Hello again!
The Wise Ree Drummond once wrote that bloggers should write something, no matter how small, everyday. (I'd link the exact post, but I can't seem to find it...) So, with 50 minutes left of the day, I am taking her advice.
As I mentioned in my first entry, for the time being I am going to write about picnic gear and indoor picnics. Today, I am going to cover one of the essential items required for a picnic...
The basket.
I own two, and a few years back, I bought my mom one for Mother's Day. Now, picnic baskets can get expensive. I've seen some online for $120! Fortunately, I've gotten mine for much less. One was free! :) I won it at my Winans' family reunion a few years back. It is so fun- it's brightly colored, orange with some multi-colored accents, and includes 2 plates, cups, napkins, and sets of silverware in a nifty front pocket. I almost forgot! It also has a corkscrew! The body of the "basket" is more like a cooler bag- it has that silvery plastic lining, which is awesome in the event of a spill. The other one is an actual basket that has an adjustable leather strap and cream linen lining- inside it has plates, mugs, goblets?, napkins, cute knife & fork napkin rings, and sets of reusable plasticware. I got it at the thrift store for something like $10! What I love about this basket is that the previous owners showed some creativity. They added the two goblets?, napkins, and napkin rings. The downside to their initiative is that, once the goblets are in the basket- there isn't any room for food :/
I encourage you to keep a vigilant eye at thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales- you never know when the most amazing basket will fall into your hands :)
In case you don't want to wait for serendipitous-amazingest-basket-finding, you have so many options online and in a number of stores. Today I will share with you two really good websites, for not only baskets but a wide variety of picnic gear: http://www.epicnicbasket.com/ and http://www.picnic-basket.com/ They have everything in handy categories so you can find a basket that meets your needs, fits in your price range etc.
A few things to consider when purchasing a basket- how many people are you usually going to be packing the basket for? Do you want it to be lined with plastic, or is linen fine? Do you want an empty basket so you can find the dishes you like? Or, do you want a basket that has everything in it already? Do you want a woven basket-basket? Or would a "backpack" style "basket" work for you? Price is another factor you will want to consider. The websites I listed ARE great sites, but only if you want to dish out some $$$. If you can't find anything on one of them you can afford, keep your eye on store shelves- for instance, Target usually carries picnic baskets at some point in their seasonal section.
That's all for today- stay tuned for more entries about other gear!
Pax,
Rachael
This is so interesting to me, Rachael, because I really do love picnics. I am planning a lunch tea for 40 at Williamsburg in March. And guess what!? Each person will have an individual basket with scones, tea sandwiches, sweets, etc. Will post it on my blog. Thanks for stopping by and look forward to getting to know you better. :)
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