Sloane’s “Ice Cream Shoppe” Party

What’s the saying? “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” In our home, this couldn’t be more true, and even my littlest, Sloane, screams in sheer delight when she hears the words ice cream. I figured I’d go with her enthusiasm for the delicious frozen treat and make her second birthday party an all-out ice cream extravaganza. Sloane couldn’t have been more thrilled with the plan, and even though it turned out to be a very rainy San Francisco day, which meant moving the party indoors, I was really thrilled with how everything came together.

Once the theme had been nailed down, I picked up the phone and called PN contributor and dear friend Rebecca Propes of Fresh Chick Design Studio. We both thought an old-fashioned ice cream shoppe vibe with a sherbet color palette of orange, pink and green would be super cute. Rebecca whipped up a whole suite of printables that I could print from home, which included tent cards, cupcake toppers, candy jar labels, party poster, banner and more. One look at the poster and I was so excited to get busy styling the dessert table.

I sourced all the pink and white candy from our go-to sweets spot, Candy Warehouse. I loved how pretty the apothecary jars looked displayed with all the fun candy inside, and the guests made their own treat bags before leaving the party. Cake pop superstar Maria of The Gourmet Pop, created the most adorable cake pops without the stick. They were actually mini ice cream cones filled with cake and just as easy to eat. They matched perfectly and were a huge hit with the kids.

There were toppings galore, including sprinkles, nuts, crushed oreos and cherries, so that kids and parents enjoyed creating their own ice cream sundae masterpieces. No ice cream party would be complete without tons of cones, bowls and scoops for serving the ice cream. I used assorted cones and simple white paper ice cream bowls for easy clean up, but I reserved a special ice cream bowl for the birthday girl. Another favorite treat was the strawberry mini milk bottles (Party Tip! Just peel the label off of Starbucks Frappuccino bottles) with pink and white paper straws and flags.

San Francisco-based photographer Lindsey Stafford captured all the decor and fun moments throughout the party, which made it so nice for me not to have to worry about running around with a camera. We’ll always cherish the photos and will remember our littlest turning two forever. Big thanks to Lindsey!

Happy Birthday, Sloane! Now I have two more parties to pull together this month for my other two, and then I’ll get a much needed break. Wish me luck!