Oh April, I totally agree about your point about styles changing due to postal rates. When I first started making cards when I joined 2Peas, I totally loved adding buttons and other thick embellishments. If I use them now, it is because I know that I will be able to hand-deliver.
The biggest difference, for me, between now and then, is that I am not a beginner anymore. I felt that there were many people just learning about stamping at 2Peas, and now, it doesn’t seem like there are very many beginners at all!
The main difference in the industry that I see is that most people use dies a lot now, and barely anyone did before. It was just punches.