Meet Kendra Cunningham | Artisan/Stylist/Event Planner/VA Nurse

 I began my crafting business in 2004. I was taking a Medical Assistant course at Ross Medical Center in Decatur and I needed to make some extra money. A group of my classmates began to brainstorm some ideas & we decided to make & sell gift baskets. I made gift baskets for Christmas & Valentines Day every year from 2004 until 2013. Now I make them per request. Then I started making deco mesh wreaths, picture frame bejeweled initials, compact mirrors & blinged-out name badges for a couple of years. However, it wasn’t until my sister crossed over Delta Sigma Theta in 2018 that Blessed 2 Bling was established. She literally told we that I’m ordering a pair of Converse shoes & shipping them to you so you can design me some Delta themed Converse shoes.

As an artist it’s important to try new ideas & concepts. I’m most proud of the quality of my work improving over the last 6 months by overcoming my fear of using my Cricut machine. It held me back for a while but I was challenged by a customers who had a shoe design I hadn’t attempted yet. She was going to enter the tennis shoes into a contest at a national convention hosted by her sorority AKA. I felt that I had to take this opportunity because it could bring exposure to my brand on national level. So I watched hours of YouTube videos & took notes until I felt comfortable enough to use my Cricut machine to create the vision for her sorority themed Converse shoe. Even though I didn’t win I learned that I’m more talented than I had realized. I was capable of doing more than I ever thought I could & now the sky is the limit. I’ve learned that a mistake can be the best thing to happen while creating because it makes you rethink your original idea. The imperfection often times is more creative than it would’ve been if it were a perfect design. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from other entrepreneurs doing what you do because there are people willing to guide you along the way. What I want the world to know that my “Why” for Blessed 2 Bling is that I enjoy seeing the happiness on the faces of my customers when they see their vision executed by the interpretation of my hands. I take great pride in my work & the presentation of custom shoes, camouflage jackets, custom  apparel, compact mirrors ect. I excel to provide A1 customer service. Upon completion of the order most of my customers & I have become friends due to the relationship I have built with them throughout the creative process. I create a comfortable environment so that we can communicate with one another freely about any changes or updates that may arise. Blessed 2 Bling is living proof that if you work hard, be consistent, patient, optimistic & open minded you can’t help but win. See you at the top!!!!

I love to seek out new restaurants so we would visit some that served seafood, Mexican, African, Jamaican, Thai or Brazilian entrees. I enjoy live music & concerts so we would buy tickets to a show or hangout downtown to find some venues or festivals to attend. I love a good mixed drink so we would find a nice lounge for wine or Mexican restaurant to get drink some frozen margaritas. We would go roller skating on old school night. I also like comedy shows so we would go to a show at the Comedy House or another local venue.

My recognition of my success comes from my family. On both sides of my family there were individuals who were entrepreneurs & high achievers. My maternal great grandmother Emma Beard had the first black restaurant in downtown Thomson, Ga. Her siblings, her children  & herself all had rental properties in Thomson, Ga, & Atlanta area. My paternal grandmother affectionately called Granny Margaret was a owner operator beautician of Parkwood Beauty salon for over 30 years. My father is also in the beauty business he’s a barber. He would talk to me about business & put the idea in my mind of there were ways of creating other streams of revenue at a young age. My mother always instilled in me that I could do anything that I put my mind to. She always encouraged me to excel in everything I do. My sister’s both encourage me & cheer me on. They also help me with administrative duties, referral of new customer’s, new designs critiques, love & encouraging words. I appreciate my friends, coworkers & family for encouraging me, sowing money into my brand Blessed 2 Bling, modeling my clothing, recording videos, sharing my work on social media, purchasing from me, coming to my event Queens Uplifting Queens Spa hosted by Blessed 2 Bling & sending me referrals. I love you all.