managing her business can be demanding as it is “basically working around the clock”. She said that while her 9-5 job entailed clocking in and clocking out, her craft business sees her being the accountant, the social media manager, teaching her assistant, making deliveries and interfacing with the customers.
In terms of the response, she said that this year the feedback has been “amazing” and according to her, the business has evolved over the years. She described 2021 as a major highlight for her business, adding that she has been making bulk cards for a corporate company, which includes hampers, gift sourcing and branding.
She said Oasis Café allowed her to launch a “pop-up” shop at their Carmichael Street base and this, she noted, complemented her jumpstart which she received from fans and friends on her social media accounts when she first launched her business several years ago. “On Facebook I made connections, I met people and got new niche of customers, so the response on social media has been better in 2021 than before,” she added.
In the future, Roberts said if the opportunity to transition her handcrafted cards business into one that is more technological presents itself with the help of a machine, she would partake and take advantage of the challenges which it may bring, while advancing her business.
She plans to teach more and let others have a first-hand experience of making greeting cards. “I want to take this card making art and teach others, I want to share that knowledge because I have been keeping all of that to myself,” she added.