Ohio Tiki Roadtrip 2014

Hanging out at Surly Girl Saloon in Columbus 

Derek and I were super excited to get-a-way for a small road trip to Columbus, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio to visit the new Tiki bars that opened in both cities and to do some vintage shopping. It was a nice break from the crappy winter (even though it was freezing and briefly snowed in Columbus) and indulge in one of our obsessions....Tiki!

Picture heavy blog! I apologize as the photos are all cell phone quality.

We've gotten pretty good at winterizing our vintage barkcloth Tiki gear. We really don't care it makes no sense, we want to be in the 'Aloha Spirit' while keeping warm. *Wink*

First stop was Grass Skirt Tiki Room in Columbus, I loved the mini volcano! The sun also came out after a freak snow/wind storm.

We had a lot of fun goofing around and snapping photos with some of the amazing decor. I took a lot of photos, even though it was extremely dark inside, which is typical of a Tiki bar. I won't bore you with all the details, but the drinks and the food were great! 

Derek found his perfect mug!

Next stop was Porco Lounge & Tiki Room in Cleveland, which wasn't much to look at from the outside, but it is was a warm and inviting inside the lounge.

We were admiring the owner Stefan's Tiki mug collection, so many vintage and retired Tiki Farm mugs! Heaven!

View from our booth

We had a blast together at Grass Skirt, but Porco was an amazing experience. Not only was our bartender Shawn knowledgeable and friendly, he made our evening special and so much fun! We made some new friends who came over and sat at our booth as well as the rest of the bar staff who came over to introduce themselves. So. Much. Fun. We left with the owner Stefan hugging us and wishes us to hurry back to visit. We really felt like we became part of the Porco family and I can't wait to come back! Sigh.

Haha, I love this goof!

Mmmmm!

We didn't leave Ohio without plundering some vintage shops and we didn't think we bought that much until we unpacked all the bags......

.....and that's just the Tiki items. Haha! Well, I did have my 'no buy' beginning of the month and ended with a (Tiki) bang!

We came home tired, but happy. There are more Tiki trips this year and I can't wait!

Thank you for reading!

Aloooooha!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Kitsch Picks : I Dream of Tiki

I promised myself that I'm going to try and not complain about the weather, so my 'I Dream of Tiki' is a comment on where I would like to be right now....some place warm with a Tiki drink my hand.

Aloooooha from the polar vortex!

Thank you for reading!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Happy 2014!

New cardigan I snatched up at work, by Voodoo Vixen

I rang in the New Year with some of my Tiki buds, which was low-key and relaxing. We played Cards Against Humanity, which was my first time playing the game and it is hilariously immature....just the way I like it! We nibbled on assorted finger foods and sipped tropical libations from Tiki mugs and then toasted with champagne during the count down to midnight.

A lot of people had a bad year and couldn't wait to push 2013 out the door, which is totally understandable when you've had a tough time. A year seems like an eternity during a negative time, but it often becomes a blink of an eye when you're feeling positive and happy. Life is often full of challenges, but it's the outcome and what we learn from the experience that makes us who we are and a part of our story.

During my 33 years on this planet, I have had many ups and downs, twists and turns, successes and fails, so my story probably isn't anything to write a book about, but through these years I've lived. I'm learning about myself every year and 2014 won't be any different. It's the little successes like sewing bloomers from a pattern and concurring my fear of them. (The pattern, not the bloomers. Hehe!) I'm learning to be more patient with life and slow down to enjoy what is happening now rather than what can happen in the future. 

So, dear readers, I get serious now and then, but I will always truly be a goof and a cheeseball (mmmmm, cheeseball) and will continue to do so into 2014. I wish you all the health and happiness! 

PS-I am starting a new year (and year three of blogging) with a few tweaks to the layout of the blog. I dig it and I hope you do as well!

Thank you for reading! You are awesome!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Cocktail Friday : Mai Tai

It's officially ten weeks until Luau at the Lake in Lake George, NY! This is our big vacation in which we spend a whole weekend with other Tiki enthusiast's who take over The Tiki Resort in Lake George. The resort is the perfect back drop to a luau by the pool, underneath the stars, while sipping on cocktails. I feel more relaxed just talking about it. Ahhhhhhh...... I have mentioned Luau at the Lake on my blog before and have shown some pictures of the last two years we attended. This year I'm looking forward to meeting up with some of the nice people we've met and making some new friends! Oh, did I mention cocktails? Yes, there will be a lot of tropical libations consumed, in a leisurely time. *Wink*

Here's one to try, the Mai Tai which became popular in the 50s and 60s. You can find so many variations of the cocktail recipe, here is one that I enjoy.

Mr. Booze's Mai Tai recipe:

2 oz. Dark Rum
1 oz. Apricot Brandy
1 oz. Curacao (I would not recommend Blue Curacao it turns the drink a weird color)
1 oz. Light Rum (Also known as Silver Rum)
3 oz. Lime Juice (this is WAY too much for me, we cut it down to 1 oz.)
3 oz. Pineapple Juice
1 oz. Almond Syrup (if you have Orgeat Syrup, that is preferred)

Shake this up with ice and pour into a tall glass or Tiki mug

This drink is delicious and STRONG, it will have you doing the hula before you even ask for another one. I've been known to not even finish the first one and I LOVE Mai Tai's. *Hiccup*

Onto more Tiki..............

I've broadcast my Dippity Durr Meagan Productions videos in my Tiki Room and it's been moved around since then, though it's not finished I wanted to share our insanity with you. Please note, this is not all of our Tiki items, some are in storage.

My husband and I picked up this piece of Witco (to the left) at a local vintage shop. You should have seen the look on his face when he found it, like he had found the Holy Grail. Witco is pretty damn ugly, but it's nice to own another piece of it. The first piece we have Derek found at a garage sale for 75 cents and it was beat up, he fixed it up and  it will go on the wall....somewhere. Witco art is best known adorning Elvis' Jungle Room at Graceland. It's so ugly and tacky, just the way we like it.

Here are some more views of our Tiki room, mind you it's supposed to be our dining room. Pfffft, who needs a place to eat when Tiki's need a place to thrive and multiply. Well, eventually we'll up a table and chairs in here. Maybe. Hehe!

The room is rather small, but at this apartment I'm wrangling it all in one spot without it spilling over into our living room. I like to keep our "morgue chic" as my friend Danielle likes to call it, separate from the Polynesian madness. 

Thanks for reading!!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla