DIY Ice Cream Stand

Play Ice Cream Set

Hey friends! Happy Friday! A few weeks ago I did a recap of Olivia’s ice cream themed birthday party and told you I’d be doing a tutorial on how I made her DIY ice cream stand, so here it is!

About a month before Olivia’s birthday we had ordered a buffet table that came in a HUGE box and I knew I had to use it for something awesome for her party. (I know not everyone as huge cardboard boxes lying around, but you can call your local appliance store, like Abt, Best Buy, etc, because they usually have some.)

DIY Ice Cream Stand

This whole project was actually really easy to make and of course, nothing beat the look on her face when she saw it on her birthday. It was also a really inexpensive project that cost me less than $20 to make. Here’s what you’ll need:

• cardboard box – the bigger the better!
• white paint (I already had some on hand, but you don’t need much to cover the box)
• pink paint (a sample size jar was enough)
• boxcutter
• painters tape
• chalkboard paint
• mint green paint (just a small bottle from a craft store)
• glue gun/glue

1. We, and by we I mean Eric, started by taking off one end of the box to be the entrance. He used a box cutter to make sure everything was a straight and clean cut. I drew an outline of a rectangle and Eric cut it out to be the window. Make sure you save the piece that you cut out because that’s what you’ll use to be the counter.
2. Then I used a hot glue gun to glue the “countertop” to the edge of the window opening. I used some cardboard corners that came with our table as supports underneath the counter. (Sorry I don’t have pics of this part!)
3. Next step was to paint the whole thing white. Surprisingly, I only needed two coats to cover all the lettering on the box.
4. Once the white paint dried, I measured evenly spaced lines (I made each stripe about 7 inches) and used painters tape to tape it those lines off. I painted every other section pink. I only needed a sample size jar of paint to accomplish this, as I didn’t put stripes on the back of the box.
5. After the paint dried, I carefully peeled off the painters tape. Note that if there is any packing tape on the box (and there most likely will be) the paint might not stick to those areas as well.
6. At this point I decided I wanted to scallop the awning of the ice cream stand, however, I recommend doing this before painting. Mine still turned out fine, but I was nervous I’d mess it up after I had already painted. I lightly drew an outline with pencil and then made the cuts with a boxcutter. 
7. Every ice cream stand needs a chalkboard menu, right? So I taped off a square next to the window and used chalkboard paint from the craft store. Make sure to follow the directions and paint one coat vertically and the next coat horizontally. I was super impressed with how well this chalkboard paint worked!
8. And finally, I used a pencil to lightly free hand “Olivia’s Creamery” over the awning and then painted right over that. 

Aaaaaand that’s it! This whole project was so fun and easy and the hardest thing was waiting for the paint to dry. And will you look at this face…

That’s her trying to hold up TWO fingers for her second birthday! Haha!

I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty impressed with myself for pulling this one off. 🙂 And the best part was watching Olivia and her cousins play together in her ice cream stand and I love that I could do something special for her.

I’d love to know if you try this DIY ice cream stand out! Have you ever made something crazy for your kiddos?

XO,

L

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