let's stay inside

In my atelier, the very first woodwoolstool, I've made in 2007 standing next to a steel vintage stool. They are both blue and dressed. The vintage bed end coverlets serve as curtains. An embroidered postcard from Marrakech in a handmade scrapwood photo frame and the disco ball popped up between the Christmas decorations. A glance in the bamboo sunburst mirror.

In the living room the Hare Family and paper Christmas stars are lined up. And although it's freezing outside, the bougainvillea in the kitchen window sill is in bloom for the umpteenth time...

workspace

A workplace is a place that feeds your imagination. Creating a 'perfect' studio won't happen overnight, it's a growing process and that's how it should be.

A few weeks ago we started creating a studio in Pippa's old bedroom. The idea was to create something new with nothing new.

Enough stuff in da house to redecorate this workspace, nothing new, no purchases, but furnished with items that were stored in the attic.

My wool stock (previously spread throughout the house), moroccan rugs, personal souvenirs, books, my home office (which started taking over half the kitchen table), vintage letters, stools (in all possible variations), etc etc...

Oh wait, something comes to mind...Correction, there is something new. Some new 40x60 cm photo frames. I printed my favorite photographs from Marrakech (and a few from Sicily).

Obviously I will often work at the kitchen table, but in that case I only need my laptop. It's really great to have 'everything together' in one place. I am full of ideas and love to work (or just be) in my new studio. The place still has to 'grow', anyway the good vibe is already there.

C /\ B /\ N /\

CABANA Magazine is about intimacy and explores that close relationship that every person has with interiors. Not only grand rooms but odd corners, exquisite details and the objects that make a room feel personal.

'Each issue is a journey through obsessive collecting, colors and fabrics brought to life with luscious photography that will inspire you to discover a new world.' - C A B A N A magazine -

The cover itself is already worth to get a C /\ B /\ N /\ , each one has a unique fabric cover.

This issue was a birthday gift for Henk from our newlywed friends and it adorns the 'new' harlequin table. Muchas gracias M & S!

summer season shoes

My favorite summer season shoe collection clockwise:

All Stars - Cacatoes - Betsy Palmer - Replay - Zeket - Voltan - Maypol - Isabel Marant - Raffiacraft by 33 Rue Majorelle - L.K. Bennett.

The Brazilian Cacatoes I've bought in Antwerp some weeks ago and they are my new 'Havaianas'.

In a few weeks we will fly to Sicily and I have to make a choice which ones to bring in my suitcase.

Casual choice has already been made; the All Stars, Cacatoes and Isabel Marant sandals I will certainly bring with me. One pair of dressy heels and ... ?

get up and go

Spring has sprung! Yippee!

The change of season, also means change of wardrobe.
At the moment I've started unpacking my spring-summer collection from the attic, for the upcoming trip to Marrakech.
No doubt I will bring my kaftans in my suitcase to Marrakech. Some cardigans and sweaters, in case it cools down a bit in the evenings.

What to wear in the in-between-season?
Will it be cold, warm or somewhere in-between?
For heaven's sake, what do you wear when transitioning from season to season?
Right now, it can be a really confusing time to get dressed in the morning.
This week, I started wearing a woolen beanie on my way to work on my bike in the morning. Somewhere around lunchtime you can easily sit outside in the sun, wearing a cardigan.

My advice and solution; layer up with pops of color, to keep your in-between outfit bright.

I have found this nice snug sweater, not too thick and more comfortable than a woolen sweater.
Love the fresh and unusual color combination (exactly as the beanie) and that 'get up and go' attitude!
... and the palm by all means fits completely in my 'palm tree period'.

palme d’or

To ignore the freezing cold outside, I went for a golden palm this morning...
(after my weekly run; unfeasible! despite wearing double running trousers and thermo shirts, woolen gloves and a beanie)

A chic version of the palm I made last week, the c c p p, that is to say cool crochet palmtree pattern or cool crochet petit projet

Still a bit of testing for the cool crochet workshop, which is coming up in April.

c c p p

c c p p

cool crochet palmtree pattern

and moreover

cool crochet petit projet

I'm working on some crochet projects & patterns for the cool crochet workshop in April.

Every day a new project, a new crochet technique and a new place to explore in Marrakech.

I drew a palm tree on graph paper, slightly smaller than the palmtree I designed last year. Remember this one?

Simply because it's nice to finish a small daily project, so we have a lots of time for other pursuits, such as having a delicious Moroccan lunch, enjoy the surroundings and relax.

This afternoon I nestled myself with hook and yarn on the daybed, to check how long it takes to make this project. Well piece of cake, the cute palmtree is cool crochet project approved.

retro woodwoolstool

At the moment I'm working on a pair of 'good old' traditional woodwoolstools.

Have not been making them for a long, long time in this 'old-fashioned' way (it's how I started more than 10 years ago), until a request came last week.

I still have to make the scrap wood stools, so I tested the handmade woolen case on another stool.
...and where would the color inspiration come from?

huge harlequin blanket update

The huge harlequin blanket is nearly halfway.

Somewhere in 2017 I started this huge harlequin project. It's quite an ambitious project, but it will be awesome in the end.

Yesterday evening I've been working on the project again and it seems the huge harlequin blanket, most likely will be lying our bed on the attic within a few weeks...

Making all the separate harlequins was easy and actually they are all small projects that can be done within in a few hours.

The big basket with crocheted parts was in a corner in the living room and I had no clue what the 'state of affairs' was.

When I put all the parts down on the floor on New Year's Eve, I found out that I only had to crochet two more harlequins. A huge boost to finish it finally!

Now I'm so glad I have continued the project and it's getting even better than I imagined.

It is motivating and now I can't stop... So no other side projects, I have to finish this first.

I had to share this 'huge harlequin project 2017/2018 update' with you, because I'm pretty proud of it.

huge harlequin blanket

Hello everyone! Hello 2018!

Somewhere in 2017 I started this huge harlequin project. Perhaps just a little too ambitious but I'm sure it will be awesome in the end.

A huge harlequin blanket, king size bed blanket for the attic.

The thing with ambitious projects like these, they seem never ending...

Because it's impossible to do this blanket in one go, I need smaller side projects to work on simultaneously.

On New Year's Eve I put the parts down on the floor and discovered that I only had to crochet two more huge harlequins.

So I finished the last two harlequins and I intend to finish the blanket this month.
Attaching all parts to one another, the tricky part...
I made a start yesterday evening and it feels good to finally finish the blanket.

Hopefully we can actually use the blanket this winter season.

Cheers to 2018!

new stuff on the sofa

New stuff on the sofa.

A couple of pillows I made recently, two harlequin and a brand-new herringbone design.

Some will soon be for sale in my Etsy shop.

Because of satisfactory enthusiasm, I had to post this colorful pillows-on-the-sofa picture...

spicy colors on the carpet

Spicy colors on the carpet.

Love this colorful wool, I've collected during my trips to Marrakech in the last years.

At the moment I'm working on a new harlequin project for the upcoming #coolcrochetworkshop in Marrakech in October...

summer stools

Two handmade wood & wool stools in the S H O P.

Scrapwood stool legs with a cover of Moroccan wool!
One stool seat is covered in white yarn and the other one is covered with turquoise crochet.

Both handmade, summer style and unique.

eclectic pixels

Popping pixels! Love at first sight, when I spotted our 'new' handmade pixel daybed spread.

It's an oldie from eastern europe with a colorful flower border, craftsmanship with an eclectic embroidery technique and lacy crochet.

Last week it was actually laying on our bed end, but I prefer to enjoy it all day, so the bright pixel blanket moved to the daybed in our livingroom.

my heart goes bamboom

Some weeks ago we spotted this vintage bamboo chair in a wonderful bric à brac boutique and my heart went bamboom!

We took it home and now it's standing in the livingroom, my heart goes bamboom bamboom.
The seat is a bit low (just how i like it) and is a perfect coffee/read/knit/crochet chair.

The portrait of our son Minne when he was only 3 years old, also makes my heart jump. It was made 20 years ago in France and I do remember the cute curly blond boy, like it was yesterday.

carpet on the cabinet

We've got a new woven rug, I found it in the carpet souk in Marrakech two weeks ago.
It was love at first sight and it's so different from the boucherouites I've bought in Marrakech before.
The new carpet is handwoven, herringbone, harlequin, ethnic and modern at the same time, also the colors are bright and gorgeous. (I'll show it soon, no doubt.)
It's exactly as long as our sofa and it suits in the livingroom so well. Thing is, the other carpet had to go...
We found a proper solution, the colorful harlequin boucherouite now is lying on top of the wool cabinet. Perhaps a bit unusual, but it looks great!
We can still look at it and change the carpets any time we want to.

One can never have too many carpets.

stocktaking

Cool Crochet workshop preparations on the boucherouite... Next week we will start with the 4th workshop in Marrakech.

Super excited to meet everyone!

around the world

New books on the pouf!
Son Minne and husband Henk visited London for the weekend. They stayed at my niece Afra and had a wonderful time.

They brought home some very inspiring interior books.
Gypset Living by Julia Chaplin and How We live by Marcia Prentice.
Both books are not typical interior design books, they contain creative interiors around the world.
Yesterday I flipped through the pages and got an overdose of inspiration...
Today I'm going to read the books one by one, at ease on the sofa.