Hi Friends!  The new Stampin’ Up! catalog will be premiering in just about SIX WEEKS!  Man, time flies!  I want to let you know about two major product changes so you have time to order important items before the changes take effect.

Announcement One:  Stampin’ Trimmer Discontinuation

This is a HUGE discontinuation.  From the Stampin Up head office:

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.

What this means:

Order your Stampin’ Trimmer replacement items NOW before they are gone for good.

 Announcement Two:  Die-Cutting and Embossing Product Line Changes

This is another big announcement, because it basically means Stampin Up will be coming up with their own die-cutting system.  From the Stampin Up head office:

We have some big changes to our die-cutting and embossing product line that will give us a better opportunity to support the long-term vision we have for the line. While we’ve worked with our current supplier for many years, we’ve had the opportunity to reassess this relationship. After extensive research, demonstrator feedback, and evaluation, we’ve decided to move in a new direction and we’re optimistic about this new course.

We strive to provide you with the best papercrafting products and experiences, without sacrificing the quality Stampin’ Up! is known for, all while being mindful of cost and other important considerations, including our Stampin’ Up! value of Innovation: We embrace the spirit of discovery by setting challenging goals, considering opportunities, emphasizing creativity, and having the courage to change as we strive to better our best.

Innovation requires risk, and in our pursuit of a better overall die-cutting and embossing product line, we’re experiencing more significant challenges than we originally planned for. These are not insurmountable challenges, but they are taking time to resolve.

Because of these setbacks, we will not offer a die-cutting & embossing machine in the 2019–2020 annual catalog. We know this will create some challenges for you, and for that, we apologize. Our product development department is moving with responsible haste to work through this issue, and we will share more information as things are finalized.

However, we will offer new dies and embossing folders in the 2019–2020 annual catalog. Since we’re using a new supplier, the dies and folders will be manufactured differently; this means the way you use the new style of dies and folders will be a little different than how you used the old style. Both the new-style and old-style dies and embossing folders can work with any die-cutting & embossing machine.

One of the significant factors in this decision is that instead of working with a supplier who works with a manufacturer, we are moving to a direct-to-manufacturer relationship. This means that we will work directly with the factories who manufacture our dies and folders instead of working with another company who then works with different factories. This gives us greater control and potential in the manufacturing process. Here’s one example of how that will work: having a direct-to-manufacturer relationship will better allow us to implement die and folder ideas we gather from you, our power users. When we gather feedback and ideas from you, we will now be able to work directly with the factories making the products to implement those innovative ideas.

So while the current situation isn’t ideal, we are setting the foundation for greater die-cutting and embossing opportunity in the future.

What this means:

Order your Sizzix accessories now!