Clever Blog

Picnic in a Snap

The idea of picnicking is nostalgic and romantic even; the perfect plaid blanket laid out in a beautiful grassy knoll, an extravagant spread, sandals kicked off, a couple of clouds floating by…. In flies a soccer ball and simultaneously your toddler knocks over your drink. Ok, so picnics can seem like a far-fetched dream, but the truth is they don’t have to be perfect. In fact, here are some tips to make picnicking your go-to summer eve meal.

• Scrap that picnic basket that looks charming but actually only holds about four items. Grab a lightweight, reusable SnapBasket and pop it open. Not only will SnapBasket hold up to 32lbs of delicious fare, it wipes clean and collapses for tidy clean-up.

• Invest in a blanket, it doesn’t even need to be plaid, but it should be durable, easy to wipe clean and easy to fold up. We like this one. 

• Pick up some reusable containers that fit well (optimizing the space) in your SnapBasket. These will be the go-to vessels for whatever delicacies (ok, PB&J) you choose and should close tight for mess-free travel. Keep these containers along with some reusable utensils, a mini-cutting board and a couple plastic wine glasses in one place, ready to go. 

• Don’t stress about the menu. The best part of picnicking is enjoying the outdoors, family and friends and maybe even a great sunset. Don’t worry about creating an epic charcuterie board every time. You know what makes great picnic fare? Leftovers, any cut-up fruit or veggies paired with dips like hummus or yogurt, and yes, seriously, PB&J or any other simple sandwich. It may seem like a far-out concept but literally EVERY food in your fridge can be made into a picnic.

• That’s it, get out there, head for the beach, park or ballgame and make one night a week picnic night. Keep it simple, you won’t regret it.

Five Clever Active Storage Solutions for the Home

Make a plan. Take a look at the space you’re working with and determine how you can optimize it. This will help lead your decisions on what type of organizational tools you need to buy. Consider your vertical storage offerings. Is there an area where stacking would save room? Are there items you’ll need to have easy access to, versus others that can be stored deeper away?

Store like items together. If household items are stored in multiple locations, drawers, baskets, or bins it’s easy to forget what you have. Consolidating like items into individual crates will eliminate over shopping and you’ll know exactly where to look next time you need an item.

Keep your hobby in a mobile container. Keeping hobby items in CleverCrates baskets allows for easy access to your favorite activities. Pull out your knitting basket and easily carry it to any room of the house. The baskets can then be stacked away for easy, organized clean-up. This eliminates the hassle of pulling several items out every time you need them and keeps your hobby contained, eliminating the chance that things will get left out, or lost.

Make storing kids toys fun. Colorful storage solutions can make clean-up fun for kids. Select storage containers in a few different sizes and colors and let the kiddos assign toys by category. For example: Dinosaur toys go in the green bins, building blocks in red. CleverCrates offer stackable storage in sizes that kids can handle, making clean-up doable for every member of the family.

Create Store-to-Kitchen solutions. Keeping plastic, paper and reusable bags stored can be a real hassle, they fill up cabinets and closets and usually get left behind anyway. Keep a set of pack-flat CleverCrates and SnapBaskets in your car, pop them open in the cart and transport them conveniently from cart to car and home again. Holding over 32lbs of groceries and gear,  these tip-free crates and baskets take the hassle out of shopping and eliminate the mess at home.

For more clever tips + tricks follow us @Clever_Made