Some might say Bella Anderson has big things ahead of her and they wouldn’t be entirely wrong.
What began as a simple idea for the Oakdale 11-year-old to earn a little money for Hume Lake Christian Camp quickly became bigger than she or her mom Candace Anderson could imagine.
The idea seemed simple enough, place a knitted Santa blanket she had made up for raffle on social media. Raffle tickets sold for $5 each, with the intent being that money raised would go toward the camp registration fee she was saving for.
“I’m saving to go to a church camp,” Bella said of her inspiration. “I saw this one (blanket) on Pinterest and thought it would be cute.”
And so, with the help of mom, the Santa blanket was placed on social media in hopes of generating some interest.
“We had 54 people donate and they donated all different amounts,” mom Candace shared of the three-day raffle period, noting that much to their surprise when all was said and done, they had collected a total of $800 from the online opportunity.
“In three days it was $800,” Candace said, still a bit in shock weeks later.
“I thought it was crazy,” Bella confessed of the amount.
Excited, yet humbled, the 11-year-old shared the grand total pushed her over the amount required for the summer camp. Overcome by the community support, the young crafter donated $150 of her earnings to her youth group camp scholarship program so that others might also attend.
“She raised so much money from that one raffle, that when we saw all the people, she was so overwhelmed by the support,” Candace stated. “We decided we would draw two more winners and she would make those winners a blanket of their choice.”
As if the initial raffle money wasn’t enough, young Bella was thrilled to see that Oakdale Mayor Cher Bairos had purchased raffle tickets. She was further thrilled when Mayor Bairos’s ticket was one of the two bonus tickets drawn.
“That was really cool,” Bella shared of pulling the Mayor as one of the winners. As an avid Oakdale Mustangs fan, Bairos requested a Mustang-themed red and gold blanket and when the family delivered, she went live via social media to share Bella’s story.
Since then, her handmade knitted blankets have been in high demand by members of the community and a home business was launched. Bella is now the owner/operator of Southern Belle Stitches. Each of the handmade 40”x50” blankets are created by Bella.
“My mom made those and she made them for my kids,” Candace said of her daughter’s early love for the knitted throws. “She made them a lot.”
Several years ago in fact, Bella’s grandmother, Bobbie Sibley, gifted her with sparkle yarn for Christmas with the intent to teach her the craft. Unfortunately, that would be her last Christmas as she passed two weeks later.
Eager to learn her grandmother’s passion, Candace confided she didn’t have it in her to watch videos and work with Bella shortly after her mom’s passing. Yet as time healed, it was about two years ago that she and Bella began reconnecting to her mom’s loved craft.
“Finally, I was like, okay, let’s figure this out,” Candace shared, noting she was somewhat familiar from watching her mom and has seen her daughter make great strides. “She’s been playing with this for a couple years, but in the last year, she’s really perfected it and started selling them.”
It has become a great creative outlet for the local youngster.
“I tell her all the time, when she’s making them, my mom would be losing her mind over this,” Candace said of the overwhelming support and orders they’ve received for the knitted throws.
Making matters even more special and serendipitous, by chance, the day they drew the winner for the Santa blanket was her Bella’s grandmother’s birthday. A fact that the family didn’t realize until after the drawing was complete.
“People were so excited and we wanted to get it out before Christmas,” Candace said of the day of the drawing. “It hadn’t occurred to us at the time.”
Bella shared all the knitted blankets she currently makes are done by hand using her fingers versus needles. Each one takes her between six and seven hours to complete. She further shared she enjoys being creative and crafting, learning many skills and techniques at Happy Artists Studio in Escalon.
“She is very artistic. Very, very artistic, all forms of it,” Bella’s mom said, noting at the studio she’s improved her skills with painting, sewing, watercolor and clay.
Now with the raffle behind her and her goal for church camp realized, the 11-year-old has set new goals. Among them are the launch of her business and an Instagram page, as well as being a part of the Young Entrepreneurs group later this year with the Oakdale Morning Market.
“It’s relaxing and I like seeing them come together,” Bella said of her passion for blanket making.
“I was shocked by how many people entered,” she added of the raffle. “I’m just so grateful for all the support.”
“We are just so proud of Bella. We can’t wait to see what’s next and the opportunities this has created for her,” Candace said of her daughter. “Just the people she has met now and the feedback she is getting. It’s been huge for her.”
For more information or to place an order visit southern_belle_stitches_ on Instagram.
