Deleted
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May 18, 2024 7:45:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2019 18:59:26 GMT
Again with the "we have nothing to lose and a world to see". We'll see the quote in the "we", "have", "nothing", "lose", "world", "gamble", "love", "together" story kits next, just to name a few.
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Post by lasteve1 on Jul 13, 2019 20:09:51 GMT
Again with the "we have nothing to lose and a world to see". We'll see the quote in the "we", "have", "nothing", "lose", "world", "gamble", "love", "together" story kits next, just to name a few. The one that annoys me is the "breathe darling, this is just a chapter, not your whole story." That EXACT SAME QUOTE was on a card TWO MONTHS AGO in the Breathe story kit. My guess is most of her subscribers aren't done working through that kit yet! I don't need TWO filler cards with the exact same quote... especially so close together in time. I could give it a pass if the last time she used it was over a year ago because subscribers change, etc., but these were almost back to back kits!
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Post by lasteve1 on Jul 13, 2019 20:23:28 GMT
I'm not wowed by this release.
I like the muted color tones and the water color elements and I appreciate the variety of dimensional embellishments (although cork is not my favorite). The kit seems to be a good value. But a lot of it seems just so.... repetitive. I'm sure I'll enjoy using the kit and I think it would be a great kit if I hadn't been a subscriber for so long, but I'm just feeling like the innovation is missing.
I'm surprised to hear such a positive response to the stamp sub. I do really like the numbers, and I would've loved coordinating solids as well. But, besides the numbers, the rest of it is pretty blah. I really don't like that she reuses the exact same design she created for the kit on the stamp. I get that makes sense if people sub to one kit or the other, but my guess is there are more people who sub to both? Or at least a good chunk of people? It reminds me of when studio calico would put the same embellishment in the documenter kit and the scrapbook kit... it just discourages people from buying everything which is just a weird incentive to create. On top of the sentiments being identical to those on the cards, a lot of them are not useable. The largest stamp on the whole set is a huge quote that says "the best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn't even think to ask." This is also identical to one of the 3x4 cards. I am going to have enough trouble using it ONCE on the card, best case scenario I come up with a second use and use that stamp once. I think stamps should be designed with the idea that you will want to use the same ones over and over, not so specifically that they will only be used once.
Also, the "grateful for where I'm at." one bugs me. It's not "technically" wrong, but it's slang and "grateful for where I am." would be much better.
I love the geotag add on stickers and think those should've been included in the kit because they are such a basic that everyone could use with this theme. I'm happy I was able to pick them up.
I really like the SBTM this month, except for the "august is ___" repeated on a card over and over, and on the stamp. I am going to have a hard time using that! I wish she would do one that was "summer" instead of "August." This is just a general peeve for me... she seems to do things for months instead of seasons when in reality July doesn't look much different from August and I'd rather have the flexibility with the broader term. I do think I could fill in the blank a number of times about the season, but not so much about the month... especially a month that has no holidays and is really just more of July (not complaining about August... I love summertime!). Although... I do see how this might be done for those in the southern hemisphere, but the SBTM kit is so US holiday/season centric anyways I'm not sure it helps?
The rest of the pieces and sentiments seem very useable and I really like the bright colors and that brush writing. I remember really appreciating it when this kit came out and Ali was exploring with her handwriting in new styles.
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 7:45:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2019 20:29:20 GMT
Again with the "we have nothing to lose and a world to see". We'll see the quote in the "we", "have", "nothing", "lose", "world", "gamble", "love", "together" story kits next, just to name a few. The one that annoys me is the "breathe darling, this is just a chapter, not your whole story." That EXACT SAME QUOTE was on a card TWO MONTHS AGO in the Breathe story kit. My guess is most of her subscribers aren't done working through that kit yet! I don't need TWO filler cards with the exact same quote... especially so close together in time. I could give it a pass if the last time she used it was over a year ago because subscribers change, etc., but these were almost back to back kits! Yes. And the words I quoted were repeated in a few releases as well.
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Post by Citygirl on Jul 13, 2019 20:41:34 GMT
I would’ve skipped this story kit if I hadn’t already skipped the last months kit. I haven’t touched the Adventure story kit from last year or the last travel release so I don’t really need more travel related stuff. I’m hoping I can use it in my OLW album for next year. I also like those geotag stickers & picked those up. I really like the stamp, but I’m a stamp hoarder. I’m glad she is mixing in more icons. I’m trying to hang on until the Family kit before I cancel my sub, but I’m definitely burned out on AE.
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ComplicatedLady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,037
Location: Valley of the Sun
Jul 26, 2014 21:02:07 GMT
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Post by ComplicatedLady on Jul 13, 2019 20:44:26 GMT
I like the story stamp this month, but not for a $25 month to month subscription. I don’t want to sub for 6 or 12 months to get a better price. Oh well. It’s not like I need any more stamps anyway...
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jul 13, 2019 20:48:00 GMT
The one that annoys me is the "breathe darling, this is just a chapter, not your whole story." That EXACT SAME QUOTE was on a card TWO MONTHS AGO in the Breathe story kit. My guess is most of her subscribers aren't done working through that kit yet! I don't need TWO filler cards with the exact same quote... especially so close together in time. I could give it a pass if the last time she used it was over a year ago because subscribers change, etc., but these were almost back to back kits! Yes. And the words I quoted were repeated in a few releases as well. BREATHE, DARLINGS, THIS IS JUST A STORY KIT, NOT YOUR WHOLE ALBUM! (sorry, I couldn't help myself) (it's all said jokingly and with a virtual wink, of course) It's really starting to look like a bunch of old-time AE fans are feeling a little burned out by the repetitions. It's a shame. Ali is one of the current big names in the industry but she really needs to read some different books and get fresh inspiration. Stale cookies in the jar alert.
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Post by lasteve1 on Jul 13, 2019 20:49:38 GMT
The one that annoys me is the "breathe darling, this is just a chapter, not your whole story." That EXACT SAME QUOTE was on a card TWO MONTHS AGO in the Breathe story kit. My guess is most of her subscribers aren't done working through that kit yet! I don't need TWO filler cards with the exact same quote... especially so close together in time. I could give it a pass if the last time she used it was over a year ago because subscribers change, etc., but these were almost back to back kits! Yes. And the words I quoted were repeated in a few releases as well. It's just so repetitive, it doesn't even feel like a "new" release like it used to.
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Post by amidwestkingdom on Jul 13, 2019 23:30:50 GMT
If anyone who purchased the geotag add-on has multiples of is willing to sell a sheet please let me know. Love the colors! If you know any collections with puffy geo-tags is muted colors I would love to know. It’s so hard to find them puffy and not bold in color.
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cbscrapper
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,414
Sept 5, 2015 18:24:10 GMT
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Post by cbscrapper on Jul 14, 2019 2:39:42 GMT
I would agree with that. Not unless you specifically demand a refund for yourself. I don't think she's going to send out an email to everyone and say "we realized we shortchanged you on this class, please have this coupon code as compensation" (which would suck anyway, if it was a coupon for another mediocre class). Hopefully that at least means she's getting the feedback from CS. Well, I will send my feedback to her CS team then. I don't like when she offers a class without the material being completed for it. This Travel Play wasn't completed until after her Cancun trip and the Stories of Travel seemed rushed and last minute too. I have now learned my lesson and won't take another class unless she has it 100% completed and planned before selling it. Off to send my feedback. It amazes me how many online scrapbook course creators don’t have the class finished before offering it for sale (it’s not just Ali). I can’t imagine selling something and putting a value on it without having it completed first!
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nicolep
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,080
Jan 26, 2016 16:10:43 GMT
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Post by nicolep on Jul 14, 2019 3:54:06 GMT
If anyone who purchased the geotag add-on has multiples of is willing to sell a sheet please let me know. Love the colors! If you know any collections with puffy geo-tags is muted colors I would love to know. It’s so hard to find them puffy and not bold in color. I bought them. I think there's 2 sheets? If so, wanna split it with me?
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Post by scrappyem on Jul 14, 2019 13:05:01 GMT
I get that AE is a word person and likes repetition, but when I was a SBTM subscriber everything started to look and sound the exact same. I really started to dislike AE's handwriting on everything. I stopped subbing in March, after a full year of kits. I have quite a bit still left over. I am back to enjoying the occasional AE product or card from my stash when it makes it on a layout, but I'm glad I don't get the kits anymore. There wasn't enough variety & not enough icons/images for me. I still love OLW and I did enjoy the Hybrid class (picked up with the coupon code when they did the mess-up last year) but I'm really glad I didn't bother with the Travel class. It sounds awful. I hope she does something to make it right for those of you who did take the class. It makes me wonder if she even reviewed the other contributors' videos before letting them go live. She wants to be a professional, yet fails to create professional level classes. I'm even happy to pay more, if the class has high quality content/videos and the other contributors get compensated for their time. I'd also love to see her have some guests designers create some of the product like she does with DD. I think that could give some of the variety to the kits that currently missing.
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Post by groovy on Jul 15, 2019 12:33:04 GMT
Anyone wanting to sell their April SBTM kit/partial kit? I'm mostly interested in the Easter sentiments
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Post by lasteve1 on Jul 15, 2019 13:01:28 GMT
Ugh, anyone else not able to get into the story kit classroom for this month?
I've been a subber since the beginning and this has to be the 4th or 5th time this has happened--where the classroom is supposed to go live at 12AM on the 15th and it doesn't. Then I have to wait for everyone in California to wake up and fix it, and usually by that time I'm not longer able to access it because I'm at work. I'm always excited to watch the process videos every month and it's really upsetting to me that they can't consistently release the class on time. I get that they don't have to have someone working through the night, but why not test it first?
This time it has the classroom in my classes and just says it hasn't started yet.
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Post by givemecarrots on Jul 15, 2019 14:24:53 GMT
Ugh, anyone else not able to get into the story kit classroom for this month? I've been a subber since the beginning and this has to be the 4th or 5th time this has happened--where the classroom is supposed to go live at 12AM on the 15th and it doesn't. Then I have to wait for everyone in California to wake up and fix it, and usually by that time I'm not longer able to access it because I'm at work. I'm always excited to watch the process videos every month and it's really upsetting to me that they can't consistently release the class on time. I get that they don't have to have someone working through the night, but why not test it first? This time it has the classroom in my classes and just says it hasn't started yet. I have the same problem. I wrote to the chat, and Got the answer, that they are working on it.
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Post by lasteve1 on Jul 15, 2019 15:48:00 GMT
Ugh, anyone else not able to get into the story kit classroom for this month? I've been a subber since the beginning and this has to be the 4th or 5th time this has happened--where the classroom is supposed to go live at 12AM on the 15th and it doesn't. Then I have to wait for everyone in California to wake up and fix it, and usually by that time I'm not longer able to access it because I'm at work. I'm always excited to watch the process videos every month and it's really upsetting to me that they can't consistently release the class on time. I get that they don't have to have someone working through the night, but why not test it first? This time it has the classroom in my classes and just says it hasn't started yet. I have the same problem. I wrote to the chat, and Got the answer, that they are working on it. It's up now. I know sometimes technology fails and there are mistakes, but it seems like they need someone available to check these things when they go live or to do more testing ahead of time because this happens way too regularly.
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Post by BSideCrafter on Jul 15, 2019 22:29:52 GMT
I think it was mentioned in an earlier comment, but when sorting my digital files this morning it was the first time I noticed going through the cards. Unsurprisingly all the fan comments love the quote and 2nd card so they can stop hoarding the first I'm totally questioning sticking with the kits at this point.
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arc
New Member
Posts: 2
Jul 15, 2019 22:45:36 GMT
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Post by arc on Jul 15, 2019 22:51:03 GMT
I love the whole idea of the Story Kits as it's getting me to scrap so much more and I generally love the themes she chooses and the product design. But I definitely get the impression that it's kind of haphazardly put together, and I feel the same way about AE's classes. If I'm going to pay $40+ for a class, I expect the videos to not be rambling - I don't have 40 min to just listen to someone chatting, if it's not packed full of instructional content. I really wish Ali would edit her videos and make them all more concise and to the point - she has very helpful/useful things to say, but they're just so unnecessarily long! I'll forgive an under 10 min video for not being edited, but for anything longer than that I feel like it's wasting my time (this goes for the Story Kit process vids too). Also +1 to wanting a bigger difference between Story Kit and Story Stamp. I really do like getting both, but am bummed about the repetition.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 7:45:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2019 1:52:40 GMT
I think it was mentioned in an earlier comment, but when sorting my digital files this morning it was the first time I noticed going through the cards. Unsurprisingly all the fan comments love the quote and 2nd card so they can stop hoarding the first I'm totally questioning sticking with the kits at this point. [b Not sure about the explanation. Loves the quote, OK, but can't she keep track of which ones she used already? Otherwise they'll be the same ones over and over again. I do feel quotes are personal anyway. Something that speaks to you won't make sense to someone else.
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 7:45:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2019 1:57:02 GMT
I love the whole idea of the Story Kits as it's getting me to scrap so much more and I generally love the themes she chooses and the product design. But I definitely get the impression that it's kind of haphazardly put together, and I feel the same way about AE's classes. If I'm going to pay $40+ for a class, I expect the videos to not be rambling - I don't have 40 min to just listen to someone chatting, if it's not packed full of instructional content. I really wish Ali would edit her videos and make them all more concise and to the point - she has very helpful/useful things to say, but they're just so unnecessarily long! I'll forgive an under 10 min video for not being edited, but for anything longer than that I feel like it's wasting my time (this goes for the Story Kit process vids too). Also +1 to wanting a bigger difference between Story Kit and Story Stamp. I really do like getting both, but am bummed about the repetition. I didn't think the main vid was instructional. Plenty of things she already said at some point. I stopped after the idea of rest in a journey, though. It's like I asked someone to tell me about their trip and they described the airport.
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Post by mom on Jul 16, 2019 2:09:26 GMT
I've been working though some previous PL spreads, getting the missing pieces done and what not. I'm pretty sure I am canceling my Story Kit from here on out. Its all the same and honestly I don't think she cares any more.
Edited - I've canceled everything with Ali. Im just done.
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Post by hop2 on Jul 16, 2019 2:33:55 GMT
I think it was mentioned in an earlier comment, but when sorting my digital files this morning it was the first time I noticed going through the cards. Unsurprisingly all the fan comments love the quote and 2nd card so they can stop hoarding the first I'm totally questioning sticking with the kits at this point. [b Not sure about the explanation. Loves the quote, OK, but can't she keep track of which ones she used already? Otherwise they'll be the same ones over and over again. I do feel quotes are personal anyway. Something that speaks to you won't make sense to someone else. This is why we all have pieces of collections we will never use. Part spoke to us part didn’t
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 7:45:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2019 5:14:52 GMT
[b Not sure about the explanation. Loves the quote, OK, but can't she keep track of which ones she used already? Otherwise they'll be the same ones over and over again. I do feel quotes are personal anyway. Something that speaks to you won't make sense to someone else. This is why we all have pieces of collections we will never use. Part spoke to us part didn’t Not the same thing to me. Quotes I could put together myself. I can't make chipboards or brads myself. If you're selling cards, the quotes on them better be good--thoughts for thoughts at least, or funny but def not interchangeable.
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Post by elegantsufficiency on Jul 16, 2019 10:00:03 GMT
I didn't think the main vid was instructional. Plenty of things she already said at some point. I stopped after the idea of rest in a journey, though. It's like I asked someone to tell me about their trip and they described the airport. For me, she doesn't offer enough information for me to buy a class from her. I'd like to see a clear list of what I could expect to learn in each of her classes - preferably new techniques or ideas and not just a different placement of a label on a page. A professional educator would be able to offer a list of objectives for a class, which they had already planned in advance of putting the class on sale, even if they hadn't put the final details in place. I just can't spend my hard-earned money on something so vague and ephemeral, that I might find I already have or worst of all, feel short-changed by. Someone is way too relaxed about their approach to their product, I think.
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Post by peachiceteas on Jul 16, 2019 12:01:47 GMT
I think it was mentioned in an earlier comment, but when sorting my digital files this morning it was the first time I noticed going through the cards. Unsurprisingly all the fan comments love the quote and 2nd card so they can stop hoarding the first I'm totally questioning sticking with the kits at this point. [b Not sure about the explanation. Loves the quote, OK, but can't she keep track of which ones she used already? Otherwise they'll be the same ones over and over again. I do feel quotes are personal anyway. Something that speaks to you won't make sense to someone else. Her response says to me that she isn’t thinking about the customer at all. She’s designing product in isolation, not looking at past months or across the whole year. I don’t give two shits if it’s a quote she loves - think about the customer who’s spending their hard earned pennies on your product and the fact they won’t want duplicated cards.
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Post by lasteve1 on Jul 16, 2019 13:59:45 GMT
I was really disappointed with the class content this month. My favorite parts are always the process videos and I know the projects haven't all been so great lately, but this was beyond being phoned in. Each of the process videos was less than 10 minutes and one of them was literally photos/cards slipped into pockets. One of the photos had a stamp & chipboard on it, the rest were unembellished. The journaling card was typed on the computer and no additional décor was added to it. Then she says "this is a reminder that it can be that simple, just get those stories told." I get that is her thing, she is trying to encourage people to tell their stories and I totally am for her SAYING this message each month. But her process videos should be demonstrating more complicated techniques and creative ways to use the products that we might not think of ourselves. No one needs a process video to show them how to slip unembellished cards into the pockets.
If she really wants to be all about promoting simplicity as an option she needs to rethink this story classroom stuff. It's just not worth anything in its current state. Maybe drop the price and eliminate the classroom. Or minimize the classroom to just a handout with story ideas/project samples and no videos and add a little value to the kit.
If she wants to continue the classroom she needs to make sure to include some valuable content. Maybe create 3-4 process videos of spreads using more complicated techniques and then do one "simple" spread without a video that is only in the handout so customers can compare the two styles and see a range of options. I know she still creates the detailed spreads with inspirational techniques--she recently did it in Hello Story 2. But the bottom line is no one needs to pay for process videos to see simple, slip it into pockets and done pages.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 7:45:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2019 15:07:26 GMT
Maybe she was intentionally keeping it simple this month so as not to scare off any new mtm subbers that she picked up as a result of selling a kit via that home shopping show....? Unlikely but if she had vacay then just didn't have the time this month.....anyways for me, not such a big deal. I usually just look at the layouts and skip the videos. I get inpatient watching them. Sometimes I have them on just for "noise" in the background when I scrap. I think I'm jaded but other than show me how she used the product, I don't expect to see a new inspirational technique, more just a reminder. I'd love it, if there was a site somewhere that someone had tagged with various techniques. Thats what I am using IG for now. To compile "technique" ideas.
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Post by mrsshampoo on Jul 16, 2019 15:34:55 GMT
Maybe she was intentionally keeping it simple this month so as not to scare off any new mtm subbers that she picked up as a result of selling a kit via that home shopping show....? Unlikely but if she had vacay then just didn't have the time this month...... That was my first thought, too. But again, the disappointing, phoned-in content seems to have become her norm. Nothing about her simple approach has inspired me in months and I was a total AE fan girl.
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Post by lasteve1 on Jul 16, 2019 17:54:38 GMT
Maybe she was intentionally keeping it simple this month so as not to scare off any new mtm subbers that she picked up as a result of selling a kit via that home shopping show....? Unlikely but if she had vacay then just didn't have the time this month...... That was my first thought, too. But again, the disappointing, phoned-in content seems to have become her norm. Nothing about her simple approach has inspired me in months and I was a total AE fan girl. I don't get that... I really want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it really seems like it was just a time crunch and not wanting to put the time/effort in.
I definitely see giving some sort of "intro" to the hobby if there are any newbies, but I think that if this was my first class it would solidify that the class material is pretty valueless and I would think "I can do that on my own" or with free inspiration from the design team, pinterest, instagram, youtube etc. I would think that if there was an influx of new subbers that would be incentive to make sure the class is really good so people on the fence will decide to stick around. But maybe that's just me...
ETA: When I was first scrapbooking and exploring the online scrapbook community I had a hard rule to never buy online classes because I wanted to spend my limited scrapbook budget on supplies and felt there were enough free resources that class content didn't seem like it would ever be worthwhile. The very first "class" I bought was Ali's story kit and only because the class was included with the products. Those first classes were so good that I actually changed my mind about classes and have bought a number of other classes such as Hello Story, Hello Story 2, Type, etc. Converting people who are not sold on the class concept to purchasing her other classes should be her goal... but this last year or so of story kit classes is not going to do that.
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arc
New Member
Posts: 2
Jul 15, 2019 22:45:36 GMT
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Post by arc on Jul 16, 2019 18:37:22 GMT
Not to pile on, but the card on the left with the white background is the *exact* same design as one of the other 4x6 cards from the Breathe kit - I believe it was the Oprah Winfrey quote about this moment being the only one we have now. I really do like the design, so I don't mind the recycling quite as much on that front, but it seems so lazy to me - a year apart I could totally get, but not 3 kits apart?
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