Bikinis.

Here´s our first attempt at incorporating renda into bikinis. We had to switch up thread because we figured cotton wouldn´t fare so well in the water- even though renda done in cotton looks the nicest. The brown design is a silk thread and the green, nylon. Josalina- the women who sews the bikinis- originally predicted she could get 8 bikinis out of the fabric we gave her, that´s 8 Brazilian bikinis- American bikinis require double the amount of material. The rendeiras designed a bikini using one circle mandala to cover each boob. Cultural difference. Anyhoo... they´re far from perfect, but I think they have potential. Vamos a ver!

Almofadas...

Here´s some new pillow designs we´ve been working on. Trying to decide whether or not we should add embroidered leaves to the stems. Any suggestions?



This is our second go at the bird pillow. I re-drew the bird, slimmed out the stomach and we placed the stick a little higher so it doesn´t get lost at the bottom of the pillow.

Donna Nilda- the toughest and best rendeira came out of nowhere with this design. Picked out this dark brown fabric for the pillow- really makes the colors pop. I´m scared to ask her to make things, but I´m hoping she´ll pump out a few more of these.

Gostozo...

This is Sr. Jamie- our homestay dad. He listens to Louis Armstrong type Brazilian music in the mornings, dances in the kitchen with one hand on his belly while making carne asada and is always telling us to eat more. Apparently pulling on one ear means you like something very much. The other day we had a good laugh because after tasting the dinner he prepared I pulled on both ears- he thought that was great.

Cumbuco...

Sunday we were able to spend the day at the beach with Jarysson (our homestay brother,) his daughter Ana Clara and wife Ana Lucía. It was maravilhoso!

Mani Pedi in Terra Prom

I think my feet have seen the worst of their days living here in this dry, dusty, sandal culture- so the offer to get a pedicure with our new homestay mom- Donna Rita, was very enticing. Linnea and I moved last week to live for the rest of our time here with a homestay family. My dear friend Jenna, from Santa Barbara, connected us with the family she lived with while studying abroad here. It was definitely a small world moment- they live about 10 min. from where we work and Jenna knew all about Fairloom- which is a fairly small operation. They adore Jenna and already have been incredibly hospitable to us. Back to the nail salon... for the most part I´m not much for nail polish on my fingernails, but am definitely a sucker for the occassional pedicure. I wasn´t sure what to expect, which is nothing knew since I have become quite accustomed with the "never really quite knowing what I am getting myself into" aspect of living in a different culture. The salon was a front room of a house-and whosever turn it was sat in a plastic chair with a cold bucket of water for your feet. One girl had the worse job of picking away and scrubbing at your feet, while the other was the artist- getting your nails done means getting designs on them as a well. Although I was a little wary at first of how sanitary all the tools and definitely over-used pumice scrubber were- it was worth the risk. They went at it- Nay was still in pain the next day from the blood drawn. For the three of us it took four hours, with some snack breaks, and other sorts of distractions like a lady who came by with a suitcase of bras to sell- it was definitely an all girls afternoon. When it time came for the painting, I attempted to ask for the most basic option- hoping to avoid the sparkly fireworks, swirls and flowers. But this request was quickly shot down, so I gave in, flowers, glitter- the whole bit. Muito chic!

Belleza Brazilians...

Hands on the hips/model pose is most popular for the girls.

Even the little ones.

This is Alex. Arms crossed/ tough guy pose is most popular for the boys.

Seems like everyone´s braiding something in Terra Prom. Friendship
bracelets are all the rave for the kids.

Can´t get over this little guy. He kills me every time.

Design Update...

The first finished almofada (pillow.) Trying to sew with wobbly tables, using books and wood to measure crooked fabric and very rudimentary sewing supplies makes an already frustrating craft a super challenge. This first model needs a little tinkering- a less chunky bird, more defined beak, and longer stick to perch on, but for the first time around its not half bad.



Experimenting with headbands. Don´t have a picture of the original headbands, but here´s the first model of the new style. We´ve removed the fabric beneath the renda that the orignial headbands had, made them a bit wider and replaced plain, white elastic with this colored elastic we found in the centro (it´s actually elastic used for bra straps,) but it works. We´re going to make the renda part a bit shorter so it´s easier to take on and off.

Policia Federal.

You would have thought a rockstar arrived with the giddy screaming that began when two motorcycles whipped by Casa Cultural around 11 am. Two young, strapping policeman strode in and the already animated renderas were incredibly excited. The whole "play it cool" factor was completely absent. This was their second visit, we missed their first appearance last week. I was skeptical since what I have witnessed thus far of the policia federal has left a sour taste in my mouth. A couple weeks back I saw an alarming beating of some innocent teenagers. The police´s presence is feared and they´re notorious for being unnecessarily rough with suspected offenders. These guys were an exception. They weren´t trying to be super macho men and actually seemed very interested in the cooperative and whats happening in the community. To the delight of all the renderas they promised to pass by more often to keep things in check around here.

Notice his walkie talkie in the renda bag.

Bikinis, color cards, pillows and more....

Above: the "bikini" lady and the new lace mandalas we´ve all designed

to be inlayed in the back.

The bird for the pillow.

The front of the pillow. The renda will be behind this piece showing

through to the front. The women are really good at embroidery!

The recipe style color cards for the new color palette.

This past week has been quite productive for Linnea and I on the design front. Last Monday we had our feature design presentation complete with a slideshow of inspirational images, a box full of color cards, new sketchbooks each decorated with a magazine cutout and a design bulletin board that is just starting to be filled with images, photos and fabric swatches. The women were very receptive and began discussing/arguing about ideas throughout the entire presentation. They loved the sketchbooks and each got such a huge kick out of the pictures we had chosen for the front. We gave Nilda- the speediest rendera who is also pretty serious and a bit grim, the craziest looking model with the most ridiculous outfit- she finally cracked a small smile. We also "unveiled" recipe-style color cards we made to suggest some new color combinations. Samples of the thread are shown on the front and the women made small squares of renda to tack to the back of each card. It concluded with us explaining, in broken Portuguese, our sketches for a few new products we hope to focus on: bikinis with renda inlays in the back and pillow covers with embroidery and renda. In the ensuing days post presentation we´ve had loud knocks at the door and various renderas strutting in flaunting their "muito chic" designs with much pride.

The other monumental event this past week was my first capoiera class. I´ve joined a group that meets three times a week in a nearby school. It´s free- all levels, all ages. Our teacher, Jackson, is completely surfer- yoga- zen- Santa Barbara type guy. Every class is a little different- but a large portion of it is drums, singing and the roda- where everyone forms a circle and two people enter the middle to dance/battle. First time I was tapped to go in the circle- mind you my experience is 0 to nil, I was a bit unsure. While my partner was literally doing flying high kicks and spinning on his head I was making sure to duck and threw in a few cartwheels- basically I´m in major need of some more moves. Fortunately, everyone is really supportive and welcoming and makes me feel like I did a good job even though I´m quite sure, at this stage, I´m a disgrace to the sport.

Left to Right: Donna Rita( her model was suppose to be her in her younger

years, she loved that,) Josiane, and Nilda (with the crazy model.)

Carnaval + Guaramiranga

I´ve had two significant language blunders thus far. My first was an attempt to compliment my new Brazilian friend, Ana, on her dress. My pre-meditated sentence, "Eu gosto seu vestido" got a very confused/surprised look in return. Apparently, the word seu, Portuguese for "your" is pronounced similarly to seio meaning "boob." Fortunately we cleared up the confusion and all had a good laugh. The second was Linnea and I´s misunderstanding of the word barraca. With no grandiose Carnival plans we accepted a last minute invitation to go to Guaramiranga- a small, colorful town in the mountains that has a renowned Jazz/Blues Festival during Carnival. We went with Gisa, who we were introduced to only a day before, and a whole group of her friends. The four hour bus ride there was a celebration alone. We arrived late Friday night with our backpacks and hammocks to discover barraca means camping. And Carnival camping- due to the crowds- means we had rented out someone´s backyard that was literally at a 60 degree slant and had 10 other tents more or less pitched on top of one another. Having to invest mental energy to make sure you don´t roll down the hill while your sleeping, along with the tradition of Carnival being a 24 hr. celebration doesn´t make for the best nights sleep. However; lots of friendly Brazilians, some hiking/swimming in nearby waterfalls, a chocolate shop on the main street, great jazz/blues infused with Brazilian samba and forro made up for any lack of shut eye.

Do As You Please.

Here in Terra Prometida there´s few regulations- mostly, it seems, that if you want to do something you "just do it!" For example; if you´d like to sell Havaianas flip flops and meat on a stick out of your house- open the window, put up a sign and your in business. If you feel like having a barbecue with your friends on the center median of the main drag, Leste Oeste- haul your grill across three lanes of traffic, turn on some music and start cooking. No one will stop you and even better, no one really cares. The best one I´ve seen is if you feel like preaching- set up some mega speakers outside your front door, grab a microphone, maybe a couple neighbors and let it rip!

La Biblioteca...

Favorite Pastimes for kids in Terra Prom:

• Flying kites in their underwear
• Hearing what their names would be in English
• Putting on shows- that include dancing and droppin some serious beats

Nay and I have been spending some time at the biblioteca- which is across from Casa Cultural and a daycare/school for the kids in the neighborhood. It was built and is funded by a nun from Canada. I think the age requirements are something along the lines of being able to walk to being too embarrassed to say you go to the library. The kids play very rough- ´´keep your hands to yourself`` would seem like a silly request- it´s more like ´´please don´t drop kick your neighbor`` or ´´try not to drop the two year old on the cement floor more than three times.`` Nevertheless; the kids are very helpful, independent and sweet and miraculously seem to make it through the afternoon without too many tears or serious injuries.

Below: some of the library goers during their rest time.