As I told you last week we've had this thing for tartan.
When Martin and I met on New Years Even in 1986 his then anglophile style and my love for anything checked merged and we had quite a few years of tartan mania.
Martin's tartan thing acually even partly stems from his great great great grandmother who met and had a fling with a Lord of the Isles who was salmon fishing in Norway. Hot stuff, huh?
Here's (part of) our tartan run down in pictures.
Dishes and pillows.
Throw.
Shirt.
More pillows and photo album.
Another shirt. More on this one in a later post.
Baby Björn carrier.
Matching bouncer.
Another pillow.
With tartan being one of those things that comes around at regular intervals I'm always happy when it does but Martin loves it always.
How about you? Any pattern that you love and that you keep reaching for when shopping?
Oh how fun!
Hmm, no I don't think I have a specific pattern that repeats (pun) over the years but the color cobalt blue does. If you take a look at my blog you see quite a bit of it. Although I'm a very undedicated blogger so I don't have very many samples. The color blue makes me feel calm and alive at the same time. I love it!
Posted by: azaleastudio.blogspot.com | November 24, 2009 at 07:35 AM
Gingham, so clean and fresh looking. And I love the idea of Martin's Great great great gramndmother having a highland fling (get it?!)
Posted by: Rattling On | November 24, 2009 at 07:51 AM
Aw, look, a heartshaped potato! :-)
Posted by: Messy | November 24, 2009 at 08:19 AM
In my case; definately toile de jouy!
http://www.thefrenchcupboard.co.nz/attachments/toile-de-jouy-blue-swatch.jpg
Like in my bedroom wallpaper, my wellies:
http://www.tamarahenriques.com/shop/cw3/assets/product_full/hunter_toile.jpg
two or three bags, my apron in the kitchen:
http://www.beautiful-bib-aprons.com/red_toile_apron1.jpg
several boxes, curtains in my home office, five blouses... and I´m still counting. Just LOVE that pattern! And there are so many variations!
Posted by: Icka | November 24, 2009 at 08:32 AM
Stripes! I always love stripes...
Posted by: Monica B | November 24, 2009 at 09:31 AM
Benita, have you put these adorable pictures of Wille and your husband in a photoalbum/scrapbook? I think they are so lovely
Posted by: zewa | November 24, 2009 at 09:47 AM
I live in Scotland, so it's everywhere. Sadly, still have to get a tartan throw for my room...
Posted by: Amherstdam.wordpress.com | November 24, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Benita--I love the Union Jack/tartan throw combination on your beautiful blue couch. I'm in love with tartan lately, and I just found a gorgeous blue/green plaid throw at the thrift store. I don't usually "winter-style" my apartment, but I'm thinking I may need to spend a weekend recovering my pillows in plaid. I think I'm overdue for a Preppy/Scottish moment. :-)
Posted by: Paulette | November 24, 2009 at 01:03 PM
Didn't you get married in tartan? I miss a picture of that... :) I love rose patterns in pale prints like old porcelain. I always find myself looking at curtains or fabric or even clothes with roses. But strangely enough I can't see it in my home or me wearing it. So I really don't own any rosy things. But if I ever get a summer house there will be roses... everywhere!
Posted by: Anne | November 24, 2009 at 01:11 PM
I love tartan too-- and have several pillows and throws to show my obsession! My dogs are actually decked out in Stewart Tartan colors for the holidays:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ScamperingScotties?section_id=6562175
Love the pictures!
Posted by: Sarah | November 24, 2009 at 03:08 PM
Probably Paisley as a pattern and the color aqua. I love the ocean! and a hidden lust for pink accents.
I have 2 sisters. My mom would dress us all in plaids. We wore each others hand me down plaids. Then I went to all girl school and our uniforms were.....you guessed it, plaid. Hunter green and white plaid. I shudder today when I see hunter green. I will probably not ever wear plaid. However, I love plaid accents for the home.
Posted by: carol k | November 24, 2009 at 03:26 PM
not just a pattern but a fabric..seersucker, so evocative of summer, lemonade and the sound of crickets
Posted by: elizabeth | November 24, 2009 at 04:48 PM
Circles. Not polka dots or spots, but circles. They always catch my eye.
Posted by: unabridged | November 24, 2009 at 04:54 PM
I adore polka dots - can't get enough of them. It started when I had my daughter. My fave combination is red dots on an aqua background, but any polka dot will do!
Posted by: Anna | November 24, 2009 at 05:13 PM
Sweet, sweet Baby W! I'm always drawn to ticking - especially reds and blacks and blues.
Posted by: Vicki K. | November 24, 2009 at 05:22 PM
LOVING all of the tartan... esp. the tartan/union jack combo!
Posted by: Erin @ SYL: Slipcover Your Life | November 24, 2009 at 06:32 PM
Get it! Oh, gingham's a fave of mine too. Red and white in particular!
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | November 24, 2009 at 07:36 PM
That day was actually Wille's first taste of potato so the heart was very appropriate :)
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | November 24, 2009 at 07:37 PM
I do, I do! They're in albums but these are from the negatives I spent forever scanning. So glad I got use for them!
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | November 24, 2009 at 07:39 PM
Hmmm. I did, come to think of it. Black and white. I remember thinking the jacket would never go out of style only to try that boxy 1990 thing on a few years later and thinking "What was I thinking?!.
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | November 24, 2009 at 07:41 PM
Now I wish I had a Scottie to dress. Or that Mini and Bonus would weear something like that. Wille and I actually bought little kitty tartan bandanas for them when we got them four years ago but they refused to wear them...
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | November 24, 2009 at 07:44 PM
I feel for you! :)
Posted by: Benita ~ Chez Larsson | November 24, 2009 at 07:45 PM
Anything paisley. Toile too.
Posted by: Liz | November 24, 2009 at 10:05 PM
Loved the tartan! And the cute baby too!
:)
Posted by: Paula | November 24, 2009 at 10:45 PM
HOW GORGEOUS IS THAT BABY! So, so sweet!!
Posted by: bec | November 24, 2009 at 11:02 PM
Any tartan, or flowers was good and I've always liked bright colors, but with menopause and 11kg more weight now preferences go to the dark colors to hide the defects, he! He!
Posted by: Ana v. | November 25, 2009 at 12:20 AM
I am with Liz: toile (around the home), paisley (in what I wear )
Posted by: Giovanna | November 25, 2009 at 02:59 PM
Well, you are very 'In.' The states has a catalog called Delia's (and it seems to come EVERY day to my house!) and absolutely everything in there is plaid! So you might love it!
Posted by: Caroline | November 25, 2009 at 08:00 PM
I actually DON'T like tartan at all, but we do have exactly that tartan Baby Björn that we've carried our babies in. It was a hand-me-down from a friend and I am currently using it with my third baby! :-)
Posted by: Titti | November 30, 2009 at 07:51 PM
I always love some tartan. You guys would be very happy in Kenya, everyone wears bright red plaid, and you can get beautiful plaid Masai blankets everywhere. Ever since I returned from a summer there, my apartment has been full of plaids, the perfect way to brighten up colorless student housing.
Posted by: Beth | December 10, 2009 at 07:35 AM
Always the best blog... Well done....
Posted by: Fashion office | April 10, 2010 at 06:40 AM