Postcard Swap

I decided to participate in a swap of handmade postcards promoted by iHanna. I was emailed 10 addresses and soon I'll be receiving another 10 postcards in the mail. I didn't quite know what to make but after my short experience illustrating História Primária, I decided to go with cut outs and old photos: I printed out the photos from this album and the lyrics to the Portuguese song Aldeia da Roupa Branca to go along. They are numbered from 1 to 10, according to the lyrics. Now off the post office to get stamps!

Las manas

It's obvious: I enjoy transforming photos into embroidery projects!

Las manas was inspired by this pretty photo of me and my sisters.

1954

Trying to get into the Christmas spirit, I leave you with Zezito and his Christmas tree back in 1954. Our "tree" here at home is almost finished, just need to put up some more stars and color the nativity scene.

I'm spending this weekend making notebooks, pins and embroider stuff to sell nest weekend here. 

os ferreira

A little sneak peek at what I have been working on these last few days. It's slowly being embroidered so it can be just perfect for her 60th birthday. So Mary, tell what you think of it so far?

siblings

After I was born my parents always thought that their second child would be a boy. So they bought blue baby clothing. Then my sister Helena was born. And then they were absolutely sure their third child would definitely be a boy. Then my sister Luisa was born. And after this, they gave up: three is in fact a crowd even though we always wanted a brother. 

helena in the corner

I called her Helena. But she's not my sister. I have no idea who she is, I just thought the photo was pretty. I drew her a while back. 

boy in stripes

This is Carlos Manuel in his Sunday's best back in the 1950's.

help me find Zézito!

Some weeks back, on a trip to the flea market I bought a bunch of old frames to start hanging things on the walls. The first photo I framed is my blog's header!

This week's old photo is from a family album I bought last year. The photo I use as a header is also from this album. The little boy's name is José (or Zezito, the way his father signs on the back of each photo) and dew to some strange fortune for me (unfortunate for Zézito) I have his childhood album: from birth to around 5/6 years old. I wonder how can anyone lose such a precious family treasure... So... item 43 on my list is to try to find Zézito (an Amélie style thing to do!!) and give him back his album. I don't have much information about him, no last name, no father or mother's name. He was born in the 50's and I think he lived in Lisbon and they sure did travel alot, because most of the photos are of summer holidays. 

I'll be posting more of his photos in the hope someone might just recognize him. For the mean while I'm having fun drawing Zézito!

Old photos

I think I'll draw him next.

Old photos

Living in my grandparents house meant leaning over the window sill every time someone rang the doorbell. I don't know who this is in the picture, but she is very Portuguese.

Old photos

Old photographs fascinate me. I've been collecting them on our frequent visits to the flea market. I still don't know what I am going to do with them. I have started to draw the one's I like most and rearrange them in old albuns. Today I decided to start sharing some my favorites... inspired by Janis, of course.

I really like this one by the way they are dressed with short skirts and white socks. 

Hopefully anyone reading this blog will discover someone they might know...  

Zé Manso e Angela Brito

A weekend up north is always rewarding.

I spent quite a bit of time with my grandparents, Angela and Zé Manso. They live in an old house that was handed down by my great grandfather to my grandfather, that had belonged to an aunt of my great grandfather… long long story that I’ve heard a couple of times but it’s filled with names and intricate relations that I never seem to fully remember.

Anyways… this house has the most amazing attic! It’s a fairy tale attic crowded with old furniture, lamps, frames, gigantic cooking pots, old cutlery and my favorite: a wooden trunk filled with very old bed coverings! For years I was afraid of exploring it because it implies climbing the narrow steal ladder that connects to a trap door in my grandparent’s kitchen ceiling. I only went up their a couple of times many years ago.

This weekend it was my cousin Jessica's turn to discover the attic and so she brought out the Indiana Jones inside her and found two family treasures in the attic: 2 framed photographs from the 50’s in not so good conditions.

So, for the rest of the evening I spent with them, we brought out a family album and grandma explained to me who was who in all the photographs. Simply wonderful!

I saw photos of my great grandparents and their brothers and sisters; of my mom at the age of 8; I finally understood why Tio Adriano married his niece and who was Madrinha Amélia; I saw my grandmother in her wedding clothes (which see still has and I am hoping one day it might me mine!); my grandfather’s picture from when he did military service and had his bicycle license and one photo of my grandmother before she got married.

Before the sun came down, I helped her hang clothes to try and she helped me pick vegetables and fresh eggs to bring back to my urban residence!

Feira da ladra

Even though I have my very own rise and shine rooster, it took me awhile to get up Saturday morning, crawling from the bed to the couch. We had thought it through the night before: wake up early and do as much things as possible on the weekend.

But, Saturday mornings in Lisbon always mean one thing: a walk to the Feira da Ladra. You can find the most amazing things amongst other people's junk!

And negotiating the prices is always fun:

- how much?

- it’s 15€
- I’ll pay you 8€

- 8€? (#%&*... ???) ok, take it!

I have a list of stuff I always look for: scarves, a sugar bowl, old photo albums, picture frames, linens, tin cans, vintage cameras, film, and anything nice that might catch my eye.

This Saturday I bought a beautiful hand embroidered handkerchief from Madeira and a tin can just like the one my mom puts all her buttons in. It now holds walnuts and almonds.

Since I’m always on the lookout for old photo albums, this time I got lucky and bought someone else’s family album, filled with black and white photos from the 40’s and 50’s. It’s a family vacation album. I still don’t quite know what I’m going to do with it but, for now it’s just the curiosity of looking at another family's special moments and trying to recognize the places they were taken.

Peter Piper bought stuff he had been looking for, a Swiss knife, a small moleskine notebook and a black ink pen that came with a bonus: a bottle of shampoo!!

On our last visit, we came home with a bunch of things: an old fashion toaster (the type with flaps that open to the side) cause the one we had burnt to melting point, stencils, a traditional blue head scarf from Viana, a salt and pepper mills, a black paper photo album, which got me a name for this blog and black and white photos Pedro is going to transform into lovely postcards.

The stroll back home is always the same. Maybe next time we’ll stop for an urban picnic with bread, pumpkin jam and cheese… what do you say Peter??

Getting started

The hardest part of any project is getting started.

I had been searching for a black paper photo album for some time now. The type of album my dad has from his time in Guiné Bissau and when he and my mom were dating. I got lucky last Saturday when visiting the Feira da Ladra and bought a small black paper photo album with corner stickers still in it, a bit worn, just as I like it! I want it to be a unique place where I can hold the very best of my memories.

So the first page is a remembrance of the day I bought the album: a black and white photograph, bought by Pedro on the same day, of a tree that reminded me of Mondrian’s apple trees. And thus accomplishing the second pending thing on my list: finding a name for this blog…