third annual summer kickoff party

Hooray for the end of the school year and the beginning of summer!

Our school-aged kids finished first and fourth grades last week, so this week our family hosted our third annual Summer Kickoff Party on the patio. The tradition is to serve our guests generous bowls of vanilla ice cream with lots of toppings, and this year we had ten options — mini M&Ms, crushed oreos, butterscotch chips, peanuts, gummi bears, chocolate syrup, magic shell, caramel sauce, rainbow sprinkles, and whipped cream. We also had some teeny-tiny ice cream cones, which are the perfect size for toddlers. (Plus, tiny things are just cute!)

The pictures from last year’s party look almost identical to the year before, but this year I changed things up a bit. After tossing around lots of ideas in my head, I came to my senses and embraced a very simple yellow and white theme. The classic, summery striped napkins are from IKEA.

The backdrop was inexpensive and easy to make, and hopefully distracted people from the fact that I planted exactly zero flowers this year. I hung crepe paper streamers from a piece of twine, then put a dab of glue on each strip to hold them together at a bit of an angle, giving it added dimension. I loved the way the breeze rustled the streamers.

Do you have any traditions to kick off the warmest season of the year? Is it a backyard party with friends? Going to the beach? Making ice cream? I’d love to hear what you do!