coptic stitch

Preparing everything for today's bookbinding activity with kids. 

I've chosen the coptic stitch because it's a very simple procedure and the kids are around 8-13 years old...

work in progress

With less than a year to go until the deadline of my list, I look back on it and realise if I had written it today, it would most likely be very much the same, with just a few differences. I've checked off about 34 items (accomplished and still in progress) which is about 1/3 of the list.

The next couple of months I'm going to:
3. go fishing
6. get a tatoo (which will look something like this)
11. voyeur
32. creative photoshoot (with Carla)
38. make cornbread in my grandpa's stone oven (with the help of my grandma and aunt)

one hundred years of solitude

The question, who's your favorite author? is too easy for me to answer: my love for Gabriel Garcia Marquez is that of public knowledge. 

I was in high school when I first read 100 Years of Solitude and it was love at first sight! What I most enjoy about Marquez's novels is how he mixes reality with fiction and facts with fantasy. Latter I bought every book written by Marquez and translated to Portuguese and spent around 4 years just reading Marquez! The past few months I decided to reread 100 Years, but very slowly... to appreciate every single phrase, to understand every character. Unfortunately, I finished it today. 

(The photo belongs to Chole Giordano, she embroided this beautiful cover for the Penguin edition of the book this year. The ant is just perfect! It's related to the Buendia family's faith: the first in line is tied to a tree and the last is being eaten by ants.)

olive picking

The olives we picked last November still look wonderful. It might be easier just to buy a can of olives, but it doesn't even come close to the amazing taste of naturally grow products and homemade food! I sometimes forget they are there waiting to be seasoned and eaten! They'd make great company to my homemade bread and jam. I was reminded of them after developing a roll of film from my Canon A1 and discovered new photos of that day. 

jump

He's been asking me what I've been doing for the last 2 days. I'd say "stuff" or simply smile and nod, because it's suppose to be a late birthday present!

I've had this idea for quite some time now to illustrate some of Pedro's jumping photos through cutouts and collages. Hope he likes them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Tartine bread

The book arrived yesterday and it's beautiful. The main bread recipe, which the author calls Country Bread, is the starting point to all the other artisan bread recipes in the book. It's process is very meticulously described and based on ancient french breadmaking techniques before the industrialization of yeast. He calls it the perfect bread. All you need is high quality flour, water and salt. The secrete lies in the combination of a homemade starter, temperature, timings and pacients.

paper and scissors

Working on yet another illustration project in paper cuts and collage for someone special.

fox in socks

Over at Planeta Tangerina I found this video narrating Fox in Socks, I couldn't help but sharing! 

welcome to Lisbon

Today I picked up another batch of developed film from my Canon A1 and the surprise factor is still there!
This has to be one of my favorite spots in Lisbon to photograph. Although it's never pleasant to see abandoned houses in Lisbon's historic center, the truth is that there is beauty in ruins; it's bitter sweet...

rural inconveniences

I have mixed feelings about this: is this supposed to be educational?
It's like taking kids to the zoo to see wild birds in cages. This is one of the busiest streets of Lisbon, cut-off to traffic and where now carrots and cabbages grows under the a tight guard.
"Look sweety, that's what a tomato looks like..."