Carnaval 2008 - J9!
J9's theme this year was lollipops! She had initially intended to have a HUGE paper mache' lollipop on her back, but the logistics weren't working out for her, and she switched to these amazing Chinese lanterns with lights inside of them! They were really light and brightly colored. We all think she looks like the lollipop superhero, like Wonder Woman goes Candy or something.
I need to ask her what happened to that huge Lollipop In Progress. I'm sure it's trashed. :( I know how hard it is to go down a Costuming Path and have it not work out - EVEN A LITTLE BIT. I guess if we didn't try the Wrong Paths, we wouldn't make our way to the Right Paths, but still, it's hard to see hours of your hard work fail to come to fruition.
I suppose the general KICK BUTTEDNESS of her final product can be of small consolation to her, right?? ;)
I think J9's makeup came out AWESOME this year. I love the colors she used. I've never done makeup that didn't center around darkly defined eyes, and she is so bold to use white and yellow and red. I love the pop of green across her face. It reminds me of the shape she made for her Spring costume back in 2004.
I want to burst in here and say something about J9. Her name is Jeaneane, pronounced, "Juh-NEEN", but Jeaneane is simply too long to type, so from basically the moment I met her on the job (yes, we're ex-coworkers!) we were typing her name as "J9". None of us actually CALL her "J9", we call her Jeaneane, but I have learned that there is a whole group of folk who know her primarily from my website or hers call her "J9" in person. I find that very interesting and a little amusing. :)
So one of the things J9 had to think about this year is the fact that she is still breastfeeding her daughter, so she had real concerns about her pasties just falling off if her milk "let down". She got around it by finding the cutest corset.
A view from the back. You can see the two lanterns on her back, as well as the third one on her headdress. All three were lit up, but you really can't see it in any of the flash photography. :(
Here we are in Jennifer & Travis' hotel room, getting ready to go out and take our first photos. You can totally see the lights here. J9 filled each lantern with a kind of netting or gauze, and it diffused the light in a beautiful way, don't you think?
This is a great shot of J9's headdress. I love how she expanded on the lollipop theme to include candy gumdrops (or are they bubblegum balls??) and that fantastic trim. That pinwheel is a great touch. I wish in afterthought that she had rigged it to turn somehow, with a tiny motor or something. I've seen things like that at fancy hair shows, so I know it's possible. (Also, there's that whole "Miniature Killer" storyline from "CSI" - if you know what I'm talking about!) LOL! I know what J9 needs is for me to make her costume MORE COMPLEX, right?? :D
Here are J9's fabulous stripper boots! They were different than mine, in that mine laced and were made of a sturdier material, and hers were more latex/vinyl type material, with a zipper. They fit her perfectly. If her calves had been any bigger by even a bit, she couldn't have zipped them. I LOVE how she put the lollipops along the tops. What a simple, fantastic touch.
J9's Belt of Lollipop Power! There was this whole hoo-ha about her trying to use the lollipops outside of their wrappers and having them get sticky and stick to her skin and the material. She ended up cutting off the top edge of all of the protective wrappers with an X-acto blade and then - if I'm remembering correctly - spraying the tops with some kind of protective spray. It maintained the glossy color and texture of the lollipops while protecting her skin, etc. Very clever, but it was a trial until she figured it out properly! (Anyone see that Project Runway where they had to make outfits with candy and products from the Hershey Store?? That was a wicked show. I NEED a corset made of Twizzlers, I do!!)
J9's butt!! I would never in a thousand million years wear something with my bare hiney just hanging out of my pants. My butt, quite frankly, just wouldn't do! I'm a support hose kind of girl, even under my frilly skimpy panties at Carnaval. J9, however, works out regularly, and she looks AWESOME in her little shorty shorts! She is known for sewing her own panties for Carnaval, and I truly have no idea if she made these. They look store-bought, but then most of her stuff generally does, so who knows?? Let us have a moment of silence for the fantasticness of J9's butt. :) Ahhhhhhhhhh! Feel better? I know I do!
I thought this was such a great touch, just like the lollipops at the tops of her boots. It's a beautiful echo of the design element, and the effect is a lovely scalloped edge.
J9's fantastic Carnaval nails. :) She got them done one or two days prior to Carnaval itself, and while working on her costume, one entire nail peeled off and had to be reglued!
Cutie pie! LOVE how her eyelashes POP. I would have loved to have seen her in black light.
J9 and her camera. :)
Posing up on a ledge at the hotel. The EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL AT TOWN LAKE if you will remember. Bad Hyatt. Good Embassy Suites. :) Good hotel, nice people, totally allowed us to climb about like monkeys in their lounge.
Cheeky monkey J9! I love her red, shiney boots.
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Lollipop Superhero Grrl! Lila asked J9 if she could call her "Aunt Supergirl" instead of "Aunt Neene." LOL! J9, of course, said YES!! Aunt Supergirl is an awesome name!!
J9 applying her little swirly painted stamps in the hotel room beforehand.
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Two final shots. :)
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