Today is the start of the new Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalog!  You will not be able to order anything until 2:00 PM EST today but after that you can order almost everything in the catalog.  There are a few items that are not available yet such as the new storage pieces and maybe a few others but most of it is available beginning today.  Personally, my list is very, very long!

A couple of things to note is that Stampin’ Up!® has retired a couple of big items.  For example, the Big Shot is no longer sold.  As most of you know, the Big Shot is made by Sizzix.  Stampin’ Up has decided to end their association with Sizzix for a variety of reasons.  The main reason is the time it took to order their dies through Sizzix.  Stampin’ Up would have to call Sizzix to place the order.  Sizzix would then contact their manufacturer.  Stampin Up has decided to go directly to their manufacturer to speed things up.  You will notice their dies in the new catalog will be a little different.  Here is a video showing you the difference in the new dies.

Demonstrators were able to order some of the products early to try them out so I have tried the new dies and I think they are actually easier to line up.    Instead of trying to make the border equal around the stamped image, you now just have to line up the image with the die and the border around it will be even.  The new dies will work just as well as the old but some die cutting machines may need a shim.  I have one Big Shot that needs a shim and one that does not so will depend on your machine.  They are going to offer a shim that you can order sometime in June.  They are working of getting another die cutting machine but they needed more time to work this out.

You will also notice they are not carrying their trimmer anymore.  This is what they said concerning this: “We have decided to retire the Stampin’ Trimmer as of June 3, 2019, including all accessories—replacement cutting blades, scoring blades, and cutting mats. We’ve experienced challenges with our 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 we do not currently have an estimated timeframe. Once we feel confident in the new offering, we will communicate more details with you about the new product.”

Have fun stampin’!