Simple Summer Ice Cream Social

By: Mariah Leeson of Giggles Galore

Mariah from Giggles Galore shares a sweet and frosty bash with tips for a low-stress simple summer ice cream social.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! In the heat of the summer, everyone is looking for ways to cool off, so why not plan a sweet and frosty bash with these tips for a low-stress simple summer ice cream social?!

Here’s the scoop – National Ice Cream day is on July 17th. We think it’s the perfect excuse for gathering some friends, making homemade ice cream and having a simple soiree with everyone’s favorite summer treat. Wouldn’t you agree? Ok good, we knew you would!

This fun party features simple decor, easy recipes and creative ideas to help you make extraordinary memories with your kids this summer. When it comes to entertaining, I like to keep things simple and contained. Rather than decorating the entire house for a party, designate one small area as the “party zone.” For this simple summer ice cream party, I created an ice cream parlor by covering a wall in white paper, adding vinyl sticker sprinkles that I made with my Cricut Explore Air 2, banners and a small white table to display the treats.

When you are planning a party where food is the theme you get the added bonus of also being able to use it as decor. Display sugar cones on a cake stand put the sprinkles and toppings in fun containers and let the star of the show—ice cream!—be front and center in an ice-filled bucket.

One of the best tips I have for you when hosting an ice cream social is to pre-scoop your ice cream, and put it in Chinet Crystal^® 9oz Cups. Once you have scooped the ice cream into the cups, put it back in the freezer until you are ready to serve it. Fill a large bucket with ice and arrange the cups on top of the ice so guest can grab one and add their favorite toppings, or scoop it onto one of the sprinkle covered cones. 

Store-bought ice cream is great, but nothing beats homemade ice cream. Stick with something simple, like a creamy vanilla bean or chocolate, but don’t be afraid to mix it up a little bit with a few other flavors, like homemade peach ice cream. Whether it’s homemade or store-bought one thing is certain, the kids and adults alike are going to have a blast customizing their ice cream treats.

Dress up sugar cones with sprinkles, nuts or chocolate—just like they do at the ice cream shop. Did you know it’s super easy to make your own sprinkle dipped ice cream cones?  Or that you could make your own DIY ice cream cone wrappers for another fun way to bring a pop of color to this simple party?

Don’t forget to provide Chinet Crystal^® Cutlery spoons for guest to scoop out their toppings and to dig into their ice cream concoctions. 

Another party staple that you need to make sure you have plenty of when hosting an ice cream social is napkins—lots and lots of napkins! Chinet Classic® White Napkins are the perfect party companion for any summer shindig serving messy foods because they are soft, sustainable and durable, too.

This summer cool off and make extraordinary memories with your own simple summer ice cream social. And remember, don’t stress about over planning, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself and have fun!

If you are looking for more fun ice cream-themed party ideas to help you celebrate this summer make sure you head over to Giggles Galore to check out our ice cream cone fruit cups, homemade cherry cheesecake ice cream or an ice cream float party. Don’t forget to share with us how you’re celebrating National Ice Cream Day using #MyChinetParty on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Mariah Leeson is the founder of Giggles Galore (www.gigglesgalore.net) – a blog focused on making the ordinary extraordinary one creative idea at a time. With a passion for celebrating, Mariah created Giggles Galore to inspire families to celebrate life’s little moments with creative, budget friendly crafts, recipes and parties.