Wow!  Not sure where this past year has gone, but can you believe we're now into the final stretch before the new catalog debuts?!?  And as we race towards that date, Stampin' Up! has now published the "Last Chance" lists – for stamps, Definitely Decorative home decor items, and crafting accessories, too.  And there are lots of things to choose from - including a rare opportunity to get *some* retiring items at up to 50% off!

So get out your "wish lists", compare it to the lists below, and see what's on there that you haven't had a chance to order yet.  And you'll want to get your order submitted "sooner" rather than "later" – while supplies are still available! (This *especially* applies to accessories, many of which will likely disappear quite quickly.)

The fastest way to order, of course, is directly through my website:  http://StamptheRock.StampinUp.net , and if you'll be joining the race for the remaining retiring accessories I *highly* encourage you to use that method for ordering.  You'll be able to tell immediately about the availability of an item at my online store:  if the product code is still active, then that means Stampin' Up! expects they'll be able to fulfill your order for it.  And the additional advantage of shopping this way is that you'll be able to view the picture of each item in the retiring categories easily.  Want to see what's being offered at a discount?  There are categories to click for just those items, too.  (The discount – of up to 50% – will be applied when the item is added to your shopping cart.)

But if you only have stamps and/or Definitely Decorative items you'd like to choose, you may also contact me to submit your order for you if you wish.   Stampin' Up! expects to be able to fulfill all orders for retiring stamps and Definitely Decorative items, too, so there's not quite the rush there will be with the accessories, which will only be available as long as inventory holds out.

Now, before I point you to those Last Chance lists, however, I do want to caution you not to be too stunned when at first glance it may appear that a huge percentage of our accessories are retiring.  Actually, it's not really that we're not going to carry these items anymore (except in the obvious cases of retiring colors of cardstock & inks, etc.), but here are a couple other reasons for the unusually long lists this year:

1. Some items are simply being reconfigured (repackaged), as we move forward with our exciting Color Renovation process. For instance, if an assortment item (such as an assortment of brads, buttons, watercolor crayons, etc.) currently includes a color that will be retiring, then that entire assortment package must be removed, "retired", and repackaged – probably with a new color replacing the old. And then the NEW assortment will go back into the catalog with a new product code. So some of the items showing on the accessories list are there simply because of a minor reconfiguration in their packaging.
2. And another large category of retiring accessories you'll notice will be our punches. But Stampin' Up! is KNOWN for our awesome punches, so no worries…… it's really only a handful of shapes that are actually leaving the line. The list seems long simply because our supplier is changing over to the newer design. So while you'll see many, many punches listed on the accessories list, be aware that it's usually that particular *style *of punch that's retiring (the style with the handle), but the "punch image" of most of our punches will return in the newer, updated format. If you want to know exactly which punch shapes are leaving altogether, please contact me for that information. There are about a half dozen of 'em, I believe.

So with those technical explanations out of the way, here are the Last Chance lists for stamps and Definitely Decorative items:

• "Last Chance" Stamps (includes only stamps shown in the 2009/2010 Idea Book & Catalog) PDF
• "Last Chance" Definitely Decorative (Fall/Winter 2009 & also Spring 2010 supplement) PDF (25% off!)

And remember the best way to view the Last Chance ACCESSORY items is at my online store….. and don't forget that discounted prices, when applicable, will appear when you put the item into your shopping cart!

So have fun perusing these lists, and remember if you haven't put in your reservation for a new 2010/2011 Idea Book & Catalog when they arrive, please do so right away so I can order one for you!  I'll be ordering my cases in roughly a week from now, and I'll bet you don't want to be left out!