Craftsy Disappointment

Before you read any further, please note: This post is about my real life personal experience with Craftsy and those platforms that came before the current one.

I had been a longtime member of Craftsy that went to Bluprint that went back to Craftsy. I had classes from the first Craftsy, then Bluprint that I enjoyed and were to be saved forever. When the original Craftsy went to Bluprint, nothing was lost and I was a very, very happy camper. Bluprint offered classes each time with a paid membership plus some amazing deals on craft kits and other needed items like fabric, yarn, cooking items, etc. My heart was broken with Bluprint announced it would be no more and was selling to the company that has the National Sewing Circle as well as other online memberships. I tried the National Sewing Circle and as sorely disappointed so I wondered what would happen to my beloved Bluprint. 

Well, fast-forward to present day. My Bluprint membership transferred the new "Craftsy" and so did a little more than half of the classes from the first Craftsy. I did end up with all the Bluprint classes that I purchased, but was not happy. I was assured that they would be there soonly. Wouldn't you know, I didn't keep my receipts from the first Craftsy, so I had no proof that I was short a good 04 classes. UGH.  

Renewal time came and I was never notified it was time to renew - just a credit card charge!! It appeared my card number had transferred to the new platform. Things were still not working well as articles were missing and my classes were still not all there. There had be NO compensation for those that were transferred to the new platform with all the problems and the bugs they were supposed to iron out. New people were given great discounts but those that paid full price and were in the middle of the transition were ignored. I called to find out what was going on since there was no place to even see how to change my subscription status or credit card. I talked to a customer service rep and decided to cancel. Nothing new was really being added and the amount of spam they were sending all the time was horrible. The rep apologized, told me she was letting my subscription run out and she'd send me an offer for me to renew at a better price, but I'd have to let my subscription lapse to be able to get the new price. Sounded interesting and a bit odd.  I let me subscription lapse and waited for a few months. I did finally use the new offer.

There were changes - things a little better, but still I had not received all my classes. Those from the original Craftsy seem to be gone forever. Some articles actually are now online and able to be read, but referring patterns and other links don't work. 2 years and still transitioning? Hmmmm... But here's where it get's interesting... I can no longer access many of the classes I want to. I am a premium member but now have to buy a GOLD membership to access classes that were available to me before from Bluprint and when my membership had moved over. This is becoming like the National Sewing Circle and their other platforms although we were assured this would not change.

I cancelled my automatic renewal and won't be going back except to access my lifetime classes I purchased - although lifetime seems to be something they are not honoring. I had over 120 classes and now have 68 that are in my library. I figured some would be lost but not that many!! That's almost half. Now, I will say that many of those were free or short classes, but the transfer from the original Craftsy to Bluprint lost nothing! Sadly, I was using some when we were transferred and now they are gone.

The only thing that the new Craftsy platform has brough me was frustration and TONS of SPAM. I get mailings from all their platforms and multiples each day. The benefits are no longer there and the wonderful teaching source that I had once loved is now gone. It was worth the money at one time, but for me, I won't be paying for and expensive membership that loves to spam and changes it's rules - making you pay more for certain videos that you were able to access just a bit ago and they seem to be increasing as time goes on. 

This has been my personal experience and because of this, I cannot nor will I recommend the new Craftsy to anyone. 

Bluprint -vs- Creative Bug

Photo by Surene Palvie from Pexels

I love all types of crafts, from needlework to making wreaths, so I'm always doing something with my hands and always looking for new and interesting things to try. I've done subscription boxes, combed the net for new projects, watched hours and hours of YouTube and am a member of a couple of guilds.

When I check my email, I'm always getting offers to join a new club, take a new knitting class, etc., and honestly, it seems like every time I try these things, they are underwhelming and I end up cancelling after just a couple of months.

Bluprint

So when Craftsy starting sending me their offers, I did the free week, downloaded a few of their free classes and patterns, but couldn't justify the price. Then Bluprint merged with Craftsy, and the price came down. I got some great offers, but still didn't join. Well, the price came down more and after a week free preview, an offer for a free knitting kit, I said to my husband I'm going to try it out. I paid the yearly fee up front (saving some money there) and picked out my kit from their list. I chose the LaMott Wrap Knitting Kit by Erika Flory featuring Cloudborn Highland Sport in the Santa Fe colorway. Within 2 days from the time I signed up, my kit was in hand! I was impressed with the quality of the Cloudborn wool as well as the pattern instructions. The kit retails for almost $47 - over half of what I paid for my yearly membership ($79.99)

The classes are well done and very professional looking. Yes, you can probably find videos that cover some, if not all, the topics on YouTube, but I can tell you, I've spent a lot of time trying to find exactly what I needed and weeding through a lot to finally find it, and sometimes the information that is given is not correct. Provided with the classes are downloadable materials. They may include patterns and/or other helpful information.

Another perk from the Bluprint membership is 12 keep forever classes that you choose. If you decided not to renew your membership, those classes will always be available to you to watch - as well as all the class materials that come with them. You get the codes for 3 of them every 3 months.

Included with the membership is free shipping on any order from Bluprint's shop. I didn't think I'd use it really, because the prices I viewed as a non-member seemed a bit high. Well, I got a surprise with that! Members get 15% off, which is ok, but the real savings comes from their coupons. For example, I found a 60% off coupon code on my member page off one item. I used it on a wool sweater kit. I chose the largest size I could  buy so that I was sure I'd definitely have enough yarn. This kit also has a class that goes with it, so not only am I trying a new technique, but I have a class to explain everything about this sweater. The cost? $33 including shipping! I got a lovely wool cardigan kit for the cost of what I would have spent on acrylic yarn to make the exact same sweater!

I have made a couple of other purchases since I've been a member, and believe me, the savings alone has more than paid for my membership! Everything is shipped by FedEx and I usually have the items in hand in 2 days. (This time frame could be different, depending on where you are located).

Creative Bug

Right after I became a member of Bluprint, I received a free month trial from Creative Bug. I wanted to compare both to see which was more useful and a better deal for me. Creative Bug offered me a membership for $7.99 a month and I couldn't find any place to pay for a year upfront.

With that membership came the video classes, class materials, patterns and CBTV.  Currently, they are offering a $10 JoAnn gift certificate when you become a member. I didn't find any other perks besides the videos, classes and Creative Bug TV.

The videos that I viewed didn't seem to have the same professional quality that Bluprint's has. Now, to be fair, it could only be the ones I chose and may not be that way with all the videos. It's possible they were older ones. The class materials were decent. I downloaded a couple of patterns and they were well written and easy to follow. One nice thing I came across on the videos I watched, was the opportunity to download a transcript of the class. It appears you had to download one for each segment, but still, it's nice to be able to have it in print instead of trying to find what you need in the video.

Which Is The Best?

So which is the best for you? It depends what you are looking for. With Creative Bug, you don't have to make along term commitment, since you pay monthly, you can cancel at any time, however, I could find no option to pay quarterly or yearly, so I found discounts on that price. I do know they run specials from time to time, so you may want to sign up for the newsletter to see when their offers become available. If I remember correctly, there was an offer for half price off of their normal price. Currently a year of Creative Bug runs $95.88 (12 x 7.99)

For me, Bluprint was the better deal. With free shipping, a free kit, amazing coupons and sales, lots of free patterns and nicely done classes/videos,  I am thrilled with my membership!! My yearly membership was $79.99. I've seen Bluprint have other sales and membership  has been lower. I've also seen quite a few nice offers of gift certificates. I'd suggest getting the Bluprint newsletter and checking the offers for yourself.

My only regret is not joining Bluprint sooner!

***Please note - I paid for the membership out of my own money. I was not given anything or asked by either company to do a review. This if from my own experience and sharing to help others decide if they want to try either/both companies out.