Good Monday morning my fellow stampers and Happy Tax Day.  Has everyone gotten their taxes done?  Do you do them early or wait until the very last second to get them in?   How was everyone’s weekend?  Mine was Awesome!!  I was at OnStage in Atlantic City NJ.  The new Catalog is GORGEOUS.

I can only show you the cover, but believe me when I tell you there are so many wonderful new items you’re going to want them all.  If you’re on my mailing list I will be sending you a catalog as soon as I get them the beginning of May.  If you want to be on my mailing list, you must have placed an order of $50 or more before May 1st 2019.

So, I have a few sneak peeks for you today along with the Make ‘N Takes we made at OnStage and all the goodies we got.  I have a lot of pictures on my Facebook page too.

To start off, before we even got into the convention, my Uplines gave us these awesome gifts.  They are the most wonderful and generous people ever.

When we checked in we received this beautiful canvas bag full of goodies.  The bag is in one of the new In-Colors, Pretty Peacock.

We got to do some Make ‘N Takes while we were there.  We played with some of the new stamp sets from the new catalog.  Here are the cards we made.

This one was made with the new Stampin’ Up Free As A Bird Stamp Set, Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper and the beautiful 3/8″ Scalloped Lace Trim Ribbon.

This is one of my favorites made with the new Stampin’ Up Sailing Home Stamp Set, Come Sail Away Designer Series Paper, Sail Away Trinkets and the beautiful Night of Navy/Sahara Sand Baker’s Twine.

This gorgeous card was made with the new Stampin’ Up Floral Essence Stamp Set, Perennial Flower Punch, Perennial Essence Designer Series Paper and the Perennial Essence Vellum Cardstock

This card was made with the new Stampin’ Up It Starts With Art Stamp Set and Follow Your Art Designer Series Paper.

This last card we made was a sneak peek of the May Paper Pumpkin Kit.

After we were all done with all our Make ‘N Takes we were allowed to divide the items up amongst ourselves at the table.  I came home with all these fun goodies.

The middle stamp set was the one in the bag and the one on the right I won with the Prize Patrol.

At the very end they gave out one more big Prize Patrol to everyone.  This beautiful Mosaic Mood Specialty Designer Series Paper.

All in All, it was a wonderful time with friends and stamping.  I’m already looking forward to November and our next OnStage Local.  If you are interested in joining my team and being able to go to these OnStage events, click here for details or email me.  I’d be glad to have you on my team.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a new card for you.  I wanted to just give you a little sneak peek at what’s to come.  Happy stamping!!

Big News!!  Stampin’ Up! has just announced that they’ll be transitioning to a new manufacturer for their dies and embossing folders moving forward!

Stampin’ Up! is moving to a direct-to-manufacturer relationship. This means that they will work directly with the factories who manufacture their dies and folders instead of working with another company who then works with different factories. This gives them greater control and potential in the manufacturing process. Yay!

TRANSITION TO NEW DIE-CUTTING AND EMBOSSING LINE

Here’s a look at how this transition will unfold:

Through June 3, 2019	Die and Folder Supply: While Supplies Last and Interruptions·  Inventory on some retiring dies may be depleted before the end of the 2019 occasions and 2018–2019 annual catalog sales period; Stampin’ Up! will not replenish inventory on any retiring dies and folders that sell out.·  Inventory on some dies and folders carrying over into the 2019–2020 catalog may be depleted; if this happens, they may go on backorder or may not be available to order until they have replenished the inventory.
April 15–June 3, 2019	Retiring List·  The old-style die-cutting & embossing machine will be on the retiring list while supplies last. This also includes related products such as plates and platforms.·  Dies and embossing folders included on the retiring list will not be offered in the new catalog in any format.·  Dies and standard embossing folders NOT included on the retiring list will be carried over into the 2019–2020 annual catalog. Stampin’ Up! will use up their current inventory before starting to ship new-style dies, so even if you place an order in 2020, you might receive an old-style die or folder.
Beginning June 4, 2019	2019–2020 Annual Catalog·  All new dies and embossing folders (denoted with a “New” icon in the catalog) will be produced by their new supplier and made in the new style with a different and high-quality product design.·  For carryover dies and non-3D embossing folders, Stampin’ Up! will use up their current inventory before starting to ship new-style dies, so even if you place an order in 2020, you might receive an old-style die or folder.·  All new and carryover 3D embossing folders will be produced by their new supplier and made in the new style with a different and high-quality product design. ·  Carryover 3D embossing folders (previously named Dynamic) will not be available to order beginning with the catalog launch but they are in process on getting these ready to go and they’ll be available as soon as possible. Stampin’ Up! will let you know when they are ready. ·  No die-cutting & embossing machine will be available for purchase from Stampin’ Up! in the 2019–2020 annual catalog.

HIGHLIGHTS: NEW-STYLE DIES AND EMBOSSING FOLDERS

Since Stampin’ Up! is using a new supplier for their dies and embossing folders, they’ll be manufactured differently, which means the way you use them will be a little different. A few of the changes between the old-style and new-style products are listed below. In the future, Stampin’ Up! will also provide videos to show how to craft with the new-style dies and embossing folders and better showcase the features described below.

Here are some of the changes you’ll notice with our new-style dies and embossing folders:

• The new-style open dies (those that coordinate with stamps) use a high quality metal that’s thinner than before but still as strong and durable.
• The new-style dies have an added lip to the inside of the blades.
• On old-style dies, when you place an open die (dies that coordinate with stamps) over a stamped image, a small border of cardstock is visible around the stamped image. With new-style dies, the die hugs the edge of the stamped image. Instead of aligning the die to the space around the stamped image, you will align it to the edges of the stamped image. When the image is cut, there will still be a cardstock border around the image.

OLD STYLE ALIGNMENT

NEW STYLE ALIGNMENT

• They’ve improved the adhesive that secures the dies to the insert sheet in the package so that it’s not too sticky. It’s easier to remove dies from the insert sheet, and the adhesive won’t cling to the dies.  (1,000 Yay’s for this update!!)
• They’ve standardized the size of the die inserts for easier storage. There are now only two insert sizes: 5″ x 7″ (12.7 x 17.8 cm), which coordinate in size with the stamp cases, and 6″ x 6″ (15.2 x 15.2 cm). The standard sizes will allow uniform storage in whatever system you use. The envelopes that the dies come in will be slightly larger.
• With old-style Dynamic folders, they recommended that you spritz cardstock before embossing to soften the fibers so you got a better impression. Now, that extra step will not be necessary because the new-style folders usually create a crisp impression without spritzing. The way the new folders are manufactured also gives options for more detailed and intricate designs in the future.
• 3D folders are thinner than the old-style Dynamic folders. Because they are thinner, you will need to use a shim, depending on the die-cutting & embossing machine you use.

I’m really excited about the new product line and can’t wait to get my hands on them this weekend!  I’ll be sharing photos and details just as soon as I can!

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Stampin’ Trimmer Discontinuation

Stampin’ Up! will be retiring the Stampin’ Trimmer as of June 3, 2019, including all accessories—replacement cutting blades, scoring blades, and cutting mats. As most of you know, they’ve experienced challenges with their supplier and are taking the opportunity to research and explore a replacement option for this product, which will not be the same as the current Stampin’ Trimmer. There will be a gap in time between when the current Stampin’ Trimmer retires and when a new product becomes available, but they do not currently have an estimated timeframe.

While the replacement cutting blades will also retire with the trimmer and will not be featured in the annual catalog, Stampin’ Up! has ordered what would normally be six months of inventory based on recent historical patterns to help customers during this transition away from their current trimmer. But please know that this news could cause faster inventory depletion.

• When the retiring list goes live on April 15, the order limit for the blades will increase from three to six (and the limit will remain at six until they’re no longer available).
• From now until September, intermittent shipments of blades will be received from the supplier. Throughout these months, Stampin’ Up! anticipates times when the blades will not be orderable (and not offered as a backorder). During those downtimes, you will have the option to enter an email address to receive notification when the blades are available again.

Click the images below to head right over to my online store to start shopping for the Stampin’ Trimmer and the replacement pieces:

Stampin’ Trimmer

[126889]

$30.00

Stampin’ Trimmer Cutting Blades

[126995]

$6.00

Price Increases in the 2019-2020 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog

Stampin’ Up! will also be doing so pricing changes in the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog. Here is the note that they’ve posted and you can find a link to the new price list below:

We regularly review our pricing, taking into account the cost of doing business, global exchange rates, increased supplier costs, and market comparisons. When it comes to making changes, we are conservative and put off price increases for as long as we can because we know they impact demonstrators and their customers.

Click here for a complete list of individual product price increases in the 2019–2020 annual catalog.