A Picnic in the Park

The other weekend my girlfriends and I had the pleasure of enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon in Charleston with a scenic picnic in the park. The best part of this picnic was the fact that we did not have to lift a finger! All we did was show up and enjoy the day. I recently connected with Jenna, the talented woman behind Picnics x Penrose and was thrilled to partner with her on planning a little Sunday brunch with friends.

On the day of our picnic, we arrived at a local park and were welcomed with a charming setup on the grassy lawn with amazing views of the Charleston Harbor. There is just something about al fresco dining and a beautiful tablescape that makes my heart happy.

From the fresh florals and table setting, to the refreshing individual desserts and comfy pillow seating, Jenna’s attention to detail created a perfectly polished set up. It was a warm and sunny afternoon in Charleston, and the bamboo raffia fans really came in handy. The girls and I sat down and enjoyed chilled rosé and nibbled on delightful charcuterie board, complete with homemade breadsticks made by Chef Lauri Erickson. 

The process of booking my picnic was so simple and I couldn't have been more pleased with the planning and setup. Jenna and I connected beforehand to chat about where I envisioned having my picnic and we also discussed several other details like color scheme, time of day, food, etc. Picnics x Penrose provides everything from the plates, cups, and silverware, to the pillows to sit on and bottled water. (Alcohol is BYOB). 

How gorgeous are these arrangements from Marigold Flowers? I’m also obsessed with this India Amory tablecloth and Amanda Lindroth glassware.

Picnics x Penrose also provides several other types of picnic themed services including setups for proposals, date night, bachelorette parties, birthdays or simply just to socialize like we did. This is a no brainer for husbands/boyfriends/fiancés out there looking for a way to surprise their significant other without the hassle of planning. I also think something like this would be so much fun to book for a bridal shower or even Mother's Day. Jenna's contact information for booking can be found here. 

There's nothing better than an outdoor, leisurely lunch with good friends, especially when there's no setup or cleanup involved. Here are some highlights from the day. I'm looking forward to finding an excuse to book another one soon!

Pool Floats for Summer

The summer heat is here and if you live in the South I'm sure you can agree that being outdoors right now is only 

comfortable if water is involved. We spend most of our weekends outside with Sawyer and he is 

obsessed with the water. He discovered this lime float when we went to see family last month 

and he loved it. It inspired me to round up a few fun floats that are perfect for a day at the 

pool or beach. Below are some of my favorites from Amazon.  

Lime Wedge | Rosé | Watermelon | Donut | Popsicle | Lemon | Pretzel | Pizza | Flamingo | Alligator

Duck | Avocado | Pineapple | Banana | Lime | 4 Piece Set | Diamond Ring | Shark 

Sawyer's Second Birthday: Two Wild

I cannot believe my sweet little boy is two years old! We celebrated his birthday three weeks ago, but it seems just like yesterday we were in the hospital patiently awaiting his arrival. This year’s birthday was very different from last year and not just because current times are strange. Pandemic aside, Sawyer was very excited this year. His love of balloons, sweet treats, water activities and being outdoors made his birthday celebration even more fun. He kept calling it his “happy day.” I loved that he had a sense of what was going on this year. It made my heart happy to watch his excitement as we celebrated.

I have always wanted to throw a jungle themed party with all the animals. I’ve had a Pinterest board full of ideas for longer than I care to admit. Sawyer has a true love for animals, so the theme was very fitting. I found the perfect cake inspiration and from there I based all other details around that. I love the way his cake turned out. Not only was it adorable, but it was also delicious!

The invitations were digital this year given we were taking everything day by day. I used the images on the invite to create small signs throughout the party. 

I found these fun palm leaf placemats that fit perfectly on the food table. I thought they would be good to repurposed later for dinner parties. 

Fortunately for me, the food was catered by Fletcher's Cafe and Catering, aka my mom. I told her what I had in mind and she took it from there. We had quite the spread! And the flower arrangements were done by my talented friend C. Holmquist Design.

The only food contribution I made was this Pinterest inspired elephant carved out of a watermelon. It wasn't a fail, but I think there may be some room for improvement next time. 

I assembled little boxes with favors for the kids which included zebra cakes and classic animal crackers. I may or may not have enjoyed a few of the zebra cakes myself. I forgot how good they are!

I think it's safe to say that Sawyer enjoyed his cake.

Sawyer’s birthday is on June 21, which is the first day of summer, which also means the temperatures are typically high. We created a water play area outside for the kids so they could keep cool. We searched high and low for one of these inflatable pools. They were practically sold out everywhere or either price gauged. We finally found this one and I honestly wish we had it during the whole quarantine. Sawyer loved it!

                                                 

This is our attempt at taking a kids group photo. We gave it a solid effort, but as you can see, this is the best we could do.

                                                  

Sawyer's big surprise came the next day, on his actual birthday — a truck like Daddy's! We're still trying to get the hang of driving this thing. I'll be signing him up for driving lessons soon!

Happy Birthday to our sweet boy!