A Portuguese Love

September 9, 2011

Afternoon at the beach of Figueira da Foz

Yesterday I took an hour and went to the beach in the afternoon. The summer end is fast approaching and so I try to enjoy the last warm days every minute I can. With the start of school next 13th September, most families with children are no longer at the beach. The background noise is different. The light is different. Now everything is more quiet and slow at Figueira da Foz beach. On photo number four you can see a lifeguard talking to some boy surfers about the sea conditions. Lifeguards dress in red and yellow. On photo number five there's a man dressed in white with a container. He sells bolacha americana, literally, it means American wafer(or cookie?!). It's thin and crispy like the one on the photo below. (That last photo isn't mine because I always eat the waffle before I remember to click the machine...!) These men walk the beach all day long selling bolacha americana and some are witty and say funny things to catch people's attention and often they make people laugh. Paulo, a 50-year-old man, is the most famous. I can't offer you the recipe of bolacha americana because it is a well-kept secret! Some prefer to sell Bolas de Berlim - a traditional round cake from Portugal, similar to Berliner in Germany and Sonho in Brazil. Another variation served in the UK is Custard Donut. Ice-creams are also sold by these men and the most famous Portuguese brand is OLÁ. After 15th September fewer persons will show up at the beach. These men disappear and the fishermen will take their place on the sand staring the sea for hours while they wait for the fish to bite! Then I will say goodbye to the sea too, I'll wash my beach towel and bikini for the last time and prepare to feel miserable. This will happen around the last week of September! This weekend we can expect rain but next Wednesday the sun will, fortunately, shine again!

September 7, 2011

Google remembered Lisbon first electric tram aniversary!

Since 1998 Google creates special logos, called doodles to celebrate holidays, birthdays and special events. This one came out on August 31st and celebrates the first electric tram 110th anniversary. If you visit Lisbon or Oporto you can still watch these vehicles on the street. In Lisbon, they are driven through narrow streets, up and down the city’s hills. The most famous is the tram 28. They are cute and quite a tourist attraction! I have to say I never traveled in it! But I want too! Don't miss the video where you can watch trams and tour some beautiful Lisbon spots and monuments while you listen to lovely guitar music...enjoy!(You can check this page if you want to discover more Google doodles.)

Creativity - add more ways to this list!

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

September 5, 2011

I made a cardboard castle for my nephew!

My nephew turned 9 yesterday and I made him this cardboard castle and a postcard with it too. Imagine his face when he realized that the postcard image was, in fact, a REAL castle! To make a child happy is one of the most wonderful feelings one can experience!

August 23, 2011

Travel+Leisure on S. Bento's (Oporto) railway station

Travel+Leisure picked the 16th most beautiful railway stations in the world. S.Bento's Oporto railway station made the list. You know, a list is just a list made by people. But most buildings picked are really awesome. You can check it here.

"While the exterior is certainly beautiful—and brings to mind 19th-century Parisian architecture with its mansard roof and stone façade—it is the front hall that will make you gasp. The walls are covered with 20,000 splendid azulejo tin-glazed ceramic tiles, which took 11 years for artist Jorge Colaço to complete."

August 21, 2011

Helping African children - Faces of Africa Exhibition, Ireland

Hello! It has been a while since my last post. I have been dealing with some situations that have kept me away from the internet and creative work too!

Today I want to share with you something a bit different. See, I like to work with real ink too. A Portuguese Love blog is full of vectorial drawing but today I posted two canvas I created with collage and ink. To work with collage, well, it takes more patience and time than to work with Illustrator or Freehand. It's messier as I always get a lot of cut paper on the floor and I have to deal with glue and varnish. But it's a lot of fun too. Plus you get very original work.

I am donating these two canvas collages to an exhibition that will take place in Ireland next November. I met this Irish painter Rosetta Jallow online a few months ago and she was organizing it. It's called Faces of Africa. All the money from Faces of Africa Exhibit sales will go to several African charities. I would like to invite you to read the post I wrote about it on my other blog called Papelustro. If you're a plastic artist and have some free time and will to help, please consider sending something to Ireland. I know that we have desperate situations just a few miles from our country too, maybe in our city, maybe even next door. But African children have to endure so much hardship that I think we all should consider doing something to help at least once in our lives. You know and I know that our help it's just a drop in the ocean. But an ocean is made of drops, many drops. So do little, but do something. There are lots of charities you can donate and help. If you prefer to do a Google search and pick another initiative, but choose to do something. I liked the Faces of Africa Exhibition because Rosetta is just a woman like you and me and she is rocking the all thing through. I could do that in my city, you could do it in your city too. But we don't. We just sit in front of our PC and read terrible news about Africa and feel sorry for it. So I decided to join her effort and hope you join it too!

"Have you ever held a dying baby in your arms? Have you ever seen a mother in tears because she cannot look after her children? Have you ever seen a person so deformed that you cannot bear to look into their eyes? Have you ever watched a small child playing and know that the only thing her parents left her was the AIDS virus? Have you ever watched as people beg for the very things that we throw out? Have you ever been moved by the fact that 19000 children die each day in Africa? Have you ever thought ‘that’s awful! Somebody should do something’? Have you ever realized that someone could be you? Have you ever cared enough to make a difference?"

ABAANA

You can read more about Rosetta Jallow's Faces of Africa Exhibit on this link.

July 23, 2011

Amy Winehouse left us

A photo of Amy as a child. Such a talented woman but what a troubled life she had. I rather not watch videos of her last performances. Amy died today with just 27 years and left a couple of albuns that made history in music. A sad story.

Licor Beirão + A Portuguese Love = Gifts! The winners are...

Entrance order - Draw order

1 - Carol - Gift 5

2 - Helena - Gift 3

3 - olimpio - Gift 6

4 - clara - Gift 4

5 - leb - Gift 1

6 - Ana - Gift 2

Congrats to the winners! Next week I'll contact you all so you can provide me your address contact. I have some gifts left. I do not know if I should make another giveaway and try to deliver it! Maybe in the near future. I could not make the draw on 21st July as I mentioned, I had a busy week, sorry. But now it's done! Hope you enjoy your gift! Thank you!

July 10, 2011

Fotolia Coupon Giveaway has a winner

This morning I made the random drawing for the Fotolia Coupon. Just 3 entries, what a shame. Congrats on the winner! It's entry number 3.

Folks, there's still another giveaway going on this month, just a few gifts from Licor Beirão, a famous and traditional Portuguese drink. I don't want to keep those prizes for myself, so, check it, there's still time and it's so easy to enter. Enjoy the week, Sunday is almost ending!

June 27, 2011

June is Pride Month!

12ª Marcha do Orgulho Gay, Lisboa

Video

June is Pride Month. June it's almost over but I think it's important to think about what this Proclamation means. This blog celebrates love, acceptance, tolerance, pride, and diversity. All year.

June 21, 2011

Celebrate Summer with Licor Beirão Giveaway

Summer is my favorite time of the year. As I live by the sea it’s a great time to enjoy the beach every minute I can. My readers may remember Licor Beirão. I wrote a post about this traditional Portuguese liquor some weeks ago. Licor Beirão enjoyed my post and sent me some merchandise to distribute to my blog readers. It’s time to accessorize for the Summer that officially starts today and these are the gifts Licor Beirão is offering 10 of my lucky readers:

- A fabric case for your laptop as I know you will be going outside to enjoy the sun!

- Cute tattoos (4 different ones) to show with your summer light clothes!

- Magnetic bookmarkers because reading on a garden or on the beach is a must with this weather!

- A diary where you can draw or write down stories about your summer days…

- And 6 very cute small bottles of Licor Beirão, 6 of my readers will have a chance to taste this traditional Portuguese drink. All winners will also be sent an informative sheet on Licor Beirão with a few suggestions on how to prepare some refreshing drinks for the Summer, the company and liquor store.

The gifts list:

1 - 1 bottle of Licor Beirão, a laptop case, 1 magnet bookmarker, and 4 tattoos

2 - 1 bottle of Licor Beirão, a diary, 1 magnet bookmarker, and 4 tattoos

3 - 1 bottle of Licor Beirão, 1 magnet bookmarker, and 4 tattoos

4 - 1 bottle of Licor Beirão, 1 magnet bookmarker, and 4 tattoos

5 - 1 bottle of Licor Beirão, 1 magnet bookmarker, and 4 tattoos

6 - 1 bottle of Licor Beirão, 1 magnet bookmarker, and 4 tattoos

7 - 1 magnet bookmarker and 4 tattoos

8 - 1magnet bookmarker and 4 tattoos

9 - 1 magnet bookmarker and 4 tattoos

10 - 1 magnet bookmarker and 4 tattoos

What you must do to win:

a. Like A Portuguese Love Facebook page here

b. or Subscribe to this blog via email (use Feedburner window on your right to enter your email address)

c. If you already Liked my Page or Subscribed to my blog you can follow me on Twitter.

d. Leave a comment on this blog post indicating what you did + your email contact.

A random draw between those who entered will be made on July 21st to determine the winners. The lucky winners will be announced on this blog and A Portuguese Love Facebook Page. Gifts will be shipped the following two weeks after I get winners addresses.

June 19, 2011

Wood texture Iphone 6 Cases from Zazzle are eco-friendly and sustainable!

pattern with cute cats and birds carved® maple iPhone 6 bumper case by cuteoverload
View more Wood iPhone 6 Bumpers at Zazzle

Giraffe animal print carved® cherry iPhone 6 bumper

Hello!

People like to cover technology in wood. Most of us are too young to remember old radios and first televisions and their wooden boxes. My parents oldest TV had no wood on the outside but the box imitated wood. My grandmother old radio was covered in beautiful wood. One thing I am certain is that we still like gadgets covered in wood. That's a classic. One chic way to protect your Iphone is to get a cover made of wood. It’s pretty and irresistible. It’s an organic material, it’s a really awesome choice.

But not all the wood cases on the market are sustainable and we care for the planet, don’t we? It’s not a pretty thought thinking we’re chopping trees just to get Iphone’s nicely covered! That’s why I found these Zazzle creators idea a good one – they are offering Iphone cases that imitate wood. There are several species of wood to choose from and if I don’t think too much they look almost like a craftsman's hands work. These Iphone skins are made of 100% real Zazzle imagination, which is both sustainable and eco-friendly.

And now I have a curiosity to share. Sure you’re familiar with the expression "knock on wood". In Portugal we also have the same expression – bater na madeira – but as we say it we utter “lagarto, lagarto, lagarto” that means “lizard, lizard, lizard”! Well, don’t ask me why we say “lizard” three times because it’s a mystery to me too.

Now, check some great wood texture Iphone6 Cases I found on Zazzle! That is no mystery!

This post was refreshed in 2015