Ice cream anyone? I recently had the opportunity to share my tips for an ice cream party on KATU’s Afternoon Live! See the favors we chose to give and how to make mini ice cream cone decorations out of balloons and my free waffle cone printable in the clip below.
Did you know that the month of July is National Ice Cream Month? I mean…how fitting? I personally could (and do) eat ice cream ALL year long. However, it is the perfect treat on a hot summer day. Celebrate the summer with a DIY ice cream party! The great thing about hosting an ice cream party is that you can make it as simple or as elaborate as you like. You can get really fancy and have a whole table of topping options. Or, you can have your very favorite toppings out and call it good.
When hosting an ice cream themed party the only rule is that you absolutely serve ice cream at that party. There are so many ways you can really have fun with this theme from color scheme to food to serve. You can do a retro throw back party with a color scheme of red, white, and black and serve up tall hot fudge sundaes or root beer floats. You can do like I did and focus on all the colors of sprinkles for you theme. Heck, you can even throw an ice cream taco party if you want to go crazy!
Enjoy these simple tips will help keep your ice cream party fun for all… including YOU the host.
I like to give guess a few fun options for how they can make the ice cream of their dreams. Make the whole process easier by pre-scooping your ice cream and freezing the scoops on wax paper or in muffin liners in your freezer. You can then serve it up in bowls with a spoon and guests can easily grab a scoop without a lot of effort or mess.
Some of my favorite ways to serve ice cream:
Ice cream is wonderful all by its lonesome, however, when celebrating a party with an ice cream theme then it is time to pull out the toppings! Let your guests have fun creating the most outrageous combinations of ice cream sundaes. Here are some of my favorite topping ideas:
Highlight your toppings with these free mini table tents. Click the image below to download to your computer. Print on white cardstock, cut around outer line, and fold in half.
Creating ice cream sundaes is an activity in itself. But, besides the creations and then eating those creations, you likely want to have a few activities to help work off some of the sugar energy! I’d recommend doing any high-intensity activities before eating ice cream as you don’t want to have upset bellies.
Ideas for ice cream party activities include:
Download your free printable coloring sheet by clicking the printable sheet below and saving to your computer. Print on copy paper in black ink.
I let the ice cream be the start in my ice cream party and really didn’t decorate a bunch. Things like toppings and containers can make for really fun decorations that do double duty.
Decoration Ideas for an Ice Cream Party:
There is really so much you can do for an ice cream party favor. I opted to do something that didn’t include sugar mainly because I didn’t want to add to the sugar that I’d already given the kiddos at the party. I love that Yoobi currently has some seriously cute ice cream themed goodies at Target right now. Side note about Yoobi (this is not sponsored, I just love this fact)… for every item that is purchased from Yoobi there is an item given to school children in the U.S. So, not only can you feel great about getting cute favors to hand out, you can also feel good about helping other kids have school supplies!
Some fun ice cream party favor ideas: (* affiliate links)
Download free printable ice cream favor tags by clicking on the printable photo below and saving to your computer. Print on card stock in full color (or on sticker paper) and cut out the circles around the edges. If hanging as a tag punch a hole with a small single hole punch and attach to a bag with ribbon. If printed on sticker paper, simply pull off the back and attach to your favor!
I hope that you are feeling inspired to host your own Ice Cream Party this summer and that these tips and printables help make the party just a little more sweet!
I’m a meat eater. I love, love, love me a good beef burger. However, for a variety of reasons, my family and I do try our best to NOT eat meat one day a week at least. As much as we enjoy meat, we enjoy vegetables just as much. I really thrive on creating meatless menu options for our weekly dinners. This Portobello Caprese Burger is a great substitute if you’re wanting to cut back on the meat a bit but still want something hearty and flavorful. It is also a fantastic for a vegetarian burger option at your next cookout! (Just remember to cook BEFORE cooking your meat on the grill so that you’re not giving your vegetarian friend meat drippings on their vegetarian burger!)
Portobello mushrooms are rich and earthy. They are also fairly affordable. I substitute portobello mushrooms for beef often because it creates that bold flavor and bit of chew that beef typically gives a dish. We chose to serve the burgers with a side of grilled zucchini spears. This made for a really tasty and fairly healthy meal!
Serves 6
We served these tasty little burgers with some of the Julian Hard Cider that I shared yesterday. The portobello was especially nice with the Cherry Bomb cider!
I of course had to serve up my Portobello Caprese Burgers in something fun for the holiday. I created these fun stars and striped food trays to make serving these burgers a little more festive.
Have a fantastic 4th of July holiday tomorrow! Stay safe and have fun.
