Bright Star Stampers

Saturday, July 18, 2026

Scenic Coast Birthday Card

Welcome back! My card today has a beach theme. It would make a nice masculine card but honestly, it's just a nice summer card. Have you seen Stampin' Up!'s® Scenic Coast Suite Collection?

We saw this suite at On Stage in April and it was stunning! That Sunset Coast Specialty Designer Series Paper is just beautiful with the water foiled and sparkling. The lighthouse in the set of dies is what caught my eye.

The pictures really don't do it justice. You have to see it in person to really see the sparkle.

Here's my card:

I told you the lighthouse was stunning! There is a lot going on with the arch and sailboats that are stamped on the horizon line. A word of caution about stamping on this specialty paper: you have to avoid the foiling or your ink will rub off! But who is complaining when the paper is so pretty. The 6" x 6" piece of DSP will need to be trimmed strategically so all the elements will fit.

For the little beach scene, I die cut the fence using the Sunset Coast dies. The grass and cattails are from the Relaxing Waterside dies. The Happy Birthday sentiment is from the BBQ Master stamp set. To complete the nautical theme, some Linen Thread adds just the right amount of rugged.

The seagulls were die cut using a scrap of the DSP. I applied some Adhesive Sheet so it would be easier to adhere them to the card. What I like about these three birds it each one is a different size and different shape. They add great dimension and movement. The Sunset Sparkle Sequins add a little bit of bling to complete the card.

Here's My Video over on YouTube showing how I made the card. CLICK HERE

I had an extra kit so I made another card. This time I didn't stamp the arch but I stamped and die cut the sailboats. The lighthouse was crooked the way it got die cut so I tried the Stitched Shapes dies to find a circle I could use to die cut just the lighthouse. It was easy to rotate the lighthouse just enough to straighten up. I layered the larger piece of Basic Beige on dimensionals and adhere the circle with the lighthouse directly to the DSP. I used a blending brush to add Crumb Cake ink to the lighthouse so it wasn't so clean. The rocks were colored with dark Crumb Cake Stampin' Blend. Then I splattered drops of the Stampin' blend on the bottom of the card. This time no grass or cattail but the fence had to stay. The Loose Anchor trinket with strands of Linen Thread to complete the nautical theme.

Cutting Instructions:

Card Base: Secret Sea is cut 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored and folded 4 1/4"

Sunset Coast Specialty DSP: Cut 4" x 5 1/4", maybe just a little smaller so it doesn't show out from under the Basic Beige layer

Basic Beige Layer: Cut 4" x 5 1/4"

Scraps of Pecan Pie, Mossy Meadow and Basic White for sentiment

Thanks for stopping by to see my card.

Shop With Me HERE

Until next time,

Mary Lou Foster

Your Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Print Recipe

Product List

Scenic Coast Suite Collection (English)

[167786]

$91.25

Sunset Coast Bundle (English)

[167781]

$55.75

Bbq Master Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[167464]

$20.00

Scenic Coast 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[167773]

$17.00

Relaxing Waterside Dies

[167927]

$32.00

Secret Sea 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[165624]

$14.00

Basic Beige 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[164511]

$14.00

Pecan Pie 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[161717]

$14.00

Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[133676]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$8.00

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

[147114]

$9.00

Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad

[147111]

$9.00

Linen Thread

[104199]

$5.00

Sunset Sparkle Sequins

[167785]

$8.50

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$140.00

Take Your Pick

[144107]

$12.00

Stampin' Seal

[152813]

$9.00

Adhesive Sheets

[152334]

$13.00

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Monthly Card Kit Ready for You to Create

Hello! Just checking all the weekly updates and there is one that you might want to know about. Stampin' Up!® announced a promotional on our monthly kit subscription called Paper Pumpkin. You can get 25% off your first kit! Curious what this is? Now is the perfect time to subscribe, get the kit and cancel if it's not what you were expecting.

Paper Pumpkin is one of the best kit subscriptions available. Each month you get a box that includes an ink spot, stamps, instructions, and everything you need to make the projects. The kit coordinates with current products. It's like pushing the creativity easy button!

The Kindred Greetings Paper Pumpkin Kit is all about sharing meaningful messages, with timeless monochromatic designs, specialty textured card bases, and thoughtful sentiments. This is the kit you will get when you subscribe. Lots of details on these cards!

The coolest thing about Paper Pumpkin is you can skip a month! If you see the preview and you don't like it, just go in to your account and skip. It resets after the 10th back to your monthly box. Here's a preview of next month's kit: PREVIEW

That's all for today. Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy stampin',

Mary Lou Foster

Your Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator

SHOP With Me

JOIN MY TEAM

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Cutest Crew Bundle Pet Sympathy Card

Hello, friends! Sorry for the long delay but you know, life..... I don't really have anything big to report just staying busy. Did you know I make welding caps for welders in addition to cards and holding classes? It's a balancing act between the two. I say my welding caps pay for my card addiction because these guys order in bulk. That's a good thing for income but it does take my time to cut and assemble all those caps. Here's a sample of what I make:

What more info? I have a Facebook page for my caps: Caps for You by Mary Lou.

Back to business, you came for card making and here's the card for today:

The Cutest Crew bundle is so much fun. I needed a pet sympathy card and thought I could adapt the playfulness enough for the sentiment to come through. Our pets bring joy to our lives and when they die, we grieve because our daily routine is suddenly changed. It takes a while to adjust. The sentiment on this card is from the Happy Tails stamp set which is retired but you could use a similar sentiment from any set in your stash.

Here is the video over on my You Tube Channel: Cutest Crew Card

Let's dive in to the details. Those strips of paper are from the Waterside Retreat Designer Series Paper! Remember our beautiful paper has two sides and sometimes the B side is perfect for using in other projects. The pawprints add a detail, just our little dogs do when they come in with wet feet! I die cut the banner shape with the Stylish Shapes dies.

I used a variety of Stampin' Blends to color the little dogs. Pecan Pie, Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake and Ivory were the ones I settled on. Don't forget we have skin-toned blends to choose from. Make a color swatch to decide what color you would like to use. The flowers and scarfs were shades of blue, pink and yellow, I just grabbed whatever caught my eye. Feel free to go rogue and choose your own colors.

Since I used a retired set I had this sentiment to use on the inside. My friend's little dog was sandy-colored so I tried to make this one look like her. I think my friend will appreciate my card.

Here's a close up of the front:

Thanks for stopping by. Stay cool. Let me know if you have any questions or need any help. As a Stampin' Up!® demonstrator, I am here to help you with your crafting needs.

My Online Store is open 24/7: Click HERE

Want to get a discount on all the things you would like to have? Join My Team! It's the best kept secret in town! I can tell you all about it, just reach out.

Happy stampin',

Mary Lou Foster

Your Independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator

Cutting Instructions:

Card Base: Cut 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", score and fold at 4 1/4". This is a landscape card so the crease goes at the top

Basic White layer: 3 3/4" x 5"

Inside Basic White layer is 4" x 5 1/4"

Print Recipe

Product List

Cutest Crew Bundle (English)

[167149]

$45.00

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[121045]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Waterside Retreat 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[167920]

$13.00

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$8.00

Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad

[149165]

$9.00

Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[144601]

$9.00

Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154904]

$12.00

Bronze & Ivory Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154922]

$12.00

Pecan Pie Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[161674]

$12.00

Azure Afternoon Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[161672]

$12.00

Golden Glow Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[167682]

$12.00

Strawberry Slush Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[165290]

$12.00

2025–2027 In Color™ Flat Pearls

[165192]

$8.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

$30.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$140.00

Add All to Cart

Monday, June 15, 2026

Happy Lovely Birthday Card

Today I'm using the Lovely Arrangements Bundle and Lovely Blossoms DSP to make this happy card. The paper does the work with just a little bit of help from some stamping. I love the colors in this DSP: Secret Sea and Petal Pink. What do you think?

If you watch the video, I colored the white flower by using a blending brush to pull color from the stamped image. The square is die cut using the Stitched Shapes dies. Did you notice the stitched detail around the edge? That is the best die set.

The embellishments are called Moody Palette Glossy Dots. They are just the right size and add a pop of color. Did you notice that stamped flower in the Petal Pink square? It's tone on tone!

Here is the card I made on the video demonstrating how to watercolor with a blender pen or water painter. You can gently pull color from the stamped image but you have to be careful and not get the paper too wet so it doesn't pill up. I like the little bit of color.

Another option for coloring I tried. Before stamping the flower, I used my water painter to swipe ink on the cardstock, I let it dry and then stamped the flower. You can't see in this picture but the paper curled which gave it dimensions. I used a dimensional to adhere since it curled so nicely. I will use this card for a Thank You card. So which do you like the best?