Much love, Sara | Cards & Paper projects made with love: 5 Reasons Why I Became a Fun Stampers Journey Coach - and 1 Really Good Reason Why You Should Too!

***EDITED***
As of 09/28/18, FSJ is no longer accepting new coaches. Due to changes being made in the sales model - the merger with Spellbinders to create a hybrid retail model - after November 1st there will no longer be a coach associated with orders. FSJ still makes amazing products, and I still feel it was a positive thing. I'm excited to see what comes under the new format. Due to the changes, I have removed items from this post that were specific to being a coach. My thoughts on the products are still here, so that when you find this post, you can still read that information.

And the biggest bonus to this sales model? International customers are now able to order products, as of November 1st, 2018.

*Please note: Affiliate links are used in this post, at no cost to you, where I may earn a commission on items sold through my links. For more information, please see my full disclosure here.*

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One of the questions I heard quite a bit, when I decided to make the change over to Fun Stampers Journey, was WHY become a Fun Stampers Journey Coach? Change can be scary to many people, and risk taking - well, that's even worse. So, why take the leap into a new journey, when you are comfortable where you are at? I did a bit of research before I joined, and I will always suggest you do the same, however, let me explain 5 reasons why I personally chose to join Fun Stampers Journey (and still love the Journey)!

1. The Products.

Before I made a decision about signing up as a coach, I had placed an order for some of the products. I wanted to try the inks (fusion ink was something I had only barely played with prior to that - and never with the FSJ brand), the card stock, the stamps, and the dies. It was important to me to know about the quality of the products, before investing in them, and especially before recommending them to my fellow crafters. And, let's face it, the discount coaches got, was appealing, but the discount didn't matter if the products weren't up to par.

My starter kit when I signed up as a Coach

What did I find? Perhaps my favorite thing from that first order I placed, was the Whip Cream pigment ink. I had randomly thrown that into my cart, but it is GORGEOUS! I've used many different white inks, but this is the one that gave the most bang - and doesn't fade back into nothingness over time. I have one of the first cards I stamped with this ink (5 months ago) and it still looks as though the sentiment was just stamped yesterday. In addition to that gorgeous Whip Cream Ink, I also chose an Oatmeal Cookie Ink Pad, to try the True Color Fusion Inks. This one was different. I stamped it with a fairly solid image, and was initially disappointed - the color seemed patchy. So I stamped it again, and again, thinking that maybe my stamp was not "primed" or I wasn't on the best surface. Something amazing happened while I was stamping though. As I stamped secondary images, the ink smoothed out on the first image, and became this gorgeous image. This was something I wasn't used to from the inks I had previously used, and does take some time to get comfortable with, but these inks do produce beautiful results, when they have a moment to settle into the paper fibers. And the fact that the True Fusion inks can be heat set to permanent on non-porous surfaces, was a great bonus!

The card stock was also great. It is thick, and smooth, and not at all powdery (a real issue with some card stocks!). All of the colors of card stock are available in both letter size (8.5" x 11") or scrapbook size (12" x 12"). The dies were also great quality, and the neon green color - which I thought might be a turn off - actually makes them really easy to spot if you drop one. And one amazing thing with FSJ, is that more than half of the stamps in the catalog, have matching dies! Less fussy cutting - woo-hoo! (Plus they have steel rule dies - which can be used for cutting many more items like chipboard and fabric.) If you've never used the stamps, besides just being adorable - there is one other GREAT thing about them - the stamps are all cling RUBBER, and the image on the stamp comes PRINTED onto the foam. It's not a sticker. It's pre-printed when the stamps arrive, and clings to the clear block like crazy!

One other note about the products, the sheer VARIETY of products in the Fun Stampers Journey catalog, is outstanding. If you are a paper crafter of any sort - whether it is cards, scrapbooking, mixed media, or planners as your medium - there is something for you in their product line up.