Wendy Cevola - Zombie Hut movie and Sven's new book on display.

Hahahahaha. I didn't even notice Dan at first!

Sneaky sneaky!

THAT'S MY KIND OF SPOON,
BUT I WONDER IF THE PAINT WILL COME OFF ONCE DIPPED IN A LIL MAC-N-CHEESE
:)

Those are Spoon-O-licious!
see ya this Sunday Wendy.

Thanks guys. Dan's been bugging me with those spoons for awhile so the time had come to make my man happy.

NOTICE: MY COMPUTER HAS BEEN FREEZING UP FOR MONTHS SO THE PROBLEM GOING TO BE FIXED WHILE WE ARE AT THE SALE. WINDOWS XP IS NOT WORKING ANY LONGER. I'M TAKING IN TODAY AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN I'LL GET IT BACK. HOPEFULLY I'LL BE BACK ON HERE SOMETIME NEXT WEEK. I'LL MISS YOU ALL.

Progress Report:

I had a banner made for my table at the Don the Beachcomber's sale. It's the one on top. Then I used the prototype photo to make business cards. I only put my Tiki Central information on them because I like to just make art for those who visit my threads. I printed these and cut them in half. It's fun they'll match my banner.

The kiln opened and it was a successful firing without problems.

Top Shelf.

Bottom shelf.

These will have cords added and will be available at Don the Beachcomber's this weekend.

Kahaka's Grandpa mug for his wife for Christmas. Green eyes.

The Coconut Bowl for Dan.

Santa Bob for Loki Tiki. The kiln props worked!

Until we meet again dear friends, Wendy

Hooray!

Success as always! Hopefully it's fixed sooner than later. We'll miss you.

I love the colors, as always. And I think that's the first "normal" Bob I've seen you do, despite the cat on the head. I dig it. And the Santa looks awesome.

Good luck at the sale!

I hope your computer is fixed quickly! I don't know what anyone here will do without your updates. I am so loving the Santa Bob. Have fun at the sale.

Wow Wendy, that Santa Bob looks really, really good.

Merry Happy - That Santa Bob [esp. beard] is great.

GET WELL SOON COMPUTER
MUGS LOOK GREAT
HAVE FUN AT DON'S

Wendy, I agree w/ swizzle (& everyone else), Santa Bob is amazing. Curious (can I ask this?) what red glaze is that? I love it. Can't wait to see your pieces in person on Sunday.

What a glorious kiln opening!
Love the honu necklaces!
Wish I could be at Don's...
Hope you're back soon
(I'll miss the Wendy & Dan show)
~kele

Hello Dear Friends, I need to have a broken computer and travel more often if it means getting so many posts to read. These were like Christmas presents to open. I loved each one, thank you.

We left a day early to beat the huge storm due to hit our area. We made it to Long Beach with only 10 minutes of driving in the rain. Now it raining here non-stop. Today we will find an indoor place to play. Tomorrow we visit HB Tiki and then go to a party at Soccer Tiki and WooHoo Wahini's home. We love to visit with tiki buddies. Sunday is the sale and we get to see so many friends that my face will break from smiling so much.

I'm so happy you like the wishes that I have fulfilled for Loki Tiki and Kahaka. I have not finished Wish List #3 so there will be more coming up.

Thank you all for writing it means so much to me, hugs, Wendy

PS Tiki Ano it is my favorite Duncan glaze called Red Neon Sprinkles

Finally a post from Wendy. I had been saddened and bereft. Now I am gladdened and . . . unbereft. Everything looks beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Wendy, great meeting you and Dan today- thanks for talking for a bit and for all of the advice and information- as well as for the Bob and the Moai! I have to do a bit of rearranging, but I've found a (temporary) spot for the Bob on the shelf- right next to pieces by Johnnie Velour, Van Tiki, Tiki Tony, & Munktiki. Here's a peek at (initial) placement:

It's been days, wandering in a Cevola-less desert . . . saddened again. Bereft . . . again.

The professor is spot on...

Tiki Ano it was wonderful meeting you and having a good visit. Thank you so much for the photo.

Professor G and hang10tiki you flatter me so much I'm blushing.

Hello everyone, we are home from out trip. Dan's a dear doing laundry and grocery shopping while I'm working on the new computer trying to learn what I can. Today I was able to have Comcast set up the wireless connection and add in our email addresses. This is the first time Dan's had his own! Of course he's only sent 3 emails and 2 text messages. I've only sent one text message. We both have a lot to learn.

I don't yet know how to add in my photos. I'm going to work on that today. I need to hook up my printer too. As soon as I get these done I'll post photos of the trip. Meanwhile there are photos on the events page for the Don The Beachcomber's sale. We had a lot of fun.

I say goodbye now while I try to learn this new system, Windows 8. I can say that it sure does show a lot of "tiles" you can click on but the simple things like emails are tough.

I'll be back soon, Wendy

We got lucky spending the whole day alongside Wendy & Dan vending at the Marketplace!

Atomic Tiki Punk what a sweet comment. We always enjoy seeing you and your wife too. Hugs, Wendy

Well I'm learning as many glitches as functions. So many of my photos want to lay on their sides when I try to load them to show here. So I picked a few that stay in the right position.

We started the fun with a visit to see HB Tiki and his wife Margi. He has a very special collection of rare items and new art.

Next we went to SoccerTiki and WooHoo's for a wonderful party with so many friends to visit with.

Sunday was the Don the Beachcomber's sale. Here is the start of our day. Dannie and GoGo were with us and we visited all day and the time passed fast.

We had a blast. Southern California has so many fun tiki events. This is one of the very best.
Now it is time for me to get back to work on Wish List #3 and start the Ren Clark Severed Head project.

Thank you all for staying with me while we were gone. Your posts and views inspire me every day.

Cheers, Wendy

Love the photos, Wendy. I wanted to post up a pic of the Moai mask (w/ our favorite glaze :) ) hanging in its new home. As you may be able to tell, it hints at my primary color fixation we discussed. :wink:

WenDan

Looks like u 2 had fun...
Wish we could have made it...

Jon

Did anyone else spot Wendy's 'bunny ears'? lol
~kele

Totally dig the Grandpa mug, Wendy! Can't wait to show Tanya. She's gonna love it!!

Wendy, you are a great photographer and tiki Historian.

TikiAno that's the first one I've seen hung on a wall. Thank you so much for the photo. I enjoyed our visits at Don's.

hang10tiki we did have fun but it could have been even better if you two had made it there.

WaikikianMoeKele I totally missed my bunny ears. They were perfect and no one was trying for the effect. I'm glad you saw it and shared.

KAHAKA I'm looking forward to seeing her with the mug and Grandpa. That would be a special gift for me.

Progress Report:

Well I'm jumping back into the work. Trips really throw me off and then with learning a new computer. ARRRH! I have to remember to take it easy and do one step at a time.

The most frustrating thing that has happened is that I unload my camera. I rotate all the photos so that they are perfect. Then when I bring them here they flip back on their sides and I can't fix it. There must be a step to make the rotation final but I haven't found it yet. So I'm sorry that the photos presented here are on their sides.

I've been gathering glazes to start on the last set of bisque projects.

Dan and I poured a batch again so I can begin the next wave of Wish List #3 projects. Yep I've not finished all the orders. It's a long journey to completion but I do my best to make each wish fulfilled to the best of my ability.

Next up was fine tuning the Ren Clark Severed Head sculpt. I've borrowed Dan's real one so that I can reproduce it well. This is much harder than just making my own design.

I use the original to see if my proportions are right.

I fashioned a pour spout for the slip to enter though when the mold is made.

I am using a pasta maker to form thin sheets of Sculpey clay. I also use a huge butcher knife to cut pieces.

I layer them around the spout and on the chin and upper lip.

It's really important to step back and examine what you are doing and how it will work when you make the mold. I saw a huge problem. Can you spot it? If I poured this as is I would end up with a large air bubble in the chin.

So I've added another clay tube which will be enlarging the opening to the tip of the chin. Once poured I'll add clay to close this up.

Next I continue to add clay or remove it to match the original.

Today I'll try to finish it so we can mold it tomorrow. I never run out of projects and that keeps me happy. Thank you for visiting. Someday I'll figure out how to make my photos stay rotated.

Happy Holidays, Wendy

Looks great so far. I can't believe you can get it done in two days. That's mighty impressive.

So if I remember correctly, you said that it's going to be slightly larger than the original, correct?

So why did you choose sculpy this time? Is it because it's over an existing mug?

[ Edited by: Hale Tiki 2012-12-07 09:20 ]

Ahhhhh
Back in action

A sideways Dan N Wendy show is better than no show at all...
:)

keep up the good work

Wendy, I have the same photo problem when I take pictures on my phone. They are always sideways or upside down. What I do to correct it is open them in photoshop, and photoshop usually can tell which way they are supposed to be. From there I just save them in photoshop and then they are right side up.

If you don't have photoshop, you should just be able to turn them on any program. From there you might just want to save them and that should do the trick. Obviously there are a bunch of different programs and operating systems out there. It might be a little more difficult on your end than that depending on what you are using. I am sure that you will figure it out though.

Nice to meet you last week! I am jealous of my wife having one of your great mugs before me...

Wendy and Dan,

Thank you so much for spending some time with a tiki mug nerd and his wife while you were down last weekend. It was so wonderfull to hear how you make your mugs and the great stories about what goes into each and every design. Seeing them all on sale at Don's was fantastic. I wanted to take them all home with me.

I will be shooting you an email soon. Until then, keep the pictures coming. Mrs Chippy and I are loving the different items and how they come together.

Damned PCs. Next time get a Mac.

This is the first time I've seen all those different colored Tiki Bob mugs. I kind of want all of them. Rainbow Bob!

Wendy, I notice your camera puts everything in landscape mode (wide instead of tall). The few wide pictures you took are OK, it's the tall ones that are wrong. It's not a true fix but as long as you take the pictures wide they will display right :D

Hale Tiki, yes it will be double the size. Think of the original as an orange and the new one as the size of a large grapefruit. I ended up working on it this morning before we began the mold process. Different lighting changes everything when you are copying. Making an original is so much easier. I used Super Sculpey because I thought I might be able to save the original if I did.

hang10tiki I never stop working for very long because I don't want you all to forget me! I found a button that said to confirm the changes and to save them. So maybe my sideways days are over.

tiki beat by marcus thorn welcome to my thread. Swizzle has been a friend from Australia for years and recently visited us at our home. Thank you for the visit here.

lunavideogames hi Treg, I may have found the solution save button. Thank you. Guess what? SMBacon who asked for the very first Pac Man Bob was at the Don the Beachcomber sale. I should have had you meet. Or have you? When he got home he sent me the map for making the female version of Pac Man which he's had on the Wish List for a very long time. I was surprised to see that it's just what you wanted too. So now I'll make two at the same time but much better because of the detailed map he's sent.

Chippy the party at Soccer Tiki's and Woo Hoo's was wonderful. The best part was meeting you and all their other friends. Some were new and some old for us. I'll be watching for that email.

GROG I only get Mac's at McDonald's. Good to see you here.

MadDogMike today I did as you suggested and took all my photos so that I wouldn't have to rotate them. Then playing with the computer I found a finalize button. I hope that will do it in the future.

Progress Report:

Here's a photo for size comparison. That's the real deal on the right.

I opened the molds and cleaned the Bobs and put them in baggies.

I bought the supplies for the Tiki Bob Torches. They will have a flickering light on top and the wooden base that I will paint.

It's Saturday night and it is time to party on Garth! Cheers, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2012-12-08 19:22 ]

The severed head is lookin good
Lamps should be fun

hang10tiki it is always fun to read your comments.

Progress Report on the Severed Head.
Here's Dan's collection again.
Notches version, my bowl version, my mug version (both done in 2005 in clay), a real Ren Clark severed head. I did mine from a photo. When we got a real one we were surprised that it was so small.

It's never to late to tweak the sculpt, so just before we molded it I did just that.

I used really soft clay to press around the ears.

Dan worked to make snakes for the mold box.

I figured out I could make 2 sides at the same time. Front and Back. So I built a wall where the side pieces would go. I didn't put the box around it until I had mold soaped the sculpt three times. The soap is just a barrier since it's not preventing plaster from sticking to plaster.

The box was put together and the snakes put along the seam lines.

Dan and I mixed the 1st grade plaster until it was like buttermilk on my fingers.

After it was poured and had hardened was took off the side. We now have the front and back done.

I did not want the pieces to come loose so I left all but one side of the box together while I began to carefully remove the clay.

I took out the middle clay so I could grab the sides to pull the rest out.

I used a sharp tool to cut the plaster at the bottom of each slab so it would be tight when I poured the side pieces. I used a brush and put on three layers of mold soap wiping it away between each application. It was easier to do it with the side off.

I added the snakes to all the seams. The same steps were accomplished on the other side. Doing two each time saved a lot of work.

After the side pieces were poured and hardened I removed the box and we strapped it all together. Then I rasped the top to make the four pieces the same height so I could turn it over.

The bottom is now exposed. I carved into it Back From The Dead Ren Clark c 2013 Wendy Cevola
I added an edge so that the bottom will be like the original.

Dan noticed that I didn't have locks. I used a melon scooper to make some. One in each corner. Dan pointed out that in the past we varied them to make it easier to put together. He really saved the day. This is a team effort. So I added one more dip to one of the sides.

We always wear face masks when we have plaster or clay dust floating around. At the end of the day we clean up.

I'm leaving the mold in one big strapped piece for a few days. Then we will open it to see if the sculpt survived or if I lost it. Most importantly is whether or not the mold will work for this project.

Let me know if you want to sign up for one $125 each. The list of buyers so far is on page 1 of this thread. Cheers, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2012-12-09 14:25 ]

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2012-12-10 21:11 ]

Hey Wendy,
I have not met SM Bacon. That is very cool to hear that he did another board for the Ms Pacman. I am excited to see how that will look. I guess I asked for that one at the right time since he wants one as well. I will have to thank him for the design!

Glad you got your PC camera issues fixed. It always takes some time to get used to new computers. The Ren's are looking great and I hope your mold works!!! Keep up the great work!

ummm, I just realized that Dan has a SCARY lot of severed heads... just saying...
(Dan, please don't take offense)
~kele

Fingers crossed...

Treg, when all these are done I'll start working clay again and you know what that means!
Kele what is your home address, oh wait Dan has it! He likes those heads are you keeping yours on tight?
hang10tiki this ones for you!

Progress Report Wish List #3

I've started glazing again. I started by glazing the inside of the mugs. That's why some are upside down.

First up is hang10tikis Suffering Bob.

Marone Tiki's Scuba Bob, Matt the Cat's Palm Tree Bob and Swizzles Bob.

Then on to Atomic Chicks Pac Man Bob.

Picture this, every glaze requires 3 coats. So I've only just begun.

Sm Bacon made the Bob map for me. Soon I'll be working on two Female Pac Bob's

Every day is fun, thank you always, Wendy

Hey Wendy,

This is probably a dumb question and has been answered elsewhere (but since I'm lazy and am known for dumb questions, I'll fire away) . . . how do you get the interior of the mugs (negative space?)? Another way to ask I guess is what is the outside of the mug "around" if anything?

Second question is, when you are recreating the severed head, do you turn your model "right side up" at all or do you leave it in situ i.e. resting on it's "top"?

Sorry we won't see you on Thursday, but we'll hoist a glass for you and to Dan's speedy recovery!

Love ya,

GREG

Aloha and okole maluna!

The Blue Kahuna

[ Edited by: The Blue Kahuna 2012-12-10 21:43 ]

Ahhhhh, Suffering Bob is transforming into his final color,
Thanks for the update.

And everything else looks good too.

Jon

Ps- I can't wait to see what you come up with for the Mad Dog Mike Sea Creatures art swap...

[ Edited by: hang10tiki 2012-12-10 21:47 ]

Hey Wendy, just to let you know if you didn't already MS Pacman is a bit different than regular Pacman. There are no keys or many of the bonus objects that Pacman has, instead there are different fruits (and oddly, a pretzel) and the outline of the maze on the first level is in pink instead of blue. Here is a link to KLOV (killer list of video games) site with some good reference pics and a video of the game in action: http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8782 .

keep up the awesome work

Wow! I've been away for a while and spent an hour catching up and just picking my jaw up of the floor. As always, Amazing Wendy and Dan...(BTW Dan I miss the 'stache. Made you look like a retired cop, especially with a Hawaiian shirt and tiki in hand)

Here are long over due photos of the Wolfman bob in place and with me. (notice the one with boobies my wife made me put zombie side out and in the back...sigh...)

Eventually, when the other Monster Bobs arrive, I will have a dedicated shelf and a friend has offered to paint up a background for them. Of course that's way down the line.

The Blue Kahuna a mold is made and the whole interior is that negative/empty space. It's made of absorbent plaster so when you pour in the slip/liquid clay the plaster starts to pull out the water making the clay firm where it is in contact with the mold. Testing tells you how long to wait until you pour out the slip that is still liquid. This leaves the empty mug behind. It sits over night and then the next day you open the mold and take it out. All the extra like the opening you poured through is cut off. Look at the photo with the Bobs a few posts back where they still have it on the top of their heads.
Wendy,

I pour in through the neck and then pour out through the neck. Then same thing it sits upside down over night. Thanks for stopping by I was thinking about you yesterday. We'll miss you all on Thursday. Where are you going?

hang10tiki yesterday we had company and today we are getting our nuts into storage for the couple of weeks Dan will be in bed and I'll be his nurse. I hope to get back to glazing really soon. I know the swap is getting closer. Your Honu carving is going to be really hard for you to give up, it looks great.

tigertail777
Hey Wendy, just to let you know if you didn't already MS Pacman is a bit different than regular Pacman. There are no keys or many of the bonus objects that Pacman has, instead there are different fruits (and oddly, a pretzel) and the outline of the maze on the first level is in pink instead of blue. Here is a link to KLOV (killer list of video games) site with some good reference pics and a video of the game in action: http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8782 .
Thank you for the link. SM Bacon made a map for me that fits your description. Here it is.

tiki beat by marcus thorn thank you from North America.

I just got off the computer after a Geek Squad lesson and what a help. Right now I've found I can't keep TC remembering my password. I click the box but next time I go on it back to typing danlovestikis and the password. Anyone else having that problem?

Cheers, Wendy

Very cool Ms Pac-Man board! I am really excited to see how it turns out now...

I always type my password in everytime. Guess I am paranoid. But windows 8 should have an option to save all of your passwords, but I haven't ever tried it, so I don't know where to tell you to look. Possibly in the control panel?

dartharnie we were posting at the same time so I missed you until now. I LOVE the photos. It inspires me for the next round of clay work for you. Three to go.

lunavideogames the map helps so much. He's a super guy. I hope you meet him at the next DTB sale. He's not missed any of them. We hope to go as shoppers. Thank you for the help on passwords. I wish it would save my TC name but I have to type in both.

(: Wendy