“When I was little, I was mesmerized listening to the stories told by my grandparents. My grandfather was a sailor. He travelled to the poles for exploration and when he returned he would tell us a lot of stories. It is a very special thing for me to tell my family's stories. What about my grandmother! My grandmother had an incredible imagination. She made up stories. My favorite story was 'Kai Hai'. It was the name of a shark, Kai.
"It had its difficulties of course. There weren't many toy makers in Portugal around that time to start with. Nor were toys of any importance. Just a toy... Which is not the case for me. They all have names, stories. Now I do the job I love every day. I am happy because I do the thing, I love every day. No pressure, no orders and I see happy faces every day. The people that walk in through these doors are special. Cause they know toys are more than just plastic.
I decided to take photos when I understood that the opinions of my family made no sense anymore. But my mum wouldn't allow me, telling me "girls don't take photos". So I did it unbeknownst to her anyway. I had found a spare camera and I used to leave it at home so that my mum would think I left my camera home...
“When I was little, I was mesmerized listening to the stories told by my grandparents. My grandfather was a sailor. He travelled to the poles for exploration and when he returned he would tell us a lot of stories. It is a very special thing for me to tell my family's stories. What about my grandmother! My grandmother had an incredible imagination. She made up stories. My favorite story was 'Kai Hai'. It was the name of a shark, Kai. 
"It had its difficulties of course. There weren't many toy makers in Portugal around that time to start with. Nor were toys of any importance. Just a toy... Which is not the case for me. They all have names, stories. Now I do the job I love every day. I am happy because I do the thing, I love every day. No pressure, no orders and I see happy faces every day. The people that walk in through these doors are special. Cause they know toys are more than just plastic. 
I decided to take photos when I understood that the opinions of my family made no sense anymore. But my mum wouldn't allow me, telling me "girls don't take photos". So I did it unbeknownst to her anyway. I had found a spare camera and I used to leave it at home so that my mum would think I left my camera home... 
