Carnaval!!!

Oi!
Well all I have to say today is Happy Terca-feira Gorda, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday etc!
I wish I could say that I was in Rio the past couple of days, celebrating, however I haven't been, my computer was kidnapped by my Accountant and therefore I could not chat about Carnaval until now.
Here's a couple of facts about today and about Brazilian Carnaval. I have posted a video below of my brush with Carnaval. When I was there we went to the "dress rehersal" without the "dress" at the "sambadrome." What an amazing experience and I can only imagine what the real thing is like. My favourite Samba School: Salguiero...this year so beautiful with an amazing African theme.
Check out my amateur video! I'm standing right beside the Bateria, hence the terrible sound. In person, it is absolutely intense and amazing!

Rio Carnaval:

Samba schools compete against each other for bragging rights for the year. The schools will practice dance, music, singing and costumes for 8 months before Carnaval. Dancers can number up to 4000 for each school, then there are the Bateria members (band members). The celebration occurs for four days before Ash Wednesday and in Rio it is the most grandiose party anywhere!

The Sambadrome is the most famous stretch of street in Brazil. Here is where I saw the "dress rehearsal" as you see above. It's the length of probably 12 football fields! For two nights this stretch of street will house over 75 000 spectators and thousands of performers.

Costumes are always elaborate and amazingly heavy! Feathers are a prominent piece in the costumes as they symbolize the Brazilians rise above despair.

Today, no matter where you are...go out and celebrate. Forget about everything bad in the world and transform your day into a Brazilian Carnaval, guaranteed you will be smiling for days! Dance, dress up, play a drum or musical instrument (forget about the snow on the ground!)

Beijos, Tricia

Unforgettable Valentines'

Oi!

I am back and thought I would share our Valentine's Day with you. It was a relaxing but tiring day, as we lazed around for the morning and went crazy with renos at night! We had decided to make dinner at home and I tried to figure out a fun way to do this. So I chose to make appetizers and dessert and Mike took the main course. We searched through different cookbooks and found International Cuisine for all of the courses. Now keep in mind we were going to "share" the dinner making...well, Mike ended up getting on a role with painting in the basement and I ended up making it all. Now if you know me, I don't cook a lot or let's say I don't enjoy cooking a lot. This was a big deal for me as the prep and cooking for a salad, appetizer and main course took about 3 hours. We ended up eating a truly European Meal as we didn't start until 11:00 at night! So here's the menu:

We started with cocktails, first with Caipirinha (no pic sorry) and then with this wonderfully bright and festive Kir (Aligote and Creme de Cassis)

We drank the Kir with a Fig and Goat Cheese pastry, which I did not take a pic of because I cheated and bought them...! They were a great pairing with the Kir though (hint, you can buy them in the frozen section at Superstore!)

Next was a Sweet Potato, Argula and Spiced Walnut Curry Salad. Wow, it was an amazing salad however prep time is a little excessive. I was full after eating this though! If you want the receipe, drop me a comment or an email

Ta Da!! The main course: Italian Stuffed Crepes! So originally I was only supposed to help with the making the crepe part of this dish, however because Mike continued to paint, I actually ended up making the whole thing. Which is okay because Mike is worth it! It was an amazing dish, however by the time we got to eat I could only eat a half of one crepe! Hahaha...

You are probably wondering where dessert is? Well, I was too exhausted to make it, however it was going to be a Brazilian Chocolate Coffee Pie. Would have been sooo good, but we settled for a square of dark chocolate and a glass of wine...just as good and a lot less work! And besides we had to put the second coat of paint on the boutique walls and if we had dessert we would have been done for the night!

I hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day, ours was an amazing day, I wouldn't have changed it for the world.

Keep this idea in mind for the next V-day or any day where you want to have a nice dinner. Go way outside the box and pick dishes from all over the world to make, don't worry about pairing the tastes, if it was made with love, it's all good.

Beijos, Tricia

Renos, New Bikinis & Daring Females

Oi!

I hope everyone is doing great today. It's been a weird day for me, with the business I have a lot to do, however I don't feel like doing anything. With life, there's a lot to do and I don't feel like doing anything today. With the future, so much to do...well you get the picture.

I am here though and wanted to share a few new quick things with you that I have done, received or heard about recently. I know I promised some bikini tying tricks, I just haven't found a model yet...will work on that this weekend, I promise!

Renos:

I don't know if you remember but I had mentioned awhile back that we were going to renovate the room downstairs which is my boutique. Well, the renos have begun and though I forgot to take the "official"before pics, however here are a few. Mike has already done the laminate floors, it used to be an ugly carpet. The walls at the moment are a light pink, I think, horrible. I actually started painting my feature wall, which in this pic looks like some spread chocolate sauce all over the wall...mmmmhhh...chocolate. I got this far and realized I hadn't taken a before pic and then I broke the paint roller and couldn't do anymore! So this is how it looks right about now:

Mike did a great job with the floor...we hope to have everything done by this weekend!

So exciting!

As for New Bikinis! Yes ladies (and gentlemen), we have received the 2009 Brazil Collection from Banco de Areia the other day! So many exciting new colours and styles. I have also got in Tankinis and more one pieces (North American Cuts) in "Extra Sexy" sizes (8 to 22).

Check out http://www.bancodeareia.com.br/ to see some of the new collection. And to remind you, Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I have sent out an offer to my subscribers and I will send it to you as well: Your honey can call or email me to order a Gift Certificate for you for V-Day. The gift cert includes: A private fitting/consultation in YOUR home, Your FIRST BIKINI and a little extra treat all for $74.99! That's less then the cost of one bikini!!! Call now for yourself or pass on my info to your loved one! tricia@belosol.ca

One last thing...My sister told me about this book and website this week: http://www.daringfemale.com/

Check it out, it's funny, inspiring and exciting! Thanks Corinne...let's heed some of the wonderful advice or DARES that are here!

Here's a daring female for you:

The fabulous Lady Cairo showing her belly to the world....

Some days I wish all ladies would dare to do this!

Beijos,

Tricia

Historic Bikini Facts

Ola!

As promised, though very late, I thought I would post some bikini history...because I am an archaeologist at heart you know!

By Wednesday I will be posting some bikini tricks for tying (with pics), so you can make sure that bikini stays on in the waves...now onto to the history:

• It is believed that the bikini was actually one of the first public swimming costumes in existence. (Here's where the archaeologist in me comes out) Evidence from 300 A.D. Roman mosaics, historians point to the bikini as the swimsuit of choice for ancient Roman women! However, the history of the bikini may begin almost 2000 years sooner than even ancient Rome! Minoan wall paintings from approximately 1600 B.C. also show women wearing the seemingly quite popular two-piece bathing costume.


• Louis Reard’s original bikini consisted of only 30 square inches of fabric.


• Reard planned to showcase his swimsuit creation at a Paris fashion show, however he could not find anyone to model the tiny bikini. He ended up hiring Micheline Bernardini, a model who also worked as a nude dancer in a Paris nightclub!


• After the bikini was introduced in 1946, designers were trying to stay one step ahead of the rest with their bikinis...Could you imagine wearing a bikini made of red hair, a bikini with propellers attached to the bra cups, and a bikini constructed solely of porcupine quills.


• The bikini was originally shunned in many countries throughout the world and took quite some time to gain in popularity.


• The song “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” in 1960 rocketed the bikini swimsuit into a position of popular culture icon. (All bikini history is from www.everythingbikini.com)

Obviously this is only a tiny bit of the history of the bikini, but now you can impress your friends on the beach while wearing your Belo Sol bikini! That inspires me to have a little contest! Be the first to post a comment with the answer to this bikini question and I will send you a treat! (psst...I have shared this answer in past post)

Where did the name "bikini" originally come from (or thought to have come from)?

Good Luck!

Beijos, Tricia

Asking for "One For The Road!"

Oi!

As promised, I had to share the wonderful word that is used when you ask for the FREE drink when paying your Beach "tab" in Rio! Say "Saideira!" It literally translates as "Give Us the Going one" So for us it means Give Us the Roadie! Interesting little things that you learn on the road hey?!

In other news, my husband and I have started the renos on the home boutique. It is quite exciting and I cannot wait to show you pictures of the finished product.

This is just one of the many exciting things that are happening for Belo Sol. Check back often or sign up for my FREE Swim-zine to hear about new products that will be coming in, new articles written or cool tips and info about travelling, cultures, fashion and swimwear!

This will be a quick update today, however I will be back tomorrow to chat about a some bikini history and tips on how "renovate" your bathing suits!

Beijos,

Tricia