Sunday, December 13, 2020

Good Bye Whisper White!

 We'll Miss You, Whisper White!

Whisper White has been a Stampin’ Up! staple for as long as I can remember. Whisper White cardstock is one of the first things I purchased at my first workshop in 2001, and I do my best to keep it stocked in the Fungeon. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, though, the supplier mill that produced Whisper White cardstock products has permanently closed. Stampin' Up! wasn’t given much notice about this closure, so quick pivots had to be made. As a result of the closure, the technology unique to this particular supplier is now unavailable to Stampin' Up!, and the company can no longer offer our Whisper White cardstock and related products. This will not affect any of our other cardstocks - only Whisper White.

With Whisper White going out of production, a number of Whisper White products will soon be going away. The following items are now available while supplies last (with an order limit of 2 per item per order):

  • #100730 - Whisper White 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock
  • #140272 - Whisper White 8-1/2" x 11" Thick Cardstock
  • #124302 - Whisper White 12" x 12" Cardstock
  • #107301 - Whisper White Medium Envelopes
  • #131527 - Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes
  • #145829 - Whisper White 3" x 3" Envelopes
  • #149710 - Assorted Memories & More Cards & Envelopes

While you may want to grab up some Whisper White before it goes away (I did), please rest assured there's a new friend on the way.

Welcome, Basic White!

Stampin' Up! was as startled by the news that Whisper White was going away (this decision was out of their hands) as we are, but they jumped right into action to find the best replacement paper possible. They found it!

After many hours to source and test alternative cardstock options from several suppliers to find the perfect fit, Stampin' Up! has found a new replacement - Basic White! The quality of the new Basic White was thoroughly tested by Stampin' Up!'s quality assurance and product teams. We are told it also tested very well with demonstrators and concept artists who played with the new paper and gave it a huge thumbs up. The company believes in the quality of the new Basic White cardstock, and I'm certain it will soon become our new crafting staple!

Here's an informative video from Stampin' Up! to show us how Basic White compares with Whisper White:

The new Basic White products will become available to purchase as soon as Stampin' Up! can have them in stock. This means that some Whisper White and Basic White products may be available at the same time. Additionally, due to the nature of sourcing, some Basic White products may not be available before the Whisper White products sell out. Please know that the company is working on getting these products available to you as fast as possible.

Since this change is outside of the company's control, Stampin' Up! hasn’t been able to tackle all necessary alterations at once. You may still see the name Whisper White on some of the non-cardstock product labels, catalog, and marketing material for a while. They will be working on a rolling change to address this.

Buying Basic White

We'll soon see Whisper White products go away and Basic White products make their way into our online store and catalogs. When Basic White is available (it's not there yet), here are the products numbers you'll want to have on-hand:

  • #159276 - Basic White 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock
  • #159229 - Basic White 8-1/2" x 11" Thick Cardstock
  • #159231 - Basic White 12" x 12" Cardstock
  • #159236 - Basic White Medium Envelopes
  • #159232 - Basic White Note Cards & Envelopes
  • #159233 - Basic White 3" x 3" Envelopes
  • #159234 - Assorted Memories & More Cards & Envelopes

The news isn't really that bad once you have all the fact, but the headline can be startling. I'm so glad the company got ahead of this change to communicate how it impacts us (or doesn't make much of a difference).


Friday, December 11, 2020

Remember Me?

Wow - a new post from me!!  You know, it's that time of year when there is not enough time left in a day to do everything you want to do .... plus I'm a little lazy!  I actually did a lot of things in the summer that I usually am rushing around trying to finish everything - like my calendars, Christmas cards, etc!  But a friend of mine chastised me this week for not updating my blog so here you go!

Ashley was not able to come home for Thanksgiving so we drove to Maryland to see her instead.  We are afraid it will be the same for Christmas due to Corona Virus.  We always have fun when we are together and this trip was not an exception.  We drove to a small town in Virginia that had several breweries.  The weather was perfect for our stroll through the town stopping at 4 or 5 breweries that offered outdoor seating.  We each found a beer that we liked.  Ashley and I shared the different beers but of course not Sonny!



On Saturday we drove to Fort Belvoir in Virginia to tour the newest military museum that had just opened on Veterans Day.   The National Museum of the United States Army is the official museum for the history of the US Army.  The objectives of the museum are to honor America's soldiers, preserve Army history, and educate the public about the Army's role in American history.  Exhibits include Gen. Douglas MacArthur's famous cap; the "tinpot" helmet worn by WWI Medal of Honor recipient Sg. Alvin York; and a WWII Sherman tank called the "Cobra King" chich was the first to break through German lines to help besieged troops at Bastogne.  Another cool artifact is the sword carried by Capt. John Berry in the War of 1812 against the British at the battle of Fort McHenry.  That battle inspired Francis Scott Key to write the "Star Spangled Banner."
 


As for stamping news .... the Clearance Rack has just been restocked this week AND the Giant Year-End Closeout event.  From December 8, 2020 through January 4, 2021, you can grab your favorite retiring August-December 2020 Mini Catalog items at a deep discount.  This offer is valid while supplies last only!!

If you click above on either CLEARANCE or ORDER ONLINE, you can see the items that are included in the sale.

Another great item I want to recommend to you is the Curvy Celebrations Bundle.  I really love these!  You can see some of the cards I made using this set HERE.