H A P P Y F R I D A Y 🌿

Yesterday I was able to throw a little picnic with my hubby and it was honestly so relaxing, sweet and a perfect alternative to a date night. So since it was so successful, I wanted to share SEVEN tips on how to have the perfect picnic!

Let’s jump right into this! I think having a picnic is such a good way to go. I love the thought of being able to go with my husband and even my kids one day and leaving the phones and world behind and just enjoying nature, good food and laughing, and end the night looking at the stars.

And if you do too… Here are a few things to help with that.

Picnic Blanket

In my opinion, I would use absolutely anything for a blanket. A picnic blanket is a regular blanket, folks. Just twice as much and all you do is literally lay it on the dirty ground to sit on it. B u t, there are some really super cute picnic blankets out there that I find myself wanting to buy… A LOT. This one from Hearth & Hand, this striped one, this Mexican one, and of course the most popular camco red and white checkered one. A good tip though, whatever blanket you decide on, double as a blanket for the couch or if you wanna always remember it, store it in the basket so you never forget it’s place!

Mine is actually a blanket scarf that doubles as a picnic blanket because I said so 😉

Invitations

To even have a picnic you have to invite your people. AND OF COURSE, you have to have adorable invitations. And the best and easiest way to do so is by Paperless Post. Literally the cutest online invitations, cards, and now flyers (!!) I’ve ever seen and it’s so easy to use!

Literally make an account on Paperless Post here, find what you want. Whether that be sending a card to your husband or nephew or if you’re inviting people to a picnic, BBQ, wedding, birthday, baby shower, or even just cocktail hour.. They literally have it all! Next you customize the card or invitation however you’d like, and then get your FREE card (Check out the free invititations and the free cards here) or pay using your coins and get premium add-ons, including envelopes, liners, stamps, postmarks, logos, and backdrops. ($10 for 25 coins, each online card costs as little as 2 coins EACH and your first one is F R E E E E !) When you’re done, you send it to your person of choice and VIOLA! Good as gold.

At Paperless Post, they are redefining the tradition of paper stationery so that people like me and you can send custom invitations, announcements, you name it, with the same thought and care as those before us, but the way we communicate today: online.

Flowers

An absolute must… f l o w e r s . Such a sweet little gesture to boost the happiness of everyone with you. A $5 bunch of flowers from the grocery store or even some from the side of the road, you cannot and will not go wrong with flowers.

And at the end of the picnic give some flowers to your friends! A great keepsake and memory for all of you!

Camera

As unnecessary as it seems… bringing a Polaroid camera, a digital camera or even your phone camera, is a good idea! Not many people take a break every now and then just to have an actual picnic with the people they love. So whenever you get the chance to capture that sweet moment, do it!

You’ll never regret taking pictures. I take pictures of e v e r y t h i n g and look at them all the time just to reminisce.

Wine + Good Food

Pictured above: An instagram hubby who wholeheartedly was as excited for this little date as I was ♥︎

But when it comes to a picnic, you have to have good food that won’t taste terrible when it sits out for a while. Sooo… The perfect foods are:

Grapes + watermelon (duh) or any of your favorite fruit + maybe a little fruit dip!
- Little Tip: Use frozen grapes as ice cubes!
I brought some BLT’s (bacon, lettuce, tomato) per hubby’s request
Crackers + ham, turkey, salami + cheese (mini lunchables!!)
Mini chicken-pot pies
Mason Jar Salads (keep wet ingredients at the bottom and dry on the top!)
Wines: Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Cupcake Vineyards Moscato D’Asti, Arbor Mist Mango Strawberry Moscato

Picnic Basket

When it comes to a picnic the most obvious thing you need is a basket?! Although they are adorable in every single way.. they can cost a pretty penny. I suggest keeping an eye out while thrifting! I always go to a few stores and at least see ONE ‘lil cutie. I love the ones with built in holders for all your needs. This one is so cute while this one helps so much!

I got mine from Pioneer Woman at Walmart, but you can buy it here!

T H E Essentials

Now… even though some of the things I listed above are *unnecessary* here are a few tips, if you will, that can and will most definitely help you have the perfect picnic.

Pillows + More Blankets: Something else you probably don’t really think about and honestly cant fit into your basket is pillows and blankets! If you plan to stay for a while and even if you wanna finish by looking at the stars, you’re gonna wanna lay down! So I recommend a comfy pillow and a good blanket for when it’s chilly.
Spill-proof containers: Always bring the food and drinks in something you know won’t spill all over the basket or even worse, all over you and then ruin the day/evening by you being soaked the whole time! (Not cool. So I use these)
Plates, Glasses, Utensils: Of course when it comes to glasses you should always bring your wine glasses, whether they be actual glass or plastic. It’s so much fancier than solo cups, and everyone will love that. But when it comes to utensils and plates, I think these are the absolute cutest! (And good for environment!)

The Actual Essentials: like paper towels for random messes, hand wipes, and disposable bags for dirty dishes and trash are the stuff people usually forget but completely necessary! (Especially when you go places that don’t have trash cans!)