Shepherd Cards

One specific request my mom made for Christmas cards this year was religious-themed cards. So I made these two for her to send (among others.)

For the first card, I chose the following sketch from Operation Write Home:

The image is this one from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I printed it, leaving a slight border, onto a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media paper; and colored it with Inktense pencils & a damp paintbrush.

I die cut a piece of kraft cardstock for the background with a die from My Favorite Things "Blueprints 13" set. For the outermost mat, I used the A2 die from Avery Elle's "Custom Panels" to cut a piece of textured green cardstock. I then adhered the kraft to the green. I chose 2 patterned papers from my ample scrap stash to go behind the focal image, and after determining placement, glued those and the focal panel to the card front.

For the greeting, I stamped one from this set, also by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, onto a piece of white cardstock, with Versafine Onyx Black ink. I die cut and embossed that with a Spellbinders "Classic Ovals SM" die, and inked around the edges with Gathered Twigs Distress ink. I glued it in place, and finally adhered the completed card front to an A2 card base.

I used Operation Write Home's Sketch #223 for the design of my second card:

I really like this sketch for images like this one, because of the large panel on top, with another amply-sized piece for a greeting.

The image also comes from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I printed it on 140 lb. watercolor paper, and colored it with Inktense pencils, adding more stars with a white gel pen.

For the greeting panel, I stamped one from this Hero Arts set in Versafine Onyx Black onto white cardstock, and cut it down to the measurements indicated in the sketch. I matted it on a piece of brown cardstock, and wrapped a piece of sheer blue ribbon around the one end.

After the focal panel dried, I matted it on brown cardstock as well. I die cut the background with Avery Elle's "Custom Panels" A2 die, and adhered the 2 panels to that. I felt the space between the focal & greeting panels needed a little something, so I die cut the holes with one of the dies from My Favorite Things "Blueprints 18" set. (I was quite pleased to discover that particular die goes all the way across the short side of an A2 card!) I inked a strip of white cardstock with Chipped Sapphire Distress ink, and glued it behind the holes. Finally, I adhered the completed front to an A2 card base, and that finished these two cards.

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Anything Goes" (both cards)
a2z Scrapbooking's December Challenge: "Watercolor" (only the second card)