Haven’t you heard? It’s picnic week here on CamilleStyles.com… and in honor of the occasion, our team decided to escape the office and pack up a chic little picnic lunch yesterday at a park near my house (did you catch the inspiration I posted yesterday?) As we enjoyed our baguette sandwiches and niçoise salads, a light breeze blew threw the live oaks overhead providing a bit of relief from the Texas sun. Summer perfection. It’s so necessary to take an afternoon – even just an hour – and get away from our desks to soak up a few sunshine-y days before fall arrives, don’t you think? Have you gotten a chance to do that yet this summer? Keep reading for all the details on yesterday’s picnic…and hopefully you’ll be inspired to invite a few friends for a midday break under the trees this week!
We loaded up my car with picnic necessities, starting with a classic basket overflowing with chilled lemonade, vintage napkins, baguettes loaded with grilled vegetables and ripe cherries. A long swath of gingham fabric would serve as a pretty runner on the park table.
The key to setting a picnic-perfect table? Striking the right balance between pretty, special and totally unfussy. The simplest centerpiece was created with three flowering plants we picked up from the neighborhood nursery, then covered the plastic bases with kraft paper. (The entire thing was less than $5.) Niçoise salads layered in canning jars added color to each place setting – be sure to stop back by later this afternoon for the delicious recipe!
Chanel added subtle detail to these simple glass IKEA bottles by taping off the bottom and creating stripes with white spray paint. A vintage wire basket is full of picnic essentials: handkerchiefs-turned-napkins, striped twine, playing cards and sunglasses.
Tyler’s ready to take a bite out of his baguette, stuffed with grilled eggplant, zucchini, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. I wrapped them up in parchment and tied with a tag bearing each of our names…a great way to keep track of whose sandwich is whose.
We packed our basket with a few great novels for lingering around the table…and a classic fruit tart that instantly transports me to the French countryside with its vibrant celebration of summer’s bounty.
Bamboo plates are pretty and disposable, and Chanel made these party-worthy by adding a colorful rim to each one. (And yes, we’re sharing the DIY next week!)
Crinkle & Crimp Tumblers from Anthropologie, striped twine from Paper Source, glass terrines from Container Store.
Days like this make me wonder why I don’t take a moment to slow down and enjoy the great outdoors every afternoon! Though with a little girl entering our lives soon, I see a lot more picnics in my future (and I couldn’t be more thrilled.) Do y’all have any little tips or must-haves for summertime picnics? I’d love to hear – leave a comment and let me know!
*photos by Camille
Camille, your photos are beautiful!! I love this inspiration. Heading to the beach this weekend and will definitely make use of some of these ideas!
Love these pictures! The decoration is so beautiful with all these vibrant colors, and I’m dying over this fruit cake!! I looks delicious!!
xo Andrea
Wonderful and Marvelous
Pretty incredible! I love the images! They make me want to run out and set up a beautiful picnic just like this one! Gorgeous and yummy!
Picnic at its best! Oh…. thank you thank you for sharing. So often I daydream of a picnic with my family and romanticize the event, but this post has made me feel that rather than daydreaming about it I can actually take the plunge and make it happen. Thank you for my dose of reality!
Yay!! That’s awesome Rossana, thanks for sharing… and so glad you’re feeling inspired to picnic!
Loving your Picnic Week! Lots of beautiful goodies and great photos(noticed you took these}. Way to go talented Camille!
Thanks!! I was a little nervous about shooting this myself, but was so happy with how it turned out. I got lucky with the perfect lighting yesterday!
So beautiful! I love how you always put so much into the details! That cake looks amazing…
Always love your posts! So wonderful! Wish I lived in Austin, would have loved to be there!
Looking forward to the DIY too!
I love everything about this. I would eat, like, four of those sandwiches!
How dreamy! Those baguette sandwiches are especially swoon-worthy. I love that they’re wrapped with parchment and twine…parchment and twine just have a way of dressing everything up! Thanks for the inspiration for a lovely afternoon outdoors….Xo, Katie
Seriously, you guys are too cute! What a fun lunch break. Sure beats Subway!
Kristina
Nook & Sea
I love how much detail you put into things to make every moment special – this is beyond beautiful! I can’t wait to go on a picnic later this week – I think my roommates and I will pack one to watch an outdoor summer movie!
Great styling and photography Camille! I like the salad idea too.
I have had picnic’s on my mind lately and after seeing these Beautiful picture’s I will be planning one soon! Everything about this picnic is perfection!!!
I love this post! It made me so happy. I need to go on a picnic now!
-Lindsey
Et tu, tutu?
Camille everything looks great! The food, the decoration,the pictures! I’m dying over this fruit cake! Are you going to the recipe
Camille, you and your team has hit another great idea out of the park. I love how you took a simple idea and turned it up a notch! Packing my picnic this weekend.
This really is a great source of inspiration for me. I will definitely make use of some of the ideas that you mention when we go to Toronto’s High Park. As a mother of three children I always choose picnic spots where they can enjoy their favorite activities and that’s why the park is the most popular place in our family when it comes to picnicking.
This is amazing! Where in Austin did you find those yummy looking baguettes?
Perfect!