A PICTURE-PERFECT SUMMER PICNIC (Food Recipes & Picnic Fashion)

After being offline for a while and unveiling my new site yesterday, I thought today would be the perfect day to kick off the new and improved blog by sharing a gorgeous outdoor lifestyle shoot I recently created and captured. I hope you will enjoy scrolling through these instagram-worthy pics of this gorgeous picnic setting.

Ahh..simple summer pleasures of a sweet summer picnic on a picture-perfect day!

Inspiration behind this picnic:

Since the spring season, I’ve been dreaming up how I could create and capture a picture-perfect summer picnic. I’ve also been itching to have the opportunity to shoot lifestyle imagery. My sister, JoAnn lives directly across a lovely park filled with acres and acres of mature trees, luscious green grass – surrounded by a lake (sometimes you may spot deer and geese walking by). I immediately knew: we have to shoot a picnic here!

One late afternoon, we packed up the SUV and drove across the street to find my favorite spot to spread out a picnic blanket – that showcased the early evening sun that gazed over the beautiful lake. It was a picturesque backdrop to capture this scene with my sister in it!

On the menu:

When it came to choosing what picnic foods to enjoy on this warm summer day, I knew I wanted to recreate a light fare. I went to two of my favorite food bloggers! First up…Lindsay of Pinch of Yum for her deliciously healthy recipe! The first recipe is her Avocado Kale Caesar and Sweet Potato Fries. The creamy avocado caesar dressing took the kale to another level and pairing it with sweet potato fries was the perfect combination! The second recipe I made was a Marinated Mozzarella Melon Salad from Jessica of How Sweet Eats. We loved the mix of sweet watermelon and the savory mozzarella balls and cucumbers.

Skip the Bubbly:

Served chilled – for our drink of choice, a refreshing glass of Gavioli (non-alcoholic) sparkling Blood Orange Grape Juice drink produced in Italy was poured. Made from freshly pressed grapes, this drink was delicious and paired well with the light luncheon fare.