The July-December mini catalogue launched last Friday! Here are some of the products I’m excited to get my hands on. Will this help you narrow down your wish list, or perhaps add a few more items you hadn’t considered?

Best Item for Beginners – Jingle Jingle Jingle

This stamp set is just plain fun! Bold sentiments with lots of options – colour in the outlined letters, or fill them in with the whimsical patterned stamps. Mix and match to create lots of different looks! The stamp set also includes a generous collection of iconic holiday images – Santa hat, jingle-bell, candy cane, Christmas lights, star, ribbon – for you to decorate your project. A perfect set for the beginner, with everything you need to get started!

Best Sentiment Stamp Set – Brightest Glow

This stamp set has a full collection of beautifully scripted sentiments to add to any project for the holiday season. From the simple to the elegant, from the one-word “joy” to the five- or six-line greetings that are perfect for inside your card, you’ll find the perfect words in this set. Add the co-ordinating dies and level up your crafting with some versatile label shapes!

Best Graphic Stamp Set – Trees for Sale

If your budget only includes one stamp set for holiday projects this year, this would be a solid choice. The beautiful two-step images allow you to add texture and dimension to your stamping, and the three charming sentiments will add a perfect finishing touch. To bump it up a level, check out the co-ordinating Tree Lot dies that you can earn free with your qualifying purchase until August 31st!

Best Embellishments – I had to choose two!
Fine Sparkle Adhesive-Backed Gems

These gems are deliciously sparkly in irresistible colours – Calypso Coral, Pale Papaya, Pacific Point, and Pool Party. A perfect refresher to the deep, rich colours we are often overloaded on at the holidays!

Festive Pearls

These Festive Pearls come in four colours: Cherry Cobbler, Soft Succulent, Silver, and Gold – ready to add a touch of sparkle to any of your holiday projects! Just $9.75 for a pack of 200 pearls.

Best Autumn product – Rustic Harvest Designer Series Paper

I’m not usually a pumpkin lover, but the bold striking imagery and jewel tone colours of this paper are too gorgeous to resist! Featuring basic black-and-white designs on the “B” sides, this paper is versatile enough to use on a wide variety of projects lasting far beyond the autumn season.

Best Halloween product – Bewitching bundle

What’s not to love about a collection of witch hats and a co-ordinating punch? This creepy-cute bundle is perfect to create projects for your favourite little trick-or-treaters!

Best Designer Series Paper – Sweetest Christmas

Sweet Sorbet, Real Red, Garden Green, and Pool Party. One of my favourite colour combinations – I love that touch of cool blue in a holiday project! The gorgeous candy cane stripe theme will have you loving all the different patterns of this paper. Some of the images even co-ordinate with the Candy Canes dies!

Best Specialty Designer Series Paper – Splendid Day

You won’t believe how much shimmer and shine there is in this paper. Every sheet has foil, and every sheet is double-sided! The rose gold, white, and copper foil adds a perfect touch of luxury to the soft subtle colours in this paper: Petal Pink, Soft Sea Foam, Pool Party, and Fresh Freesia. The floral imagery is perfect for a wide variety of occasions, from birthdays, graduations, and weddings, to new babies, retirement, and funerals. A must have for all year use!

Best Die Bundle – Joyful Flurry bundle

This bundle has it all – striking, stylized snowflake imagery; stylish scripted sentiments; and dies that go the extra mile in offering some delightful options. Some of the dies cut out the stamped snowflakes, some create negative images, and some cut out only partial images so you can pop up the cut out pieces for a unique dimensional look. What a great bundle for just $69.25!

Best New Tool – Embossing Additions tool kit

At last, the embossing tray is back … and it brought some friends! Along with the rest of the Embossing Additions Tool Kit, you will be embossing like a pro! The Embossing Buddy helps remove static charge from your project before embossing, so that the powder won’t stick where you don’t want it – the “Powder Pal” tray will catch your excess embossing powder and keep your mess contained. The tweezers and crafting brush will have many uses in embossing and beyond! Get the whole collection for just $37!

Best Deal in the Catalogue – The Starter Kit on page 85

The Starter Kit is always the best deal in the catalogue! Choose up to $165 in product for only $135, AND free shipping, AND free business supplies, AND access to amazing online resources to help you succeed and build your business your way. PLUS, if you join during Sale-a-Bration (July 1 – August 31), you’ll also receive the Making Plans collection absolutely free! The collection includes the gorgeous planner, the versatile stamp set, and the handy Notebook Trio. What a fabulous resource for allocating your time, building your business, and memory keeping along the way!

You can learn more about becoming a demonstrator by reading my Starter Kit FAQ, and if you still have questions, please email me! I’m excited to help you learn about this opportunity!

Other Items to Note

Stampin’ Up! isn’t just a papercrafting company. They are also a philanthropic force! Every year, they choose a cause to support with their “Making a Difference” program, and this season they have chosen Food Scarcity – an issue facing communities across the globe. When you purchase the Nourish and Flourish kit, an all-inclusive, non-stamping cardmaking kit that’s perfect for crafters of any level, $4 from your purchase will be donated to organizations working to end food insecurity. Best of all, that contribution stays in your market, so monies from North American sales will be given to a North American charity!

This terrific kit includes supplies to create nine dry-embossed cards with co-ordinating envelopes, with sentiments in English, Dutch, French, and German. It also includes an insulated canvas lunch bag for you to keep and use! Why not buy one for you and one for a friend … you’ll double your charitable contribution, and have an opportunity to spend crafty time with a friend!

In Case You Missed It …
Basic Black 12 x 12″ Cardstock! For those of you who scrapbook, this is a must-have … and it’s not available in the annual catalogue, so stock up now!

Envelope Treat Boxes – These charming food-safe boxes are perfect for holding a small treat – they even come with gold foil stickers!

Stars Treat Bags – How precious are these food-safe treat bags? You can stamp on them, use them on cards or other projects, or use them just as is.

Hostess Exclusives – We love to reward our hostesses! There are two fantastic host exclusives in the new mini catalogue – an adorable stamp set of Caroling Mice, and the cheerful “Celebrate Everything” mega-pack of Designer Series Paper (48 sheets of 12 x 12″). You can earn these products free with a qualifying party or personal order of $200 and above!

It wouldn’t be right for me to end this post without mentioning Sale-a-Bration, or as we seasoned stampers like to call it: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! If you’re new to Stampin’ Up! and don’t know what Sale-a-Bration is all about, I’ll give you a quick explanation: this gorgeous little brochure full of awesome products should have landed in your mailbox recently (if it didn’t, let me know and I’ll send you one!). As usual, Sale-a-Bration offers terrific rewards for everyone! There are exclusive free products to be earned with your purchase from either the annual catalogue or the new Autumn mini catalogue; even the Clearance Rack on the Stampin’ Up! website! You’ll see there are two levels of rewards available: Level One rewards are earned with a $60 purchase, and Level Two rewards are earned with a $120 purchase. Sale-a-Bration items are only available until August 31st (or while supplies last) and will not be offered again.

Thanks for reading along with my Top Picks post! Do you agree with my choices, or did I leave your favourite product off my list? Comment and let me know!