A picnic is a meal taken outside as part of an excursion or outing. But in today’s post, I’m pushing that definition and taking an excursion to my own backyard for a colorful lakeside picnic. Here’s the setting, from our back porch, in the early morning sunshine.
Later in the day, the scene from my picnic blanket looked like this.
Today’s picnic theme is bright and joyful.
Colorful pinwheels set the mood.
A clear plastic tray, decked out as a color wheel, carries the colorful theme forward.
A matching picnic blanket, pillow and napkins pull it all together. Plastic glasses and melamine plates add ease and convenience. A wicker picnic basket and small table tray help with transport and set up.
Meanwhile, a vintage lawn croquet set adds playful fun and character.
A simple meal of bread, cheese, olives, meats and fruit hit the spot.
After this nice light meal, a little cloud gazing was in order.
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It turned out to be a rather windy day which meant my newly crafted pinwheels were put to the test. Honestly, I couldn’t quite remember how to make pinwheels and had to check online. The trick is to start with a square piece of paper and cut from each corner to the center. Then punch a hole in one tip of each corner and pull it to the center creating a set of 4 identical “wings”. Easy!
Cardstock turned out to be the ideal material. It comes in lots of colors and can easily be printed to add a little extra interest (eg black stripes). Cardstock is flexible enough to bend the wings without creasing or folding. I drilled a small hole in the end of a bamboo stick to hold the pinwheel. We have lots of bamboo in our yard so that was an easy choice. Alternatively, you could use small dowels.
The tricky part was making the pinwheels spin smoothly. After a little trial and error, I found a solution that worked. Short pieces of wire, with a small loop at each end, held the pinwheels to the bamboo sticks. But getting the tension and spacing right was the challenge. The pinwheel didn’t spin if it was attached too tightly or too loosely. I finally got the right tension when I inserted 3 small wooden beads as spacers between the layers‒one bead on top of the wings, one bead between the wings and the paper back, and one bead between the paper back and the stick. That worked like a charm and the pinwheels were spinning in the breeze.
For another take on a spring picnic in a beautiful setting, check my previous post Picnic Under the Wisteria.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Consider celebrating spring with a picnic in your own back yard or a nearby green space.
2. Old-school items, such as pinwheels and lawn croquet, are an inexpensive way to add interest and fun.
3. A picnic is a great excuse to get outdoors, savor a simple meal and enjoy nature.
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