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I know that with some this may be a sensitive subject but I have noticed over the years many stampers that have started with Stampin' Up! have branched out and stopped using Stampin' Up! for the most part. I was wondering why? Is it because they don't think that Stampin' Up! is competitive, up to date or what? I know that there are a lot of paper crafters that incorperate Stampin' Up! into all the other things they use, I guess I'm just curious what makes a person virtually stop using one product all together. Not sure I have a point, just an observation really.
I love Stampin' Up! but I cannot afford them at this time. I wish I could place an order every month like I use to. But SU also needs to catch up. They have way too many flower stamps and not enough stamps for men and boys. It's hard to make cards for males with flower stamps!:rolleyes:
I too use mostly Stampin UP! I love all of their products.
I do purchase the occasional individual stamp....but mainly use SU stamps, inks, papers etc....
And I've been stamping for 11/12 years now!
I think a lot of talented stampers have found "jobs" with other companies, so of course, they use those stamps.
Sometimes they just get free stamps, sometimes there's monetary compensation. Rubber talks, BS walks as the saying might go. If other companies are willing to give free stamps to talented designers, of course those designers will take them up on it.
I have been a demo for 5 years and I have to say that I love SU! or I wouldn't be a demo. But I am also a stamper and if I like something else, I will get it, because I like alot of variety. So, for me, SU! will be around for awhile for me, but I think it is because there are more and more companys now than there used to be. So, the temptations are everywhere for me anyway.
I know that with some this may be a sensitive subject but I have noticed over the years many stampers that have started with Stampin' Up! have branched out and stopped using Stampin' Up! for the most part. I was wondering why? Is it because they don't think that Stampin' Up! is competitive, up to date or what? I know that there are a lot of paper crafters that incorperate Stampin' Up! into all the other things they use, I guess I'm just curious what makes a person virtually stop using one product all together. Not sure I have a point, just an observation really.
Hmmmmm. Well, SU! is a company largely responsible for introducing many people to stamping for the very first time!
But, there are many companies out there with fabulous images and products; with everything available out there, stampers enjoy more variety and options in art styles and formats (UM, cling, clear, WM, etc.) than ever before! For some folks that may have started with SU!, perhaps they are finding images they love just as much or more elsewhere?
I was a demo'r for 10 years, but, I still bought and loved many other brands of stamps. I also did free-lance creative design work for another well-known stamp company, which I love and am now very fortunate to work full-time with!
I still have many other brand stamps, including SU!--I just rarely have time to play with 'em.
Come to think of it, some would prolly fetch a mint on eBay, if I were to sell 'em--elusive and collectible PSX botanicals and whatnot! :shock: ;)
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I just recently started branching out, but I will always use SU! I love the colors, CS & Ink...and even if I use a stamp from another company, I still stick with SU for supplies.
__________________ Cher No longer stamping...on to bigger things.
Hmmmmm. Well, SU! is a company largely responsible for introducing many people to stamping for the very first time!
But, there are many companies out there with fabulous images and products; with everything available out there, stampers enjoy more variety and options in art styles and formats (UM, cling, clear, WM, etc.) than ever before! For some folks that may have started with SU!, perhaps they are finding images they love just as much or more elsewhere?
I was a demo'r for 10 years, but, I still bought and loved many other brands of stamps. I also did free-lance creative design work for another well-known stamp company, which I love and am now very fortunate to work full-time with!
I still have many other brand stamps, including SU!--I just rarely have time to play with 'em.
Come to think of it, some would prolly fetch a mint on eBay, if I were to sell 'em--elusive and collectible PSX botanicals and whatnot! :shock: ;)
Hey Julie, I'm looking for Wild Wild West!!!!
To the OP: I love the matching colors of SU! but do have some PTI paper and ink. I just did a substantial order of SU! stamps, but other companies do great images and that's why I am not a demo- I like playing with everyone.
As the OP for this thread, as I said it was just an observation. I am a hobby demo for SU. I love their images, cs, inks and all the coordinating supplies. That said, I do like to shop around but always seem to come back to SU. I buy generic embelies, but rarely use designer paper or other cs except PTI. Inks are always SU, Stazon and very recently PTI Palette NOIR black. Ribbon is mostly SU but I love ribbon and am probably more of a collector and a hoarder then anything. I just wanted to know where everyone was coming from. No judgement.
I love SU stuff too! It used to be that was all I bought...but with the enablers here I have found many new companies that I love too! I am especially hooked on the paper, ink and ribbons from Papertrey! I just have to plan and spend my $$ a little at all the places I love.
Blessings.
I mainly use SU!, PTI, and Hero Arts. I have most of the SU! inks and cs, and over a hundred sets. Just ordered two more a few weeks ago. But I also ordered two sets from PTI as well, and a few from Hero Arts a few weeks before that.
There are so many super cool companies, but for myself, I have to keep it sort of limited for budgetary reasons, KWIM?
I am one of those people that learned about this "addiction" from Stampin Up. AT that time, I didn't know there were other companies to order from. It was a totally new hobby to me. I bought so many sets since then and wish I could see a few that I don't use now. That was 6+ years ago and just in the past year or so, I have found more images that appeal to me and my style of stamping with other companies. I still order from SU, in fact, just put in a $160 dollar order, but I can honestly say that it is getting harder and harder to find 'new' images to chose from. I would like to see SU start selling their stamps separately as an option, or as a set like they have now. There are so many single stamps that I would love to have, but I can't afford to spend $30+ dollars for a set that I know I would only use 1 or 2 stamps. Their prices keep going up and up. Just my opinion :(
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I have noticed that too. Most that I have noticed still use paper but not alot of stamps from SU!. Myself, I prefer Stampin' Up. Maybe because I sell it but probably not. I really think that Stampin' Up has phenomenal paper, great quality stamps, and awesome accessories. They are more expensive, but I am a firm believer you get what you pay for.
As for anyone else, I believe it is preferance and I won't hold it against anyone if they don't want to use SU anymore, even my customers. I am just loyal...even though I do use other products, too. Just mostly SU.
Wow, that turned into a novel!
I have always been strictly SU except for the occasional stamp purchased from my LSS. But lately I have also decided to branch out, just to give myself more variety. I am really liking what I see at Gina K. and Papertrey in particular. However, it is my plan to place an order with my SU demo in the next few months. I don't think I'll ever stop using SU, and I will always use their cardstock and ink.
__________________ Julie my gallery
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Phillippians 4:13
We it's my turn to tune in. Here's my 2 cents worth. I was a Demo over a 1 1/2. I liked the products but there is so much more out there. and I agree with StampingV not enough men stuff. How about some dsp that is man geared. come on don't they hear our wants. I don't think they care.
Jill
I used to buy a lot from SU, but I am sitting here looking at a lot of money I wasted buying ink pads that sag badly in the middle, cardstock that cracks instead of folds and some stamps that had bubbles in them which unfortunately I hadn't mounted and used until it was too late to get a replacement. So that's the main reason I don't buy SU any longer.
I love SU!...the colors, the quality, the service and the prices. I always know that whatever I order will be very nice. But I am branching out. I am still a hobby demo, but really struggle to spend $300 every 3 months...because I already own almost everything in the catalog! And I have a stock pile of paper like you wouldn't believe (a stack many 20 feet tall?...because I keep needing to spend $300/quarter). I'm enjoying learning new techniques...which involve buying supplies SU doesn't sell. I own many, many (200?) SU! stamp sets, but am discovering some other companies that offer something different....
I was really disappointed when SU cut down on their color coordinated accessories. They use to sell 60? different ribbons, 15? glitters, 30? embossing powders, eyelets in every color, etc. So I bought all my embellishments from SU! - because I never had to worry about the colors matching. But as they have narrowed down their selection...I now am forced to buy stuff elsewhere...and whether it's a LSS or online....I keep sticking my noise into places and finding other things I like...that aren't sold by SU!...and I just keep buying an buying.
I love SU! and hope to always keep them as my primary paper and ink source. I also love CTMH, and have a lot of their stamps and some of their paper.
there are such choices out there I don't want to be tied to one company. I didn't even think about the ink pads but your right they do sag, sometimes it's hard to get good coverage sometimes. I like the petal stamp pads. I can take a petal out and ink some tiny little spots if i want. I like them. I am tired of paying full inflated prices for stamp supplies thru SU. I can always find something to match at joann's or Mikes Or the local scrapbook store. One by me has 100 or more spools of ribbon you can buy by the yard. I don't think it has to match perfect...
There are so many single stamps that I would love to have, but I can't afford to spend $30+ dollars for a set that I know I would only use 1 or 2 stamps.
I totally agree! I love the quality of SU! products, and will continue to buy them, but I'd probably buy more if I could get the individual stamps I want instead of having to buy a whole set. Sometimes I can find the singles on eBay.
I order from other companies too--really love Cats Pajamas designs.
I guess because I'm not very creative, I love the fact the SU matches all their papers, inks, ribbons and markers so I don't have to wonder if they go together or match. However, I'm always looking for items from other companies, whether it be ribbon, stamps, embellishments, etc.
I personally think SU has become too expensive. I do not mount my stamps, so I don't like paying for the blocks and the cases which I don't use. I wish they had a um option
__________________ Michelle M
sahm of 3 boys - Dylan - 11, Logan - 9, & Justin - 7
I've been a loyal SU'er for about 5 years. I don't have anything against other companies - although I prefer wood mounted - but there's always so much SU stuff I want I don't need to spend my money anywhere else!
Honestly I love them... and I don't know that I think they are too expensive. I mostly wish they sold them mounted, unmounted and in CLEAR Acrylic so that I could CHOOSE which way to buy their stamps.
I love their tools, inks, etc... but for me, I wear trifocals and I also have arthritic hands... so being able to see through the block and position it better without using another tool... Can't beat that!
As big as they are, I wish they could see their way to Acrylic...
I think that SU offers a lot to the beginning stamper. There is sort of a fellowship that surrounds it - you get ideas from workshops that work best with a SU set that you have to have - eventually you find out that you can do a lot of the same techniques with other stamps and you branch out and create your own style. I "left" SU for a few years but am coming back lately. . . . tastes change and so does the stamping world. There are less stores available now than there used to be, at least in this area
I look forward to see SU get with the program and realize that some people are running out of space and offer unmounteds. I have been stamping for nearly 16 years and unmounteds are so much easier to store.
I am a SU demo, and LOVE SU, but I don't understand how anyone could just use one company's products for EVERYTHING. Especially being a scrapbooker and only trying to use SU products -it is very limiting. I still go to the LSS and buy a bunch of other brands of products. I think there are lots of great options out there. SU has the greatest cardstock quality I've seen, their stamps are beautiful (and they do have boy and men stamps TOO!!), and their colors are gorgeous!! I think SU will be around for A LONG TIME.
I buy SU and just about everything else out there. I love SU and CTMH and TAC, but I cringe when I have to pay Shipping & Handling. I just hate it!! I placed CTMH order recently and my S&H came to $11. Now give me a break. There should be a limit on that somewhere. Sheesh.
Whenever I place online orders with other companies, I usually try to qualify get free shipping by spending a certain ammount.
That probably makes me sound really cheap, but that's good money that I could be spending on more stamps!!
i started stamping in February and I love it so much, yes SU is on the expensive side but they are very great quality, I do like to branch out but my main stamping will be with SU stamps.
__________________ "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by moments that take our breath away."
I left SU because I love unmounted stamps. I feel that SU is really focused on first time stampers with unlimited shelf space. I want a lot of stamps, but have a small stamp place. I started buying stamps from other companies that were clear and unmounted. I find myself buying less and less SU stuff every year. They still have great stamps, but they no longer fulfill my stamping needs.
I began with SU! ten years ago. I was stamping two years before that with Hero Arts on typing paper. I've come a long way, baby. I have been loyal to SU! for a long time...that is until this year. SU!'s paper is top notch. They are up to date on accessories and design. But their images are falling short of what I'm looking for.
I know that with some this may be a sensitive subject but I have noticed over the years many stampers that have started with Stampin' Up! have branched out and stopped using Stampin' Up! for the most part. I was wondering why? Is it because they don't think that Stampin' Up! is competitive, up to date or what? I know that there are a lot of paper crafters that incorperate Stampin' Up! into all the other things they use, I guess I'm just curious what makes a person virtually stop using one product all together. Not sure I have a point, just an observation really.
I could NEVER imagine doing that. They continue to update all the time. I have used their products for 12 years. No, I'm not a demo but have over 165 of their sets. :p And they ARE all mounted. My first workshop, that I attended, was D.O.T.S (Close to my Heart) but went to a SU one about a month later and FELL head over heels for SU. It was love at first sight and I'm still there. Do I buy others. Yes, I do..............do I use them.........rarely. LOL Just always seem to reach for my SU stamps. It's an illness. I think there should be a place for addicts like me..............OH HEY there is, it's called SCS. :mrgreen:
__________________ Carol "Poota" in IN Proud Fan Club Member A Kota's Kid
Well Stampin Up! is relatively new here in NZ, so I started stamping with the likes of Hero Arts, Penny Black etc. I still love those companies, in fact, now that PB is offering clear stamp sets, I love them even more.
From what I have seen of Stampin Up, and I have ordered a couple of things, it IS expensive. I can make great projects with other brands of stamps, ink, paper etc. Especially when they are on sale in a LSS. Plus for MOST of the sets in the catalogue, I only like 1 or 2 stamps, and I'm not willing to pay for them all just for that. Like I was thinking of getting some wheels to do easy backgrounds, but then found out I have to pay for the handle, the wheel, and the ink separately, and that add up to A LOT. Especially if I want to use different colours of ink. For the same amount, I can get 2-3 different background stamps and ink.
I'm with V. I scrap and stamp for men a lot more than I scrap and stamp for women or children. And I've got a few boyly hobbies of my own. I ride a motorcycle, I like NASCAR, I lift weights. Flowers are nice, but a racecar for an adult would be more useful. I'm incredibly sick of planes, trains, motorcycles, and automobiles for toddlers.
At the Richmond race, as Denny Hamlin powered out of the apex of turn four, I captured a stop action, nicely focused shot of his car with flames shooting out from under it. I'm not going to surround that with cartoons of a toy car.
I've been stamping for 9 years and didn't try my first SU product until about year 5. My personal opinion is that SU's prices for stamp sets are good but the selection could be better. Too many flower sets, not enough masculine. I've been a hobby demo since early this year but I'm giving it up. I was disappointed in the last 2 catalogs and there are so many other companies with so many stamps.
I love Stampin' Up! but I cannot afford them at this time. I wish I could place an order every month like I use to. But SU also needs to catch up. They have way too many flower stamps and not enough stamps for men and boys. It's hard to make cards for males with flower stamps!:rolleyes:
V
FYI - Clear Dollar stamps has some really cute tools, words etc. for guys and they are very reasonable.
__________________ Did you know nearly 1 in 2 Americans live with chronic illness? chronic illness?
No more Stampin' Up!?
