Official Introductions Thread. New Members, Post your introduction here...

Hello Everyone! I am new to tiki collecting (and forums as well)...I hope I did this right!

Hi I am FaeMage from England,

I am interested in learning how to draw Tiki's would anyone be able to give me any tips or know of any books or sources that can help?

Thanx

Fae uk

Howdy all!

I'm an avid home bartender/cook, and have just recently caught the tiki bug. Right now I'm avidly reading up, and hoping to be able to tuck the kids away long enough to visit Thatch, the new tiki bar here in Portland, OR.

Howdy! I'm a 21 year old UCLA student. I'm glad to be on here!

Hello, I just started building my Tiki bar on my patio. I hope to get some useful information from the more experienced on this forum. I will post my progress pics if that is ok.

Howdy Ya'll

Hi everyone, just here to bring a little Jamaican flavor to the forum and talk about Jamaican rum, liqueur etc.

Hey Jamaican Vibes - welcome to Tiki Central - just got done looking through your site and rest assured, you'll be getting an order from me in the very near future!

hello everyone, i'm looking forward to expanding my tiki knowledge.

jd

A warm welcome to all the new folks....have fun. :tiki:

On 2007-05-28 17:16, Texas TikiGod wrote:
Howdy Ya'll
Well now, Texas TikiGod, ya gotta give us Texas tiki folk more information than that!! Dripping Springs? Corsicana? El Paso? Grapevine? Dimebox? Harlingen? Amarillo? Palacios? It's a big place after all!

And welcome, BTW!
Formikahini

Aloha everyone!

It's Chris up here in beautiful Bloomington, Minnesota. I've been collecting tiki mugs for the past couple of years. It's a small collection of Munktiki, Tiki Farm and Crazy Al mugs (oh, and I guess a few mass produced imports as well). I would have more mugs but my wife recently put me on a 1 mug a month tiki budget. Oh well. But this budget has left me thinking I need to start making my own mugs, and what better place than Tiki Central to learn everything I need to know about making them! I may not actually get around to making any but it's always fun to dream. Right?

Another avenue I would like to persue is making tiki items in stained glass. I've been making stained glass windows for the past 8 years and have been kicking around some tiki designs in my head. The plan would be to make them available to Tiki Central members, assuming you would be interested in something like that.

Well, that's enough babbling from me. See you in the forums!

Chris

Thanks for babbling on Chris. :lol:

I would definitely be interested in some stained glass sans tiki. You could always start your own thread in Other Crafts in the Creating Tiki forum. I am sure folks would be interested in art you have already done and your plan for tiki themed items. :)

Thanks Vampiress. Once I get a couple small windows put together I'll post them.

Thanks for the welcome,

Chris

Hello all, I used to be an uptight banker/IT type until I got engaged, quit my job, moved to the beach, and went back to school. I am now 2 and a half years married, that was done on the beach at sunset. I am also now three years laid back. I refuse to ever let life get too serious again. I have been browsing the forums for a while and will be making my very own topic soon in the Creating Tiki forum. My turtle had an Extreme Home Makeover. Keep your eyes peeled.

I'm a long time lurker and finally decided to take the plunge. I look forward to actually, hopefully, contributing to the discussion.

Hi there,
I'm de-lurking. :) My name is Trase, I live about an inch outside of Detroit, and I am a collector of tiki, mid-century, atomic, kitschy type stuff of all sorts. :)

So I'll look forward to learning lots here!

Cheers,
Trase

hi all....well i thought id better introduce myself proper....im closettiki..always a lurker but im coming out ...but i do dig tiki....early disney tiki is cool..vintage tiki is the best...i work in modesto calif and drive by the tropics everyday and oogle the tikis...they are cool....i wish they took better care of them...anyway.....i have a small collection of tiki goodies...they make me smile...ill be at oasis in aug to take in the fun...i work a real job but also ebay vintage and newer hawaiian shirts...it pays for my tiki habit...im maui bound in 3 weeks and plan on boring my family to death searching for tikis to drool over....thanks and ....hi.....

Welcome Trasenstine! I live about an inch and a half outside of Detroit-- in Canton. Not a lot of tiki around here, is there?

Hello to everyone! My name is Heather and my future hubby is Mark. We just built an outdoor tiki bar and having the best of times withit. Just a few finishing touches like hand carved tiki masks, a few chairs and tables that my hubby is making from wood picked up from the beach etc. We have had our first tiki bar party and it was a great success. Any pics of other porples tiki bars? We would love to see them!!

On 2007-06-02 14:20, Ukulare wrote:
Welcome Trasenstine! I live about an inch and a half outside of Detroit-- in Canton. Not a lot of tiki around here, is there?

Thanks muchly! :) Yeah, not much! Sadly, I was too young to have experienced Chin's downtown, and their Livonia restaurant is well...if you've been there, you know. :) It's cute and I'd go back but it's not the tiki oasis one hopes for, is it? LOL

I find mugs and things while thrifting/junking but only occasionally. :) I'm in East Detroit, sometimes on this side of town there are good estate/garage/church sales that offer up the rare tiki treasure!

Cheers,
Trase

Hey La Esquina,
Welcome and good luck with convincin' the wifey to "2 mugs per month"! Anything that I can do to help, lemme know! Should you wish to start doing your own designs, let me know & I'll lend whatever advice that I can.
PeAcE oUt,
Holden
Tiki Farm

G'day all,
It's taken me a little while but i've finally registered all the way from Melbourne,Australia.
Not much going on here in the way of tiki,so i need you guys to keep me upto date and entertained.There is one bar here in Melbourne(Tiki Bar & Lounge)that i hang out at regularly,and the Hula Bula Bar in Perth which i plan to visit later on in the year.Other than that,nothing.
But that's O.K.I can mix a Mai Tai at home and talk to you guys.
Till then,
Cheers

Hello All!!!
I stumbled on this site about 3 years ago while planning hubby's tropical birthday party and have been a steady visitor since then. I love seeing all the talent displayed. I have been trying to work up enough courage to put a chisel to some wood. Thanks for all the inspiration!!!

Hey everybody, figured this'd be a good place for my first official post.

I'm a long-time lurker here and at LottaLiving, and figured it was time to finally get a username and start participating.

I'm from West Virginia, not exactly a Tiki mecca, but I've been collecting tikis ever since I was about 14 (while on a trip to Hawaii), and I keep finding myself coming back to tikis in my sketches, carvings, and paintings. Wait, guess I should mention that I'm an artist (graphic design, oil paint, tattoo flash, and carving)!

Look forward to getting involved on here, especially with the Collecting and Creating forums, as well as doing my part to really preserve the place that tiki holds in the history of mid-century living.

Whoops, missed this until I had made my first post. I was drawn in one month ago by the thread about curaçao. I live in Champaign, Illinois, and am afraid my only tiki cred comes from being a fan of "The Bachelor Pad." I appreciate the advice here, in any case.

Hello All,
I finally took the plunge and got in here after much lurking. My name is Numa and I am co-owner of the Aloha Island Grille here in Santa Cruz CA. I want to start off by sending a big shout out to all you TCers who have visited and supported us over the years. Chongolio thank you for the "unreal" website http://www.alohaislandgrille.com and business cards... you da man! Tiki Will at http://www.sctikis.com your work is da bomb. We are so stoked to be able to have a space that reflects the culture of the Islands and all the great arts that have been spawned from the pacific's warm waters.
After three plus years here, we have been working to update the joint some. We have a new bamboo floor in the sunroom, our back area has a cement floor and awesome custom rock wall, (thanks to Theron for the individual rocks and stuff.) The final phase is to add some more "tikification" to the place. We would love any advice, ideas, and/ or suggestions... ect.

New Sunroom Floor

Part of the Rock Wall

The front of the sunroom with an Awesome SCtiki's creation

Wall 'O Spam (we sell alota' Spam)

If anyone knows a good source for glass fishing floats lemme know. Thank you all in advance for the input, I look forward to hearing from or meeting y'all!!
Cheers,
Numa

[ Edited by: Numastar 2007-06-13 12:47 ]

:lol: Wall of Spam....hmmmm, interesting.

Welcome everyone. :wink:

Aloha fellow tiki lovers! I live in Vegas, but am from the Los Angeles area originally. I've been a bartender for 9 years and my husband for 20(wow!). We've always been tiki fans and can't wait to come to Tiki Oasis for the first time. We're big fans of the Modern Drunkard Magazine and go to their convention every year, since two have been here in Vegas and my hubby's bar advertises with them.

Maybe we'll start something here in our town for you Cali-folks to have another excuse to come to Vegas, since the Hard Rock didn't do Mondo Tiki but once(boooo). I love to see the Blue Hawaiians whenever I can get away. Hope to meet many of you in August!

Hello all my name is sharron, i thought this would be a nice place to ask some friendly people for some advice on exterior trim and interior for my home. i have a few brands and materials to choose from, but im leaning towards the styrofoam based trims. i hear styrotrim has some nice products. has anyone heard of them?

Hello,
My name is Craig. I live in Virginia and I'm 28. I have loved tikis ever since we went on spring breaks to Cocoa Beach Fl when I was little. I am about to carve my first tiki and have gotten so many tips from all the great people on this site!! I have a piece of elm drying now (don't know if that's the best type of wood to carve) but my friends a arborist and he's hooking me up with logs! Hopefully I can post pics when I'm done. I'm really anxious to get started!!

Aloha,

My name is Mike and I live on the Big Island. My interest in Tikis started after moving here 8 years ago. I took a lot of sculpture classes in college, but never thought about carving a Tiki myself until I visited the kreepytiki.com site. I have carved several small tikis and I am working on a larger one right now. I am interested in traditional designs, natural finishes (kukui) and native woods. I am also a big fan of natural weathering (like the tikis at City of Refuge).

I have gotten a lot of inspiration from lurking on this forum and I decided to participate. I'll post some pix once I can.

-Mike

Ring a ding ding! Hey Megs! Lets tikify your place! I'll bring the bamboo you bring the Rum!.....Reid-O

Hi everyone, I'm The Birdman and I'm new here. (The crowd replies "Hi Birdman"!)
I'm here because I too am addicted to Tikis, and find I need some help! I am not a professional in the field of carving, but I have gone out into the great, wide internet to search for the means to become a beginner, and lo and behold here I am, amidst some extremely talented folks, who I hope can provide some guidance. I will more than likely bug you all for sources of timber, resources, and more I'm sure, but I hope you all will please bear with me, thanks.

Hey tikihuthut...
Have you seen their web site? http://www.styrotrim.com/
Very cool before & after pics.
I have been renovating my rooms inside my house one by one by installing trim & molding but I hadn't thought about doing anything like this outside. Thanks for the heads up!

After Tiger Lily and I attended Hukilau 2007, we wanted to be able to keep in touch with all the wonderful folks we met there. We own a vintage bookshop in Athens, GA and have also started a small music label, Gray Mortuary Recordings. If you're ever in the area, please stop in and say Aloha.

Books, postcards, prints, CDs, DVDs, tiki coffee mugs, etc., etc.

Pahoehoe Ule & lovely wife Tiger Lily.

Aloha!

I love tiki and I've been planning on making some tiki paintings for the past year and a half but have blanched at the prospect--how to do it justice? I want to respect the roots of tiki as well as tiki americana!

This place is a great resource and the aloha spirit is refreshing and supportive, so that's how I found you guys.

Thanks!

Take care,

I.

Ivan Chan Studio: Invite Beauty: ivanchan.com

[ Edited by: ivanchan 2007-06-26 18:45 ]

Hey all! Sander here, I just joined partly because I got inspired by visiting Tiki's in Rotterdam last week, and partly because I'm moving home next month and I'm playing with the thought of perhaps giving part of my new place a bit of a Tiki theme. I hope to find some inspiration for that here!

Cheers!
Sander

Hola!
Tiki.........sounds fun!

Greetings from a CT Yankee in the land of the rising sun and sushi - Japan . Discovered Tiki Central just a few minutes ago after doing a Google search on Arthur Lyman's appearances on Hawaiian Eye , and promptly became a member . Glad to be aboard .

I've been living and teaching in Japan for over 20 years now : 10 years in Tokyo and 11 years down here in rural Kumamoto on the island of Kyuhsu .

Big fan of Les Baxter , Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman , and of course Hawaiian Eye ! ; ) ...

Oh - I'm a drummer ! If I could only find some Japanese here in the hinterland to play some exotica with !

Cheers ,

Sushiman

PS ...Here I am in Miyazaki , Japan ...

[ Edited by: sushiman 2007-06-28 20:01 ]

Wow...great picture sushiman. BIG WARM TROPICAL WELCOME TO ALL. :tiki:

Hi, y'all! Bartending in New Orleans - both pre-K and post-K - was one of the most wonderful experiences for my record books. We've recently moved away from N.O. and now have "straight" jobs, so when my creative pouring outlet feels under used, I pick a recipe and invite a few friends over. Ordering Chinese food usually ensues. And calling a cab.

Cheers - and thanks for letting me contribute. - d.

On 2007-06-28 20:55, VampiressRN wrote:
Wow...great picture sushiman. BIG WARM TROPICAL WELCOME TO ALL. :tiki:

Thanks for the bigwarm welcome . Happy to be here .

Miyazaki and Okinawa are about as exotic and tropical as it gets here in Japan .

Cheers ,

Sushiman

Hey everyone! I'm a Tiki neophite, brought into the fold by CROE67. (She's the coolest) Anyway, Hanford and gang, I met you on a whirlwind tour of Tiki San Fran back in February 2006...excited to learn more!

Looking forward to Tiki Oasis and just bought my first mugs on e-Bay...WOW!

Hi everyone, count me in as another new member of the "tiki nation". I first got infected with the disease long ago on my first visit to the Enchanted Tiki Hut at Disneyland. Never got over that finale with the drums beating, animatronic tikis chanting, bird calls and rain pelting outside.

When I was going to school, the closest real Tiki bar was probably the Islander in Stockton California. I only frequeted it once I think out of curiousity. I do remember the day it was sold to Polardville (a faux old west ghost town on H99 near Galt) as a "Chicken Kitchen"(!!)and moved in pieces to that new location. Very incongruous with its long house inspired peak roof and Polynesian Pop origins plainly visible.

It has only been with a recent move to the Oregon coast that the fever has started to take hold a bit. It began with a chance find of a Trader Dicks small kava bowl in a second hand/collectible store. After that, it seemed I got very lucky with other find here and there locally "in the wild".

Foe some reason, I have hit a real dry spell and have come up empty for many months now. It's almost like I bought out everything this area had to offer. I hope things change.

Anyway, this place is joy to hang out at. Look forward to reading and learning more . . .

Oops, I double posted.

I guess I will take this opportunity to add that I hope to contribute and not just read and collect. I have an idea to maybe create a series of fine art prints with reto/tiki/Hawaiiana themes.

Already getting inspired reading the creating tiki forums.

[ Edited by: ManFromT.I.K.I. 2007-07-02 15:33 ]

Welcome to TC....is ManFromT.I.K.I. a play on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. :D

Yes, I thought it would add a bit of spy/international man of mystery vibe to my on screen persona. Dumb and corny but in a good kinda way I hope.

Somehow the spy thing seems compatible with lounge/jetset/tiki.
Not quite sure how. (I love the Bond reference in your sig.)

I can see my backslash key will be getting a workout here . .

Thanks for the welcome!