Living in Portland (Oregon), we are fortunate in that our city’s park system puts on free concerts in the evening throughout the summer. I love to put together a great picnic dinner, grab a bottle of wine, and head up to the park near our house for a relaxing evening. These concerts give us a chance to meet up with friends, listen to music, and relax while trying to beat my daughter at cards for the evening. Outdoor concerts mean it’s summer time in Portland!
There seemed to be a reoccurring theme with our picnics: spills. Spilling red wine is always wasteful and there’s nothing worse than spilling it on a cute picnic blanket! After a few tragic spills of my wine onto the picnic blanket or grass, I figured there must be a better way. (Yes, my briefcase for BlogHer Food came with us to the concert. A wine bottle fits in it quite nicely.)
First, I tried setting the glass in the heel of a shoe (shoes are invariably off at these events) but alas, it still got bumped or kicked over. Between kids coming and going from our picnic spot or the other concert attendees, there were regularly spills. Then in the kitchen at home, I had a moment of revelation.
Why not use a small jelly jar, with a lid, as our picnic and traveling wine glasses?
Just fill it up, take a sip, then put the lid on – no more spills! I love easy solutions that involve using items I already have. It’s very Go Gingham!!
What are your picnic-packing-tips? How do you keep drinks from spilling?
Go Gingham related links:
Frugal family summer fun activities can be found here
Want to keep your food costs low while traveling? Try these tips!
Headed to the Pacific Northwest? You’ll want to hit these spots.
Shoo fly don’t bother me – this time keeping things out of my wine glass!
Go Gingham 
Drink faster! 😉
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Yes, there’s always that! Thanks, Erin! I’ve always loved your sense of humor and urgency 🙂
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Brilliant, Sara! I love this idea and am going to adopt it for my own picnics!
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Thanks, Annie! I never like to waste food – including beverages. 😉
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A friend of mine had a similar idea but she puts frozen margaritas in jelly jars and freezes them. When you get to your picnic they are just melty enough but still cold and ready to enjoy!
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Oh, I like that idea, too! I’m afraid I’d never have the margaritas ready to put in the freezer ahead of time. Thanks, Petra!!
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Yum!
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Genius! Amazing how these things occur to us during moments of clarity in the kitchen.
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It’s true that the kitchen is THE spot for moments of clarity! Thanks, Heidi!!
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A perfect idea. We should never spill red wine, especially Oregon Pinot Noir…way too expensive!
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Oh, Cathy, that’s for sure! Never spill the Oregon Pinot Noir 🙂
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I love this idea! We have been enjoying outdoor concerts here as well, and I will definitely be stealing this idea. Thanks for sharing!
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Hi Samantha! Thanks for stopping by and you are welcome…always happy to share an idea that’s easy, inexpensive and keeps us having fun!
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Love using ball jars for ideas like these. Happen to currently drink wine out of Bonne Maman jars because we don’t have wine glasses. 🙂
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