Sept 2023 Crop & Create Cards

I did the fall 2022 card event and enjoyed it but like others, I feel like a change of companies/instructors is needed for me to sign up again. I really enjoyed probably 30% of the classes. I wish the Stamp Market would return.
(eta the date of the event)

Some of the good additions to SCT card events could be Mama elephant, waffle flower, my favorite things, pretty pink posh.

Pinkfresh and the stamp market needs a come back but I am not very hopeful. The stamp market did one event which I participated in and got some really rude comments. It is completely understandable if she does not want to come back. Pinkfresh Studio is doing their own events so well and may be they parted ways with SCT. I buy all of SCT magazines and they used to advertise in SCT magazines before. Latest SCT magazine does not have an ad by pinkfresh.

Who knows how SCT picks companies and designers. But it is definitely getting very monotonous with same old companies and instructors. One of the big reason I have stopped liking their events. I still somehow thought of signing up but only if they had some more variety for companies and instructors.

I agree with you twillerbee . In a perfect world, if I could add companies I'd add:

* Julie Hickey for Ellen Hutson
* I'd do Mama Elephant even though I'm not a cutesy girl. I'd personally prefer them over Lawn Fawn and enjoyed their class last fall. I like that they design
their stamp sets to work with each other. #moreoptions
* Pretty Pink Posh
* Penny Black
* The Greetery
* Photoplay
and I'm sure there are 2 or 3 more that I can't think of right now.

Companies I could do without:
* Brutus Monroe, other than their embossing powders which I love, I have yet to see a product of theirs that I like
* Crafters Companion (I love Sara's persona, I'm just not a fan of the products)
* Lawn Fawn (ducking and running for cover because I know that's blasphemy to some)
* Pink & Main, though I have seen some cute things made with the most recent envelope C+CD kit (mine found a new home before the event)

I will also add that I MUCH prefer classes that teach or solidify techniques. I felt like too many of the most recent classes were "do this, do that, make this card" without actually teaching anything new.

UGH, that is miserable. I'm surprised that no one from SCT shut it down while it was happening. They are in the classes and watching comments and seem to keep on top of things.

If I recall, Catherine said she had to directly email one participant and tell them to stop or they'd be kicked out.  She even deleted her Youtube comments during class.

This card is one that caused the most commotion because you had to mask all but two letters, stamp in one color, move your masks and stamp in a different color, etc.  It was time consuming and the masking was a huge issue for a lot of people.  Also, this stamp required A LOT of prep since the it's so big.  This was pointed out several times in the book and in the group before class but the people who tried to use it right out of the package got crappy images and complained all throughout the class. Amy didn't have a comment moderator and was trying to teach and comment at the same time.  She got super flustered because the comments got brutal.

http://instagram.com/p/CdI7BjJrkLT

I knew how cumbersome and time consuming this would be so I actually did ALL the stamping for this card before class.

Thanks for including that image, it helps. TBH, I do not understand how a card like that caused such consternation. I guess for those who *have* to keep up in real-time, but honestly sounds like much ado about nothing. 

And bummer that people did not fully prep their stamps before class.

I wish Stamp Market would return too.

I never successfully completed that card though. I tried during class (I watch replays so I didn’t see the comments) and once after the event. My masking kept slipping and I wasn’t happy with the results.

I know one of the frustrating issues with her class was she was using an exclusive stamp platform that hadn’t been released yet. I’m not sure if they ever released it though.

I forgot about that stamp platform. I can't even remember what it looked like. The Misti/Stampin' Up! lawsuit is in December so maybe The Stamp Market is waiting for that to be over.



I think I'll sign up again for the fall, but maybe not again next Spring. I do enjoy the kick in the pants these events give me. I am tiring of all the same companies, too, though. I understand the business decision to use it as an incentive to their advertisers, it's obviously the point of having the magazine, but man I wish other companies would sign on to advertise simply to get into this event - it would definitely be worthwhile from what I've seen. It seems like people go crazy with the shopping and it's such a great marketing event. Come on The Greetery, Pretty Pink Posh, etc, advertise in SCT so we can have you teach a class!

It's actually kind of a big problem for SCT, though - I'm sure their loyal advertisers who have been with them throughout these past few years would not want to be pushed out of the event, so now Katherine has to keep expanding the event to more days and more classes if she wants to accommodate any new companies. So then the price goes up, and maybe it's not so attractive to the customers to keep adding days, how would that work? That's all a huge balancing act.

Stay off the FB group today unless you want to see post after post after post of graphics stating “I’m in!” because someone signed up for the fall class.

Ryann and melanieg I agree! You guys are my kind of people!

Oh and "I'm in!" LOL!

I agree - I am not sure to join the Fall event either - with pretty much the same companies as before.  It seems like a Rinse and Repeat in a way.  And I too am interested in the SCT Holiday and Pinkfresh's holiday one - as well as Concord & 9th - but not sure if I like the mini class they had last year as much. (the shop was cute, but the other one was 'eh'.)  I just wish more offered maybe a kind of a tiered class - do you want inks or not?  Do you want to do foiling or not?  It would help more I think ... I would pay less if I didn't have to get the inks.  Or if I didn't want to hot foil.  But I'm not sure how that would run... would you just have optional classes for the foiling?  Or take a break while we add on the foil?  

I should just do the Hero Arts Stampalongs - you don't even have to purchase their items because honestly, some of us have a lot of similar items, but you could.  That seems kind of cool.  And when they first come out, isn't it really cheap, like $30 for the class?  I just haven't taken the step into that deep end.  But I'm still debating about the value of the classes vs the value of the things in the packages.  Like now I see that Pinkfresh is actually kind of a good value for their products in the box.  But I'm not a fan of 100% of what was in the box for SCT - some of it is just 'eh'.  So is there value in that?  And I should start getting picky with where my $$$ goes...

I love this! For those who like the card companies/card styles, this event is such a great bargain, and totally worth every penny!

Out of curiosity, do you mind me asking which single company's event didn't "do it" for you?

No, I understand that, I was simply curious. I like TE a lot too, particularly the stencils and some of the sentiments, and have been working on a shopping cart there this week 😉