For my best friend’s 19th birthday, I wanted to give her something she could treasure for a lifetime—something that carried a piece of our friendship in every detail. So, I spent weeks hand-painting an entire set of tarot cards, pouring my heart into every single one.

Growing up, I watched my mom, a professional artist, create magic with her brush, but despite her many offers to formally train me, I always resisted. I love the freedom of creating without rules, mixing mediums in ways that feel right rather than following a structured technique. This project was no different—I used everything from watercolor and acrylic to markers and alcohol-based ink, layering colors and textures until each card felt alive with its own energy.

To make the set even more special, I mounted each card on sturdy backing paper and crafted a custom wooden box to hold them. I mixed acrylic with shimmer pigments to paint the box in deep, shifting shades of blue, mirroring the ocean’s ever-changing hues. Then, I carefully arranged seashells I had handpicked on a trip to Ratnagiri, a quiet nod to our shared love for the sea. It felt like the perfect finishing touch—something deeply personal, yet effortlessly beautiful.

When the gift was finally done, I almost didn’t want to part with it. The cards had turned out so well that for a moment, I considered keeping them for myself. But the way her face lit up when she opened the box, the way she showed off the cards to her friends —made every hour spent painting worth it.