How-to Create Plaid Backgrounds

ByJill Lipscomb January 2, 2019March 8, 2023

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. This means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will get a small commission with no additional cost to you as the consumer. I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support!

Plaids are super popular right now! I don’t know about you but I’ve always loved plaids. So, today I thought we’d learn how to create plaid backgrounds for our cards. There are a million different options from super simple to fancy. You don’t need to use a stamping tool such as a Misti but you definitely can if you have one. I find using a clear block makes it much easier to create plaid backgrounds.

I think the most popular type of plaid is buffalo plaid which looks like this:

And I really like buffalo plaid but it’s just not fun enough for me. Hahahaha! I enjoy creating my own plaid backgrounds for my cards and not just using a plain buffalo plaid stamp. Don’t get me wrong it is a GREAT starting point for plaid backgrounds and super quick too.

There are links to various plaid stamp sets at the bottom. BUT don’t forget there are also some really cool plaid builder stencils out there too! Okay…let’s get started on our creating our plaid background.

Affiliate Disclosure Policy
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. This means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will get a small commission with no additional cost to you as the consumer. For full disclosure policy click here.

How-to Create Plaid Backgrounds

I like to start creating plaid backgrounds by picking the strongest lines in my pattern first. These I usually stamp in black.
Next, I select at least two other smaller lines from a plaid builder set. I pick an ink color for each of the stamps.
Sometimes I like to do heat embossing instead of just ink. I give the plaid a little something extra. If you do decide to do heat embossing, just be sure all of the other ink on your plaid background in 100% dry or you’ll end up with a bit of a mess.
I like to create my plaid background on scrap paper first, then create on my actual card panel.