Grace Notes

a blog about life’s everyday magic

March 1, 2016

If Bella Grace Was a Person

Grace Notes | If Bella Grace Was a Person

Words: Christen Hammons
Photo credit: Briana Morrison, Bella Grace Issue 7

 

One thing I’ve learned in my life is that most of us are looking for reassurance that we aren’t alone.

Whether it’s a personality trait you worry is odd, a penchant for the unusual, or difficult life circumstances, we just want someone to say “Me too!” or “I know just how you feel.”

This is something I learned as a teenager, when I chose Jane Austen and knitting over nights out with friends. I longed for someone who would sit next to me with some yarn and knitting needles, ready to talk about Emma Woodhouse or Elizabeth Bennet. Surely I wasn’t the only 14-year-old who preferred to spend her time this way.

Bella Grace began as a series of “Me too’s!” shared between Kellene Giloff, the President of Stampington & Company, and myself. We both had a similar outlook on life and similar passions. It was comforting, and we knew there were others like us out there. We wanted to start a magazine that was filled with women who found overwhelming pleasure from the simple things in life. They were women who, despite difficult circumstances, continued to seek out life’s beauty. Women who shared and celebrated their unique quirks. Women who wanted to support other women.

We knew we achieved our goal when we received letter after letter from women connecting with Bella Grace. Many compared reading the stories to having heartfelt conversations with a close friend. That we are able to provide comfort and company to women around the world is something we are extremely proud of.

From the pages of the magazine and into real life, “Bella Grace” has become somewhat of a person to Kellene and me. She savors life — from that first sip of her morning coffee to the 15 minutes to read in bed she steals for herself each night. She doesn’t find it funny that you like taking pictures of your feet all over town because she enjoys the very same thing. She writes letters — real, handwritten ones — to her friends. She stays up all night talking to you about how lovely it would be to pack up her things and move to a small town where she can live a quiet life.

Most of all, she is there for you when you need her most. Bella Grace is all of us.

 

My best,

christen_signature

Editor-In-Chief, Bella Grace Magazine

 

 

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Comments ( 14 )

  1. Ella

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    I, too think of Bella Grace, as a person. She reminds me to search for calm no matter what arrives in my day.
    I grew up in a small town and at 13-I was smitten by books, making candles and wandering the seashore, for solutide and treasure.
    My father had his first heart attack when I was almost eleven years old and my favorite uncle passed away later that year–from cancer. The pain instilled a ripple effect. Each day I had to find quiet, comfort and calm.
    Bella Grace reminds me-I wasn’t alone then nor am I now. She reminds me to breathe, sip my tea slowly, and embrace my day. In the midst of our daily routine there are many gifts lingering in the ordinary. Bella Grace, reminds me that in those in-between moments of living-these gifts are worthy of my time and attention. I just have to trust my heart and listen to my emotions.
    Thank you, Bella Grace, Kellene and Christen~

  2. admin

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    Ella, thank you for the kind words and for sharing your story about how you find comfort and calm in Bella Grace. Always trust in your heart and listen to your emotions, as they will guide you to where you are needed next and inspire all those who surround you. – Heather

  3. DianeD

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    I think of Bella Grace as a safe haven. A place where people understand what I’m going through. I read the articles and truly feel that I am not the only one going through the hard times in my life. It gives me a refuge to glide into, to find the help and courage to say “this too shall pass” and to go on to make each day just a little bit better than the last. And the photography is something that gives me inspiration for creating new art work that feeds my soul. So thank you Bella Grace! You make my world a better place.

  4. admin

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    Hi Diane! It warms our hearts to hear you say that about Bella Grace – thank you for your kind words. We’re so happy you think of our magazine as an oasis of inspiration and comfort during good and bad times alike. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week. – Heather

  5. Ella

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    Thank you, Heather~

  6. Cait

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    I love that you are describing Bella Grace as a person…it makes it easier to connect with the concept (although imaginary!) that we could each aspire to follow her example of a perfectly imperfect life. Well done!

  7. Bella Grace Magazine

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    Thank you for the kind words, Cait! – Heather

  8. Marcie

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    I just opened the blog, reading this one entry and already love it here!

    Just like the magazine – the first one I purchased (Vol 1) I read it cover to cover and still go back to it and read things. I have all of them so far and I tell you – you have made this the best magazine ever. (for me anyway)

    Thank you so much for all the hard work – it is a beautiful magazine (love the feel and look) and love the articles.
    THANK YOU

  9. Bella Grace Magazine

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    Marcie, your words are pure sunshine to read! Thank you for your compliments on our magazine and blog – we are so lucky to have you as a reader! If you would ever like to contribute an article of your own to Bella Grace, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Thanks! – Heather

  10. Dana Ruth

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    As a child I spent many an afternoon halfway up an old Elm tree on a comfortable thick branch, immersing myself in the pages of my favorite books. I imagined myself the heroine of the adventurous stories, daydreaming long after the books were finished. Life’s journey has been arduous at times and I have relished reading and re-reading Bella Grace as the stories shared have inspired me to be the heroine of my own life. I’ve been encouraged to sprout my wings and follow my dreams, while embracing simplicity along the way. I truly look forward to every issue, knowing something in each will resonate deep within my soul. Thank you Bella Grace.

  11. Suzanne

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    This is lovely, Christine! I think it’s wonderful to encourage women of all ages not to conform to what the world says we should like or do, but to listen to our hearts and discover what makes them sing. This comes more naturally with experience, but for the young “Bellas” it can be lonely when peers are into Lady Gaga and you are into Jane Austen : ) I have girls and women in my life from eight to 80 and beyond, and they have all enjoyed receiving BG as a gift…..It’s a soft place to land in a world that can be hard at times. Love that your own heart called you to bring Bella to life, and I’m proud to have contributed a little piece of my own along the way.

    xo Suzanne

  12. Kari

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    I must admit Christine, from the time I picked up the first issue I was deeply convinced somebody had been secretly following me around day after day – collecting my thoughts, photographing my quiet moments, tearing pages from my journal, and least of all using a magical machine that could project my most private daydreams right into your printer!

    Now, seven issues later, I’m so convinced that I’ve begun looking over my shoulder hoping I might catch a glimpse of the very clever spies who continue capturing my everyday thoughts and dreams, before releasing them onto the pages of Bella Grace like intricate drops of dew across a spider’s web, for all the world to see.

    How else could you and Kellene know about the late night conversations of my yearning to move to the country as I run my hand across the half finished letter on my nightstand? It’s as though a mystical faerie fluttering outside the window already knew I’d finish writing my letter over morning coffee, so that I might read just long enough to be carried into the pages of an enchanting forest, gently hugging my novel moments later – fast asleep.

    I am Bella Grace, you are Bella Grace, and now all the other wonderful people reading for the first time are discovering they too, are Bella Grace. No other collective journal has ever capture our spirits and thoughts with such eloquence and beauty. Thank you!

  13. Ines

    April 19, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    I just discovered your magazine and website and I have fallen in LOVE. Thank you, because reading these wonderful blogs have inspired me to slow down and enjoy all the wonders all around me. I am ever so GRATEFUL! Ines

  14. Joey

    April 19, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    Just discovered this and love the magazine. Where did the name come from?

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