This Ice Cream Float Bar is courtesy of our contributor Chantelle of Dolled Up Design…For the past 4 summers, our family has been hosting an annual ice cream social for our neighbours. This year we have had a fairly busy summer and I wasn’t as on top of planning as I have been in the past, so I kept things simple with this fun little Pop themed party on our driveway at the end of August.
Ice Cream Float Bar:
Our past 3 ice cream socials have had DIY ice cream sundaes, so I wanted to switch things up a bit this year. I still love the idea of people being able to choose and individualize their ice cream treats, so an ice cream float bar with a wide selection of pop favours seemed like the perfect choice. Initially I was thinking to go with smaller personal sized bottles of pop, but the 2L bottles were a lot more budget friendly and still looked great displayed together on my party table.
Vanilla ice cream was provided to scoop into clear plastic cups and guests could choose between Cola, Root Beer, Orange, Grape and Cream Soda to finish their floats. I also made the decision to go with fairly small cups so the kids (or adults) could try a few different flavors if they wanted.
For a little extra fun, I provided whipped cream, maraschino cherries and sprinkles in my party color scheme to top off the floats.
Popcorn Bar:
The popcorn and seasonings were a huge hit and are definitely something I am going to repeat at future parties. It required very little effort on my part and everyone loved being able to scoop popcorn into their individual paper bags and pick their favorite flavour to sprinkle on top.
My popcorn was popped in coconut oil on my stovetop at home, but you could also buy bags of pre-popped corn to save yourself a step. We already had the popcorn and oil on hand, so this was the more economical route for me. Once popped, it looked great served out of lined apple baskets with large plastic scoops.
The seasonings were Kernel’s brand flavourings I found at the grocery store. To make them look nicer on my party table, I simply put them into glass containers I found at the dollar store. Using chalkboard labels, I handwrote the flavors on for a more rustic effect.
Pop Party Decorations:
Going with my “POP” theme, balloons seemed like the perfect choice to decorate. They are an inexpensive way to add a lot of visual impact, and it is usually pretty easy to find colors to fit your theme at any dollar or party store. I loved the idea of a balloon banner, so I taped mine along a wide ribbon to create the long cluster of orange, red, purple and white balloons.
It was a bit of work blowing up all the balloons, but well worth it for the fun and colorful backdrop on the garage door.
For the table, I snagged these nice orange tablecloths at the dollar store and decided to DIY a runner to go over top. My strip of burlap like fabric was the perfect background to stamp on acrylic paint bubbles in my party colors.
This was a very inexpensive and stress free party to pull together. I wasn’t sure I wanted to bother with the ice cream social this year, but knew it was worth the effort when the neighbours started asking about it early in the summer. It is something they have come to expect and really seem to enjoy so I am glad I was able to find a cheap and easy way to get everyone together and enjoy a special treat at the end of the summer.
We’d like to send a big THANK YOU to Chantelle for sharing these creative ice cream float bar ideas with us! Her parties & crafts are always easy to recreate and kids love them! Be sure to follow her on Facebook to stay updated on all her fabulous ideas.