Perfect Summer Parties with Minute Maid Lemonade – DIY Drink Station & Party Printables

Disclosure: This shop/post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #SummerRefreshment #Peapod #CollectiveBias

We bought a home this year that has a beautiful backyard. So beautiful that it sold us on the house, so you might say we bought a beautiful yard that just happened to come with an appropriately sized home and high quality patio doors to open out onto this beautiful space and really show it off. We moved in just as the snow started, and we’ve been waiting most of the year for warm weather and backyard parties. Now that we’re well into the summer we’ve been busy prepping for a big family BBQ, complete with grandparents, aunts, uncles and distant cousins. So much planning has gone into this party because we really want it to be the ultimate summer day!

There are a few things I think are essential to a great summer backyard party – green grass, blue skies, burgers on the grill and a big, refreshing cold drink. Of course, outside decoration is important to me too, everyone likes to have a few staple pieces throughout the summer. For example, my friend likes to use commercial flagpoles to fly her favorite flags, which really makes her backyard stand out from the rest. My favorite party task so far has been to put together this DIY Summer Drink Station. It doubles as decor, setting the scene for a relaxing summer day with it’s low-key, rustic look, plus it’s completely functional in keeping us all cool and hydrated! I was struggling to find inspiration for how I wanted it to look until a friend pointed me in the direction of somewhere like The How To Crew. I’ve stocked the drink station with some summer favorites: Minute Maid® Lemonade and FUZE® tea, because nothing says summer like relaxing with a glass of iced tea or lemonade! FUZE tea is my favorite summer drink. Nothing beats sitting out on the deck with a glass of iced tea – unless you ask my kids. They’ll tell you nothing cools them down like the sweet & tart flavor of Minute Maid Lemonade, so we’ll be stocking our drink station with both! You can see the simple tutorial below, complete with a quick and easy recipe for Blueberry Lemonade Ice Cubes and printable party signs!

Of course any party, even a relaxing summer BBQ, requires planning and work to pull together – especially when school’s out and every errand requires wrangling a car full of kids! I have four boys, so that’s literally more hands than I can keep track of in a grocery store. There’s no hope for me in the candy aisle, and don’t even ask about what happens when we pass a shelf of die cast cars! Thankfully I’ve already used Peapod to have all of my party supplies and groceries delivered right to my door, so I can focus on the fun stuff instead! I’ve been using Peapod for years and I love how simple it makes grocery shopping every week. The easy to use website and app keep this frazzled mom organized!

I can easily look over my cart to see what I’m buying and make adjustments, and I can add items on the fly – like when I remember my cousin is allergic to strawberries in the middle of the night and can easily swap strawberries for blueberries in my shopping cart without even leaving my bed! I also love that I can edit my order even after I’ve placed it, this way I can always go back and add napkins or my kids’ favorite cereal up until the night before my order arrives. Peapod has so many tools to make shopping easier, like simple ways to re-order your favorite items, shop by price or dietary needs and save with 1000’s of items on sale each week, it’s like the ultimate sane-mom hack. Plus, new shoppers get $20 off their first order and 60 days of free shipping – which is a great excuse to plan your own family barbecue and make this fun drink station yourself!

My kids really love our Peapod delivery guy. He’s basically the Santa of groceries in our house, and although I love the option to get a text notification when my driver is nearby, I barely need it because my kids are usually at the windows cheering when he pulls into the driveway, probably because he always brings in the bag full of snacks and goodies first! For bigger parties, like football games, TV marathons, etc. I had to find a sandwich shop near me that did subs of all different types for those attending, it was a nice little add on, plus I could cut them up into bite-sized pieces for party food if people wanted to try a bit of each! Winning idea from me I would say.

Okay, so we’ve got our party food and drinks, lets talk about this DIY drink station!

To build this drink station you’ll need:

• 4 large wooden crates
• Zip Ties
• Gallon drink dispenser
• Paper Straws
• Mason Jars
• Fuze iced tea
• Minute Maid lemonade
• Printable pack
• Party Decor

This drink station is pretty easy to put together! First you’ll stack your crates, securing them with zip ties so that they’re sturdy. Arrange your drink dispenser, drink cans and straws on top. Then add some finishing touches with party decor – I used a bowl full of fresh lemons and a rustic metal rooster. Download the printable signs and choose a sign (Or two!) for your drink station. I use painter’s tape to hang mine because it sticks well and comes off the crate later without leaving any residue.

I made four different signs for this pack! To use them click on the picture below to bring up the full size image and print!

You can print and tape these on to your stand, or place them in an inexpensive wood frame to stand on top!

You can use these signs to set up a sidewalk lemonade stand as well!

My oldest son didn’t want to be left out of the party planning fun, so he came up with his own way to contribute – by making these Blueberry Lemonade Ice Cubes! He loves them because they don’t water down his Minute Maid Lemonade as they melt, and I love them because they looks so pretty in a glass of cold lemonade! Simply fill an ice cube tray halfway with fresh blueberries, then fill the rest of the way with Minute Maid Lemonade. Stick the tray in the freezer for about four hours, then pop two or three cubes into each glass when serving! You can do this with FUZE tea as well. Try swapping the blueberries for raspberries!

And there you have it – in under 30 minutes you can pull together the perfect drink station, thanks to Peapod and Minute Maid Lemonade! I love when we get to do summer right without any fuss!

What’s your favorite way to serve up Minute Maid Lemonade or FUZE tea? Let me know in the comments!