.jpg "painted plastic tiki mask transformation tutorial")
our backyard in Southern California underwent a transformation back in 2020....
when the pandemic shutdown happened and we had to cancel our trip to Kauai, Hawaii,
we decided to bring Hawaii to us!
i shared some of those backyard diy projects here on the blog back then
(the bamboo tiki bar, the tiki totem pole, and others - all linked below this post).
the project i'm sharing today wasn't a planned one -
i saw something in a store and thought 'hmnn. that COULD look really good if i....'
and so i bought the item, brought it home, and worked some magic on it with paint.
it couldn't have been easier to transform a really cheap looking tiki mask
into something with much more of our own tropical style.
continue reading to see how it started... and how it's going now!
.JPEG "painted plastic tiki mask transformation tutorial")
.jpg "painted plastic tiki mask transformation tutorial")
check out the difference in appearance between daylight and a nighttime solar spotlight -
you'd never know he's made of cheap plastic!
yes, really! he started out as a cheap thin plastic tiki mask party decor element!
here's how i gave him a new life:
his 'before' shot is on the left - a mass-produced thin plastic tiki mask
picked up at Party City for about five dollars. (not an ad)
first i sprayed him with dark brown RustOleum spray paint to neutralize the weird colors.
then i stapled him to a piece of salvaged pine board from my stash,
which i stained the same dark espresso brown that i used on the slatted wood privacy panel
so that it would blend in when in its final placement.
on the left, a close-up of the brown painted mask.
on the right, after using a 'dry brush' paint technique with light brown matte paint.
by dragging a lightly-loaded flat paintbrush across the surface,
paint sticks to the raised areas in a pattern that sort of replicates woodgrain.
any areas that were recessed look more 'carved' in the final version.
(for effects like this, i use those cheap 'chip brushes' and load them VERY lightly with paint)
next up, the details...
vivid orange is our home's accent color,
and all of our existing tikis are painted brown, white, black, and orange.
and all of our existing tikis are painted brown, white, black, and orange.
i added orange paint to a few areas of the tiki, then added white to his teeth and eyeballs,
followed by black pupils, a black 'mouth', and 'cheeks' in areas that had dimension.
(i'm still fighting the urge to re-do his eyes and have them looking down!)
after the paint dried, i simply leaned him up against the slatted wood privacy screen
that sits on one end of our backyard patio 'lanai'...
.jpg "painted plastic tiki transformation")
he's a wonderful addition to the (growing) tiki collection we have!
.jpg "painted plastic tiki mask transformation tutorial")
this is how he looks when the rising sun hits him in the eyes every single morning...
i feel your pain, buddy! gets me, too ;)
__________________________________________
can i be honest? i've been wary of sharing this decor publicly.
i don't want it to be misunderstood as 'cultural appropriation'...
we have tropical and tiki decor because of my Mom & Dad's love of the islands.
they visited the island of Kauai EVERY summer for almost 30 years,
and brought back beautiful mementos each time.
those mementos were displayed in their home to remind them of
the island paradise they so loved and enjoyed.
had it not been for my Dad's business, they would have moved there.
(i gave their home a total tropical makeover in 2014 that you can see here)
since my Dad's passing in 2015, Mom has only been to Hawaii twice.
her worsening physical limitations make it impossible for her to be on a plane,
so she will likely never return to her beloved Kauai. and that makes her VERY sad.
i am more than happy to create & decorate our new home with a tropical vibe
to help her remember all of those wonderful trips with Dad
and to bring a smile to her face every day
as she views tikis and flowers in our yard, and listens to Hawaiian music.
(it also reminds us both of the Tiki Room at Disneyland,
an attraction that my Mom's Dad helped to build!)
surrounding ourselves with tropical decor and music
is a way of honoring the beautiful and meaningful Hawaiian culture,
not making light of it - and i hope that comes across in my posts.
__________________________________________
can i be honest? i've been wary of sharing this decor publicly.
i don't want it to be misunderstood as 'cultural appropriation'...
we have tropical and tiki decor because of my Mom & Dad's love of the islands.
they visited the island of Kauai EVERY summer for almost 30 years,
and brought back beautiful mementos each time.
those mementos were displayed in their home to remind them of
the island paradise they so loved and enjoyed.
had it not been for my Dad's business, they would have moved there.
(i gave their home a total tropical makeover in 2014 that you can see here)
since my Dad's passing in 2015, Mom has only been to Hawaii twice.
her worsening physical limitations make it impossible for her to be on a plane,
so she will likely never return to her beloved Kauai. and that makes her VERY sad.
i am more than happy to create & decorate our new home with a tropical vibe
to help her remember all of those wonderful trips with Dad
and to bring a smile to her face every day
as she views tikis and flowers in our yard, and listens to Hawaiian music.
(it also reminds us both of the Tiki Room at Disneyland,
an attraction that my Mom's Dad helped to build!)
surrounding ourselves with tropical decor and music
is a way of honoring the beautiful and meaningful Hawaiian culture,
not making light of it - and i hope that comes across in my posts.
related content:
beach style,coastal style,colorful home,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,on the porch,outdoors,summer,tiki style,tropical style,wreaths,painting,re-purposing,up-cycling,
painted plastic tiki mask,outdoor tiki decor,outdoor decor.
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