THE DOGGIE DEETS!

I am thrilled to report that the Doggie Picnic was a great success and now that it's over, Peanut is officially two and I officially have my life back (well, as much as it is my own here in this last week of summer vacation!). Since we held the party at my in-law's pool, I had a keen eye on the weather all week and we did have a little scare that thunderstorms would hit just as the party was starting, but in the end the weather was glorious!

The tone for the picnic was set with lots of wonderful oilcloth (forever blue and red gingham) used on the tables and the decor, and we of course needed to add some doggies as it was Peanut's love of dogs that inspired this whole quirky doggie picnic in the first place! So, the oilcloth was for me, the doggies were for her, and everyone was happy. The rest of the decor was very simple, with flowers from the garden snipped and arranged in oilcloth trimmed tomato cans just minutes before the party began. Oh, and did I mention that there were doggies? 

One of my most favorite details for all kinds of parties, but especially those outdoors, are custom water bottles to match the party theme. For children's parties, I often customize each label with the child's name so there is no confusion when the children lose track of their water. But since this was a family party, the labels were all the same and I did not have to "worry about unsightly labels that do not match the theme" to quote party guy as he teases me about my compulsion, err . . . attention to detail. Truth be told, I'm not the only one with such compulsions, as these water bottles with their sleek shape and customized labels have quickly become one of my most popular party accessories.

Since this picnic was by a pool, we had to include some pool games, the highlight of which were the intense and fiercely competitive doggie paddle races. Other events included the cat chase and some odd variation of fetch while swimming. Trust me, this last one wasn't pretty.

The beauty of having a picnic is that it calls for very simple food. We served an array of sandwiches and salads that were easy to prepare and very low stress. For dessert, we served cupcakes, Pumpkin's famous rice krispie treats and delicious chocolate covered strawberries. Simple and delicious. And we made a point to have lots of leftovers so that we could send everyone home with...

Doggie Bags, of course!

Want to know what else went home in these doggie bags? I'll be posting more on that tomorrow and you know I love a good party favor, so you won't want to miss it!

ETA: Party Favors Details Here.