Picnic Party

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook (and if not, come & join me!), you know that I think I have found my favorite party theme ever!!  … PICNIC.

I love the simplicity, the oh-so-easy menu and the great red and white colors and pattern.  And for a party that was originally not supposed to have a theme, it came off spectacularly!

It started earlier in the summer when I was thinking about the kids’ family birthday party.  Yes, I do separate parties for everything.  Dan’s family is pretty big, so we do a separate party to celebrate my kids’ birthdays (but at least the two special days are close enough to do a combo-deal!)

Anyway, with the busyness of trying to sell our house, I had decided I would keep the family party low-key . . . no theme.  We’d grill burgers and dogs and leave it at that.  I would leave the themes to the friends’ parties.

But then a week before the party, I started itching to “theme-up” the party.  I walked down into the storage and glanced around my rather large party stash of goodies.  I remembered I had a huge stack of plaid picnic napkins.  And that is where this started.  I put it together in about a week with many of the ‘props’ already in my possession . . . It doesn’t get better than that!

Mason Jars, Punch and Picnic Ribbon

Our guests were greeted with this amazing Pineapple Pink Lemonade Soda from Lil’ Luna.  It was sweet and refreshing and I could have sipped it all.

MONEY SAVING TIP:  Instead of buying expensive ribbon for a party, try buying fabric and cutting to suit your needs.  For the same price of a small spool of picnic ribbon, I bought one yard of picnic fabric, cut my strips for the mason jars and had enough to lay on top of this table too.

PARTY TIP:  Don’t want your guests’ glasses don’t get confused?  Use a fun ribbon/fabric on each glass (or mason Jar) and write their name with a Sharpie on the ribbon.  Pretty and practical!

Watermelon Cake and Mason Jar Punch

Along with the special drink, came a peek of dessert.  I made a watermelon cake with 4 layers of 8″ cakes.  I didn’t use straws for support; I just treated it like two separate double layer cakes and put a cake round in between for support.  A little icing (or a lot), a few chocolate morsel “seeds” and we were done.

picnic party table 2

The 3-D stars were something I picked up a month earlier on clearance from JoAnn Fabrics.  My chalkboard needed only a fresh coat of red paint and I borrowed the picnic table cloth and drink dispenser from my mother.  It is great to have a mom who loves to entertain too…double the resources!

On the left of the table, I started with To-Go Boxes with a picnic napkin draped over the bottom.  Guests grabbed their container, their ready-to-go food and headed outside.

picnic party table 3

picnic party table 4

The Menu:  

  • Sub Sandwiches (Ham & Provolone, Italian, Turkey & Swiss)
  • Veggies & Ranch in single serving punch cups
  • Corn Casserole Squares presented in large cupcake wrappers
  • Watermelon served on jumbo popsicle sticks (less mess!)
  • Assorted Chips
  • Cheese, Crackers and Pepperoni

Wonderfully easy, right?

IMG_0415

I love chalkboard art for parties!  This frame has been repainted more times than I can remember.  My inspiration for this board came from a couple different pins, but primarily this one.   (And if you are having a wedding or formal event, you’ve got to check out this girl’s work for chalk menus.  Amazing!)

sub sandwiches wrapped for picnic

I ordered the subs from a local supermarket, sliced them up and wrapped them in deli paper.  The labels were made with Printable White Sticker Paper for my Silhouette Cameo.  Ah, I still madly love this machine!

picnic party table 6

picnic party table 5

simple picnic party tables

It was a perfect evening!  We ate outside on the deck and lingered until dusk.  Then it was time for . . .

picnic party fun, sparklers and glow sticks

Sparklers & Glow Sticks!

Do you have a favorite party theme?  I’d love to hear!  

Follow Me on Pinterest! and check out my party boards!