Important Announcement and What It Means

 Hey there, my crafting friends!

I hope you're all doing well and staying creative. I wanted to take a moment to share something important with you – a decision I've been wrestling with for quite some time. After much thoughtful consideration, I've made the difficult choice to step away from my role as a Stampin' UP! demonstrator.

I've always promised to be completely transparent with you all, and that's not going to change now. There are several factors that led me to this decision, and I want to walk you through them honestly.

First, many of you may be aware of the ongoing legal situation involving Shanna Gardner, the daughter of Stampin' UP's founder. This has weighed heavily on my heart, and I've found myself increasingly uncomfortable with the thought that my purchases might indirectly support something I fundamentally disagree with. It's been a real source of inner conflict for me, and I've reached the point where I need to follow my conscience.

Beyond that, I've been struggling with the pricing structure at SU for quite some time. While I absolutely understand the need for businesses to be profitable, the markup on stamps, dies, paper, and other supplies has become difficult for me to justify – both for myself and when recommending products to you. Crafting should bring us joy, not financial stress!

I'm also finding it increasingly challenging to keep up with the constant retirement of products. Just when you fall in love with something, it seems to disappear from the catalog. It makes it tough to create cohesive projects and even harder to recommend items knowing they might not be available much longer.

So what does this mean for our little crafting community here? Well, I'm excited to say that while some things will change, the heart of what we do together will absolutely remain the same! I'll still be creating, sharing tutorials, and hopefully inspiring you along the way. You'll still see me use some of my beloved SU supplies – I have quite a stash built up over the years, and there's no sense in letting good products go to waste! When I do find SU items secondhand, I might pick those up since that supports individual crafters rather than the company directly.

But here's what I'm really excited about: this opens up a whole new world of possibilities for us to explore together! I'll be branching out to discover new brands, comparing products, and sharing honest reviews of everything I try. Think of it as going on a crafting adventure together – we'll discover new favorites, maybe find some amazing alternatives, and I promise to always give you my genuine thoughts on what works and what doesn't.

Your trust means everything to me, so you can count on me to continue being completely honest about every product I feature. If something's amazing, I'll tell you. If it's not worth your hard-earned money, I'll tell you that too.

I know change can feel uncertain, but I truly believe this will make our crafting journey even richer and more diverse. I hope you'll stick around as we explore this new chapter together. Your support, comments, and enthusiasm are what make this community so special, and I'm grateful for each and every one of you.

Here's to new adventures, honest reviews, and lots of beautiful creations ahead!

With love and gratitude, Beth

P.S. – If you have any favorite brands or products you'd love to see me try, drop them in the comments! I'm always open to suggestions from my crafting family.