Happy Tartan Day! [and a freebie!]

Are you wearing your tartan? I am!

In the United States and Canada, Tartan Day is held on 6 April, the anniversary of the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was created in 1320. The city of New York celebrates with a Tartan Week.

Today is the 11th anniversary of the official proclamation of 6 April as National Tartan Day. It's really an International holiday as it's celebrated in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and, of course, Scotland. To learn more about it, click here.

To help you celebrate the day, and because it's so close to Easter this year, here's a free Saltire egg for you! (By the way...the quote on the preview is from the Declaration of Arbroath.) Click on the image below to download it.



Send your friends to this blog so they can get their own copy.

Slainte! {Gaelic for Cheers!}

Good Karma Friday: The Road Home Charity CD

I am a big fan of the Scottish band Runrig. If you haven't heard their rendition of Loch Lomond...OMG! Click on the video below from their concert at Loch Lomond in 1991. You won't be disappointed! While cruising their web site the other day I came across a note about a charity CD that they and other Scottish musicians (mostly based in Skye) put together to benefit the Highland Hospice in Inverness. Artists include: Peatbog Faeries, Donnie (Munro), Blair Douglas, Arthur Cormack, and Dochas. Runrig close the album with "And the Accordions Played." Read the article here: http://www.runrig.co.uk/news.html#Roadhome

Why not support a great service and enjoy some unique Scottish music - order yours today. I did!

Ard Choille! Remembering Glen Fruin: 7 February 1602

The Rout of Glen Fruin
Sir Walter Scott

Auld Scotia's page inhuman turn
And read if man was made to murn,
See reivers hang and witches burn and clans proscribed,
See treachery the faithful spurn and justice bribed.

Twa Gregarach on an evil day
Hungered, a mountain sheep did slay;
The Clan Colquhoun made muckle play and vengeance sware
Ere noon-tide upon Luss dool-brae they breathed nae mair.

Frae Stronachlacher to Glen Strae
The fiery cross went nicht and day
To muster Gregarach's wild array frae cot and clachan;
At dawn or mist had left the brae they quat the bracken.

The reek gaed up frae roof and stack
What they found white they left it black,
The claymores clang, the muskets crack, in this wild hership
There's neither hoose, nor kirk, alack, for rest or worship.

Buchanan, Graham, and Colquhoun
Gaed to the King to crave his boon
To gaither horse and foot richt soon to quell Macgruther
To slaughter man and bairn and loon and stain the heather.

Or lang baith armoured knichts and foot
Are banded up frae miles aboot
And rowed I orra tartan cloot frae green to yellow,
And ilka roque frae Ayr to Bute here has his fellow.

Clan Gregor's chief ne'er grat nor swore
But loupit bareserk to the door
While beltin on his guid claymore and bull-hide targe
Syne doon the wild Fruin's craggy shore he led the charge.

Noo what a scene o' wild turmoil
The Gregarach's blood was on the boil
And ilka time they screamed "Ard Choille" slashed a het haggis;
Wi' little thoucht e'en for the spoil louped rocks and craggies.

It's thoucht a deed maist sinister
Was wroucht upon a minister
Wha soucht the smell of sin astir and cam to view
The slaughterin o' Alastair and a' his crew.

Agin the wild Clan Gregor gents
It seems the clerical comments
Upon these bellicose events were ower severe
Macintauch stopped a' arguments; breath, too, I fear.

King Jamie Saxt got up a greet
He drooled and slavered to his feet
And bade them send a burning peat to roose Argyll;
Syne clapt upon his royal seat near chokt wi' bile.

A fearsome weird maun Gregor dree
To hang on ilka gallows tree
Nae meat nor drink but cauld snaw-bree and Campbell's hounds;
Nae succour in extremity frae plaque or wounds.

Nae name, nae land, nae folk, nae grace,
But what they seek at graceless face,
Buried like beasts beyond a trace or help o' kirk;
Between them and a savage race a pointless dirk.

But outlawry's a t wa-edged blade,
Ane law is lost, anither's made;
Ilka outrage Clan Gregor paid in measure full,
Life for a life and head for head, their golden rule.


Intrigued? Read more: http://www.clangregor.org/macgregor/article-glenfruin.html

Happy Robbie Burns Day!

Homecoming 2009 - Let me tell you that I love you...

I don't know if you can see The changes that have come over me In these last few days I've been afraid That I might drift away So I've been telling old stories, singing songs That make me think about where I came from And that's the reason why I seem So far away today Oh, but let me tell you that I love you That I think about you all the time Caledonia you're calling me And now I'm going home. ~ 'Caledonia' by Dougie MacLean

The year-long festival kicks off on the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns birth, 25 January 2009, and runs until St. Andrew's Day, 30 November 2009. The events center around five main themes - Robert Burns, whisky, golf, great Scottish minds and innovations, and Scotland's culture and heritage. A few of the scheduled events are:

• January - a celebration of the songs of Robert Burns at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow
• May - a month of whisky with distillers across the country opening up their doors
• July - the biggest Clan gathering in 200 years in Edinburgh
• November - a celebration of Scottish music throughout the country

Get details, plan your trip, and more on the Homecoming 2009 web site: http://www.homecomingscotland.com

New Digital Celt designs coming in 2009

In addition to miscellaneous yet-to-be-imagined digital and hybrid products, I am definitely planning to create the following fabulous goodies!

A special Homecoming 2009 digital scrapbooking kit including a convenient matching 20 page "Semi-Premade Pages - template with a twist" album to get those memories scrapped and printed to share with your family and create a lasting legacy.

A Homecoming Heritage Add-on Pack featuring family heritage/genealogy quick pages will also be available in early 2009. Customize your album and add your family tartan and Clan badge to your pages with a Clan Pack.

Don't see yours? New Clan Packs will be added frequently...and you can always send in a special request.

A Celtic Child collaboration kit with my online designer friend Belanna, is in the planning and development stages so I'm not sure what it will contain, but you can bet it's gonna be great!

Clan Packs are in the house!

Here they are - just in time for this year's Highland Games season! The Clan Packs were designed as the perfect way to scrap your Clan events, a Scottish wedding, or a trip to the historic Clan lands in Scotland. Each tartan was lovingly created using the authentic thread counts and colors used by weavers in Scotland.

The first Clan Packs, available in my shop at Plain Digital Wrapper, are Clan Donald (MacDonald), Clan Gregor (MacGregor), Clan Chisholm, and Clan Campbell. Each Clan has both a personal use (S40 friendly) and a commercial use set.

The "Personal Use" Clan Packs are for personal events (such as weddings), Clan correspondence, or handouts at your local Highland Games but you CANNOT use them to produce items for sale or for web designs. If you wish to produce items for sale or use them on a website, you need to purchase the "Commercial Use" Clan Pack version. It's easy and not expensive, so please make sure you purchase the correct pack for your purposes.

Each Clan Pack includes:
1 12x12 authentic Clan tartan paper
1 silver Clan crest
1 silver Clan name word art
1 12" tartan ribbon
4 glass tartan buttons
1 tartan bow

And, in most "Personal Use" Clan Packs, there's a special bonus: a printable 4x6 Clan postcard!

Don't forget to post your completed projects and layouts in the PDW Gallery. I'd love to see what you come up with!

Need a Virtual Assistant - in Scotland?

Have you ever wanted to do something in Scotland, but were unable to do it because you don't actually live in Scotland? Or, maybe you live in Scotland and want something done, but you simply don't have the time to do it. Now you CAN get those things done, with the help of this brand new wee service company.

Anything We Can Do For You In Scotland is based in Perthshire, the center of Scotland, making it ideally placed for them to travel throughout Scotland and accomplish any task for you. Their most popular service is the laying of wreaths or flowers on family and/or ancestors' graves. They will also provide photos and/or video footage and can arrange for a piper, drummer, or other musical accompaniment. Some other services are taking photographs of ancestral areas, hand-delivering gifts to family and friends, and sourcing and sending a specific gift to your home.

These "virtual assistants" offer a very personal and discreet service, tailored to your specific needs. If you give them a try, be sure to leave a note here telling us about your experience.