HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Just wanted to take a minute to let you all know how much I appreciate you.  Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness in 2011!

Be looking for a blog series next week outlining my GOALS FOR 2011.  I am not making resolutions this year, but rather setting tangible goals.  Starting Monday, I will be sharing my 5 goals to make 2011 the best year EVER!







Katie Burke

Stampin' Up!® Independent Demonstrator

Pine Mountain / LaGrange, Georgia

http://www.bellabdesigns.com/

Email me today to schedule your Catalog, Online, or In-Home Sale-A-Bration Workshop(s)!

Click HERE to place your online order 24/7!

"Like" me on Facebook by clicking HERE.  Exclusive offers!

Inspire. Create. Share.

THANK YOU For Blessing My Life!! + FREE GOODY BAG!

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you... 

• Thank you customers and friends who have faithfully chosen me as your Stampin' Up!® demonstrator!  I appreciate each and every one of you!
• Thank you to my small but mighty team of Daddy's Dreams volunteers who have spent countless hours making a difference in the lives of cancer patients by cutting and layering fabrics, sewing quilts, and everything in between! 
• Thank you to the businesses and individuals who have so graciously donated to Daddy's Dreams - fabric, notions, cards, money for replacement cutting pads and other needs, and the list goes on and on!! 
• Thank you to the Daddy's Dreams Works of Heart Recipients.  Thank you for allowing us to come into your lives and "claim" you as family.  Know that you have an army of strangers praying for you every day, as we continue to pray for your strength and health throughout your ordeal, as well as that of your families. 
• Thank you to my family for supporting me in all that I set my mind to doing.  Love you bunches!

FREE GOODY BAG!!! 
As a little token of appreciation, I will be offering a goody bag to anyone who places an online order between now and midnight on Tuesday, 11/30/2010.  Your goody bag will ship separately from your order from Stampin' Up!®, as it will come directly from me. 

Take advantage of the 20% off bundles, the Online Spectacular, and free shipping offers! 

Thank you for all that you have done to bless my life and the lives of others in need of support.  May your Thanksgiving be filled with turkey, love, and laughter!! 

Have a Blessed Day!! 







Katie Burke
Stampin' Up!® Independent Demonstrator

Pine Mountain / LaGrange, Georgia

http://www.bellabdesigns.com/

Inspire. Create. Share.

Click HERE to place your online order 24/7!

"Like" me on Facebook by clicking HERE.  Exclusive offers!

Creating The Hive - A Gathering Place for Creative Minds!

I recently received an invitation to check out a new online community called "The Hive" and my first reaction was, "why didn't I think of that?!?!?" 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE HIVE

"The Hive is a dynamic social community designed to help provide a connection between everyone in the arts, crafts, and hobby industry. Whether you are a manufacturer, professional artist, hobbyist, retailer, or consumer, you have a voice. By providing a place for everyone to grow, build a community of like-inspired enthusiasts, and connect creators to consumers, our hope is that we continue to strengthen and grow the industry as a whole." 

I fell in love with the concept of so many creative minds from an infinite number of crafting realms gathering in this busy little community AND IT IS FREE!!  Check it out for yourself by clicking HERE! 








Katie Burke
Stampin' Up!® Independent Demonstrator
Pine Mountain / LaGrange, Georgia
www.bellabdesigns.com

Inspire. Create. Share.

WOW - Robert Kaufman Fabrics - Thank You!

I arrived home from my cousin's wedding in North Carolina this weekend and found that a box full of quilting fabric had been delivered to my doorstep.  It was a HUGE box stuffed to the rim with an assortment of yummy fabrics donated by Robert Kaufman Fabrics for the purpose of creating quilts for people/children diagnosed with cancer.  What a wonderful and generous donation!

For those of you who may not know, my Dad died in September after a brave battle with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at the age of 61.  Since that time we have struggled to come to terms with his loss and the hole it has left in our family.  Initially, I had planned to work with Project Linus, but have since decided to place my focus locally in our community and will be working with my Stampin' Up!® downline, the Bella B Stampers, and my church, Pleasant Grove UMC.  What a wonderful way to live the Statement of the Heart! 

My children will be attending a special camp in LaGrange, Georgia at the end of the month.  Camp Dogwood is sponsored by West Georgia Hospice and their goal is to assist in the healing process of children after they have suffered the loss of a loved one.  This box full of goodies arrived at the perfect time!  I plan to contact someone with West Georgia Hospice and introduce the idea to them, as well as begin to work out details.  I want to make this blanket/quilt project a success here in the West Georgia area. 

I should probably have waited until I had all the details to present to you before I posted, but I was so very excited and grateful to Robert Kaufman Fabrics that I couldn't keep it a "secret!"  Be looking for more information regarding a "cutting session," where we will come in and cut fabric.  It will be simple and won't require any sewing experience at all.  We simply would run the fabric through the Big Shot using the Scallop Square Die and stack the cut squares for a future sewing session! 

Some other items we will be needing will include: 

• Full size cotton sheets (any color - to be used as inexpensive backing fabric - please only newly-purchased sheets because of health concerns for those with weakened immune systems)
• Assorted fabrics in cotton, flannel, and fleece
• Big Shots, Scallop Square Dies, and cutting pads (need people to bring and/or loan for cutting sessions)
• Rotary cutters and mats (need people to bring and/or loan for cutting sessions)
• Sewing machines and thread (need people to bring for sewing sessions)
• Clear shoebox size "rubbermaid" containers to store cut fabric in

Long Distance and still want to help? 
Feel free to mail me supplies/fabric that you would like to part with (pre-cut Scallop Square Die fabric squares would also be fabulous!!).  Contact me for more information on where to send donations! 

Once again, a big thanks to Robert Kaufman Fabrics for giving me the blessing of a jumping off point for this project!  I look forward to sharing more specific date information in the near future! 

Have a blessed day! 







Katie Burke
Stampin' Up!® Independent Demonstrator
West Central Georgia

Inspire. Create. Share.

$1.00 CLEARANCE SALE at 2nd Annual Birthday Bash THIS SATURDAY!

CLEARANCE GIFTS

$1.00 each! 

I am clearing out my excess from past sales and you get to benefit!  Choose from candles, tiles, cards, card fronts, etc., etc.  What an easy way to stock up on giftables and cards!  Start stocking your Christmas closet early... buy teacher gifts for the end of the school year... buy something for yourself! 

Assorted other items for sale at rock-bottom prices! 

This will be 1-day only!
Saturday, 04/17/2010, from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Please tell your friends!  Everything MUST GO!!!

Katie Burke
Inspire. Create. Share.

27th Annual Pleasant Grove UMC Quilters Bazaar and Craft Fair

Had an amazing time Saturday. Took some photos to share. Hope you enjoy!!

Here is a look at my booth items from Saturday's event!

As promised, photos of the beautiful sanctuary draped in quilts!! The pictures simply do not do them justice!

Katie Burke
Inspire. Create. Share.

Stampin' Up! Statement of the Heart

"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

The Statement of the Heart really sums it all up for me and is why I truly love Stampin' Up! It captures the very basis of what makes being a demonstrator a fun and rewarding experience.

Stampin' Up! invites us all to "Inspire. Create. Share." and I thought I would share with you what that means to me.

INSPIRE:
To affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence; To fill with enlivening or exalting emotion; To stimulate to action, motivate; To affect or touch; To draw forth, elicit or arouse; To be the cause or source of; bring about.

When I started with Stampin' Up! I never dreamed that I would be able to establish an environment were so many of us are able to gather and have a good time. I have been blessed with many new friendships and the strengthening of so many existing friendships through this endeavor. We have also been blessed with a fanastic gathering spot at Pleasant Grove UMC with plenty of room to spread out and create.

I do my best to INSPIRE you all, but what I find most important (and not so surprising)... you INSPIRE me!! You are a wonderful group of ladies and I appreciate each and every one of you!!

CREATE:
To cause to exist; bring into being; To give rise to, produce; To produce through artistic or imaginative effort.

I have been papercrafting since I was a toddler. As I matured, I started seeking out ways to really make something beautiful, yet simple. I could never seem to pull it all together in a way that I could feel proud of because nothing coordinated and I never had all the right stuff. It just caused me to procastinate and be dissatisfied.

Stampin' Up! changed all of that. The coordinating lines of papers, inks, and embellishments, as well as all the great tools makes it a JOY to papercraft.... and don't forget about the stamps! They are fine quality, American made, and there are endless possibilities from every single set. You can scrapbook, make cards, create gifts, and decorate your home! What more could you ask for?

SHARE:
To participate in, use, enjoy, or experience jointly or in turns; To relate to another or others; To allow someone to use or enjoy something that one possesses;

I think that sharing is probably the single most important aspect of Stampin' Up! I LOVE making Stampin’ Up! projects and sharing them with you! My greatest satisfaction comes from sitting down with someone who "can't do this" or doesn't have a "creative bone in their body" and watch them light up before my eyes!! It is especially satisfying to me because I used to BE that person! As a matter of fact, 2 of my most "resistant" customers are now wonderfully talented and creative Stampin' Up! demonstrators themselves!

Stampin' Up! has been a journey for me, both on a business level and a personal level. I can absolutely say, without a doubt, becoming a demonstrator was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Thank you for being a part of my journey!





Katie Burke
Inspire. Create. Share.

10 Reasons To Use Stamping In Your Scrapbooks

Stamping isn't just for cards!! Give stamps a try with your next scrapbook project. "Scramping" is fun and rewarding!

1. You can create your own style. Stamps are never limiting and each image can have many different looks
   
2. You can choose the colors of ink to coordinate with your photos and background paper.
   
3. Stamps add dimension to your scrapbook pages. Subtle background techniques accent pictures and fill in blanks.
   
4. You can coordinate stamped invitations, party favors, decorations, etc for an event, then use the same colors and images when you scrapbook the event.
   
5. Stamps offer more versatility, there are more to choose from and they don't run out!
   
6. A sticker can only be used once but a stamp will offer a lifetime of images!
   
7. Stamped images do not visually compete with your photos which is the focal point of the page.
   
8. You will actually save money by stamping instead of buying stickers!
   
9. You can use your stamps on other craft projects so they do double duty!
   
10. "Scramping" is simply too much fun!
    

Katie Burke
Inspire. Create. Share.

My Own Little Place in the Blogging World!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Katie Burke, an Independent Demonstrator with Stampin' Up! This blog will feature how beautiful and fun Stampin' Up! products are.

The name for Bella B Designs was inspired by the "B" from our last name and what I hope everyone will find to be "beautiful (bella) designs." I will begin posting projects and adding links and information soon, so be sure to subscribe to receive an email when I update.

There is a link on the right sidebar of my blog. It is simple and painless. I post to my blog and then Feedblitz will send you an email once a day to let you know there are new additions so you can check them out!

You may also leave comments by clicking on the "comments" link at the bottom of the blog entries. I would love to hear from you!

You won't want to miss out on creative ideas, sales, specials, crop schedules, class schedules, and special events notices. All of that information will be posted here, so be sure to subscribe today!

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy day!
Katie Burke

Welcome ~

Doing some testing for set up!