My Why and My Story...

I was recently given the honor of participating in a special training program offered by Stampin' Up!® The purpose of the program is to help us identify the reasons that we love Stampin' Up! and help us to effectively share our personal experiences with others. You will, no doubt, be hearing more from me through this training process as I work through the modules.

Today, I will focus on the tasks from Module 1. We were asked to complete a "My Why" project and also to share our story.

MY WHY:
Initially this task was geared towards our "My Why" for accepting the invitation to join the program, but I decided that it was equally as important to identify "My Why" for joining Stampin' Up! in the first place and that is what you will find in the graphic at the top of this post. I created it in minutes using a template in My Digital Studio (LOVE IT!!!).

MY STORY:
My love of crafting goes all the way back to the time when I first picked up (and likely chewed on) a Crayola. For as long as I can remember, I have been crafting. I have always had a love for scrapbooking - yep, white glue all the way on my original projects (*gasp*) - and as I matured, so did my tastes, as well as the industry itself. We began to realize that gluing our precious photos to that construction paper might not have been the best choice and manufacturers like Stampin' Up! began to offer acid and lignin free products, as well as my latest obsession MY DIGITAL STUDIO!

I first discovered Stampin' Up! online. There were no demonstrators in my immediate area, but I knew that my years-long struggle to color coordinate were OVER. Stampin' Up! offers paper, ink, markers, ribbon, buttons (the list goes on and on) and everything is COLOR MATCHED! If I wanted everything red on my pages, all I had to do was pick the "Real Red" color of the ribbon, paper, ink, etc. and I absolutely KNEW it would match. WOW!! Until that time, I had spent countless hours in craft stores trying to pull everything together to complete just 1 page and always ended up dissatisfied with what I came home with. Everything didn't match the way I liked it to and that drove me NUTS, so nuts that I wouldn't even finish (or most times even begin) my project.

It was love at first sight when Stampin' Up! and I met. I signed up immediately.... without ever even putting a stamp to paper... and I have never looked back! I am sure that my upline, Phyllis Shepherd, remembers well the day I came to her house hyperventilating because I was a brand-new demonstrator with a brand-new starter kit, yet I was terrified to put my first stamp to cardstock. She rolled her eyes (sweetly) and told me that there are 2 sides to every sheet of paper and that if I screwed it up, SO WHAT, turn the paper over and try again! So began my Stampin' Up! career and, with the help of my incredible upline, I learned that stamps not only are EASY TO USE, but they aren't just for cards! Stampin' Up! has just as much to offer a scrapbooker as it does a seamstress or a cardmaker or a jewelry maker... or anyone in between!

Stampin' Up! doesn't "discriminate" when it comes to demonstrators either. Originally, I signed up for a discount, but found myself so excited with the products that I simply HAD to share them with others. Whether you want to join Stampin' Up! to get a discount on your personal products (hobbyist) or if you want to build a business, there is a place for you and you are welcomed with equally open arms!

Joining Stampin' Up! was the best decision I could have ever made (and trust me, I made a few wrong choices before I found the right company) and I would love to share more with anyone who is interested. I am available during my workshops/classes/crops and for one-on-one time. I would love to have you join my team, the Bella B Stampers. Please contact me with any questions or comments you might have. I would love to help you to Inspire. Create. Share.

To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity

and worthwhile accomplishments . . .in this we make a difference!

–Stampin' Up! Statement of the Heart

Have a blessed day!






Katie Burke
Inspire. Create. Share.