Flower of Scotland

Scotland is a very beautiful place to live at any time of the year. I can't imagine being anywhere else. Here in Aberdeen we have reasonably quick access to a variety of different landcapes - sea, mountains, rivers, forests, rolling hills. We are a very partiotic nation and the Scottish flag is a symbol of our unique identity. This thistle is our national flower and its colours always remind me of the purple heather covered hills that can be seen in many areas of our countryside.

For these reasons, I have used both of them as symbols for my entry to this week's One-Layer Wednesday Challenge over at the Simplicity Blog where we were asked to submit a patriotic card. I am late in completing it and I would have like the flag to be more defined but..hey ho..

The song "Flower of Scotland" is our chosen alternative to the British National anthem and it is sung at events both large and small, at home and abroad, so I have used the title as the sentiment on my card.

I created the flag by cutting a stencil and colouring with a Promarker. Probably not the correct colour but it will do.

materials used:
Stamps - Lavinia Stamps , Alphabet - Hero Arts
Ink - Encore Metallic Purple, Adirondack lettuce
Promarker- Aegean

Update

I really wasn't happy with the first attempt so I just had to try again. Better pleased with this one, although the lettering is still not right and I wish that I had a more accurate colour of green for the foliage. This time I used a water colour pencil and a water brush to get a better result for the flag. 3rd attempt????

PS
Although the Thistle is classed as a wild flower, I have allowed one to grow in my garden because it makes such an architectural statement. Here it is - not in flower yet but still lovely.