Handbook for the Recently Deceased and Beetlejuice Flyer

I made these as props to our Adam and Barbara Maitland costumes (see instructable for those!) for an 80s festival. incredibly inexpensive and easy to make!

Step 1: Things You Need:

-book-shaped cardboard (found at Jo Anne fabric for less than $5)

-red, brown, & cream paint & brushes

-mod podge and sponge brush

-color printout of the cover (found on Google images)

-inexpensive latch (optional to keep box closed)

-color printout of the beetlejuice flyer (also found on Google images)

-tea bags and water

Step 2: Painting the Book

first print your covers (I ended up having to create the proper size by trial and error in the paint program on a computer. I printed 3 separate pages, 1 for the front, 1 for the back, and 1 for the binding. I was also able to create the words on the binding this way)

mix your reds and browns until you reach a color similar to your printed cover and paint the interior and exterior of the cardboard book.

mix your white or cream up to gain a similar color to book pages and paint the outside edge where the pages would be. in order to get a look that is similar to paper, I used a wide breadth fan brush dipped VERY lightly in brown and then brushed almost all away and created light (as straight as possible) streaks across the edge to look like pages

Step 3: Mod Podge the Cover!

after your paint dries, use your sponge brush to apply mod podge to the outside of the painted box and then to the backside of the paper. I did this 1 side at a time, beginning with the binding and then layering either side of the cover over top of the binding paper so that the front and back cover edges lined up nicely.
stick the paper on the box and brush a layer of mod podge over the entire cover. complete this on all sides so your book has a full cover. allow this to dry and place a couple more coats of mod podge on (allowing it to dry fully between coats). I used 3 coats and it worked out well.

Step 4: Add a Latch

we decided to use the book to hold the props we weren't using (as well as cell phones and wallets we didn't have pockets for!) So we added a latch to the box to keep it from opening and dropping our things! this is optional, but recommended :)

Step 5: Beetlejuice Flyer

this was an easy task! We just googled the flyer and printed it out on normal paper. to get the aged look, we boiled some tea bags and then rubbed the wet tea bags all over the paper (inside a baking dish so as not to make a mess). once it was discolored to my liking, I dabbed it with paper tower to remove excess water, then placed a layer of paper towel under it on the counter, followed by 2 layers of paper towels and a dish towel on top of it. I placed a heavy baking dish on the top to keep it flat and from crinkling and let it dry overnight. (note- if you want it darker, complete this process after it dries)
the next day I cut the page to resemble the flyer in the movie and folded it up! nice little addition to our props :)