This Birthday candy poster is one of my absolute favorite DIY birthday gift ideas, because who doesn’t love candy?! Make your own candy bar poster for birthdays with this printable sign. Easy peasy!
When our kids were little, we would go all out for birthdays at our house… starting with a birthday interview in the morning and finishing with a birthday treasure hunt to find gifts at the end of the day.
But as our kids have gotten a bit older, they’ve outgrown some of these annual birthday traditions. So I’ve been looking for ways to switch things up a bit! And this birthday candy bar poster has been a HIT!
I recently made this candy poster for Father’s Day to give my husband. He has a major sweet tooth, and he’s also the hardest person to shop for, so this gift was perfect! And I loved it so much that I decided to make a version of the candy bar poster for birthday gifts!
I assembled the entire poster board gift in less than 1 hour, and that’s including gluing the sign to the cardboard, coloring it with markers, and hot gluing the candy bars to it. So it’s truly the perfect DIY birthday gift for elementary aged kids, teen girls or boys, friends, or those adults in your life that you have NO IDEA what to gift!
Here’s how to make this awesome candy poster for birthdays (SO much cuter than a handwritten sign with scribbly marker words!)…
What Kind of Poster Board to Use for a Candy Poster?
The most important part of making your own birthday candy bar poster with my printable template is choosing the right type of poster board. Remember, this sign prints out HUGE from the office supply store or FedEx Kinko’s, so you’ll need the right size board.
Also, because of the weight of all of the candy bars (there are a whopping 13 different types of candy on the sign), you should use a heavier weight board, rather than a basic poster board. A foam board or a trifold cardboard project board is best for this candy bar sign.
To keep costs down on this DIY birthday gift idea, I recommend going with the cardboard trifold board that I used. I got it from Walmart for about $3.75, and it was the cheapest and best option that I could find. The middle portion of this trifold project board is the perfect 24″ x 36″ size, so I just used a pair of heavy duty scissors to cut down the two folds and remove the side portions.
How to Get the Candy Bars to Stick to Your Sign
You will need a hot glue gun to attach the candy bars to the sign. I tried using pieces of folded over packing tape to attach the candy, but the weight of the candy bars was too heavy for the tape, and when I held up the candy bar poster, the candies shifted down and eventually fell off.
Candy Needed for the Printable Birthday Poster
To make a candy bar poster like mine, you will need the following candy, all in the regular sizes (NOT King Size):
- Spree – This was the most difficult candy to find. I suggest trying a convenience store or gas station first.
- Payday
- Crunch
- Milky Way
- Snickers
- Smarties – The large roll that you can find at Dollar Tree and most gas stations.
- Almond Joy
- Mounds
- Nerds – You will need the regular size box of Nerds, not the movie theater box size.
- Lifesavers – You will need the roll package of Lifesavers to fit on the board.
- 100 Grand
- Watchamacallit
- Extra gum
Candy Bar Poem for Birthday
Happy Birthday
We were going to take you on a shopping SPREE, but since it wasn’t PAYDAY (and because we’re SMARTIES), we made you this WHATCHAMACALLIT of candy instead!
You’re the Best in all the MILKY WAY!In a “Best Person Ever” competition, you would CRUNCH the competition!
So we hope that you feel EXTRA special today, and that this poster makes you SNICKERS because you’re our LIFESAVER, and we would choose you over 100 GRAND!
Love, Your NERDS
Where to Print the Candy Bar Sign
The printable birthday sign is sized at 24″ x 36″ to fit a large number of candies and the cute poem. And obviously, you can’t print a PDF that large at home.
So you’ll need to print the file at FedEx Kinko’s or an office supply store. I suggest printing the PDF as an architectural or engineering print, because it will be much cheaper. I had my candy sign printed at FedEx Kinko’s for about $4.75 plus tax.
Here’s a screenshot of the settings I chose for printing my birthday candy poster from FedEx Kinko’s using their online order form… notice the price – a steal at $4.77!
Get the Birthday Candy Poster in My SHOP HERE!
How to Make a Candy Poster for Birthday Gifts
Step 1: Glue or tape the candy bar sign to the board.
For this step, I recommend using a spray adhesive, like the Krylon Spray Adhesive that I used. You could use hot glue or a different glue if you wish, but I like the smooth even result that you get from a sprayable adhesive.
Just spray the spray adhesive across the top quarter of the board, and place the top of the sign on top of the adhesive, positioning it so that it lines up with the top of the board. I found it easiest to work in small sections like this – spray about 25% of the board, attach that part of the sign, and then continue to move down until the full sign is glued in place.
Then, allow the spray-on glue to dry for about one hour before moving on to the next step.
*TIP – I found that the corners of my birthday sign were pulling up in the corners just a bit, so I placed a few pieces of folded over packing tape in the corners for extra support.
Step 2: Color the birthday poster with markers or crayons. (Optional)
The printable happy birthday candy bar poster comes in black and white to save on printing costs, so I suggest that you color in the “Happy Birthday” letters and some of the border design with markers or colored pencils.
*TIP – To make your letters stand out at the top of the sign, choose a lighter color like yellow, neon green, pink, or light blue. The lighter colors will look better against the black outline of the letters.
Step 3: Glue the candy bars to the poster.
Working one candy at a time, apply hot glue to the back of the candy bar and place it on the sign in the correct position. The printable template includes the perfect amount of space for each candy item, so it’s super easy! Allow the hot glue to dry fully before moving the sign.
And then your awesome birthday candy poster is done! Truly the perfect gift for kids, adults, or anyone with a sweet tooth!
Get the Birthday Candy Poster in My SHOP HERE!
Project Tips:
- PDF is black and white to save on printing costs, so you will need to color with markers to make it look like the photos.
- Color the “Best Dad Ever” letters with a lighter color marker like yellow, neon green, or light blue for best results.
- Use spray adhesive to glue the printable sign to the project board. Start at the top and attach about 1/3 of the sign at a time until done. Smooth as you go.
- Hot glue candy in place.
- Only use regular size candy, NOT King Size or theater boxes. The outline boxes on the sign are the perfect size for the candy.
- I used a trifold project board that I found at Walmart for about $3.75. I cut off the two side panels, and I was left with the middle piece which measures 24″ x 36″, the perfect size base.
Want a birthday candy poster for Dad? This awesome “Best Dad Ever” candy poster is great for Dad’s birthday or even Father’s Day:
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