I have such a love for all things sweet and vintage and so I was inspired to do an old-fashioned ice cream parlor party for my daughter Ryan’s 3rd birthday.  She loves “ice cones” just as much as I do!  Having a summer birthday made this the perfect theme for her party.  We opted to just serve ice cream and a few snacks with no meal and so I put all my efforts into the ice cream shop.

I actually made the ice cream awning out of PVC pipe.  I found a tutorial online and scaled it down a bit to fit my table as well as give me the option to move it inside if need be.  I found the absolutely perfect pink and white stripe fabric for the awning and table cloth.  I didn’t have a pattern for the two pieces, but I do a lot of sewing for my Etsy shop, The Dandelion Lane and so I was able to create it from scratch.  It turned out exactly how I envisioned and definitely was the focal point of the party.

Many of the serving pieces were picked up at either Home Goods or Michael’s Arts and Crafts Store.  I kind of just grabbed things here and there as I came across them.  I made all of the goodies, including the cupcakes and chocolate dipped cones.  I also wrapped the cones in coordinating scrapbook papers and made all of the small food signs out of the same paper and stickers.  The “ice cream shoppe” sign was a blank sign picked up from Michael’s and I added the stickers and Mod Podged over it.  It came out great with little to no effort!

This party took a lot of prep work, but it came out great in the end.  I also pre-scooped the ice-cream the night before which made serving it so much easier.  I think this is the perfect party theme for toddlers.  You could very easily change up the color scheme to fit for boys, girls, or both!  And you have so many options you can use for your ice cream bar to make it fun and festive.