Easter: D.I.Ys and Ovos Demais

Unfortunately, being so far from home makes it near impossible to spend holidays with family but that didn’t stop me from spending Easter with loved ones this year. I had quite a lovely traditional Easter celebration in southern Brazil with the warm and welcoming family of a friend. Participating in holiday festivities with my friend’s family made me realize that regardless of location, language or family size, there is a familiar warmth that can be found in the nucleus of every family holiday celebration.

There are so many great craft possibilities during Easter time, so when I wasn’t borrowing someone else’s family, I was thinking up Easter projects that involved a little creativity, a few cultural traditions, and a lot of fun. That’s when I settled on my first project- “The Fruit Bearing Egg”…

During Easter in Brazil, it is quite common to walk into any ordinary supermarket and suddenly find yourself in a forest of low-hanging bright and shiny plastic-wrapped chocolate eggs of all sizes. The chocolate egg shells can be filled with anything from little candies to toys and even jewelry. I love the buzz that surrounds these eggs but I found most of them to be quite pricey, especially considering that what was inside most of the eggs did not quite appeal to me. Therefore, I decided to make my own chocolate egg and fill it with chocolate dipped fruit! My vote says it was the best decision of the week. Not to mention, quite the money saver!

(supermarket during Easter time)

 Although I made a bit of a mess, making the chocolate egg was quite simple really and my friends LOVED it. Just some cut fruit, sprinkles, and a few bars of melted chocolate (I’m a lover of dark chocolate but the white chocolate and milk chocolate added a little pupil appeal). It turned out to be an absolutely delectable bouquet full of fresh strawberries, bananas, mangos, a pineapple, orange slices, and kiwi. Yum!

My second project for the day was “Petaled Eggs” which were also pretty simple and so fun to make!

Even though the rain has hardly ceased since Saturday night, I woke up on Sunday morning determined to go flower picking as a little reminder of Easter back home. It is autumn down here but I have grown up recognizing Easter as the official arrival of spring and the return of all the beautiful hues that make up my father’s garden back home. After my brief nature walk in search of “wild” growing flowers, I returned home with a good sized bundle and put them in a basket. Seeing as it is Easter, I thought that it would make more sense to put decorated eggs in the basket, but the flowers were so presentable, so I decided to take the best of both worlds and cover the eggs in my recently collected flowers. 

All I needed for this project was:

1. A variety of multi-colored flowers (I had to leave mine out to dry for a few hours)
2. Hardboiled eggs
3. Adhesive (I used simple white, clear-dry school glue)

 Directions:

1. Boil eggs and let cool and dry.
2. Use your fingers or a small paintbrush to rub a good layer of glue on the egg in the spot you want to stick the flower.
3. Very lightly spread glue onto the edges of the flower to ensure that it sticks completely and set the completed egg aside to let dry.

*It might be best to seal the flowers if you just happen to have clear nail polish around. I didn't and everything turned out fine.

Boom! It’s that easy.

This project kinda made me wish that egg decorating was a year-round activity. Oh, the ideas for next year are already swirling in my head!

Anyway, I hope you lovelies have a wonderful, love-filled, chocolate-filled holiday. Until next time!

With infinite love,

The Frohemian

Carnaval in Southern Brasil: Novo de novo

As a lovely friend described of her years of growing up in Brazil and actively participating in Carnaval festivities: Brazilian Carnaval celebration is a reminder to enjoy everyday and bring your light to an increasingly dim world. Briefly set aside the burdens of life and heavy judgments. It is a time to take down walls of social normalcy, mingle with people from all walks of life, form friendships, and share love (if only fleeting).

Yes, I prefer endless nature to endless crowds, salty waves of ocean water to sound waves of loud music, a nice cup of green tea to beer, but there is something about cultural celebrations that ignites my more festive side which is exactly what Carnaval did.

New year. New cities. New adventures. I have this feeling that I could celebrate Carnaval every year for the rest of my life and still feel as if it were an entirely new experience. That is because there isn’t just one type of Brazilian Carnaval celebration.

Throughout the country there is a myriad of ways to commemorate the literal “farewell to meat" and although samba culture may be somewhere in the heart of each celebration, I have experienced that there is far more to Carnaval than Rio de Janeiro or scantily clad women in heels that strike like lightening. 

I find the origins of Brazilian Carnaval to be absolutely stunning- a beautiful and lively cultural mash-up that can be quite reflective of the population. Cities heavily influenced by Portuguese, West African, German, Indigenous, or Italian heritage for example may have their own take on the country’s biggest celebration.

This year, I celebrated Carnaval in a couple of different cities in the south of Brazil- each with their own flair. In one city, I spent the day getting lost in a crowd of unfamiliar faces at an open street concert. The afternoon started off with little trace of the forthcoming Carnaval activities but as the afternoon carried on, the street was met with all types of characters- mermen, superheroes, and I swear I gave a horse head a peck on his/her muzzle.


Samba played loudly from musicians performing atop a high charged truck known as a trio elétrico. I danced danced danced alongside friends both new and old. My hands reaching towards the sky as confetti and bubbles unremittingly fell onto my feather clad, war-paint ridden body. My clumsy, uncoordinated feet stumbled in attempts to keep up with the rhythmic patterns of the tamborims and surdos accompanied by the agogôs, cuíca, and all that is the vivacious sound of samba.

On the final day of Carnaval, I traveled to another city where I was absolutely blown away by the magnitude of the celebration. I had been to this little Portuguese settled town before and I was quite charmed by its quaintness and tranquility but during Carnaval, the city transformed. I arrived in the beginning of the night and the streets were absolutely buzzing with people of all ages. Children flocking together, causing minor havoc and enjoying different sweets, families sitting along the busy streets perched in beach chairs and enjoying the sights before them, people of all ages happily engaged before the commencement of what could best be described as a “people’s parade”.

At around midnight, a loud banging of drums indicated that the procession was about to begin. The temporary street dwellers cleared to the surrounding sidewalks and all that could be seen at the end of the street was a file of brilliantly dressed dancers of all ages accompanied by dazzling floats and musicians. The overarching theme of this “escola de samba” parade was magic in every form and oh what a spectacular theme it was. Each group of performers told a different story about magic, from lighthearted fairytales to ominous fables- even Harry Potter made a brief appearance amidst the sea of samba dancing witches and wizards.

After about 45 minutes, the choreographed dancers made their exit but it was hardly the end of the procession. Immediately following behind the final performers, the crowd began to join in the parade as if they were summoned to take over the streets with their own style of dance. Suddenly, I found myself completely submersed in a sea of people. Open space could not be seen for miles. People talking, dancing, singing, drinking, laughing, flirting- the night had officially begun. I was definitely out of my element and enjoying every minute of it. Again, I found my feet trying to keep up with the rhythm of the music but they simply could not. However, the rhythm of my heart was finally beginning to catch on and that was all I needed.

With all of the colors, endless high energy, kind hearts, and cultural harmony, I found Carnaval to be nothing short of a four day celebration overflowing with inspiration.

 With infinite love,

 

The Frohemian

(The photos in this post were taken by me and my amazingly talented friend Cez)

TTT3: Culture-Woven Fabric

(Labels: Black Tank- Bebe, White Lace Tank- American Apparel)

I inherited this Ankara skirt from my grandmother, along with many other types of Ankara apparel, most of which were handmade (my grandmother was an AMAZING seamstress and an even better dresser). I have a slight addiction to Ankara fabric and I have a strong feeling that it will appear in my wardrobe quite frequently this summer.

Ankara fabric is also known as Dutch wax print fabric and although it is most commonly referred to as African print or having African origins, the fabric was actually crafted by the Dutch as an Indonesian-inspired, batik-like fabric. After the Dutch introduced the fabric to the European market, it began to be mass-produced but it did not gain popularity until it reached modern-day Ghana and began to spread throughout West Africa. After the fabric caught on in West Africa, the Dutch were inspired to design the fabric in order to better reflect West African culture and focus less on Indonesian batik.

Ankara fabric alone tells a deep history of cultural blending and sharing. I think that it is a perfect example of how beautiful things can be created with the participation and combination of different cultural influences!

Of course, with such atypical patterns and color combinations expressed in each piece of Ankara fabric, it can be difficult to style it without distracting from its overall beauty. I figured these images might help a little:

(Blogger and huge inspiration- Folake of StylePantry.com)

(The Boxing Kitten)

(Italian Designer Stella Jean)

 With infinite love,

 

The Frohemian

Beautiful Creations: Pakistani Truck Art

Decorated Pakistani trucks (also known as jingle trucks) are seen as the most unique and beautifully decorated vehicles in the world. Each truck is hand-painted and can display an assortment of poems, portraits, religious symbols, and anything else that may come to the mind of the truck owner or the artist. Along with intricate murals and designs, the truck is also adorned with decorative pieces such as painted, metal cutouts, lights, mirrors, and chains and bells to make the vehicle jingle as it rides (hence the name “jingle truck”). Each truck is lavishly decorated in a way that is unique to the region in which the truck is from.

  

 

A lot of time and money goes into the transformation of these flashy forms of transportation but for many truck drivers, it is a sacrifice rooted in love. Other vehicles such as buses and taxis may also display similar artwork but it is often done as a way to attract more passengers.

Truck art is not contained inside Pakistan borders. It can found throughout Asia as well as South America. It has even been displayed in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Even with truck art’s near world-wide attention, Pakistan remains unrivaled in the world of beautiful, intricate, vehicular art.

Over the years, truck art has become a cultural symbol in Pakistan. The truck is a large canvas that serves not only as a means to transport goods but also as a form of cultural expression.

Inspired...

 With infinite love,

 

The Frohemian

(The truck-only photos used in this post were taken from various Pintrest pages)

(The photos with the models were taken by Pakistani photographers and make-up artists, Maram & Aabroo http://www.maramaabroo.com )

(For more information regarding Pakistani truck art, blogger Ehtisham has some great sources to refer to on http://www.pakistantruckart.com/blog)

Catorce de Mayo

I made this sketch in order to highlight the beauty of Mexican culture. I absolutely adore the vibrancy and liveliness that is often found in the Mexican culture. Everything from clothing to music seems simply alive. The necklace is from the Relative Culture leather line and it is made of Deerskin Leather and Mexican Peacock Ore- it is one of the most vibrant and naturally beautiful minerals that I have ever come across. I swear every time I wear this necklace, I feel stunning, more upbeat, and more comfortable being a "stand out". I am more noticeable and complimented when I wear this necklace so I suppose "Peacock" Ore is quite the appropriate name!

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Okay- so I realize that today is "Catorce de Mayo" and, as far as I am informed, there is no highly recognized, historically relevant celebration in the Mexican or American culture in honor of this day. Buuuuuuuut- seeing as I was still M.I.A on May 5th, I am going to revisit the past in today's blog post and briefly talk about the significance of Cinco de Mayo.

May 5th is historically recognized as the day that the out-numbered, ill-equipped, Mexican army defeated the French army in the 1862 Battle of Puebla. It is celebrated in parts of Mexico (mostly Puebla) as El Día de la Batalla de Puebla in honor of the Mexican underdogs who fought for their land. Cinco de Mayo originated in the U.S. where it was brought to light by the Mexican-American community.  Cinco de Mayo is seen as a day to celebrate Mexican heritage. It is an appreciation of Mexican culture and tradition and it is celebrated by both Mexican and non-Mexican Americans.

Unless you are very new to this blog, I'm sure you can understand why I am all for a proper Cinco de Mayo celebration... no, not because I love cultural celebrations... well, sorta, but because I love cultural mash-ups! America is so diverse and shaped by cultures from all over the world but this worldly influence can sometimes be forgotten. It is great to recognize and, above all, respect the many different cultures and people that shape America and shape what it means to be an American.

Con amor infinita,

The Frohemian