# Time to Pick Your Brains---Haunted Tiki Island



## badgirl (May 4, 2008)

Since we are here in sunny Florida where our Halloweens are HOT and MUGGY and the candy melts before you can eat it.....we decided that this year we would simplify (especially with a newborn baby in the house) and use what we have rather than start from scratch with a complex theme. 
This year we are having our 6th annual adults-only party and the theme is : Haunted Tiki Island. 
Going to do a video invite, as it went over well last year and saved me from hand-making 50 invites.
Food---gotta be quick and feed a crowd. : thinking Ham/Pineapple sliders, Polynesian meatballs, chips/mango salsa, etc (any quick/easy recipes for a group would be awesome!)
Drinks--Rum, Rum, more rum...and probably some tiny umbrellas 
Decor--Going to use my new poseable skeletons, and maybe paint up some skeleton flamingos and tiki masks. Our party tends to congregate on the back patio as that's where the bar and fire pit are. Maybe some glowing skulls on bamboo poles??? 

Help me brainstorm, PLEASE! Usually by September 1st I have invites done, and my supplies gathered for party preparations. This year I'm suffering sleep deprivation and less free time for creating on my hands. I want to give our guests the usual "WOW" factor and a good time, but I need some ideas. Thanks!


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## Tannasgach (Nov 1, 2009)

I love this theme, always wanted to do a Haunted Luau.  I started a pinterest board http://pinterest.com/tannasgach/haunted-luau/ (I know, you seen it) where I'm gathering ideas but I never really thought the theme through. So, off the top of my head some ideas I came across -
-volcano with a sacrificial virgin
-skelly in a hammock
-tombstone surfboards (since this is probably a one year theme, you could use foam core board and paint the epitaphs on)
-freaky tiki bar
-hula skelly dancers
-totem poles
-lots of skulls
-skull tiki torches
-carved 'Jack o' Lantern' watermelons and pineapples
-Polynesian pulled pork can be made ahead and put in crock pots
-orange and black leis (check online, I know they make them in sport team colors)
-natives cooking an explorer in a cauldron
-man eating flowers, eyeball plants.

Can't wait to see what you come with.


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## badgirl (May 4, 2008)

Thanks T. ! I have already stolen a ton of your pins. Just picked up some leftover dollar tree luau items


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## Tannasgach (Nov 1, 2009)

oooh badgirl, I was at Michael's today and they had Halloween drink umbrellas.  I would also check out Party City and Big Lots, they may have luau stuff on summer clearance and there's always Oriental Trading too.

Some more ideas-
-Witch Doctor Hut/area with shrunken heads and you could repurpose your witch's bottles.
-Wipeout - "surfer dudes" pile of skellys with busted surfboards (foamcore) and swim suits.
-Skelly roasting on a spit.
-Poisoned blow darts.
-Coconut heads.
-Paper flowers in orange, purple, black.
For your buffet table you could lay out straw beach mats (check DT), add Fla palm fronds, flower garland and wooden bowls.
I think Mai Tai is a Hawaiian drink or you could have a black lava punch (made with black vodka).

Have you thought about any games?
-hula contest
-(witch broom ) limbo
-ugliest Hawaiian shirt contest...


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## badgirl (May 4, 2008)

Halloween Cocktail Umbrellas?!?! Two out of three are my favorite things


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## Bella Betty (Sep 24, 2010)

Hey Badgirl,

We are doing a similar theme "Voodoo Island". It's my goal to make some tiki items, have some fishnets with shells, skulls, and lights on them as my window coverings, and hang the greenish creepy cloth throughout the house with lights. Outside, I've picked up a bunch of tiki torches from the thrift store and plan on using them to light the outside pathway. I'm planning on putting some carved foam pumpkins with a tiki design (like the tiki pumpkin in extreme pumpkins II by Tom Nardone) up on a few of the tiki torches. Our premise this year is that our guests have been invited to an evening at "Voodoo Island Resort" . We have a gate into our yard and I want to set up our popup tent outside the gate and create a 'loading dock/jetty" with a couple of wooden pallets and some foam railings, a sign and some lights and lots of fog, and then as you walk through the gate you've entered the island. Along with the tiki torches in the yard, I'm going to set up my fogger cauldron over some glowing coals next to a 6-7 ft tall tiki totem (I've yet to create). As you enter the house--you're coming into the resort. I'm planning on being the hostess who morphs into something infected throughout the evening and my hubby is going to be the resident Witch Doctor. I've picked up some grass skirting and bamboo mats/placemats for our main food table along with a couple of tiki type bar signs to redecorate with some spooky elements. I've also begged from all my friends any "island type" dishware, platters, decor, netting, tall fake tropical plants, etc that I can borrow. I'm planning on using green holiday lights for the plants and on the fishnet along with some purple and orange. Another friend had a collection of floor can lights that shine upward which I'm going to use green spotlights to light underneath plants and in corners. I don't know if it will help, but here's my draft wording of the invite--maybe you can use some of it for your video invite:

You’ve been selected for an Evening on Voodoo Island!

Lush tropical greenery, unique delicacies, specialty beverages and exotic island culture are waiting just for you and your guest……
Please come in appropriate attire and be ready to experience all that the island has to offer!

Your reservation is for Saturday, October 27 at 8 pm

Your ferry departs from:
Hinkle Loading Dock
70 NW 180th Avenue
Beaverton, OR 97006

P.S. Don’t worry about the experimental facility on the other side of the island, creatures rarely escape….

I've also found a website that may help you out with some quick island wallcover. It's called www.blockposter.com. You upload an image, it divides it into poster size and you download the PDF file and print it out and then cut & paste the pages together--you can make small or huge posters--it's up to you. It's free! The only drawback is that is does take alot of ink to print out lots of pages. I've printed a couple of tropical orchid images that I took as well as a couple of free images that I found online. It's easy to cover a big section of wall that can be easily enhanced with fishnet, shells, cobweb, etc.

I'd love to continue this discussion as I'm having some trouble with pulling my theme together as well and I'm also usually lots further along...............

Also, Tannasgach---great ideas! I'm going to incorporate some of them at our party too!


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## Danielj2705 (Jun 17, 2012)

I love all of your ideas Tanna! 

Great invite Bella! Love the PS part XD

Here is two Pinterest boards I could think of from the top of my head  

Tannasgach http://pinterest.com/tannasgach/haunted-luau/ (which is mentioned above)

Pumpkinpie - http://pinterest.com/dawnrb/halloween-freaky-tiki/


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## Wolfbeard (Sep 22, 2008)

We did the Haunted Luau theme last year. Here are a few shots to give you some ideas. There are a lot of great resources out there.


















Michale Meyers and Jason tending bar:





















This was our photo op:












Eric


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## Wolfbeard (Sep 22, 2008)

There are a couple of different angles in Tannasgach's pinterest account page: http://pinterest.com/tannasgach/haunted-luau/

Eric


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## badgirl (May 4, 2008)

Awesome invite and ideas Bella Betty!
Wolfbeard---can't I just come pick up all your stuff and reuse it this year?!  It looks like an awesome party!
Daniel---Thanks for the other Pinterest page...some great ideas. Love the hibiscus jack o lantern.

Keep the ideas coming. Went to Michaels today and no luck finding the umbrellas. I'm thinking about glow straws to add some color 
I'm totally stealing DevilsChariot's ideas as I adore his take on the theme. It just has to be kept simple this year so I don't go crazy!!!


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## DexterSinister (Aug 13, 2011)

This makes me think of incorporating some sort of "Survivor" style game. It would be a little more like Lost or Gilligan's Island and different from a Luau or Resort theme. You could have some contests and make people vote others off the island. Maybe the losers return as zombies? Or they have to choose someone to sacrifice to the volcano/tiki god.


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## Bella Betty (Sep 24, 2010)

This is great--lots of new ideas. Thanks so much for the pinterest boards--they have so many great ideas. I've been trying to figure out the best tiki totem building methods and I think I can make something similar to those tabletop models in Wolfbeard's pics--maybe with a concrete fitting form and a couple of flaming cauldrons inside.......

Dexter, I like your Survivor game idea, I'm just not sure how to set it up for the 30+ guests I have in my tiny house every year--if you have any ideas on how to execute it (no pun intended), I'd love to hear them. Games are always a huge component of our adult only parties.

Thanks again!


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## Wolfbeard (Sep 22, 2008)

Bella Betty said:


> This is great--lots of new ideas. Thanks so much for the pinterest boards--they have so many great ideas. * I've been trying to figure out the best tiki totem building methods and I think I can make something similar to those tabletop models in Wolfbeard's pics--maybe with a concrete fitting form and a couple of flaming cauldrons inside.......*
> 
> Dexter, I like your Survivor game idea, I'm just not sure how to set it up for the 30+ guests I have in my tiny house every year--if you have any ideas on how to execute it (no pun intended), I'd love to hear them. Games are always a huge component of our adult only parties.
> 
> Thanks again!



That is exactly how I made the Tiki Statues. They are 12" diameter, 4' tall "sonotubes" used for forming concrete footings. I lined the inside with crumpled aluminum foil to reflect the light from the flaming cauldrons. The rough foil surface made it look like glowing embers inside the statue. I propped the cauldrons up on paint cans so the top of the flames would just be visible. As I recall, it took only about 4 hours to carve and paint both of them. 

Here's a side view showing the foil inside. They are easy to carve with a Dollar Store snap off razor knife.









Eric


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## DexterSinister (Aug 13, 2011)

Bella Betty said:


> ...Dexter, I like your Survivor game idea, I'm just not sure how to set it up for the 30+ guests I have in my tiny house every year--if you have any ideas on how to execute it (no pun intended), I'd love to hear them. Games are always a huge component of our adult only parties.


Ha-ha! You would ask me that . I know that others have some well thought out party games, but I haven't fleshed out this idea. I'll think on it and see what I can come up with.


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## Bella Betty (Sep 24, 2010)

Thanks so much for the information Wolfbeard! I picked up two tubes today and my hubby is going to use the jigsaw to cut them apart. Thanks so much for th info about how you propped up the torches and that you used crumpled foil on the inside. I'm going to try to get them painted up over the next couple of days. 

Thanks again! 

Bella


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## badgirl (May 4, 2008)

I want to figure out how to paint/drylok the tubes so I can leave them on my patio year round!  I'm thinking about putting color changing lights in them for a slightly different effect. Stocked up on tiki torches at Lowes clearance ($.98!). They are patriotic, but a can of black spray paint will solve that!


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## badgirl (May 4, 2008)

Bumping this as I'm getting ready to send out invites next week and the creative juices are flowing!


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

Oh how I love this theme and all these fabulous ideas! I am so in love with the Pineapple Jack! I think I might have to borrow this one next year  

Our Dollar Store, I Party and Party City all have cocktail umbrellas. 

_I've also found a website that may help you out with some quick island wallcover. It's called www.blockposter.com. You upload an image, it divides it into poster size and you download the PDF file and print it out and then cut & paste the pages together--you can make small or huge posters--it's up to you. It's free! The only drawback is that is does take alot of ink to print out lots of pages. I've printed a couple of tropical orchid images that I took as well as a couple of free images that I found online. It's easy to cover a big section of wall that can be easily enhanced with fishnet, shells, cobweb, etc._

I send the pdf to Kinkos and have them printed on their inexpensive paper and its a very reasonable way to use your own designs.


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## badgirl (May 4, 2008)

Cool link BScary! As a teacher the possibilities are endless with the things you could create! Definitely taking advantage of our Florida location and picking up some tiki items


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## Bella Betty (Sep 24, 2010)

I need to bump this as I'm now working on my invites as well as other topics--if anyone else has some ideas for a Haunted Tiki Island or Voodoo Island experience, please feel free to add them!


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## riahobiah (Aug 25, 2012)

You can have a spot for hot coals (plenty of tutorials on the site!) And skull tikis are really easy just make holes in dollar tree skulls and put them on the tiki poles!


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## riahobiah (Aug 25, 2012)

Also, if you got some of the tiki ice cube trays at the dollar store they are great for jello shots! (Pina Colada ala pinapple jellow and malibu!)


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## badgirl (May 4, 2008)

How are your parties coming along Bella and BScary?


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## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Based on the idea of "cold hot coals" why not do a wall of LAVA...you could use plywood and a ton of expanding foam....

I love the surviver game ideas...you could do teams and have them put puzzles together (fastest team wins), mini scavenger hunt (fastest team wins) and feats of strengt...(like who can stand on one leg the longest (even better if you make them stand on a post or something), eating gross stuff (great use for the KFC fried rat recipe,lol), fastest or most creative walk across hot coals (haha "cold hot coals" on sheet of plywood) and maybe an obsticle course


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