Highland fling!

When I saw the new challenge on Rainbow Lady's blog this week I just knew I had to enter - entitled 'Highland Fling' it covers all things Scottish in honour of Burns Night next Tuesday, 25 January. And I have a lot of Scottish stamps.....

My father came from a tiny hamlet called Invergloy, almost midway between Inverness and Fort William, in the Great Glen. Sadly he left my mother just before I was born; he visited us briefly on my first birthday but that was the only time he and I met. I didn't go to Scotland until I was 21, but ever since then I have felt at home as soon as we cross the border. After my father's death we met his two brothers who still lived not far from Invergloy and it was quite uncanny seeing the family resemblence between them, my sister and me, because we all have dark brown eyes and (unfortunately!) a rather large nose! This latter I call the Curse of the MacDonalds......I am so relieved that although my children have brown eyes they escaped The Nose.

Sorry, this wasn't meant to turn into my life story but it does perhaps explain why I have all these stamps. We have been invited to friends for supper on Tuesday to 'share a haggis' with them and I had already thought it would be fun to make them a special card (they always enjoy receiving their handmade Christmas card) so here it is. I love the Selkirk Grace, which although not written by Burns is traditionally used at every Supper, and printed it from the computer because I don't have it on a stamp. The thistle was stamped in Versamark and embossed with white detail powder.

The inside bears a Gaelic sentiment which I bought so long ago I've forgotten what it says! I think it's something like 'Blessings of the festival' so is quite appropriate; it definitely isn't Happy Birthday' nor 'Merry Christmas' so that's OK. And I do love the celtic bird so tried to find a way of incorporating it, and our friends are cat lovers so will appreciate the (modern) celtic-style cat.

Finally, for the first time ever I was able to use this celtic initial F on the back in place of my usual logo stamp. Maybe we'll sign the card from 'Rabbie and Fionnaghal' in place of the rather prosaic Robin and Fiona.....

Thistle by Elusive Images, sentiment unknown, bird by Scottish Borders Rubber Stamps (now defunct), cat by Clarity Stamps, initial by The Stamp Pad (Dublin).