You’d think living in Scotland I’d know the difference between plaid and tartan but when stamping and stencilling for today’s blog hop to celebrate the new From All Of Us release from Simon Says Stamp it got me thinking!

“With most every tartan, the pattern on the stripes running vertically is exactly duplicated on the horizontal axis too. Basically, this matching pattern in both directions will create a grid … When looking at a simple plaid, you’ll notice that the stripes — either in color, size, or pattern — are not the same in both directions.” Source

So there you go, I guess the patterns on my cards are tartan, being symmetrical in both directions, except perhaps for my wonky stamping :D

Either way, the pattern today was inspired by the wonderful Kristina Werner, Day 2 of her Holiday Card series had a wonderful watercolored tartan. So inspired to reach for red and black I started with Lipstick Red card and for the bold pattern stamped wide Slate stripes with the Basic Stripes set. For the smaller tartan I used the same Slate ink but sponged through the Gingham stencil. Then for both patterns I chose a skinny stripe to stamp in Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink.

Having got two panels of pattern I took the Thanks Scallop Border die and cut it from White card to overlay the bold pattern, cutting it a second time from Wood Tape for the letters spelling out Thanks. This is then mounted on a White Card base and tied with twine.

I cut the smaller patterned piece with the Thanks Scallop Border, again using the Wood Tape for the letters, adhered this to a card base and tied with twine then rounded the corners of the white areas on each card. To accent I added leaves in Midnight Green and a few enamel dots for berries.

The Birch Wood envelopes matched perfectly with the wood lettering and I get a real feeling of open fires and Scottish hills with these cards! Probably accentuated by my neighbours son playing the bagpipes LOL.

If you’d like more tartan/plaid inspiration here’s a few I picked up from Pinterest :D

Sources can by found on my Pinterest Tartan board

FROM ALL OF US RELEASE

I filmed a quick walk through of the From All Of Us release yesterday if you want to check it out. However, here is a summary of all the products in this mini release.

BLOG HOP

As mentioned above, this post is part of a blog hop to celebrate the From All Of Us release. Hopefully you’ve arrived here from the wonderful and oh so talented Shari Carroll but if not then perhaps a good starting point would be the beginning of the hop at Simon’s blog. Don’t forget to leave comments along the way to be eligible for a prized package valued at approximately $50 for each spot along the hop. Winners will be drawn this Monday and announced on Simon’s blog.

OK, so I’ve rambled on for far too long, it’s now time to head on over to the most entertaining and absolutely adorable

Laura Bassen!

GIVEAWAY

In addition to the blog hop giveaway mentioned, any comments left below by Sunday 22nd November at 11.59pm will qualify for a chance to receive one of my crafty parcels in honor of #sharehandmadekindness. I will draw a winner on Monday 23rd :D

SUPPLIES

You can find links to the supplies I’ve used below; click on the picture or wording to get taken directly to the product. Where available I use affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support.