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

Ummm
That Moai available in mug form?

My favorite cocktail backdrop

On 2017-12-15 18:49, danlovestikis wrote:

Hamo thank you. When you tell me the page I go back and look at where you left off.

Glad I can help you “relive” some things. In the first post of page 395 (Christmas Day three years ago), you mentioned randomly looking back at page 288 and finding your post about the previous year’s Christmas. Kinda meta. Just don’t get stuck in a time warp....

Now up to page 410: you and Dan just returned from 17 days on Maui.

hang10tiki you always take fun photos for me. Thank you. I'd already forgotten what my swap mug looked like and there it was.

Hamo nothing beats a Hawaiian island. In all our travels those are the best. I will travel back to see those Christmases, thank you for sending me there. I love coincidences.

====================

Finishing the Moai pedestal bowl.

When I had finished cutting and cleaning the bowl I saw that one side was starting to sag. I propped it up and left it sit under plastic for a day and then it was firm enough that it stayed put.

I'm really happy with my vinyl covers. I just wipe them off with a wet paper towel after use. No clay down the drain.

Using the backend of the same paintbrush I decorated the outside of the bowl.

All done and ready to mount. I checked to make sure that the bottom of the bowl was firm enough to hold it's own weight. I did this by holding the bowl with two fingers and a thumb in the middle of the bowl at the bottom. It didn't make a dent or sag.

I made sure all the tops were the same height and then I added sticky clay to each one.

I stuck the bowl on top and I was all done.

Now this bowl is with the other under plastic and slowly drying in the garage.

Two big bowls. Wendy

Two good-looking big bowls. Just think if the pedestal bowl sat inside the other one; that’d be one massive moai bowl....

Page 343: You’ve just returned from an Alaskan cruise for your 37th wedding anniversary. My parents celebrated their 37th anniversary last May. They actually took an Alaskan cruise for their 30th; it was much colder than your trip, and Dad didn’t really enjoy it. But he did like their Caribbean cruise from New Orleans last January.

Hamo thank you. Dan had said the same thing about putting the tall one inside the other one. When they are done I'll have to take a photo with them together. Our last cruise to New England was freezing like your parents Alaska cruise. We will have our 40th anniversary this May. We must be older than your parents!

======================================

My nephew just wrote a new Christmas song and performed it at the church where he is the director/pastor. I'm so proud of him.

https://youtu.be/n9DyhQKod8Y

======================================

Time for Christmas photos of how I decorated our home. I finally got it down to a 15 minute set up time.

I bought a pine wood tree at a craft fair. I had green spray paint from the re use it store.

Once it dried I started to cover it with lights. Once done so am I. I will just put this in plastic bags after Christmas and it will be good to go next year.

All wound up.

Our neighbors cat likes us and comes to visit each day. All the lights are on a timer.

All done. The pole lights are lights just put between two sheets of chicken wire. Then to hang them I have three levels with long wires that we pull to the back and twist.

I finally have no lights to wind and unwind. Those on the bushes are net lights. So easy. Cheers and Merry Christmas, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2017-12-18 19:02 ]

15 min
Wow
Takes me that long to get off the couch
When I decide it’s time to put up the tree

Those moai bowls look absolutely spectacular. I can't wait to see what they look like after glaze and firing!

And the PT Cruiser is back! Yay?

I’m not about to ask your age, but it seems like you two are just a couple of years older than my parents.

Dad says he can’t retire without a hobby. I’d suggest tiki ceramics, but he’d say he’s not artistic, and doesn’t get tiki culture, either. Besides, you and Dan work harder than he’d want during retirement, and Mom wouldn’t allow the scope of collection you allow.

Page 445: glazing the 2015 Sacramento Crawl mugs. Dan’s beard is majestic.

hang10tiki inside the house takes even less time. We have to keep our time free for making tikis!

Prikli Pear the PT Cruiser has been fine the car that was totaled was our 1996 Toyota Camry. With only 85,000 miles it was our best car. But we are lucky that we still have two left a 1998 Avelon with 170,000 and the 2003 Cruiser with 90,000 (which I inherited from my dad). We change the oil every 6 months and this keeps the cars going and going and going. Almost no repairs just battery and tire replacements. We hope that we can keep these two going for another 10 years and then we will buy used cars. We don't like to be in debt so this is how we work it.

I'm so glad that there's been good comments on the bowls rather than "What another Moai bowl!" Thank you.

Hamo not a problem, I'm 66 and Dan will be in a few more months. We are so happy to be in good health for our ages. Maybe your dad would like to take walks and to find the most perfect photo shot each day. I have a friend who does that and she is healthier than all of us. Being on your feet keeps a person in good shape.

It was fun for awhile having Dan with a beard. It's neat to see how the colors show up in facial hair. In the end he preferred shaving to having a hairy face.

===========================

Working on Wish List #8

When I do the Hot Tub Hula Girls I always end up with extras. The reason is that someone will order a "classic" and then after I make it they see a custom and say, "Can I order mine that way?" So then I do theirs over again.

This one is for Fred Ferrer who saw one with a lei and decided his needed it too. This is how I start when making flowers.

This one is for James Dinwiddie II who decided that one of his wife would be more fun than a classic.

Even the coconuts are hand carved.

I just needed to change the hair style.

These two will also be blonds. Cheers, Wendy

Thank you all for the visits to see what I'm up too. I watch my numbers as well as the comments. I am lucky to have you all!

================================

Since October I have been working on Wish List #8. Anything I could do would be ahead of the January 1st startup schedule so it's been fun.

I have orders for Black Velvet paintings as well as ceramics. Some of them will have a mug available. For sure I will need a mug for the Tiki Oasis Art Show 2018. So I decided to make some ahead. I also have an order for 2 on the Wish List.

Here are the first steps then I'm off to work.

I will be doing the mug that resembles the one in the middle but without the head piece cone.

One cast a day until I have ten blank mugs stored in big plastic bags which I can use over and over again until the zipper gives out. I always wet the zipper area before closing and this helps to preserve them and to make a good seal.

Out of the mold there are mold lines to remove and the top has to be cut off at just the right place.

One by one cut

and clean.

At the end of the day I had all 10 prepped and ready to alter. I put a plastic drape over them for the night so they firm up but don't dry out.

More fun tomorrow, cheers, Wendy

Can’t wait to see them come alive

You are always busy. I hope you give Dan Christmas Day off from tiki work.

Page 462: Tiki Bob restaurant pole mug for Wish List #6, plus Halloween. Not sure what Dan’s costume was; maybe a bearded jungle shaman?

hang10tiki I really enjoy making these because I like to do the super carving.

Hamo we will have those two kids back again for Christmas but they sure are older now. Dan says thank you for getting Christmas day off.

I drove past the Tiki Bob pole one time and saw that parking nearby would be impossible. I would still like to go back.

========================

More steps on the Spitting tiki for Wish List #8. This took a couple of days.

Any air pocket, even tiny, will explode the mug or crack the mug in the kiln. I carefully knead the clay removing them. Once that is done I roll a log for the tiki.

Then I wet the mug with slip and the roll with a spray of water so that it will seal to the side of the mug.

I press the clay roll to the mug, but again I can't trap any air along this seam.

Once that is done I build up the clay along the seam, first with small amounts and

then with larger amounts.

The logs as they firm up under a plastic sheet will change. I have to go back and add clay to re-shape them the next day.

Thank you for the visit, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2017-12-21 08:03 ]

All the same drum
Or diffferent ones?

I was in San Francisco for one day this past August and missed Tiki Bob, too.

Page 472: Christmas 2015, Mexican cruise, beardless Dan gets a colonoscopy.

hang10tiki all the same one. The other drums require so much work that I would only do one as a Wish not a run to go with black velvets. Also I just like this tiki because he's kind of scary.

Hamo a lot of tikis on that page too. I read the last line of your post to Dan who laughed and then said, "You put that on Tiki Central?"
Yes I hope everyone is able to follow the guidelines that protect our health. Dan and I were both found to have pre-cancerous polyps on our colonoscopies. They were removed. If not we would both have colon cancer by now. Modern medicine works.

=============================

Stephen Seaton's wish was for two of these spitting tiki fogcutter mugs. So he gets to look at all 10 and to make his choices.

I never got a photo of cutting back the clay around the tiki so that it looks lie it is against the mug but not part of the mug. I haven't done that on this one but the photos following will show it well. Then again I go over the surface to make sure there are no dents, if there are I fill them. Once done I can now go to work.

I start with adding clay to the forehead area so that I can make the eyes deeply set and dark.

The I add more clay to build the rest of the face. Once the face is done I make a wood surface with a wire brush and then the next day it's time to carve the mug.

Mug #1

Mug #2

Mug #3

All together.

Since they are hand built each tiki has it's own personality.

Three down 7 to go. The next mugs differ because they all have the rim around the top as well as the bottom. Wendy

I know you like coincidences

I just started carving the same tiki this morning

I checked your post
And
Bamm
There it was
:)

Wife loves her version from the swap

Hmmm
I may have to get her one of your new ones to go with her other one

Hint hint

hang10tiki I love these tikis. I'll have to watch your progress on your carving thread. Jannell's quilt is hanging in the Buzzy Bedroom and your swap tiki from this year is in our family room. We see both most every day. We sure do have fun.

Thank you very much for the Christmas Card. I keep telling everyone I'm lazy and not sending them out but I sure got a whole bunch of nice ones, yours included.

Tiki Buddies just rock! Wendy

The next three mugs carved for this group of ten slit drum mugs.

Carving mug #4. I use a little stick to do the mouth/drum slit.

Mug #4 done.

Carving on mug #5

Mug #5 done.

Carving Mug #6

Mug #6 done.

To remove the sharp edge of each carved area I use a wet brush. I go over the whole are. This will also remove an clay crumbs.

Happy Holiday weekend to everyone, Wendy and Dan

Me like

Wish List #8 the last four spitting tiki fogcutter mugs that go with some black velvet paintings that I will be doing soon.

Mug #7 done.

Mug #8 done.

Mug #9 done.

Mug #10 done.

I am really enjoying have this garage space. It's so wonderful to be able to keep the finished art out of the house.

It's Christmas Eve and tomorrow the gift we will ask for is peace on earth. Wendy and Dan

I really like the carving on mugs 3, 7 and 9. You’re glazing and firing lots of Wish List #6 mugs on page 489, including some fun Bobs, Tiki Modern mugs, and some of these Enchanted Tikis.

Merry Christmas to you, Wendy and Dan.

Good job on all these W

Hope u guys have a great Xmas eve tonight
And
A wonderful Xmas tomorrow

Cheers

Hamo thank you for the update which is so much fun for me. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

hang10tiki last night I boiled artichokes my favorite TV time snack! I hope you are having a fun day.

=========================

photo by hang10tiki

Photo by Scott Taylor.

Merry Xmas
Have a great day and rest up a bit.

Look what Santa put on the top of our tree

Beautiful pieces Wendy!

hang10tiki I shared the Dan as a tree topper photo on facebook. So cute thank you.

===================================

How we celebrated our Christmas. First we prayed and then we got out albums from our first three years of marriage and enjoyed looking at all the photos. Here are a few favorites.

Every winter we brought our 9 x 13 foot trampoline into the living room for exercise.

Yes occasionally we did hit our head on the ceiling.

I will share our Christmas presents with you because they are TIKI!

For every occasion what I want most is for Dan to make me a card with a loving message inside. This is the first year he drew a tiki! He has some skills I didn't know about.

Inside were $42 worth of scratchers. I won $30 which wasn't expected so while not ahead I'll turn these in and get some more to scratch for fun. I keep going until I have no money left.

During the Sacramento Tiki Crawl I saw a shirt at Swanzburg's and couldn't resist it. Dan put it away for Christmas and it was such fun because I'd forgotten all about it.

Dan and I will enjoy reading Sven and Otto's book about the recent tiki art show.

If you are looking for a tiki t-shirt then Robert Jimenez aka zerostreet has these beauties.

OceaOtica just found your message after posting. Thank you from one artist to another, I appreciate your comment so much. Wendy

Thanks for posting Wendy! And those pics of you and Dan are Amazing!

Merry Christmas!

Trampoline inside the house!! I love it.

Thanks for sharing your work all year long, this is such a fun thread.

Mele Kalikimaka!

What Bam said

Love this pic
Looks like you married on of the Beatles

Page 495: a year and a half, and 100 pages ago, you two had just returned from a South Pacific cruise. Expensive Moari and Tahitian art. No trampoline, but you did ride jet skis in Auckland. “Dan hated it very much.“

zerostreet it's so much fun to look across at Dan wearing one of your shirts and to think of our fun Cuban meal with your family. That was such a special visit and very much appreciated.

bamalamalu Thank you for the photos. I love my Tiki Tony bird and it's fun to see another one with a santa hat, ours has a straw hat.
It's been a fun year and I'm off to a running start for next year. More fun ahead.

hang10tiki we were in high school during the ultimate music years. The year we married Staying Alive by the Bee Gee's and Disco was in full swing.

Hamo I think Dan would have liked the ride if we weren't freezing and he was so afraid his glasses would fly off and he'd be blind for the rest of the trip. I think Jet Boat rides are really fun in warm weather. I went back and looked at the photos you stopped at. I still think that Hawaii can not be beat by Tahiti or the surrounding island because they are also very tiny and lacking restaurants.

===========================

Wish List #8 continues on with A WARNING OF NUDITY IN GREY CLAY! This wish is for Fred Ferrer. He requested that I do Hot Tub Hula Girl breasts on a Tiki Bobbette mug. Dan says to rename her Tiki Boobette.

I take a regular size Tiki Bob and convert it to a super tall Bobbette by adding clay to the bottom.

I have photos that are being rejected here so I'll just continue on.

He requested that the girl hold a mug so I made this one.

I put it in place and used some slip to glue it well and then I used a ball on a stick to make the mug opening.

Now it was time to add more clay to make the grass skirt. After I did this mug I remembered how I did the first two and they were much easier. I'll go back to the old method.

I just kept adding clay and working it into place.

This took way too many days and too much time.

It doesn't yet look good but I will continue to add clay until it does.

After a few days of adding clay and adjusting the shape it was firm enough to proceed.

I like to carve around the Bob's face. This helps to prevent runs.

Time to build the Hibiscus Flower.

Done

Time to do the lei. Addition of clay can place air pockets that will detroy the piece so I make sure that I do make any. I flatten the flowe disc before placing the next one.

Once I had all the discs placed I wanted to cement them to the mug. I used a brush and added slip around each disc.

The I turned the mug upside down and did it on the underside.

Now I added a few strands of hair.

Time to carve the detail.

All done and posing.

The sculpting took about 9 days, I hope the glazing will go faster.

Thank you all for the Christmas cheer and the visit, Wendy

Wish List #8 progress report. I started casting for this Wish List at the beginning of summer so I could just take pieces off the shelf and go to work on each project. What I will start to share here are 6 Bumatay Mermaid bowls. Not all are spoken for at this time.

The bowl have been claimed.

#1 Alex Dulude
#2 James Dinwiddie III
#3 Lee Scott aka Tiki Lee
#4 Karen Nichols
#5 Ken Kim McCormick
#6 Waiting to hear back
#7 Roger Scott (I'm making another bowl for his wish to be just right).

When someone writes, "I want one of these bowls" but doesn't send me a personal message then I put a maybe with their names.

I will make contact to see who wants a bowl and which one and then the rest are up for grabs. The bowls can be glazed according to the buyer or when not purchased I will choose the glazes and then show them again for sale. $200 each plus shipping.

Bowl #1 may not survive firing but Alex Dulude is giving it a chanc

Each mermaid starts out without a tail fin or hair. I add these on as I go.

I have to make a hole in the bowl under the mermaid so that no air is trapped when fired.

She is attached with sticky clay (scraps from casting mixed with slip).

I cleaned and detailed four Bumatay fishes.

Then I added sticky clay (scraps from casting mixed with slip) to the backs of one fish.

Once I had all four in place I did more detailing.

I added clay to the backs of the fish heads and ran it down to the top of the bowl. Then I detailed it too.

I did some abstract wave patterns around the sides.

Here's the bowl finished (for Alex Dulude).

I hadn't even begun to dry it outside of the plastic cover when I found it had cracked.

I cut out the cracked area with a tool and found that it hadn't gone all the way through. This was good news. So then for a day I would layer on some Magic Mend repair slip.

When I had over loaded the area and it was completely dry I removed the excess. Every day I check and so far as the bowl has been drying the crack hasn't come back. However it could when fired. So this bowl is really iffy.

I have my fingers crossed on this one. Cheers, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2018-01-02 07:49 ]

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2018-01-02 07:53 ]

Dang Wendy
These last two are awesome
Good work!!!!!!!!

Page 517 is mostly Tiki Oasis 16 fun and hugs, plus a couple of bowls, including a surprise Hot Tub Hula Girl for Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid.

HamO- 78 pages to go :)

hang10tiki I'm glad you like them. I never know when something will crack so I made 6 of the bowls. So far trouble with just one.

Hamo hearing your report I had flash backs of all that fun. If only I'd video'd Marina because she screamed! Her mug was a gift from a friend of hers Jen Tiki.

hang10tiki I love numbers so your report was fun too. I'll have to see how your tiki carving has been going.

===========================

All of these Bumatay Mermaid bowls (and the next two I'll show tomorrow) have been claimed via facebook. If you are on the Wish List and want to have one of these as your wish made to order let me know. The versions I am showing here are $200 each plus shipping.

Bowl number 2 is for James Dinwiddie III.

Bowl number 3 is for Tiki Lee aka Lee Scott. He paid for me to carve woodgrain on the bowl. See the new photos below.

First I carved all of the bowl with a triangular tool.

Once it was done I went back

and used the wire tool over the same areas.

Bowl number 4. This one is for Karen Nichols.

All four bowls together.

Two more yet to come. Cheers, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2018-01-02 07:48 ]

6 of them
Wow
Awesome

Fun day with a stop at Frankie’s

hang10tiki you two kids have so much fun. You must know that the draw to Las Vegas is no longer the Buffets. Instead it's getting to visit you two and to see all your new tikis and room and backyard additions. Hopefully one day you'll show up here.

====================================

All the bowls are spoken for right now. Here are the last two in-progress and finished.

Bowl number 5 is for Ken Kim McCormick.

Each mermaid out of the mold looks like this. No hair and the middle and end of the tail are missing. I did this so I could mold it and then also so I could change it.

I finish the tail and then

the hair. For this one I added some rocks at the base.

I sealed her into the bowl with sticky clay and

Then I added the Bumatay and detailed them with a wire brush.

For bowl number 6 I decided to do a change. I cast a sheet of my sea life necklaces and

cleaned them up. I chose some for the bowl and then

cleaned up the rest and added holes for the chord. These necklaces are available.

Before the tune up.

After the detailing is done.

Two together each a bit different.

Bowl number 6 is a Mermaid with sea life. No Bumatay on the outside of the bowl. It belongs to Eric Alred.

I start as always cleaning a mermaid cast and then adding the hair and

then the tail.

Sealed into the bowl with sticky clay. Then I added Puffers, a turtle and some sea shells. These are also stuck with sticky clay.

All six together and slowly drying under plastic in the garage.

Two days left until I officially start on the Wish List #8. I have a good head start. Even making the binder is a long process.

Cheers, Wendy

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2018-01-01 14:35 ]

[ Edited by: danlovestikis 2018-01-02 09:43 ]

During my time off from the tiki projects I caught up on a few other projects. Here's the first one. I rescued another shell lamp.

I gather all the supplies I will need. Elmer's wood putty, sandpaper, brushes, paints, water, and thick hobby glue.

I use a stiff brush and water to clean out all the dust from the nooks and crannies.

Then I fill all the cracks with the wood putty.

Once it is dry I sand it wearing face mask.

There were some broken shells and I just removed them down to the base.

I mixed acrylic paint and touched up over all the areas that I had puttied.

Usually after being washed the large shell looks good. This time it looked stained and icky. So I got out a ceramic paint and went to work.

Using big globs of thick glue I just find what shells will fit into each nook and cranny. It's so much fun. Before man all the beaches were covered in shells.

The last area to be covered.

All done. Photos with a flash and then without a flash.

I would love to see any lamps that you have enhanced posted here.

Two more "saves" of chipped art.

The hula girl mug is a favorite mug of Dan's because he was born in 1952 and the mug was made that year. He accidentally chipped the flower in her hair. At a thrift store I found a Treasure Craft fish for $3.00 and I knew I could fix the chips so I bought it and brought it home.

I started by filling the chips with Elmer's Wood Filler. I let it dry and filled again.

Once the areas were overfilled and dry I sanded each area into shape.

The Raw Umber is the Treasure Craft color for brown repairs.

To get the right color for the flower I mixed these paints together.

Once the paint was dry I sealed it with this spray fix in Matte which is flat and not shiny.

Here are the two 66 year old mugs!

There's the bottom of the mug to prove it.

Butt Dan would only let me show you a replica of his bottom!

The mug went back in place. Below is one similar (the lei is hung differently) but has nothing on the bottom to say the year. Knockoff?

He worked the fish onto another shelf.

I'm done with repairs for now. Hopefully 2018 will be a damage free year. Cheers, Wendy

During my time off I came up with an idea for a mug. I ended up with a coincidence which made it all the more fun.

I cleaned up a fogcutter mug to use.

I prepped a petroglyph turtle aka Honu.

I attached it to the mug with sticky clay (clay mixed with slip).

I decided that it would be a necklace so I made the chord. Once attached with sticky clay I then ran slip along the up side.

I flipped over the mug and ran the slip bottom side.

I smoothed it with my fingers and a brush.

Now I wanted to add the name of the fictional bar to the mug. Turtle House but written as Honu Hale.

This was done along the chord.

Then Dan comes down to see how the mug is going and says that's wrong. It needs to be Hale Honu just like how the name for the volcano in Maui is said. So I mushed out the names and did them again. I kept thinking but the volcano in Maui is one word isn't it?

The next day I did my super-carving step all over the mug.

Later that night I went through all my books waiting to be read. I selected a Michael Connelly book. The detective in the book said she could see the Maui volcano from her home as she grew up. Right before my eyes was the spelling for the volcano.

So much fun when this happens. I had 50 books to choose from and I picked this one! Cheers, Wendy

I'm so enjoying all of the new mugs! As usual, they are fantastic!

Thank you for sharing your how to on how to fix treasure craft chips. I've bought a few pieces with chips that I never thought about fixing. When it comes time to display them, perhaps I'll take a chance on trying to hide the damage.

As always, Tiki Central provides information I never knew I needed :)

Haha, I was also thinking that Honu Hale was wrong when I was reading it. I don't think I would have corrected you though :)

We are heading to Hawaii soon and we just bought my parents a gift certificate for the Halekulani resort, because we thought that they would enjoy A House Without A Key. Halekulani means "house of the heavens" so Halehonu would mean "house of the turtle." I don't think it would make too much of a difference if you put it as one word or two.

Anyway, Happy New Year! Glad you are doing well and I hope that we bump into each other soon!

OK Wendy, the next logical progression is a mug design that can be displayed with an coordinating accessory necklace.
If you want to get really tricky, have a recess in the mug that the pendant of the necklace fits into.
Just spitballing ideas here.