I get asked a lot by people why I created Stamping Family and the answer is pretty simple – it's because I wanted it to exist! I wanted a place to go where I could hang out with other creative people where we could inspire each other, have a fun place to share my projects (besides my blog), chat about all things stamping and crafting, learn fun new techniques and all without ads. I don't know about you but when I pay to belong to something I would prefer not to be bombarded with ads!
So I researched and I test drove a few and some were fun but not all that inspiring, some were inspiring but definitely not “fun”, some were filled with scary rules that I couldn't figure out, some had such a complicated site that I could never even find MYSELF in there and of course some had so many ads I couldn't tell what was member stuff and what was sponsored……I am sure you've experienced some of these issues.
I talked to some crafty friends and learned that I was NOT alone! And because I didn't have anything else to do <snort> I started to build something that was what *I* had wanted to find in the first place. Slowly but surely, Stamping Family started to take shape. After some time spent tweaking and fiddling, I had something ready to go and the initial reactions were overwhelmingly positive. I now have exactly what it was that I had been seeking – a fun, inspirational site where members genuinely liked engaging – some a lot, some a little, where people could have their own galleries that they could use to show off their projects and a place where I could scratch my “teaching” itch even more and share lots of video classes, tips and more to the members.
Now some people have asked why I charge for Stamping Family. I get it! I put lots of goodies out on my blog for free because I love to share and I love to inspire people to use their stamping goodies to share their love and friendship with other people. And I do charge for Stamping Family – it's only $9.99 a month but it is a charge. Here's why – running a membership site is expensive! Whoo-doggie! And it takes a lot of time! I would love to be able to offer it for free but I have a family who depends on my income as much as my husband's and if I gave everything away for free there would be big trouble in River City! And since I don't accept ads – even from members themselves! – and still don't charge more than the sites that do, I have to keep this a fee-based site.
I of course make sure that Stamping Family members get awesome stuff from me in addition to all the great stuff they give each other. I post videos in Stamping Family all the time and all the classes I create to sell online are FREE to Stamping Family members right in the site. I post several weekly inspirations designed to get your creative juices flowing. We have “Member Mambo” where we post fun questions to get to know each other better (and I have to say that sometimes I laugh until I cry – some of these people are a riot!). And there's SO much more going on in there!
I always say the only thing missing from Stamping Family is YOU and many people, after they join, say that's true. I invite you to come check out Stamping Family and see if you agree that the reasons I created Stamping Family are totally worth it!
