local markets :: pistachio

hello hello you all! how are you? how was your day yesterday? mine was quite busy… new steps for mr kobe… pouring rain outside… broken bowls in the kitchen… well… i know you can imagine! but let’s keep smiling because this week will end on thursday and probably, my weekend will start really soon! so… moving on to {local markets}, one of the things i really appreciate on my guests is the name they choose for their brand. i have been finding so many interesting names, and today it is not an exception, because i want to bring before your eyes the label {pistachio}… by rita leal. do you like pistachios? i love them… specially in summer days!

can you tel us something about yourself? as i have no brothers or sisters, i used to play alone and most of time i preferred to draw, paint  ou cut paper without a defined purpose. i used to spend so many hours just doing that. but i loved barbies too. well… i still do! now, i have two jobs, crafter and designer (freelancer, for now) and i work every day to improve my skills.

how did {pistachio} start? pistachio started a long time ago, before i even chose the name. since i was a child that i knew someday i would have my own brand or at least could earn money with my creativity. the first {pistachio} products were created in 2004 and were things like necklaces, earings, pins, etc. now i create stationary items, such as notebooks and photo albums.

what inspires you? everybody says this, but everything around me gives me inspiration. sunny warm days and quiet nights have the perfect conditions for me to work. i also buy a lot ok books and magazines and search a lot on the internet. everyday there are so many new things so see! but when i’m not in the mood for creating, usually a walk through lisbon solves the problem.

what advice can you give for those small business owners in your country? i believe portuguese products must stand out of the crowd, and we can only achieve that in quality and creativity. waiting for governmental support is useless, so “fight” and work a lot! and be original, that’s the most important thing.

what do you would be helpful for those small business owners in our country? as far as i am concern, the biggest problem for someone who sells handmade products is the price, and some buyers don’t understand it. handmade things can’t be cheap as the products we can buy on chineses stores here in portugal, for example… they are for retail purposes made on countries where people earn in a month, what we earn on a day! but i’m happy that this situation has been changing in the last years. it’s a learning process in which each crafter takes part!

so… in love by these notebooks like i am? my favourite… well, though i love these very very much, my favourite one is the map notebook! oh, so precious! rita you had my heart with this one! so, rita is one young girl living her dream and trying her way to stand out in the crowd, and for what i see, she is being brilliant! but i am one girl in love for all things notebooks! you can read rita’s {blog}, follow her on {facebook} and also on {flickr}. she shares her work through all these websites and you can ask her questions and make your orders through these.

crafter: rita leal
source: rita leal’s flickr account (click on each image for further details)

what is {local markets}? a community dedicated to the very best portuguese talented & independent artists that strive for an original work and exquisitely executed handmade design & photography. once a week, there will be a special feature for these artists, to spread the word about their talent, to introduce you to new & fresh work. {local markets} is an original feature from {a place for twiggs}.