Ruff Draft: A Simple Beach Party Lake Picnic for Girlfriends

We had some very special Wisconsin visitors a couple weeks ago and I want to share with you a simple lake picnic beach party I put together to welcome our guests! Maureen’s bff’s, Jessica & Jaclyn traveled such a great distance to spend time with all of us so I asked Maureen if I could put together a quick lunch on my favorite Lake Wylie Beach. I bought grey & white fabric (technically they were curtains from Home Goods) and nautical pillows. I sat out folding chairs from Ikea (you might remember them from our Outdoor Movie Night) along with bamboo sticks, natural grass stems & sand dollars. I displayed the food on a piece of reclaimed wood and created custom place settings and printable decor.

Here are a few quick steps to see how I made the placemats for the table setting.

Directions:

1. Tape together two cake boards or cardboard (you can get the cake boards in bakery section of craft stores)
2. Wrap fabric of your choice around 2 layers of cake boards and staple fabric to backside.
3. Use printable party logos, party flags & twine to dress up paper goods.

I served easy tapas for the picnic including:
Italian White Bean Chutney
Fresh Pesto Dip (with basil from my garden!)
Homemade Tabbouleh
Peppered salami & Sopprassato
Various Cheeses, Crackers & Pita with Fig Jam
Blackberry & Feta Skewers with Honey
Watermelon Triangle Pops
Fresh Grapes