Picture Perfect Picnic: Finishing Touches

I hope that you have enjoyed the Picture Perfect Picnic series.  If you have missed any posts you can catch up here, here, and here.  Today is the last day of this series :-( and we need to wrap up our picnics with the finishing touches.

Considering how hot July is you will certainly need a cold and refreshing drink outside.  My votes are sweet tea or lemonade!

If you have time, you could put a square of chalkboard paint on each person’s glass and write their name on it. 

Whether you’re picnicing at a park where there will be picnic tables, or you will be picnicing in the grass, you will need a tablecloth or a blanket.  If you know how to sew, unlike me, you could probably make your own picnic blanket.

Another really clever and cute way to decorate and cover your table is by sewing several bandanas together for a colorful table runner. To be honest, I like this idea enough to make one for eating outside, even when we aren’t going out for a picnic.  Cute idea for an outdoor summer dinner party, right?

If you make your blanket/tablecloth/table runner, I found this idea and thought it was spectacular: sew in pockets to slip weights (e.g. rocks) into the corners so that your tablecloth/blanket wont blow way in the wind.

For some picnic-friendly napkins you can wrap your napkins with bandanas for napkin rings, or simply wrap your utensils up in a bandana.

This is cute idea for a children’s picnic (or for the child-at-heart): instead of using a napkin ring, twist a candy necklace around your napkins.

I like the idea of putting each persons utensil and napkin in their cup. 

What’s a picnic without watermelon? No picnic at all!  But, a picnic with watermelon on a stick? That’s a real picnic :-) Slice up your watermelon and put on a popsicle stick for a sweet picnic snack.

And finally, some other things to bring on your picnic:

Bugspray- This is especially important if you’re near the woods or near water.  You don’t want to get chewed up.

Sunscreen- It can be really hot out there so make sure you protect your skin :-)

Candles-  These could be used if your having a date with your sweetie, or simply citronella candles to help keep the bugs away.

Games- Before or after lunch you could play bocce ball, scrabble, mancala, frisbee, or checkers.  This is a simple canvas checker board with bottle caps as markers.  This would be really light weight on your trek out to the picnic site.

Here are a few items that I always seem to forget on our picnics (even though it seems like common sense to bring): paper towels, corkscrew, condiments, an extra empty bag for trash, and a lighter if you bring candles.

So now you should have your stylish picnic basket, a delicious lunch, a sweet and tempting treat, and all the finishing touches for a scrumptious and perfect picnic.  I hope you have enjoyed this series as much as I have and have been inspired for many summer picnics.  I can’t wait to hear all about your outdoor adventures this summer :-)