Carnaval Brasileiro 2003!

I've thought long and hard about putting up Carnaval photos on j9online, but I figure it's got to happen sometime. And, truth be told, I am really proud of them! There, I said it! My girlfriends and I spend countless hours planning, designing, gathering materials, and constructing our costumes for Carnaval. My friend Dana, who has more photos from this year and last on her own website, wrote an eloquent description of what Carnaval is really all about to her, and I agree with her wholeheartedly. As it is in Brazil, Carnaval Austin is an affirmation of life, love, and self-expression meant to tide us over until Spring! I wouldn't miss it for the world, and hope that you enjoy this glimpse into the celebration. If not, well, just click the back button on your browser and repeat after me, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home!" :)


Dana, Sondra, and me. Dana and Sondra are my 2 best girlfriends in Austin, whom I LOVE and am inspired by all the time in totally different ways. Dana is costumed as Carmen Miranda. Her headdress weighed in at 4 pounds and she is wearing 7 inch platform boots. Normally, she would be shorter than Sondra and I. She made her headdress and pretty much everything else here. Isn't she incredible??!! My costume, totally handmade except for my gold thong and boots, had a pheasant feather theme. The headress I fashioned, with much emotional support from Dana, from a floral wreath which I covered in felt and then decorated with feathers and fabric. My Dad donated the long pheasant feathers, I think there are about 70 in all. Little did he know what they would be used for! He probably is wishing I had used the rest of them for a shirt! ;) I also made the pasties, skirt, and decorations for my boots.


Sondra kept referring to herself as a giant white snowball - but I prefer to think of her costume as a Vegas goddess in her white feathers. She found this one of a kind outfit in a boutique in Austin. It is straight from Brazil. I helped her with her wig, which we made from a feather boa. She did an incredible job on her eye makeup to match and, of course, she's Sondra, so how could she help but be beautiful and fabulous!?


Cara and I both used gold as one of our main costume colors. Don't we look great with our pale skin? Yay gold ladies! I am actually wearing two layers of self-tanning lotion. But, apparently, I am so extremely white that it makes no difference at all! Ah well, such is life as a redhead. The fabric that Cara has draped over herself she told us she's has since she was a just a girl and has used over and over in costumes growing up. Don't you just love saving stuff forever??!!

Great picture showing off Alisa's and Dana's, uh, creativity. Seriously, though, ladies, you definitely get the "best of the breast" award this year!!


All the fabulous women! From left to right - Alisa, Cara, Theresa (who is Alisa's sister in law), Dana, Kara, me, and Sondra!


Looking at the photos, you might think that this is an all girls event, but, to their credit, the boys get in to the spirit of the event in their *own way. Here's Lane all decked out in his beads. Dana did his face paint for him. (* granted, their "own way" consists mainly of wearing a few beads, carrying our cameras, and smiling politely as we ladies squeal with glee about how our lipgloss exactly matches our eyelashes, but, hey, they are THERE, and that's what COUNTS!)


Kearson, despite his best efforts to appear perfectly normal, was bedecked with beads by Dana and Lane upon our arrival at Sondra's. Here he is making a funny face! Perhaps sticking his tongue out at the camera?


Super sweet picture of Dana and Lane together in their costumes. Hooray!


We really did actually GO to the party - didn't just take pictures all night! Here's a photo of the stage. You can just see the top of my headdress in the background.


Me, Lane, and Dana pause our dancing for a photo. If you look close, you'll see that the red jewel in the center of my forehead in this photo is much smaller than in the photos at Sondra's. This is because I got really sweaty dancing and it just kinda slid off my face. This also happened at one point to one of my pasties!! (oops!) Thank goodness for Dana and her emergency glue. She even sacrificed one of her red jewels from the side of her cheek so I could have a replacement for my forehead. Have I mentioned that Dana rocks?


I just LOVED Cara's eye makeup and had to get a closeup!


Sondra and Kara fawn over a classic photo of an unknown party-goer the next day. Oh, Rumtumtugger, you are toooo cute!!

Well, that's it. Hope you are suitably inspired. I can't wait for next year!!!

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