Hukilau 2013! Part 1 (Friday)

(Image courtesy of the Hukilau and tikiroom.com)

In June, Big Daddy (aka my husband) went to South Florida to visit his family, enjoy the sights, go boating with the fam, and to participate in the Hukilau 2013. The Hukilau is a tiki-themed event that takes place at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper and Mai-Kai Polynesian Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale.

http://www.thehukilau.com/

http://maikai.com/

The event started Thursday, the 6th of June and ended Sunday, the 9th. Big Daddy and I wanted to do the entire event but to due our procrasination and not getting full event tickets in time, we only got tickets for Friday night, aka the Main Event. These tickets, or wristbands (ala VLV) were 40 dollars each.

After enjoying a day at the antique mall and shopping at the Inglot counter at Macy's, Big Daddy and I got ready for the Hukilau. It was pouring rain and I was so afraid my hair was going to be ruined. Leave it to my trusty Bed Head Hard Head Hairspray to save the night! That whole week was pretty much a "wash out." The very first tropical storm of the year, Andrea, was brushing past and heading north over the area. Moreover, South Florida's rainy season was in full effect. According my Florida native husband, the rainy season takes place from May to September.

As we left Big Daddy's parents' house, the rain was crazy. The traffic on Interstate 95 was nuts too! Despite these inconveniences, we finally made it to the Yankee Clipper in Fort Lauderdale. I wish I got a picture of the hotel itself! It actually looks like a ship! We quickly checked in, got our wristbands, were given a sample of rum (yes, please!) and had a quick bite to eat in the Mexican restaurant, Dos Caminos.

After dinner, we made our way up to the Main Event area and saw a few bands, had some tiki drinks, and met some great people. I even had the surprise and pleasure bumping into and talking with Gabriella, a fellow vintage blogger! She was so nice and always so wonderfully dressed!! Here is her amazing blog:

http://sewingishard.blogspot.com/

The first photo below shows the entrance to the Hukilau and check-in area and the rest are of the Main Event and vendor areas:

(Apparently, having a few tiki drinks made me think taking this picture was a good idea.)

After the Main Event bands were done, Big Daddy and I headed to the vendor area and browsed the booths. I bought a hot pink and white lace peignoir set and Big Daddy got real puffer fish lamp for our tiki bar at home! His light is similar to this:

As we finished our purchases and chatting with some great people, we saw the Disasternauts come into the room and they began to play. They are AWESOME! And their "monkey guys in NASA suits" antics were a riot!

http://www.disasternauts.com/

Around midnight, Big Daddy and I decided to head back to his parents' house in Boca, which was only 15-20 minutes north of the Yankee Clipper. As we drove home towards Federal Highway, the storms over the ocean were producing amazing lightning! The bright, intense bolts lit up the thunderhead clouds hovering over the black ocean, creating a scene that was just incredible!

Overall, the night was a blast! I am so glad Big Daddy and I were able participate in the event! If you ever get a chance, you must do the Hukilau!

The next post will be Part 2, which features Saturday's event at the Mai Kai. I will post it soon!

A Tiki Room to Call My Own! (Picture Heavy)

Back in April, my husband surprised me with a bamboo tiki bar for my 36th birthday! I was surprised and very happy! He found the bar online at Target! Target?! Who knew they had such cool items like a real bamboo, thatched roof tiki bar complete with a set of shelves in the back?

The bar is in my sunroom. A room that, until the tiki bar, was a sitting room that did not get much use. Sure, I had some wicker furniture in there but the sunroom was really just a place for my plants and the cat to get sun. (My cat loves to spend her days lounging in the sun beams, working on her fur tan.)

Now that the sunroom has been given a proper purpose, I have been slowly collecting tropical kitsch, lights, vintage prints, and I also have made a few paintings and signs. Many of the paintings are based on real 40s/50s tiki-themed bars and nightclubs. I have even got a set of ceramic tiki mugs from my cousin along with a real puu puu platter (complete with sterno flame) from the husband.

So without further ado, let me show you around!

The tiki bar has pineapple lights I bought in Florida for $6.00 USD!

Martini lights from Party City!

A poster board tiki I made using tape and a hot glue gun! I painted the inside with red, yellow, and orange flames and the outside is done with shades of brown. I placed a fake, battery-operated candle votive inside.

A ceramic hibiscus dish and a pretty fern-like stained glass and metal table bought in Florida.

A few of our tiki mugs along with a ceramic platter.

Our persian cat, Misty Blue, is already a bar regular! She loves Mai Tais and is currently brushing up on her hula dancing.

Here is our puu puu platter from this past Saturday night! It is made of wood, has a lazy susan spinning feature, and has a little sterno grill top in the center. Gotta love Trader Joe's frozen appetizers!

Lastly, and most importantly, here is the "Tiki Bar Rules" sign I painted. Of course the rules are totally tongue-in-cheek!! The reasons for rule #2 and #3 were based on an incident in which my cousin got mad at me because I mentioned that "I did not care for Dave Matthews Band." Well, he asked! He called me a "Rockabilly snob!" Brat! Nevertheless, being family, we got over it, laughed, and hugged. But, I had to put the rules up there just to rib him!

I still want to add a few more kitsch here and there before I can call the room "done." So, what do you gals think?