Hawaiian Tiki's and ancestry questions...

Still waiting for things to be fired at the studio. Hopefully by this Saturday I will be able to post some pics of finished pieces. At the moment I'm working on a Tiki mask and small pocket Tiki  for my son in Hawaii. He mentioned I could make him a Tiki as he is creating a tropical paradise in his backyard on Oahu. He could have possibly meant a Tiki statue, but clay is heavy and I can't imagine how he would get a statue to Oahu by plane. So I'm making a Tiki mask to hang on his fence... and a tiny Tiki to carry in his pocket.

Tiny Tiki

If you don't know what a Tiki is... (I didn't), it's a Hawaiian good luck piece. They represent Hawaiian gods and are supposed to bring the owner protection and luck.

Anyway, it gives me something to work on while I wait for my other pieces to be fired. The bird soap dishes should soon be ready and possibly some of the windchime pieces. Windchimes take so many little pieces and beads that it takes a bit of time to get everything ready for assembly.

I also added a coat or 2 of a clear mat glaze to the black and white cat planter... since it might end up outside in the elements. 

BTW, I'm curious... but have many of you done the ancestry DNA test or possibly the 23andme one?  DH and I both did the ancestry DNA about a year ago. Just recently we got an update on the results. My first results were 60% British.... (which is possible since my dad and grandparents were from London) but dad's grandparents were Irish and the first results were only 6% Irish (maiden name is O'Regan??) Again... guess this is possible as I've no idea how these things are done and perhaps the Irish has been diluted out over the generations. 

But the new update has me now 48% Ireland and Scotland and 44% England and Wales - with a tiny 6% France (mom's entire side comes from French - New Orleans, Jamaica, and France) - only 6% seems odd (and of course there's 2% Spain?). Just makes me wonder why so much of my father's side shows up in my DNA and so little of my mother's.  Anyway, I guess I should be happy that the basic results were pretty much as expected - English, Irish, and French - no big surprises there.

It's Friday! Have a great weekend!

a St. Patrick's Day setting...

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

Went walking around my house looking for something that might seem like a St. Patrick's Day photo.  Found a few "Irish" looking things...











Our family name is "O'Regan/Regan".  Yes, we are Irish Catholic.  The basic story is that my great grandfather was from Ireland and moved his family to England at some point where my grandfather (William Edward Regan) grew up and married an English lady (my grandmother, Eleanor Fredericka King). Grandpa William moved his wife and children to the US around 1918. His brother Richard moved his family to Canada. The name on the Ellis Island Ship records is "Regan", but my dad later re-took "O'Regan" when he became a US citizen.  So (long story short...) my maiden name is "O'Regan".  I've tried to use Ancestry.com and can follow the family line pretty well back  into England, but haven't had much luck getting info from Ireland...

My dad met my mom  in New Orleans. She was 19 and he was 27.  My mom's parents (Pe'pe're and Me'mere') spoke mostly French in the house in New Orleans and seemed to like this Irish/Englishman  (my dad). Mom thought him too old for her at first... but he eventually won her over. They were married for 47 years when my dad passed at 75.  When mom turned 80, she moved in with us here in Texas.  DH and I  have never lived in Louisiana after graduating from college, so it was nice having her to ourselves. She passed at 94.

I'm not sure why I wrote all this.  It was just supposed to be a few pictures for St. Patrick's day...

And truth be told, except for Pe'pe're (who died when I was about 8), I never knew my other grandparents. Pe'pe're was the sweetest gentlest  man I ever knew.  He reminded me of Maurice Chevalier (most of you may be too young to remember him - did you see the movie, "Gigi"? ) And my Grandpa William... oh, the stories I've heard.  He did a little of everything in his life, from fighting in the Boer's War, mining for gold, Captain of a gunboat on the Persian Gulf, etc.  I think he would have been fun to listen to.

But I digress.  I really just wanted to say Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone!