DIY Picnic for Two (Paris Style)

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time daydreaming about picnics, so I thought this would be the perfect inspiration for a new craft project.  For the next month or so, I’m going to be putting together a series of tutorials to create my ideal picnic-for-two. 
As much as I love a traditional American picnic in bright, summer colors, this time I’m thinking of something a little fancier and more… Japanese craft book + French.  That fabric with the keys (in the photo above) was my jumping off point, and I’m thinking of ways to add some lace, teacups, and a few other sparkly surprises.  Would you care to join me for le pique-nique?

Next week, we’ll get started making over the picnic basket.  However, I wanted to give you a heads up in case you’d like to play along.  I picked up this sewing basket at JoAnn Fabric’s.  This one was slightly damaged so it was on clearance, but if you use a 40% off coupon I think you could grab one of these baskets for around $10.  This basket is small which will work for 2– and I think the flat top will be great to use as a make-shift table.

In order to get ready for the picnic basket make-over, I removed the upholstered top (which was glued in) and made a few repairs.  I also removed the cheap nylon lining on the inside of the lid.  (You can see the lining before it was removed in the photo below.)  This is going to be the perfect spot for some chalkboard paint.  We will be able to write down reminders (don’t forget napkins!) or maybe play a game of tic-tac-toe.

I thought about spray painting the basket, but decided that the natural wood color would look best with the fabrics I’ve pulled from my stash.  I’m going to use some strong doses of black and a punch of bright colors — pink, turquoise, and citrus green.

I’m not sure I’ll use all of these, but I also spent some time digging through my ribbons and trims.  There will be plenty to choose from.  However, that striped ribbon is a definite yes.

This weekend I am going to hunt down some plates, flatware, and teacups so I will have all of my measurements ready for next week.  If you’d like to join me, I plan to make: a new top for the picnic basket, a fabric liner with straps/pockets to secure everything in place, a picnic blanket, some insulated bags to keep foods hot/cold, decorative containers, and maybe a few other little surprises.  Can’t wait!