Robbie Burns Day

In honour of Robbie Burns' Day, this post is inclined to things Scottish...

Firstly, where would we be in our Scottish themed post without a tartan? Here is one which was created for Buccaneer Bay {where we have our family cabin}. Herewith, our very own tartan designed by last year's Sports Day committee:

{ Buccaneer Bay tartan }

The 4 colours of the Tartan are reflective of the the blue of the ocean surrounding Thornmanby Island, the green of the island's many trees, the yellow of the sunny beaches, sandy coves and inlets on the island and the red of the stunning sunsets we are treated to many nights.

I could imagine this in a country home in the Scottish highlands quite nicely:

{ Ralph Lauren tartan wallpaper }

Is this a bit much for you? Perhaps a more subtle use of the tartan would suit:

{ Isabelle tartan from Ralph Lauren }

That looks a perfect spot to curl up for afternoon tea with a book of Robbie Burn poems! And for those vintage lovers, a plaid sign for a quirky spot in your home:

{ from Three Potato Four Shop via design*sponge }

And then there is the beautiful {albeit prickly} thistle. I love the colour combo of purple & green. I love that the plant itself is stunning but a bit standoffish. I love that designers have taken the thistle & run with it. Examples below...

Here is a lovely hand print on linen from Giardino on Etsy:

{ Scottish thistle print }

And then there's the rug by Timorous Beasties who always do up a pattern right {& ought to be included by the sheer weight of their name, coming from Robbie's poem, "To A Mouse":

{ Thistle Rug in stone }

From Umbra, who I have been tempted to erroneously lump in with "all that molded plastic stuff", here is their version of thistle-themed wallpaper:

{ Colada in beige ~ designed by Stuart Li }

And last but certainly not least, some items from West Elm's collaboration with Patch NYC:

{ a thistle tray perfect for nibblies }

{ pillows in sumptuous colours }

Happy Robbie Burns' Day for "auld lang syne" & here's hoping that this post will inspire "thy wee-bit housies".

This post is dedicated to my maternal Grandfather, G. Angus Hills. A proud Canadian of Scottish heritage, a highly regarded soil scientist, an environmentalist before his time & a central figure in the development of landscape planning in Canada. We miss you Grandpa!

{ Grandpa on his wedding day (I think they were all happier than they look!) }