It all started here

My interest in paper-crafting and card-making started just after my husband asked me to marry him – wedding invitations!

We decided on a vintage-travel theme for our morning picnic wedding. As with so many things I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted for the invitations, but I did know what I did not want – boring printed invitations. And I wanted to make them myself (as with most things in the wedding).

After some research into custom-made stamps I visited County-Crafts in Randpark Ridge and was entranced by all the wonderful things that Joan and Magda showed me. I left feeling inspired, if a little intimidated and with a nice haul of stamps and inks. I also signed up for a card-making class to learn some more techniques.

A couple of months down the line, the stamps were made and used and the end result was beyond my expectations:

There were some more paper-related projects that we (me and my lovely friends, bridesmaids, mother and soon-to-be-husband) made:

Ring ‘pillow’ made from a vintage book

Confetti holders stamped with custom-made stamp and distressed. My mom punched all the heart-shaped confetti by hand!

 

The biggest of which was probably the 36-page booklet that we created that served as the wedding program, seating chart, menu and some light reading while the guests waited for thing to get started. Making the booklet was not really that hard, but when you make 72 copies of each embellished, stamped, distressed or embossed page it becomes quite a large task – thank goodness for all the willing hands!

Creating so many things for the wedding really enhanced the whole experience for me and I can truly say that it was everything I ever dreamed of!

Ready to Launch

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

Maya Angelou

A little about myself

My name is Leana Blom and I’m from Johannesburg, South Africa. Auditor by day, intrepid crafter by night! – I’ve always been happiest when I’m making or creating something , even when I was little. Married to my darling and supportive husband since 2013, it is our wedding invitations that actually sparked my interest in paper crafting (I did dabble in quilling when I was in primary school and even sold cards in the school library for some pocket money). I started attending monthly card-making classes to learn some techniques for the invitations and enjoyed it so much that long after the wedding, I haven’t stopped attending. Some of my other hobbies include sewing (for myself and our house), cooking and photography (I’m also on the committee of a local photography club).

Why KunsBlom?

Kunsblom translates from my native Afrikaans as faux flower or artificial flower. This is very apt as I love making paper flowers, especially for cards. If you break up the word it also tells you a bit more about me – Kuns being art and Blom meaning flower. And of course my last name is also Blom! This makes Kunsblom a natural title for a blog about me and my crafty, artsy, creative adventures.

Why now?

Since I started my paper crafting journey it has always been a goal to have a blog and become a design team member for one of the companies that I support in the industry, but as life goes, there had never been the right moment. The push I needed to start Kunsblom finally came when I was asked to present my first card-making class and in the same week a design team call was put out by a local supplier. I hope that this will be the beginning of a whole new journey!

My paper crafting style

I absolutely love all things Vintage, distressed and grungy and I’m inspired by people such as Tim Holtz, Paula Cheney and Emma Williams. I also dream to one day master the art of CAS design (Clean and Simple) especially in card-making and admire artist that use and succeed in this philosophy. Other true artists that I aspire to are Kristina Werner and Jennifer McGuire, Lisa A., Laura Bassen and Kittie Caracciolo (the most incredible paper flower cards!).

Some of my favorite themes in paper crafting and card-making are flowers (naturally!), travel (especially vintage travel, postcards, stamps etc.), birds, autumn/fall colors, industrial/steam-punk and Paris (which we we lucky enough to visit on our honeymoon).