The Beetle Juice Snake character (from the original movie), has always been one of my favorites, but I didn’t know if I had enough time to build one. With starting my prop creations in Sept., I was surprised I finished as many as I did, let alone two more. With less than three weeks before Halloween, this was how we accomplished making TWO different types of the Beetle Juice Snake props. The first only takes approx. an hour to make, and the second could take 3-4 days, if you can work on it every night. So there is still time to make one before Halloween!
Tag Archives: Halloween
How to Make Your Beetle Juice Ghosts Look More Than Just Like Hanging Sheets
Now that many of us are putting up our Halloween props, I’m sure some of y’all are scratching your heads – like I did – on how to get our ghosts to actually look more ghost-like and not like a flat hanging sheet.
Continue readingHow to Make Beetle Juice’s Sandworm Body Sections
When I first mulled around the idea of making a Sandworm from the Beetle Juice movie, I knew how I was going to make the double-headed section, but how I was going to achieve his body sections, was another story.
I looked at other ideas – some more pricier than others – but just didn’t feel it. My creations come from my intuition/forces within, rather than any art class. I made two sections that jumped out of the ground two different ways, because the first one I created wasn’t exactly making me happy. Here’s how I made them: Continue reading
Making Billy’s Tombstone from Stranger Things

Believe it or not, from all the props made this year, making Billy’s tombstone was probably the most frustrating. In hindsight, since it was my first-ever tombstone made from foam ( I know, can you believe it?), I probably should have watched a few videos from the more seasoned creators, that have. Yet, I overcame the mishaps, and learned along the way. I’ll share what I did, and what I’d change, for the next one I make.
Continue readingThe New Additions to our Stranger Things Yard 2022
Now that Halloween is over, and props are back down, I have a little time to share my latest additions to my Stranger Things yard haunt. Last year, I created The Mindflayer, with over 200 feet of legs, Nancy’s arm coming out of the tree from the Upside Down World, a Gate, Will Byer’s Castle, Eleven, and an Alphabet Wall that actually spells secret messages.
This year, I added several more props, and created a different scene from Season 2, episode: The Gate. Continue reading
How to Make a Real Hair Beard for a Costume or Prop
Are you having problems finding a decent beard from your local stores or online vendors? You’re not the only one. After scouring Amazon, and other places, I felt a little desperate. I was making Hopper, from Stranger Things to go into my Halloween yard. I thought, how hard can it be to find a normal beard, that didn’t break the bank? Continue reading
Fast and Easy Stranger Things Demodog Heads to Make

Adding to our second year of our Stranger Things yard, we added a more visible gate, where demodog heads are scattered upon it. I even built a life-size, animatronic demodog that turns his head, when sensors are triggered. No, this is not that tutorial. It was not easy, nor fast. But the demodog heads on the gate? Easy Peasy. Follow these quick directions, and you’ll have a Stranger Things vibe in no time.
Making a Life-Sized Shock, from The Nightmare Before Christmas

First, let me apologize to the several frustrated creators looking for directions for the Shock and Barrel tutorials. The posts were written, and I thought were linked/published. But after a creator clued me in on the missing posts, I went back and couldn’t find them. Continue reading
Making The Tree Portal From The Upside Down
Since I decided to build an Upside Down World for my 2021 Stranger Things Halloween display, making a huge Mind Flayer was a must. It was the first thing accomplished. Then, making all kinds of vines.
Next, it was The Tree Portal. The scene when Johnathan pulled Nancy back out of the tree, from The Upside Down World, must have struck a cord. Because I was determined to recreate it.
I knew whatever I used, had to hold up to the elements, allowed for a light to shine from inside out, and show Nancy’s hand through the goo and vines, reaching for Johnathan. This is how I accomplished it: Continue reading
Making Vines for Your Stranger Things Yard
After creating a Mind Flayer for my roof (tutorials Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3), I knew the creature needed something more: Vines. The Upside Down World was filled with vines that hung everywhere, and vines that attacked. They were a part of the hive mind, associated with the monsters of Stranger Things.
After scouring the web for prices on vines, it was clear: My budget couldn’t afford the 100 or more feet needed. Continue reading



