Remembering and Renewing a Fun Tradition

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Growing up, my family and I used to go on picnics quite often. We traveled a lot, and Mom would always pack the picnic basket and cooler with a wonderful meal that we could enjoy along the way at a roadside park. It was something I loved and remember very fondly.

Personally, I think people should go on picnics more often these days. It's a trend that has kind of gone out of style, and it's a shame! Some people, besides me, are in agreement. Gracie's Goods is a company that still believes going on picnics is a good idea, and has this sweet picnic basket just for that purpose. Well, okay, you can use it for more than just going on picnics too.

The basket is very sweet. I like how romantic it looks. The basket itself, is nicely woven and has a good sized handle to carry it with. The top is solid wood and has two sides that lift up individually, giving you easy access to the inside of the basket.

I really like the green gingham liner it has. It fills the whole basket with a nice little edging hanging over the rim of the basket and tied at the handles. It comes out completely, making it easy to wash if needed. That's a really nice plus, and I like the look it gives the basket.

Although when I first saw it I didn't think it would hold too much, I was very surprised at how much it really does hold. It's nice and roomy and can hold enough for just two or even more.

This basket reminded me so much of the days when we would go on picnics and I am sure that it will be fun to take along on many picnics in the future! But it doesn't just need to be used for picnics. It would be great for storing craft supplies, toys, stuffed animals, any number of things. I'm sure you could find a ton of uses for it, just like I did. Now just to figure out which one, besides for picnics!

You can purchase your own HERE!

When They Said Extra Large, They Meant It!

Sometimes you run into a company that consistently provides quality products. Well this is one of those companies. Sacko has been making amazing lunch bags and coolers for a while now and they just keep getting better at providing exactly what people need.

This Extra Large Dual Compartment Insulated Lunch Bag is no exception to their quality. It has proven to be even better than I thought it would be.

When they say extra large, they really mean it. This is the largest lunch bag I have seen on the market. It is perfect for a fun picnic for the family, for traveling, or for that big eater out on the job. The bottom of the cooler is big enough to hold more than a 6 pack of drinks. You can get 9 and maybe even 10 cans in the bottom of the cooler with room on top of them for other things and a cold pack. It's amazing how big this compartment is.

But there is also a top compartment that will hold fruit, sandwiches, and more. This top compartment unzips 3/4 of the way off the bottom compartment making it really easy to get in to each one without struggling to deal with the material the bag is made of. Oh, and the zippers have smooth action without catching.

Now here is the neat thing, there is a zipper that opens the bottom of the top compartment so you can get to the bottom compartment. If you need to carry larger items, this makes it super easy and you don't have to find another cooler to do so!

There are two nice sized mesh pockets on the short sides of the bag and one small zippered pocket on the front. These are perfect for carrying smaller things and stuff you don't want in the cold section like silverware, napkins, sweetener and more. The handle is very comfortable to hold on to. It is padded and there is plenty of room for even someone with a large hand to get a good grip on the bag. If I were to find any fault with this bag, it would be that there is not a shoulder strap to carry it with. I kind of like having that option.

 The bag is well insulated and can keep things nice and cold for 5-6 hours as long as you are not opening and shutting it a lot. I know my family and I will be using this a lot on day trips and jaunts to the beach!

You can purchase the Extra Large Dual Compartment Insulated Lunch Bag HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

How About A Collapsible Picnic Basket?

When was the last time you went on a picnic? I love going on them, and enjoy every aspect of them. There's something about being in the fresh air, enjoying the people you are with and the simple meal you share.

I am blessed to have my Mother's picnic basket and I love it! I can't tell how many years she used it. I remember being allowed to carry it as a child and feeling special. Well I have a new picnic basket (no, I am not getting rid of my Mother's), and this picnic basket is pretty nifty!

AspenBox has the Sprucebay Insulated Picnic Basket and the neatest thing about this basket is the fact that it collapses, making it easy to store when you aren't using it. Let's face it, picnic baskets can take up a lot of room in storage.

The picnic basket has an aluminum frame with soft grips on the handles, and is insulated so it will keep your foods inside nice and cold, or hot depending on what you take along with you. The basket is 17"x9"x9". It's a good size for taking along pretty much everything you need. When it is collapsed it is about 2" thick, so it won't take up a lot of room at all. This thing will hold up to 65 pounds of food & supplies! That's amazing and if you take that much food on a picnic you have enough to feed a small army!

The material is waterproof, so it is super easy to clean and keep clean. I like the grey and white chevron pattern of the material. It's distinctive and very much "in" right now. The lid has a nice zipper that goes around three sides of the basket making it easy to get to everything inside. There are small metal frame pieces to help hold the basket shape when you are using it and they fold down to collapse it.

I think this is a really nifty idea and I am pleasantly surprised at how much it holds. I think it is a great idea and will enjoy using it for a long time. Now to plan a picnic with my husband!

You can purchase the AspenBox Sprucebay Insulated Picnic Basket HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

The Pcinic Table Mat Doesn't Seem Like A Picnic To Me

It's not too often that I find a product I am just not really happy with. Well this is one.

They call this the Picnic Table Mat. It is from the HandyMat company. When I first read about it I was curious and hoped it would be something we could use for cookouts, picnics and more. When I got it in the mail, I quickly changed my mind although was open to seeing how well they did or didn't do.

The product arrives with two folded in half plastic corrugated mats. They look like a gingham table cloth. The "cloth" looking design is printed on it and if anything sticky gets on the mat repeated wiping in that area can remove some of the design. To me, that is a flaw that is not really acceptable.

Each of the individual mats are 12" x 17" folded in half, so when open at the full 24" x 17" you place them on your picnic table to cover up messes or dirty looking old wood. I get the idea and love that part of it. The problem is, the mats do not completely fit the size of the picnic table. After being tried on several tables, not once did they cover the whole width of the table except for one of the plastic kids picnic tables. Nor did they fit down the center of the table with enough room on each side to put plates. To me this is a problem. You end up with awkward edges to deal with as you set your plate down on the table. No matter which way you place them, the edge is in the way for someone and their plates if you have 5-6 people eating. If there are only 2-3, they can sit on the opposite end of the mats and it works.

The mats do clean up easily if you are careful. They recommend things like a damp cloth, wet wipes, or using Windex to clean them. I just know we had a small spot that was really sticky and getting that off took some of the design off too, shown in the picture above.

My other problem with them is you can't put anything hotter than a cool enough to drink coffee cup on them. Even with a hot pad under a hot plate or pan, the corrugated plastic will warp or melt. I've never had that happen with a cloth or vinyl table cover. So this concerns me. If I am using this with company around, I feel like I would constantly have to be reminding them to not set anything hot on them. but that may just be me.

My last thing is that when folded and placed in the plastic zip bag for storage, they don't fit in my picnic basket or cooler. Every cloth or vinyl cover I have had does. So it is just one more thing to carry along and to figure out where to store.

I like the idea of the product, but I personally am not sold on it. This may be something you might like and I see from other reviewers, they like them. I'll stick to my good old table cloth I have used for years and my Mom used before me.

You can purchase the HandyMay Picnic Table Mat HERE!