Month: March 2018

5 Ways to use Madeira Embroidery

Published by From Madeira to Mars

5 Ways to use Madeira Embroidery I grew up with Madeira Embroidery. It was in the dress of my first party, on the tablecloths of my birthday and the sheets of my children’s crib. My mother knows how to embroider and tried to teach me, but without success. Times were different, and there were many other distractions… However, I learned to give value to Madeira Embroidery when I realised how much time, hand expertise and devotion exists in the construction of each piece. Each point has its science, transmitted from mothers to daughters, from embroiderer to embroiderer. I love the names they give to each point: the “garanitos” (for beginners), the shadow points, the “cavacas”, the “bastides”, the widows (viúvas) among others. Touching a piece of Madeira Embroidery is realising what tradition means. It is the softness of cotton or linen, and the delicacy of each line pulled by a needle worked with saliva and sweat. Being an embroiderer was once the financial support of most Madeiran women. It is not a profession for anyone; …

Visit Sistelo, a wonderful village of Portugal!

Published by From Madeira to Mars

Visit Sistelo, a wonderful village of Portugal! This article is the testimony of my last trip to the North of Portugal. “Writing & travelling Atelier – four days trip with the Portuguese author Raquel Ochoa“. “I finally arrive at Sistelo. A cat walks around my legs as if he was greeting me home. The sheep approach the Largo of the illustrious Viscount of Sistelo and look at me curiously as if to pose for the photograph. With about three hundred inhabitants, there is no day there that hasn’t got a story to be remembered. In the bar, a woman straightens the chairs already leaning against the rain. The neighbour on the side opens the door with a loud “Bom dia!”. Good morning was not the best word to describe that day because rain was pouring down, but the joy of the arrival of our group fills the day with hope. Even the sun seems to break through the clouds, even if just for a few seconds. As I walk through the streets, I see the …

One night at WC Beautique Hotel

Published by From Madeira to Mars

WC by The Beautique Hotels People who are risking new ideas fascinate me. The first time, the first concept and in this case, WC Beautique Hotel was the first hotel that… Nini Andrade Silva “does not follow trends, she creates them”, and she was the designer who risked this brilliant idea. Fortunately for us, the Beautique Hotels chain embraced this project, devoid of prejudice. Have you ever considered sleeping in WC Beautique Hotel? It is located in the Intendente, a trendy district. If this neighbourhood is a trend in Lisbon, the WC Beautique Hotel is a trendsetter! This is the first and only hotel inspired by a luxury bathroom! How did I sleep at the WC Beautique Hotel? I can tell you that it was great and that I slept beautifully. The bathtub, right at the foot of the bed, reminded me of the pleasures of a long bath. The water-coloured tiles on the walls combined with the velvet curtains and the stainless steel lamp in the shape of a drop of water formed a …