Finally the new Stampin' Up! Stampin' Trimmer is available! It was featured in the Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog, but just was not available until now. You can see some close-up photos of it in the catalog on page 180. I can't believe they packed so many features into one product! One of my favorites is that the base is larger so that for most of your common cuts, you won't even need to extend the ruler. Also, there is space for both the cutting blade and the scoring blade, so I'm actually using the scoring blade right after making my cut and not having to reach for my bone folder.

Watch the video by Brian Pilling of Stampin' Up!

Here is the list from Stampin' Up!:

Features of the All-New Stampin' Trimmer

• An extra-wide 6-1/4" cutting base and an extended 14-1/2" ruler
  • The extra-wide cutting base provides a large work area and is marked in 1/4" (4 mm) increments, allowing for small measurements. 
  • The right-side grid helps you measure and cut very thin strips.
  • The extended cutting arm has a stabilizing leg to provide a sturdy and steady cutting surface for longer cuts. 
  • When fully extended, the extended cutting arm sits flush with the trimmer base, providing more accurate and consistent measurements across the entire surface.
  • The cutting base and track include a full ruler, incorporating measurements down to 1/16" and grid lines that mark each quarter inch. 
  • All rulers and measurements on the base are printed under a plastic cover so your measurements won't wear off.
  • The base has nonskid feet, which keeps the Stampin' Trimmer securely in place on your work area.
• A full 12" cutting and scoring track
  • The extra-long cutting track has space at the top and bottom so you don't have to take the cutting and scoring blades out when you're not using them. 
  • The track gives you enough space to cut or score a full 12" (30.5 cm) without having to remove or switch out handles. 
  • The cutting track locks in place for secure storage or transport. 
  • The track includes an insertion point for cutting and scoring blade handles so you can easily insert handles into the cutting track.
• Specially designed handles and cutting track to ensure straight cuts
  • The hook on the scoring and cutting blade handles keeps the handles stable so the cuts are as straight as possible.
  • Handles come in two colors: dark for cutting, light for scoring. 
  • The precision tip on the cutting blade allows you to pinpoint precisely where you're cutting.
  • The point on the side of each handle shows you where the blade will cut, making it easy to see exactly where your cuts and scores will begin.
• Storage compartment under base
  • The storage compartment holds scoring and cutting tools such as a Bone Folder, Simply Scored Stylus, extra scoring and cutting blades, and even business cards. 
  • Separate compartments within the storage compartment keep your tools organized, and the clear cover makes it easy to see what you've stored.
  • Product details: item 126889; $29.95

If you want to be one of the first customers to own the new Stampin' Trimmer, just go to my Online Store and place your order!

Stampin' Up! has updated us about the Peppermint Sticks Scented Stampin' Emboss Powder (Item 127830):

Due to quality issues, this Peppermint Embossing Powder from the Holiday Catalog will no longer be available for purchase. The product will still emboss and you can continue to use it; however, the peppermint scent does not last as long as indicated in the catalog. The supplier will not be able to reformulate the powder in time for use during the holidays, so Stampin' Up! has decided to stop selling the product.

If you have already ordered this item and are unsatisfied with it, please contact me (or your Demonstrator) or Stampin' Up! for a refund or to exchange it for a different scented Stampin' Emboss Powder.

The Stampin' Up! Silicone Craft Sheet #127853 in the 2012-13 Holiday Catalog is one of the great new products you will use over and over again. It's a 6"x 6" sheet of silicone which makes it nonstick, heat resistant, easy to clean and a convenient size for storage, use, and portability.

We all know what a "sticky" situation it is when you get adhesive on your work surface, but with the Silicone Craft Sheet, your work surface is protected from adhesives and can be easily cleaned off with a baby wipe or wet paper towel.

The Silicone Craft Sheet is translucent (you can see my messy stamping on my Grid Paper showing through the craft sheet) so if you ever want to see what size to make your embellishment or how it will be placed, you can see through the craft sheet while you work to get your item just right.

Use it to assemble your flower or whatever project right into the hot glue or adhesive on the craft sheet so that you don't have to try to hold it in one hand and glue with the other.  Put the glue on the craft sheet and then assemble your project.

To add the Silicone Craft Sheet to your next order, just go to my Online Store here.

I knew that the new Stampin' Up! foam ink pads were coming with labels to use on the bottom of the case..but when I got mine I kind of forgot about it.  Finally one day I remembered the labels were there as a new feature and I actually stopped and took time to adhere them!

If you haven't applied the labels to your new foam ink pads yet, maybe this will remind you!  And if you haven't ordered your new foam ink pads yet, maybe this will help you in  applying the labels.

This is how the labels come on the bottom of your ink pad in English and three languages.

Look for that little corner on the label that indicates where you peel back the label.

You want to grab all the pieces of the label down to what you see here.

Peel off the label in the language that you want and apply it in this position on the ink pad case. It will be self-adhesive.

This is optional, but if you want to cut the solid ends off of another language label, you can stick the two pieces INSIDE your ink pad, which sometimes help identify what color you are using when the top of the ink pads are just dark.

There you go!  Easy to do, handy to use, and you are ready to stamp with the new labeled foam ink pads from Stampin' Up!

As I was going through my new stamps, I realized certain stamps are difficult to tell which way they fit back in to the rubber.  I don't know if you maintain your stamps this way, but I keep the rubber that I punch out the stamps from in the stamp case, and that way I can tell if I am missing any stamp in that set. You can just have the individual stamps in your case….this was just a tip I heard when the clear-mount stamps came out and I thought it was worth trying.

Some stamps that aren't a distinct shape….like the bird in this stamp set…make it difficult to know which way it fits the best in the empty shape. (Somehow this is very difficult to explain!) So I will just show you some photos now!

I decided to just mark one spot on the stamp and the excess rubber with a permanent marker so that when I put the stamp back I will match up the lines and it will fit perfectly back into the shape without having to twist and turn it to get it right.  Does that make sense??! If you look at the little bird stamp in this set, you can see that it will be easy to put back so no need for marking.

It's probabaly easiest to recognize which stamps you might want to mark this way before you even pop them out of the rubber, that way you don't have to fidget with getting them back in the empty space properly.

Try it and see if it works for you!