Uncle Trav's miniature tiki huts....Small Paradise. Diving into a new project

Well I think being laid off from work is starting to effect me. I never intended to make a paper hut. I sat down the other morning and looked through my well used copy of The Book Of Tiki and wondered if I could make a Polynesian type roof line out of paper. Not the type of thing one usually thinks about but boring times call for boring measures. I used heavy card stock and cut out the roof line and after that I made the body and so on. It is not made to be any certain style or even be super detailed just kinda stylized. I just brushed the whole thing with the tiki handyman's secret weapon amber shellac. About 7 1/2" tall and about the same long. Diorama size I guess. I still have to even out the color but it looks ok sitting on the bar. Just thought I'd throw it out there as a first attempt at this type of thing for folks to see. Thanks.

Here's how it started. Sorry for the exotic setting of my stove top for background but the light was good.

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2016-03-05 06:40 ]

Pretty freakin cool, uncle trav

Could this be your true calling? Architectural models of potential tiki temples?

This little model speaks volumes to me..inspires me to try a model sometime..Thanks for the post :wink:

LOL, this is Frickin' Cool! You did an awesome job, especially on a first attempt. I admire your architectural skills,I probably would have cut a finger off, or glued them together or something!

Well thought out and well executed. Love the rafter and the bamboo accents

Great start! I think you're on to something. What will the future hold for the evolution of this laid-off, energy-consuming craft? Thatch roofs, removable tops, fully detailed interiors? Build your own "tiki archeology" kits? I think the sky's the limit. Keep going!

Well... maybe you can start by adding a floor? :lol:

Pupule Tiki!

[ Edited by: TikiMango 2009-09-16 16:17 ]

Thanks guys. I guess the floor would be a good next step. The bamboo is made from bar-b-q skewers. I made the segments in the bamboo with a pair of micro wire cutters and then dipped them in the shellac. The legs are made from cut up pencils with the paint scraped of and then shellacked. Gotta use whats around. Elmer's glue all the way. Like I said I never intended to get this far but I'm glad you like it. Thanks again.

:lol: :lol: :lol:
I thought that was real bamboo! Excellent!

Beautiful! I want one x-large with a hammock inside.

On 2009-09-16 18:17, mp wrote:
Beautiful! I want one x-large with a hammock inside.

Thanks mp. I think I'll stick to the smaller huts as the building materials are a little more in my budget. I'll try my hand at making a floor for the hut today and see how it comes out.

The new floor is installed. Gave it a rough plank look. Well I hope it kinda looks that way. More slapped on shellac for the floor. Kind of a weathered look. Here are some pics with the floor in.

There ya' go!

When you told me about this on the phone I sure didn't have in mind what you really made, but let me tell you buddy, that is awesome. The detail is right on. I also like how you took pictures with the hut next to the jigger.

That's sweeter than Tupelo Honey! :)

Ha, very nice!

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. I'm glad to see you enjoy the hut. Here is another out of the blue attempt. A very small Kahiki I started today for no good reason. This thing is small. I'm not sure how much detail I'll be able to get when I'm done but it's all for fun anyway. Not meant to be an exact replica just something to have fun with. Thanks again.

Nice job. This model would be an excellent reference model for a painting! I definitely would'nt be too concerned about making it an exact copy of the Kahiki either. Let turn out the way it wants to turn out.

By the way, where can I get a copy of that phenomenal Kahiki pic you have?

Thanks Robb.
If you'd like I can scan the postcard and send you a copy if you want to PM me your e-mail.
(well now I see you have your address in the post)

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2009-09-27 16:05 ]

Did a little more this morning.

Nice Uncle Trav. Glad to see you using a pencil again, been WAY to long. Needs a sign, do the sign, the sign, the sign!

Thanks Sissy. Well I have never been to the famous Tiki TI but I have a small one at the house now. Just the front as of yet. Again not an exact copy but close I hope. Here are some shots with and without the flash. Thanks again. Damn you Tiki Ti now I'm getting thirsty!




Tool kit for this one was colored pencils, glue stick, ruler and scissors.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2009-09-30 12:16 ]

your miniatures are sweet trav.

Fun! I love those! You should make one of the Xmas villages - Tiki Style! Maybe MCM (ala Edward Scissorhands-esque?). I know exactly what being unemployed does to the mind! Going on 7 months now and boy have I turned out the arts & crafts! LOL

Had a snow day today so I thought I would try to thatch the roof of the paper hut from the first page of my post. I used heavy paper stock stained with amber shellac and scissors. My first try at mini thatch.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2010-02-10 15:03 ]

Glad to see you back at it Trav :) Looks good.

The neat thing about your mini Tiki-Ti is that it's almost as big as the real one. :lol:

I'm serious.

Uncle Trav, I missed this thread before..........WOW........That is really a great hut. Very creative and fun.

The thatch looks perfect! I love these little creations of yours. Please keep at it.

Those are really turning out nice! I've always been a big fan of miniatures and dioramas. Probably started with my train set and mini village in my basement when I was a kid. Walt Disney was of course a huge fan of miniatures, which led to his backyard train and so many other things. I could just stand for hours looking at the Disney Imagineer architectural models on display at WDW.

Now, for your final exam, can you make THIS famous roof? :D

Hey trav great job!

Heres a tip for you.
If you seal the cardboard first then shellac
it will go on more even.
Just smear elmers glue all over item with an even
coat of glue.
Let dry then shellac.
You can do this over your artwork even.
BUT if the pens you use are not waterproof then
you need to first seal with spray on clear coat then glue then shellac.
Try a test first on other paper.
But I think Tiki Ti would look great done this way.

Thanks for all of the kind words everyone. Just started as something to pass the time. Skip I'll have to give your suggestion a try. and Rob I'm working on that roof line.....still. I'll let you know what I come up with. Thanks again.

Had some more time off from work so I'm just about finished with the hut. Here is how the thatch roof turned out. Just a dab of glue here and there and that should be it.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2010-05-14 07:53 ]

Wow! That is quite beautiful! Great work!

That is awesome. I work with paper everyday - but not like that! Nice!

It's amazing what can be created with paper in the right hands! Just beautiful!

Looks GREAT!!
Now tear it down and build a Walgreens!

Tikiskip--LOL

Trav, that is just awesome. Seriously, seriously cool. I'd love to see a diorama village with more of those and a cool painted scenic background. Ok, you have your orders :)

Sweet! Stick a flicker bulb inside!

That is darling - nice work. Do you have stock in Band Aids though? :wink: At first I thought you had it sitting on an outdoor grill - I see it's a table though - PHEW!

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Skip, my wife and I laughed our butts off when I told her about your post. I have thought about a diorama but would have to scale the size down a bit. From the start I also thought about a flicker light inside and it would be easy to do. Might look cool hanging over the bar. Thanks again everyone.

Started another one. Small scale. Just in the early stages. Maybe the start of a small diorama.

I love it already!

Looking forward to watching your progress. Lovely!

Thanks for the encouragement guys. This hut is tiny. The windows are just shy of 1/4 " square. Here is another progress shot.

Times are tough so the hut must go Please see my auction here. http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=38747&forum=12&0

A progress shot of the mini miniature hut I started to work on again.

I love these Tiki Huts, great job! I too, fell out laughing over Tiki Skips comment!

a little more progress on the new mini hut.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2011-01-07 18:15 ]

Congrats on the ending auction Trav!