Week #3: Summer Bounty

I finished in 2nd place again last week, which I was very happy about.

Summer Bounty Picnic Basket

Summer Bounty makes me think of delicious foods, warm weather, and a more relaxed schedule with my children. One of our favorite summertime activities is picnicking, so I sewed a liner for a laundry basket and turned it into a great picnic basket instead!

I picked up a square laundry basket at Walmart for around $6. I think it's a perfect size to allow for a good sized picnic without becoming too heavy once it's packed up with all the food. I also made sure to get one with comfortable and sturdy handles. 

I used duck cloth and outdoor canvas for the fabrics of the liner because I wanted something that would hold up to a lot of use. The top of the liner has a drawstring cord so that I don't have to worry about things falling out in the car, and ties in each corner to keep it from shifting around the basket. But it's still detachable if it needed to be taken out and cleaned.

The top can fold completely over the edge of the basket allowing for easy access to the inside. There are six pockets around the insides so you can keep things neatly organized. 

My plan is to keep the basket all stocked and ready to go so that I could be ready to picnic in matter of minutes. Throw some sandwiches together, add in some fruit and chips and we're off!

I think it's impressive that in the basket I have paper plates, plastic knives, forks and spoons, salt and pepper, garbage bags (large and small), wipes, tissues, paper towels, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, bug repellent, a note pad, pencil, and a deck of cards, and there is still a ton of room for food, and even a blanket if you wanted. This picnic basket could go to the park, the mountains, the beach, or even on a car trip. We're ready for any adventure!

I used this basket twice within a week of finishing it, and I love it. On our outing to the Golden Spike visitors center last weekend,  I literally realized we needed to take something for lunch on our way out the door. So I grabbed the basket and threw in a loaf of bread, the jars of peanut butter and honey, a package of goldfish, and a Tupperware container of grapes. It took me less than two minutes to be out the door and we had everything we needed to pull of a successful car picnic! I spent the entire lunch pointing out to my family how cool it was how perfectly my idea worked! Finally my husband responded with the proper enthusiasm... so I shut up. :) But dudes! It is just so cool to be able to feed your children and have it take two minutes to be ready to go! I know this basket is going to get a lot of use over the rest of the summer and in years to come...