Summer parties and potlucks are in full force, yet so are the temperatures, so why not get creative with how you keep the foods fresh and cool? At a recent graduation party, I had to snap a photo of the fun way she kept things cool by using an inflatable cooler.
Add a patriotic touch with a little spray paint and some cut out stars!!
Keeping things cool can be fun , festive and frugal.
via
My sister in law shared that she went to a large picnic where a kiddy pool was placed on a picnic table and then everyone was able to put their foods right on the ice when they arrived. I just love that idea.
Typically, I use a regular cooler for all our parties, but we always have a kiddy pool on hand, so this idea is a perfect way to keep a large quantity of beverages cool and easily accessible.
The last creative way to keep things cool came as a result of a last minute yard sale find for our son’s 16th birthday party (on a budget). I found this garden cart for just $2. I painted it, lined it with plastic and filled it with ice for a great way to keep the beverages iced.
It’s been a few years since I did this and it now waits patiently against our tree line with some gardening tools. 🙂
Do you have any creative ways that you display items at your picnic or unique ways to keep things cool?
Love the drinks in the tub!! Thank you for hosting, Jen. 🙂
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That is such a GREAT idea!
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Great ideas, Jen! Parties are such fun and I especially love potlucks, but the thought of spoiled potato salad or deviled eggs is not pleasant. I love these creative ways to keep things chilled!
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We filled a small rowboat with ice to keep food/drinks cold for a housewarming party once.
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I love it!
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Wow! I love those ideas! Definitely cheaper than a cooler, and more room. I bought a basic medium-sized cooler at Target for $20. The kiddie pools usually run about $5 to $10 depending on where you go. The more frugal of us could pick them up on clearance at the end of the season and save them for the following year. They would also take up less space.
Can you tell I’m LOVING this idea? 😉
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Love the baby pool idea, my steal this for our house warming in September!
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Kiddie pool cooler = great idea! and a multi-tasking one too. 🙂 Thanks for hosting Jen!
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Great ideas! That pool idea is just fabulous! I think it’s neat to take an old or new horse trough, fill it up wih ice & put the following in it:
* Watermelons ( fresh ice cold watermelons on a hot summer day! Yummy!)
* Canned Drinks & 2-liters
* Put a checkered tablecloth on top of the ice (make sure ice is leveled) & lay out trays or bowls of potato salad, veggie tray, coleslaw, pasta salad, etc.
Here is an smaller idea of what I am talking about on pinterest http://pinterest.com/pin/54324739224642910/
Have & sweet summer day Jen~Mrs.Clark
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We have an old small (2) person sale boat that I painted and we fill with ice and use it for our huge summer party every year! We can fit 200 water bottles and over 200 cans of soda in it! Pkus it looks really cool!
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Jen Reply:
May 22nd, 2013 at 8:00 am
NO WAY!! That is SO fun!! Do you have a picture of when you do this? I’d love to feature it. Maybe I need to be on the look out for a boat. 😉
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How fun!! If I may ask, do you know where your friend found that particular polka dot inflatable cooler?
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Jen Reply:
March 22nd, 2015 at 3:50 pm
Believe it or not, she just used a kiddy pool. It’s not even a true cooler. She found a baby pool at Walmart or Target and used it.
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i loved all the ideas for keeping things cool. just wanted to share this one. at my parents anniversary party we had a meat & cheese platter that needed to stay cool at all times so we filled a roasting pan with ice placed the tray on it put the lid on & only removed it while guests where lined up. as people came back for seconds they simply removed the lid & then put it back. worked like a charm!
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Jen Reply:
July 6th, 2015 at 1:37 pm
That is such a GREAT idea too. LOve that!!
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Thanks Jen, love the great ideas! I’m sure I have an inflatable boat somewhere 🙂
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