I have a really simple idea for a summer or Fourth of July party: set up a patriotic ice cream sundae bar! Both kids and adults will love the chance to create their own sundaes. The best part is that guests can serve themselves, so you only need to set it up and then enjoy the festivities. I used some supplies from my sponsor, Online Labels, to enhance my event. You can find links to the products below; however, the opinions and projects shared are entirely my own.
Serve these sundaes up in some patriotic glasses and you’ve got yourself an awesome summer party! I love this idea because it’s easy to put together and keeps things really simple, which is what summer is all about!
This idea uses mason jars to hold all of the toppings, which is not only cute but also really practical. Super easy setup and storage! Plus, lids will keep the bugs out! You can even drop these jars into this buffet condiment holder for transporting from the kitchen to the backyard!
Everything You Need for an Ice Cream Sundae Party
Supplies Needed
- Mason jars and lids
- Metal tub
- Baker’s twine
- Silver foil stars
- Star labels (in blue and red)
- USA-shaped labels
- Rectangular labels
- Markers
- Paper straws
Optional supplies
If you have a Cricut Machine, you can create many of the labels yourself. Read on for more details!
- Cricut Machine (optional)
- Printable vinyl or sticker sheets
- Adhesive vinyl in silver, red, blue, and white
- Cricut pen
Toppings Area
I thought I would walk you through the toppings area for our ice cream sundae bar. The toppings were all placed in mason jars (you’re not surprised, right??). I thought about adding some printed labels for the toppings, but realized that everyone is different in what they would like on their sundae bar.
To solve that problem, I went for a simple solution and grabbed some blue and red star labels from Online Labels. Then, I wrote in the ingredients for your own sundae bar using a couple of fine-line markers. This is so easy that anyone can do it!
You could also use your Cricut machine to easily make these. From a blank canvas in Cricut Design Space, add a star shape.
Then you can even add text and use your Cricut to write the labels for you! Pro Tip: Use full sheets of printable sticker paper to prevent the ink from smearing.
Ice Cream Storage
The star of our sundae bar is the ice cream! Here I have it in a large metal tub filled with ice. If you can’t find a tub in a color that you like, you can always spray paint it. I also added a star garland to the tub. Just use baker’s twine and silver foil stars to create this fun look. Sandwich the baker’s twine between the star-shaped labels to create a garland that comes together in just a few minutes. You can also use your Cricut to cut the stars from metallic or foil adhesive vinyl.
The front of the tub has an amazing US label on it as well. Next, I will show you how to make those below.
Red, White, and Blue USA Labels
Here are those amazing US labels on the front of those jars and the ice cream tub from above. These are some of my favorite parts of this entire ice cream sundae bar, and they are super simple to make.
After I used the markers on the star labels above, I thought, why not use them again? Grab some USA-shaped labels and your markers to get started. Color red and blue stripes as shown in the image below. Then peel and stick the labels to the surfaces of your choice.
You can achieve the same look using your Cricut and printable vinyl or sticker paper.
Start with a US Map shape in Cricut Design Space. Then I uploaded a red, white, and blue gradient from Creative Fabrica. Next, change the cut operation to Print Then Cut and select your pattern fill. Then follow the prompts in Cricut Design Space to send the file to your printer before cutting.
Utensils and Straws
Let’s move a little further down our patriotic sundae bar to the utensils and straws. Yep, those are displayed in mason jars as well.
Next up are those amazing paper straws with those fun flags. Yep, those flags are labels as well. And you guessed it…they are super simple to make.
Start with patriotic straws of your choice, silver foil stars, and long rectangular labels. Because we are working with self-adhesive labels, no glue or other supplies are required. You can also use the silver stars cut earlier with your Cricut machine, along with some white vinyl rectangles.
Wrap the long rectangles around the straws and secure them in place with adhesive. Be sure to keep this somewhat straight. Add a silver star label to the flag. Trim the white label with scissors into a flag-like shape. That is it! You can make a bunch of these assembly line style, quickly and easily.
Finishing Touches
I added cups and bowls to my patriotic ice cream sundae bar, along with a few cones. I thought some might like an ice cream cone instead of a sundae. The cones are piled in a lined wooden basket. Labeled with a little baker’s twine and two labels sandwiched together.
I couldn’t resist adding my latest find, which is a chalkboard mason jar. This is so me, right?
Decorating the entire area are fun garlands that are made with baker’s twine and star labels from Online Labels. You just sandwich the baker’s twine between two of the star labels. It’s really easy to make and doesn’t require any additional supplies or glue. That is my kind of craft.
That is a little tour of my patriotic ice cream sundae bar. Will you be hosting a fun summer party? Add an ice cream sundae bar to the festivities. You will be so glad you did!
I mean, we all love ice cream, right? I scream, you scream…..well, you all know the rest. Grab a few labels or some vinyl and make your own themed patriotic sundae party!
More Patriotic Party Ideas
Has this idea sparked your creativity to host a patriotic or a summer party? Here are some more creative party ideas:
This looks so cute! I love that it’s so festive but not hard to throw together!
This would be a huge hit at our neighborhood party! The labels are super cute!