We are almost halfway through November and that means Christmas is getting closer! Today’s card celebrates the religious nature of Christmas. This card was inspired by Lisa Curcio.

I began with a piece of Lost Lagoon cardstock, cut on my Paper Trimmer to 5-1/2″ x 7-1/4″, scored and folded at 4-1/4″ and burnished the fold with my Bone Folder. I cut a piece of Gold Foil to 5-3/8″ x 2-7/8″ and a piece of Basic White cardstock to 2-3/4″ x 5-1/4″. I stamped the shepherd image with Basic Gray ink because I liked the softer look that gray ink gives. You could use Momento Tuxedo Black ink if you prefer a more intense image. I initially used black, but it overwhelmed the image where the shading was built into the stamp. I used anti-static powder under the image and stamped “Peace on” with Versamark ink, sprinkled on Gold Embossing Powder, and heat embossed it with my Heat Tool. I like to emboss from the back to give the embossing a smoother look.

I colored in the shepherd using Stampin’ Blends: Lost Lagoon, Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake, Mossy Meadow, Medium Combo, and Deep Combo Packs. I used my Blending Brush to blend some Balmy Blue ink around the image. You may want to blot off some of the ink on a Clear Stamp Block before blending to prevent blobs of ink. I adhered my colored image piece to the Gold Foil matte using my favorite adhesive (Multipurpose Liquid Glue or Stampin’ Seal), and then glued this panel to the narrower front side of the card.

For the inside, I cut a piece of Basic White cardstock to 5-1/4″ x 1-1/2″ and another to 5-1/4″ x 2-1/2″. With the 1-1/2″ piece, I tore a piece of Masking Paper to give it a rough edge, and starting near the bottom of the strip, I blended Crumb Cake ink with my Blending Brush. Again, you may want to blot off some of the ink on a Clear Stamp Block before blending to prevent blotches of ink. You can always pick the ink up off the block to continue blending. As I blended, I moved the blending brush from the masking paper upward along the edge. This gave a soft blend line. I removed the masking paper and positioned it about 1/2″ above the previous line, moving it a little side to side so I didn’t get a repeating pattern. You could also use copy paper to use as a mask, but it is more difficult to work with since it doesn’t stick. I continued to move the mask and blend until I was about 2/3 of the way up the strip. With Crumb Cake ink, I stamped the town image. With Balmy Blue ink, I blended the sky above the town.

I put some anti-static powder in the sky space and stamped the star image in Versamark ink and embossed with gold embossing powder. I adhered this strip to the inside right side of the card base. This will be visible when the card is closed.

With the other piece of Basic White cardstock (2-1/2″ wide), I stamped the sentiment from the stamp set in Momento Tuxedo Black ink. I adhered this panel inside the card. It is not visible when the card is closed.

To finish the card, I added a Basic Rhinestone Jewel to the center of the star for a little sparkle.

I hope you liked this card!

For the complete supply list, click here.

Another card using Shepherd’s Care: