Saturday, March 31, 2012

Tartan Parade 2012







Time for Favorites on the First

and all things Scottish

in honor of National Tartan Day.



Lads and Lassies




Songs and Poems

of Robert Burns





Kilts and Tartans



Pipers


And . . .

Scottie Dogs



Scottish Terriers,

also known as Aberdeen Terriers

are originally from

the Highlands of Scotland.





Affectionally called Scotties,

these courageous, independent,

and self-reliant dogs

were bred to hunt

and kill predators

of the Highland livestock.



We don't have a Scottie,

but this cutie above has

recently joined our family.

Meet Sadie Mercedes.



Sadie suggested we round up a

group of jaunty Scotties

for the Tartan Parade.




Looks like these guys are lining up.



It's sunny today, but with recent rainy days

I pulled out the umbrella just in case.

Surely it won't rain on our parade!



We've got TARTAN!



A freshly brewed pot of Scottish tea

steeping in its own tartan cozy, a gift from




Scottie Shortbread Cookies

Walker's Pure Butter Shortbread

I added a touch of icing for color.



Scottie Soap

from Gianna Rose Atelier



Scottie Napkins Trimmed in Tartan



Here's how the tartan stacks up.

Arita Tartan Charger

Lauren Ralph Lauren Skyler

Target Holiday 2010 Classic Tidings

Global Design Connection by Kate Williams

Home Beautiful Stoneware in Royal Stewart



Each plate is white and bordered in a tartan

with the exception of the Kate Williams' pieces.

They feature this jaunty little fellow.



A coordinating butter dish

makes a perfect little serving tray.




LIFE'S LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK

was a gift from a student in 1991.

It was written by a father as words

of counsel to his son heading off to collage.

It's simply a list of things one should do.

Page 1, #2 :

Have a dog.



Happy Tartan Day!



Bluebonnet Tartan

Like others across the globe, many Texans will no doubt celebrate National Tartan Day on April 6, 2012. The official State Tartan, Texas Bluebonnet Tartan, was designed by June Prescott McRoberts in 1986 and adopted by the state of Texas in 1989. You can read more details about the Texas Bluebonnet Tartan here.




To see last year's Tartan Tea click here.




If you need some tartan for your closet click the link above.

A special thank you to my friends JoElla and Susan
for letting me share photos of their Staffordshire pieces.










Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

49 comments:

  1. Oh how totally festive!

    WOW you sure did up your Tartan in grand style, lass!

    You have an amazing collection - what FUN!! Even an umbrealla, haha!

    Those scottie dog cookies look so good, too!

    Happy Tartan Day to you and happy Parade!

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  2. GREAT post, Sarah!
    I am in love with your plaid plate collections. Wish we lived closer so I could borrow them from time to time!!
    Love all your Highland figurines and Scottie dogs too.
    Great way to lead the Parade!

    xox
    Alison

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  3. Sarah,
    What a lovely post full of Tartan!
    I love your tartan dishes, and the scotty dog cookies. And your dog is so cute. I hope to get a complete set of dishes with the tartan pattern one of these days.
    Happy Tartan Day! Happy Tartan Parade Day.
    Pat

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  4. Sarah, what a joy to visit with your Scotties and plaid dishes. If I had to choose a favorite, I couldn't! I love them all, and I love this post. I hope you have a wonderful Tartan Day!

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  5. Hi Sarah,
    your posts are always outstanding and a delight. I don't own any Tartan item but loved to see yours. The figurines ae so special. I have never seen one in that style before. And the Scotties are so cute dogs. In real as much as in shortbread. With this post ist easy to catch the Tartan-Virus.
    Have a great Tartan-day.
    Best greetings, Johanna

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  6. Beautiful pictures with a taste of Scotland. I remember when I was in Scotland and learned a lot about the different clans tartanmönster. In the end I bought a scarf for my father. Bless you! Zinnia

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  7. The stack of dishes made me say out loud "oh my"! Lovin' the Ralph, just gorgeous! Sadie M is a cutie, I'll bet she's lots of fun-enjoy:@)

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  8. What a great party! Your dishes, your Scottie pups and pretty table make me want to put my kilt on {if I had one!} Sadie is a doll in her plaid!

    XO,
    Jane

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  9. Sarah, there is just so much to see here, and on your last year's post which of course I had to examine closely too! Sadie is a little cutie! It's hard to imagine the scottie dog being used in the field to hunt predators. I'm craving some scottish shortbread right now, with a cup of scottish afternoon tea. I also did my post on my state tartan, which is also blue. Thank you for this wonderful party. I am enjoying rediscovering all things tartan! Linda

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  10. Sarah~ Everything stacks up so beautifully in this post~ even if it does rain on your parade! I adore your tray with all your delightful Scotties! Miss Sadie is the jauntiest~ with her scarf tied around her neck posing under the umbrella! A natural when it comes to modeling! Your collections only whet my appetite for adding some tartan to my dish pantry! Thanks for leading the parade :)

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  11. G'Day Sarah!

    I have joined in with a special musical post in honour of Tartan Day! Thanks so much for having me.

    Best wishes always,
    Natasha in Oz

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  12. Happy tartan day!! Love your figurines. You will have to share more about them.

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  13. Sarah, what a cute tartan post with all the little Scotties. Your baby is so sweet.

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  14. Sarah, thank you for inviting me to your Tartan event. You have outdone yourself with this beautiful plaid post. I adore your tray with all your delightful Scotties! Sadie is precious! I'm at my cottage where I only have access to the internet with my iPhone, so I'll be popping in later once I am at my desktop computer. So many beautiful "plaid" blogs to visit!

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  15. Awesome post, Sarah! I LOVE, LOVE the Staffordshire pieces and tartan together, and the Scottie dog goodies. I enjoyed the info about Scotties and oh, Sadie Mercedes is adorable in her tartan scarf.I remember the Life's Little Instruction Book, too and wondering what I did with mine. Love this post and the Bluebonnet tartan.

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  16. Great post Sarah! Wishing I could say that with a Scottish burr...
    xo Cathy

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  17. As a Gunn we are mad for plaid. When Mr. Decor retired we had a Scottish themed party. Thank you for allowing me to link up "an oldie, but goodie". :)

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  18. Oh Sarah, I love your little Sadie Mercedes! She is adorable in her tartan! Love your post with the tartans and plaids and Scotties and rainy day picnic! Wonderful! Happy Tartan Day! ~Delores

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  19. Sarah, you have an amazing collection of tartan related things! I need to start gathering more tartan related items...thanks for hosting this fun meme.

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  20. I love a Grand Parade Sarah! I love all your Scottish figurines. I'm so glad to meet Sadie Mercedes after hearing all about her. I love her suggestion for a Scottie parade, I see she is going to influence your blog post and have her say. Love all the red tartan in your vignette. I love, love, love those RL plates. I have passed them up, but will not again. What a great parade Sarah. Tell little miss Sadie I'm so happy to finally see her.
    Thanks for hosting.

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

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  21. Oh my!! The plaid dishes are every dishaholic's dream. Someday, I'm going to find some. Thanks for hosting this fun get together. Sally

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  22. Oh Sarah, you have authentic tartan collectibles. I love your post!

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  23. Hi Sarah! What fun!! You and I are both plaid and Scottie crazed. Bentley and Sadie will forgive us I know. I also think that Bentley would love to hang out with your adorable little Sadie. Thank you so much for hosting this Tartan Parade ~ a parade so near and dear to my heart.

    Big Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

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  24. Happy Tartan celebration and so many great links to visit. I don't know if I've ever told you before but I love the quote in your blog header. Each time I read it, it touches my heart.
    Linda

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  25. Your new sweet friend is adorable!!! Love at first sight I'm sure. Your sweet figurines are beautiful pieces. And I love/crave that stack of dishes!!! xo marlis

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  26. Sarah, I didn't know you had a new dog!
    I know you don't let it eat from your dishes! :)
    You have a sweet collection, are you Scottish? I looked up my Irish Tartan, not crazy about the colors.
    NY doesn't have a tartan, I looked.
    Please get them to move the holiday near Christmas, then I have plenty!
    Thanks for hosting!

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  27. Sarah,
    Love your plaid dishes and, of course, your doggie. What a cute idea to add some personality to the short bread cookies.
    Happy Tartan Parade!
    Karen

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  28. This is a tartan explosion! So many pretty thing! But your BEAUTIFUL figurines are spectacular! Thanks for hosting!
    Yvonne

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  29. Oh my Sarah! Your Tartan post was too cute for words. I love the little scottie dogs. Your table was too cute. I am happy it did not rain on your parade.

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  30. Your collection of plaid plates is just gorgeous, Sarah! Sadly, I don't own a thing in plaid..... guess I should begin looking for some dinnerware, huh? I wanted to eat a cookie when I saw your shortbread Scottie's.
    You have a sweet little dog in Mercedes, too. :-) Sue

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  31. What a pretty and fun post, Sarah. I love tartans.

    And, your little Sadie Mercedes is beyond adorable. I love puppies.♥

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  32. Love all your tartan plaids! The cute scotty dogs are my favorite!

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  33. Wow, you win the prize! I have seen the tartans all over blogland (but since I don't own a single tartan - alas) I can't play along, but it has been fun seeing everyone's fun posts. Yours of course is over the top. I love your little tea cozy and your cute shortbread dogs. Your new addition to the family is absolutely adorable.

    To answer your question - we found out about using a cake mix for cookies a few years ago from my daughter's sister in law and we have been playing with it ever since. My daughter in law was the first one to use it for rolled cookies and we loved it. Give it a try. Our family loves the flavor. Joni doesn't - so try for yourself!

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  34. I love all the scottie dog things. The plaid dishes are great. I just started alling in love with plaid but for some reason in New Jersey it is very hard to find.

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  35. i love all the wonderful tartan plaids at your place!! Especially that wonderful tea cozy! The bluebonnet tartan is a really pretty blue color. I had a lovely little green tartan kilt when I was a girl (it was one of my favorite things to wear) and my sister had a red one.

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  36. Oh Sarah, I would love to join your tartan party, I just have been tied up with a big party at the ranch, and so I haven't had time to do a plaid post. But, I did want to point out that the white dogs in your posts are Westies, West Highland Terriers; we had one a long time ago. Now we have another Scottish dog, a collie. She looks just like Lassie.

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  37. My goodness, this celebration is just a natural for you Sarah! Your little Sadie is a darling! What fun collections you have. Love your statues and your plaid plates. I have that book too. The whole family enjoyed it. Happy Tartain Day!

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  38. Sarah - Thanks so much for stopping by my place. I did link up but it pales in comparison to all of these great entries. I'm not sure I want to catch this tartan bug but I have to admit, I love your dishes, all of them! What fun to mix and match this collection. Your Sadie pictures are adorable ~ you need to frame them. What a good sport she is. (Texas blue bonnets are beautiful!) Your newest follower.

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  39. Oh my goodness, that was amazing! From one plaid lover to another - this post is a winner!

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  40. Sarah, you have some awesome plaid items. Love the collection of Scotties! Your cute pooch looks so fancy in his plaid attire. I have no plaid dishes. What's wrong with me? I love dishes. Your umbrella and cozy are too cute!
    Hugs,
    Jann

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  41. You have an amazing collection of plaid....The scotties are adorable.
    Sadie is a sweetie pie. I love the plaid umbrella. When I was a little girl, I remember I had a plaid rain coat. Thanks for sharing your Tartan showpieces.

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  42. You have lots of great tartan things. I begin getting my tartan blankets and things out as soon as the weather cools in Autumn. At Christmas I use lots of tartan decorations. By spring, though, I have stored most everything and replaced it with light colored drapes, throws, and rugs.
    I usually use Stewart or some other bright colored ones, because
    I really don't like my family tartan. It is brown and dull.

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  43. So many pretty things, Sarah! I love all of your figurines..especially the little shepherdess! And a dog? Is Sadie at your house? I thought about you today. Please tell me that you and all of your family are safe! I don't know my Texas geography!...hugs...Debbie

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  44. Wowzer! Do you have plaids or what! What a wonderful collection of tartans! I've just not had time to do any extra decor this week....but I sure loved seeing yours! And your little cutie is a dollbaby!

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  45. Oh my gosh what a great post! The plates stacked up are just stunning. Your doggy is adorable! What a great party. You definitely need to make this a tradition!

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  46. i am sorry i missed this, but gosh you have so many darling pieces this was custom made for you! i ADORE all your scotty's, CUTE CUTE CUTE!

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  47. What an awesome post Sarah this is about collection of tartan things. Keep posting stuff like that.
    modern utility kilts
    Scottish Traditional kilts

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