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I am so excited about this lake life post! Looks Like Happy has teamed up with Thirty-One for a giveaway that goes perfectly with our lake life must haves! And the best part is, you don’t have to be a lake lifer – you can be a lake-goer, or a beachgoer, or a pool-goer, or a summer lover, or a picnicker, or a BBQ or block party attendee – you can be pretty much anything and still want to participate in this awesome giveaway! What is it, you ask? Well, it’s AWESOME, for one. For two, it’s a Large Utility Tote. That’s right, Thirty-One fans, we are giving away a LUT! But wait, there’s more…we’re also giving away a matching Thermal Tote. Yay!!!

Kerrie Early, National Executive Director at Thirty-One, has been amazing to work with and will gladly answer any questions you have about becoming a Thirty-One consultant or helping you place orders. (I am not a consultant, so please go through her with any questions you may have.) Would you believe she started as a consultant and worked her way up to National Executive Director in her first five years with the company? How awesome is that? We think it’s VERY awesome! You can learn more about Kerrie and her passion for Thirty One, and also place orders through her, here. 

As you know, we live on a lake, and with that comes lots of summer visitors, entertaining, and time spent on the boat and in the water. If you’ve ever been to the beach before, you know how it is having to load everything up, carry it all from the car to your spot and get set up. This is the same, except it’s every weekend from Memorial Day through Labor Day. You go out on the boat or down to the fire and forget something a couple times and it is a total drag.

“WAIT! Dock the boat again. I’m sorry. I forgot the sunscreen.”

“WAIT!! We have to go back. I forgot the guac.”

“SHOOT! Hold on. Let me run BACK up to the house for the marshmallows.”

First world problems, I understand, but a pain in the patooty none the less. You’d think I would weigh 112 pounds for as often as I am running up to the house. Sadly, it doesn’t convert.

Thirty One – Versatile Bags and So Much More

So I was thinking, I need a bag for our lake fun. And not just any bag, but a real bag. A BAG bag that can hold everything for an outing on the boat, or an afternoon in the water, or for when we head over to my mom’s cottage for dinner, or an evening around the fire. And I thought of my daughter’s travel softball days when all of the Fun Moms had amazing, cute Thirty-One utility totes that hauled everything they could possibly need for 15 hours at the ballpark and knew right away that a Thirty-One LUT (Large Utility Tote) is a “Lake Life Must Have.” So I went to Thirty-One and started looking around and was so surprised to see they have more than just the giant utility bags! I sent a blind inquiry and got really lucky that it was Kerrie who texted me back- she is so knowledgeable and on top of things! They have tons of functional items designed to make busy lives easier- take a look:

Super cute, right?! Especially that plaid wallet! Head over here to Kerrie’s Thirty-One site and check out all of the great products! (They even have baby stuff! And home decor!!) Organization is my passion- I can’t wait to figure out what I NEED! I love that mocha-colored weekender bag. I think I need it for the fall weekend trips I have planned…

8/13/2018 Update:
The giveaway has ended, but you can still stock up on awesome Thirty-One items using the links found throughout the post.

Giveaway Details

Giveaway Rules:

• One reader will receive a Thirty One Lotta Colada Large Utility Tote and matching Thermal Tote. 
• To enter the giveaway, leave a comment in the “comment section” below with your favorite summertime activity.
• For an extra entry, react to and comment on our Facebook post about this giveaway.
• For another extra entry, “like” and comment on our Instagram post about this giveaway.
• The giveaway ends on August 12th, 2018.
• The winner will be notified by August 14th, 2018 at the email address used when leaving a comment on this post. 
• This giveaway is open to USA and Canada residents only.

Pretty easy, right? So, let us know your favorite summertime activity below and you may just be the lucky recipient of two awesome Thirty One products! And don’t forget to visit Kerrie’s Thirty One site to show her some love for providing the awesome totes for our giveaway!

Ok- now that we have announced our giveaway, let’s get started! 

10 Essential Lake Life Must Haves 

One: A Large Bag to Hold All of Your Stuffs

We love our Lotta Colada Large Utility Tote from Thirty-One. Enter the giveaway, or get yours here! This bag is large enough to hold towels, sweatshirts, sunscreen, snacks, bug spray, goggles- everything you need for a boat ride to the middle of the lake for some snacking and swimming! I am completely in love with pineapples lately and this print is so cute! I love how colorful and fun it is. 

Here is our Thirty-One tote packed to the brim for an afternoon out on the lake. We have 7 beach towels and a boat blanket in there- it is that big! An I love how it stands up tall so all of the contents stay put.

Don’t you love the personalization?! Kerrie surprised me with that- Family Fun and Keep It Cool are definitely two phrases that go hand in hand with summertime!

 

Two: A Thermal Tote to Hold All of Your Drinks

Lake Life is one big game of “hold my beer and watch this” and now I have an awesome Thirty-One thermal tote in Lotta Colada to hold my drinks! Hubby is on his own, this tote is way too cute for his lackluster beer! Enter the giveaway, or get yours here!

For a day out on the lake, you need some liquid refreshments and the Thirty-One thermal tote is perfect for beverages. We filled it with ice to keep our drinks nice and cold and it worked like a champ! (It zips shut to keep everything cold and in place, but for photo purposes it is unzipped.)

Three: Fun Beach Towel Blankets

I am OBSESSED with these fun, round beach towels that double as beach or boat blankets! Last year I bought one with a cute flamingo print for my mom’s beach house in Florida and she LOVES it. It acts as a great wrap when the ocean wind picks up. This fun pineapple towel has the cutest tassels and is large enough for two to get cozy on. If pineapples aren’t your thing, no worries- there are 22 patterns to choose from!

 

My husband loves his DJI Phantom Pro 4 drone and it takes great 4k video! He got this cute shot of our youngest daughter, Grace, getting some sun on the diving dock while he was taking a little flight around the lake. It’s a great drone, and if you’re thinking of getting one you should definitely check it out!

Four: Fun Floats

My crazy girlfriend was visiting a couple weekends ago and brought us this huge swan floatie. It is not as big as some of the giant floats we have on our lake, but it is perfect for us! We had swans on the lake last year, and late winter we had NINE that stayed for a week or so on a layover to somewhere, but none came back to summer with us. That was the first time in the 40 years I’ve been coming to our cottage we’ve had swans and it was pretty neat!

Our oldest daughter, Alex, is not a fan of being in the lake, but even she could not resist going for a float on our fun new swan. It was such a beautiful day! 

Five: Something to Wear Out the Kids

This enormous trampoline was a source of so much fun for our kids growing up- it’s actually living next door at our neighbors’ house now because they have little kids that need to swim and jump off loads of energy. I’m telling you- climbing onto that platform and then up on to the top is A LOT OF WORK. So much work that you do it once and decide never again, because everyone is laughing at your efforts. You know what the lake life quotes say: What happens at the lake is laughed about all year! (Truth.) But the kids? They can do it alllll day. It is loads of fun and quite a workout! Not to mention, it wears them out for bedtime. Win. 😉

Six: A Floating Bar Table

Our favorite thing to do on sweltering summer days is float. We take our boat cushions into the lake, balance on them like they are underwater ponies, and relax. It’s so much fun, and the neighbors often join us. I have been wracking my brain over some sort of polystyrene floating table I can make, but DUH, Amazon does it again. I have no idea why it didn’t occur to me to search for a “floating bar” until *just now,* but it didn’t, and this guy is 1) too cute, and 2) perfect for my needs. He’s even a little cooler! <add to cart!>

Seven: SUP and Kayak Accessories.

If you are a SUP’er or kayaker, you’re going to want a CreekKooler. Shaped like a little kayak, this cooler is insulated and will keep your ice cold up to 48 hours. Use it for food and beverages, to hold your catch of the day, or as dry storage on your adventures. (You need to put your phone somewhere dry, right?) The CreekKooler attaches to your SUP or kayak and trails behind you, ready to serve at a moments notice. 

I think our kayak needs a little cooler to tow, how about you? Then our friend Ed could be our personal kayaking bartender. 

Eight: Comfy Chairs

You can’t always be in the lake- you’re going to need to dry out at some point and you need a comfy chair to do it! Gravity chairs are ideal for lake life because they are perfect for sitting in the sun AND they are perfect for reclining and doing a little stargazing at night! The gravity chair below is especially nice because it has a sunshade and a table to hold your phone or a book and a beverage. I think I need to upgrade!

 

Nine: Campfire Supplies

You can’t have a weekend at the lake without a campfire, and you can’t have a campfire without S’mores! These marshmallow sticks are great for a few reasons, but the most notable is that they are different colors. This may not seem like a big deal, but after a day of playing in the sun and water, the kids are whiny as all get out by the time the fire is lit. Minimize “that’s myyyyyyyyyyyy stick” complaints when they each have their own color. Plus, these are double-pronged, so they will work great for hot dogs, too! Did you know Jet-Puffed makes square S’moreMallows? They do. And they are perfect for s’mores!

Ten: Shark!

You can’t forget your four-legged friends when it comes to lake life must haves! This shark life jacket is so cute and ensures your dogfish (get it? ha!) won’t get tired out during an afternoon of ball chasing and swimming. Not to mention, our Cooper has been known to jump off the boat while it’s moving because he loves the lake and has poor impulse control. Boys. Sigh. 😉

Isn’t he the cutest? He loves this life jacket, and it also allows him to spend more time with his mom (me!!) in the water. There will not be pictures of that hot mess…

Seriously. Can you even stand how cute he is? My kids are going to be like, “Oh, Cooper gets a collage and our pictures are barely edited?!” Guess who doesn’t talk back, listens to me and is always happy to see me? Yep. Cooper. 

If your dog is more mermaid than shark, no worries! These life jackets come in several different styles for your water dog!

Bonus: BBQ Boat

Just in case you have too much money and aren’t quite sure what to do with it, the very last thing you need to fully live Lake Life is a BBQ Dining Boat. I’m sure you can guess who the retailer is, it’s the same people (Hammacher)  who brought you the Killer Whale Submarine, which is quite possibly the very last thing you need to fully live beach life. If you’re tempted to buy the BBQ boat or whale, please lmk so I can provide you with an affiliate link. 😉

How fun are all of these “must haves?!” There is still a lot of life in this summer, so get out there and have some sunny fun! 

Follow us on Pinterest and explore our Lake & Beach House Lifestyle board for more lakehouse style inspiration!

Need more activities for your yard or the beach to keep you busy this summer? Check out these related posts: 

10 Insanely Fun Outdoor Games To Make Your Summer Slay
10 Ridiculously Fun Ways to Entertain Kids at Your BBQ
Take Your BBQ to the Next Level With This Awesome BBQ Menu
5 Must Have Drinks for Hot Summer Days

Happy Lake Living!
Allison

 

 

 

 

 

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