GONE GLAMPING

Hi Hunters!! It has been a while!  Unfortunately there is no house news…. womp womp.  We are still in our little house & it is still For Sale, so rather than discussing how boring our past few months have been while on the market, I thought I would share something fun!!  We are going camping!!  Or Glamping?!  Is that still even a thing?  I’m not sure, but that is what we are doing.  We skipped out on the opportunity to go on vacation this Summer, just in case something happened with the house.  So I am BEYOND excited that we have had this trip planned for months because now it is upon us.  And we could really use an escape.  Five of our favorite families are heading out together over the Labor Day Weekend to just sit back & relax at the lake.  Sounds like a dream right now.

Here is the thing… I have NEVER been camping before.  Like ever.  My Girl Scout camping trip was rained out & we “camped” in a very nice neighborhood pool house.  It was very Troop Beverly Hills minus the chic palm prints.  The idea of camping has always made me nervous.  My husband on the other hand has always loved camping.  Like solo through the mountains, just him and his gear.  So when we agreed to this, I told him I needed a compromise.  A campsite we can drive up to with electricity, water & a bathroom!  lol.

After the site was booked, the planning began!!  Now you all know me, I can’t just set up any old tent.  I convinced my fam that we really needed to get a Bell Tent, because honestly they are just so fun.  I found a stellar deal on Wayfair & after it was delivered we instantly set it up in the backyard to see what we would be working with.

This thing is huge!!! It is 16′ in diameter and 12′ tall at the highest point.  It was also pretty easy to set up, which is definitely a plus.  After it was up, I was worried my husband would be rolling his eyes because this is the complete opposite of his idea of camping.  Much to my surprise he was sold!  He loved the tent & I loved the fact that we could fit up to two queen air mattresses inside!  I was also relieved when he said he envisioned rugs scattered on the inside, because lets face it… that is exactly what I had planned.

Over the past few months I have kept my eyes out for the items needed to take our bell tent to the next level.  So after a few Amazon orders, Goodwill runs & a few purchases at stores like TJ Maxx we are packed and ready to get our Glamp on!  Here is a look into what we will be using over the holiday weekend.

1.  Bell Tent // as mentioned above.  This tent from Wayfair is HUGE!  Great for Festivals, too.

2. Hammock // A must for camping.  It was a bonus that I found one to coordinate with our color palette.

3. Solar Stakes // The plan is to pair the solar stakes up with the guy lines that go into the ground.  My main concern was somebody stepping on one of the metal stakes used to set up the tent.  Mostly because that is exactly what I did when we were setting ours up for practice!  By placing a solar stake at each line it will help keep our friends (& myself!!) from tripping, and also help to illuminate our campsite at night.  FYI, I picked ours up at the Dollar Tree.

4.  Tablecloth  // I choose to order an inexpensive Oil Cloth Tablecloth from Amazon to place on the picnic table at our site.  This way I can easily wipe it down before & after meals.  I also ordered these clips to keep the tablecloth in place.

5.  Melamine Plates // Rather than tossing paper plates at every meal, we are packing a few melamine plates that we can rinse off.  These bamboo ones from Ballard Designs are my go to picnic/outdoor dining.

6.  Rugs // It will be much nicer walking around on a few soft scatter rugs around the tent, plus it will help to keep the base of the tent protected.  I have had a faux white cowhide rug for years rolled away in our attic.  Knowing that it was lightweight I thought this would be a great opportunity to bring it out.  I also picked up two other lightweight (& foldable!!) scatter rugs while out and about to layer.  Again, I have 16′ to cover!!

7.  Bedding // A clean set of sheets and a lightweight duvet insert all in white will keep the tent feeling fresh & lux like a hotel.  I mean we are on vacay after all.  Knowing full and well these are bound to get a little dirty, I went with affordable bedding options from Target that I know stand up to multiple washings.  I also added these black bordered Oxford Style pillow shams from H&M to add a little interest.  They are a steal at $7 a piece!!  At the end of the bed will be a lightweight throw from Ikea.  Great for cooler evenings around the campfire!!  And at only $4, I couldn’t pass them up.  I am also sneaking along a throw pillow or two… shhhh!

8.  Baskets // When thinking of packing all of this stuff, I was trying to come up with a box that would also be functional.  My idea was baskets.  I found two large rectangular baskets to serve multiple purposes.  I will be able to pack multiple loose items within them to transfer to & from our site.  I can also utilize these within the tent by flipping them upside down to be a nightstand, or on the bed as a tray.  I am also using another basket at the front of the tent to hold all of our shoes.  The tent will have a strict no shoe policy to keep it as clean as possible.

I 100% realize that a lot of these items are over the top, but I really wanted to go all out for our first experience!

Check back next week to see pics from our trip & to see updates on a fun collaboration I have been working on!!