How to Make Your Day-cation an event all its own!!

With the every changing economy- and the uncertanity of what tomorrow may bring - more people are staying close to home for vacation and trying to may the ordinary into something extraordinary, all while spending as little money as possible.

Day trips are in abundance no matter where you live - you can always head to the beach or a park on a sunny day - but how do you make that short drive to the place your whole family and all your friends have been before an event to remember?

Its all about the details...

Here in Connecticut, my favorite day trip is the beach. The following thoughts are based

on making an unforgettable experience out of a basic trip to the shore - but you can adapt the ideas to any place you may want to go.

Adapt a theme for the day, since we are headed to the beach, nautical seems to be the natural way to go. I chose the colors of blue, yellow and white for this purpose.

The old adage says "the more the merrier" and I believe in that - I think that day trips to locales such as the beach where you don't have to move or keep track of people are the perfect time to invite everyone you want to catch up with. Pick your date carefully and be sure to plan on weather - set a rain date because no one wants to be outside, especially at the beach, in the rain. I invited about 20 guests to my beach day.

If you are anything like me, a definate planner, I would give yourself about a month to do the planning - this way you can inform your friends and family to save the date. This works really well for some people - but you certinaly shouldn't count the whole experience out if you only have a week to plan it. Sometimes spontaneous events are the most fun.

Now that you have your Guest list and your date - you are ready to start the planning for invitations I suggest cutting out shapes that match you theme and customizing them for your guests. My friend Kristen loves lighthouses, so I am using my cricut expression (this is a scrap bookers dream - it cuts out every shape imaginable in any size), to cut her invitation in the shape of a light house, my cousin loves fish so that is what her's will be. If you don't have away to cut shapes out and you aren't comfortable with your artistic side - the local craft stores typically carry die cut shapes in ev ery color that you can use.

Be sure to include all the information you think your guests will need in order to make it to the big event. Date, Time, and place are the essentials. My beach event is going to be a pot luck - so I am going to include a request for some sort of food item on the invitation. If you are going to request your guests bring things I would try to lay out what you would like to see for food a head of time and make suggestions.

Our beach m enu is also going to carry out the theme. I have also found that a day at the beach calls for more snack and quick grab items than it does a sit down menu, so I am asking guest to bring Seaworthy snacks, Admiral's appetizers, Seaman's sandwiches, salads and sides. No matter what you decide to serve, by directing guests to a category of food, you can ensure that you have enough variety. Remember a day at the beach doesn't really allow for much cooking - if you are planning on using hibachi's or tailgating grills to cook or warm items you should check with the town to ensure that it is allowed on the beach.

As for my food contribution, I am making what we are going to call "Harbor Hummus", an inexpensive, high prot ein snack that is easy to make, and the "Captian's Daughter's Keylime Stuffed Strawberries" for dessert.

Harbor Hummus Recipe

2 Can of Canellini beans

3 Cloves of Garlic

1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice

3 Tbs Olice Oil

1 1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, Chill and serve with pita crisps, and vegetables

Captian's Daughter's Keylime Stuffed Strawberries

2 pints of Strawberries

Philadelphia Key Lime Cheesecake Filling

Use a pealer to remove the stem and core of each strawberry - creating a hole inside

cut the pointy end off the strawberry and stand it on the tray -

save the ends to use as a garnish after they are stuffed

Use a pastry bag and pipe in the filling until the hole is full with a dallop on top

use the end of the strawberry to garnish

Now that the invitations are out and you have your menu fairly set - its time to put the finishing touches on the table.

The Beach that I am going to has a pavilion with Picnic tables - and I am planning on arriving early enough in the day to grab a few and call the space my own. Another option is to bring a small card table which you can get at a local discount store.

Again, I am going to use the Cricut expression to cut out nautical shapes which I can attach to popsicle sticks and use as identifiers in the food items to tell guests what they are eating. Since I don't know what people are bringing - I will have to hold off on writing the names of the food on them until I arrive at the beach.

Of course, as always, not using paper products gives everything a more upscale feel. The local dollar store as well as discount stores like Wal-mart and Target are always a wealth of products as far as party supplies.

I bought melamine dishes and glasses in my color scheme for people to eat and drink out of

I wanted guests to feel more important than a regular paper plate - but I didn't want to break the bank with china.

Instead of a table cloth - I opted for some fabric that matched the nautical theme and finished off the table with small glass bottles and Containers wrapped in rope that I bought at the local hardware store. These containers held the plastic silverware and napkins as well as the flowers. I also used 2 gathering jars filled with beach sand, a pillar candle and some sea shells as the main items on the table. I planned my beach outing so it carried over until after dusk - so the candles will keep the bugs away.

Since by guests were going to be at the beach for a long period of time I put together a large beach basket that was filled with items people may have forgotten and might need such as extra Towels, Bug spray, Wet Wipes

, a small First Aid Kit, SunScreen, Magazines, Balls and a Frisbee.

Big and Little Kids alike often get bored so make sure that you bring

enough activities so your guests have something to do.

My guests were loving the idea of the sandcastle contest so I am bringing extra items
that can be used to decorate, as well as a few specially purchased prizes to give out!

The most important thing about your day trip is to make it fun -
Memories always come from the fun times

As always if you would like some more ideas on how to make your trip a success

or need some help with the planning please contact
elissa@perfectprod.com.