gooD mooD

gooD mooD, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

It is quite an honour being a guest in her weekly 'friday with an illustration' blog Nitinha. Artist, painter and interior designer Anita Damas of gooD mooD factory has made an illustration of me and my work and this masterpiece certainly brought me in a very good mood.

The details of this piece of art are striking and stunning; my Kronan bike and stools are very similar. Even the way I put my feet are so me and I love the dress with Villa Augustus logo and will suggest the design as a new spring outfit!

I know Anita for a while and we actually met through Flickr and I became a fan of her work and photography. She lives with her family in Brasil and her little boy Ivo is so adorable!

I'm touched by this gift of a friend I have never actually met and lives on the other side of the world. Gracias Anita!

wood & wool wedding stool

wood & wool wedding stool, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

Lately I have had various romantic orders from customers. Alan ordered a valentine stool and namesake Ingrid ordered a complete collection with ♥ garland.

The most original custom made order came from New York; Liz asked me if I could make a stool with a very personal touch as a wedding gift. She told me that her friend Jen discovered my work through Poppytolk.

Liz suggested the romantic idea, to carve the wedding date of Jen & Dan in one of the stool legs and asked me if that was possible.

A few weeks before Christmas, Kaylovesvintage offered me a Dremel Stylus multitool, that she didn't use herself and that I might use for my wooden business... How kind of her to think of me and so I sent her a little handmade x-mas tree. At that time I didn't have the slightest idea this thing was a good swap.

So I carved the wedding date in the little orange crossbar of the stool and the tool from Kay was very helpful. First I practised some carving on a piece of wood and soon I found out it was fun! (and no I am not mistaken in the date, for it is a belated wedding gift). This kind of tool is a little 'dangerous' because I can't stop figuring out what I can carve next...

This morning Liz told me the wedding stool is delivered in New York and Jen & Dan love their present!

overnight stay in lommel

brilliant office where one can work for like ever, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

Last week I stayed for two days at Yvonne's.

We always have fun and time flies when we are together and I was in for a short break...So I traveled down to my friend in Belgium. Yvonne lives with her husband Boris and cat BooBoo in a wonderful old house with lots of nice rooms and corners. The property is huge and they are busy renovating it room by room. Last time I went over the study and tv room didn't even exist yet and now they are transformed into beautiful bright rooms. The study is an inspiring place and you really want to stay in that room "for like ever". I can easily imagine Yvonne sometimes is glued to her Mac overthere.

I also love the charming bathroom with black and pale yellow tiles and the stained glass windows.

At night we watched the delightful and sweet movie Danny Deckchair in the lovely tv room. Armed with chips & crochet.

Next day we went to Turnhout and we touched almost anything in the wonderful shop Dille & Kamille.

On our way back we visited a great garden center where I bought an English chestnut fencing and some Dahlia bulbs in the most vivid colors.

After eating real Belgian fries together, I went back home.
I've enjoyed two lovely days in Lommel. Thank you Yvonne & Boris!

happy valentine!

sweet tomato juice, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

a little present from chikuwa

a little present from Chikuwa, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

This morning the postman delivered a gift from Japan.

Lynn sent me a handmade stamp of my stool. Lynn is a customer from Japan who has ordered even 4 stools! One stool for herself, one stool for her partner and the third stool for her dog Chikuwa. How cool is that! Recently she ordered a pink one for her mother in Taiwan.

Lynn is a sweetheart! She always sends me sweet comments and nice photos when a stool has arrived.

Some weeks ago she announced she has a present for me; the Japanese stamp artist Norio was making a stamp for me and I got a sneak preview. This morning the surprise package from Japan arrived and it did not only contain the handmade wood & wool stool stamp with a Japanese label, but also lots of colored ink and ink pens, a few examples and a manual in Japanese.

Thank you dear Lynn, it is a very precious gift! Super sweet.

This afternoon I think I'd better enjoy stamping with my daughter.

custom made

colorful order from ingrid, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

The fun thing about my company is a custom made order. Some customers send an order form with a very detailed description of the product they have in mind.

It is wonderful to read this detailed description of the stool; the favorite color combination of the wool cover and even the colors of the wooden legs and crossbars.

The photo gallery on my website is often used for inspiration. It happens that I get a request for a stool as "yvonne" but with a red edge instead of a pink one.

The many names for colors are a delight. It is not just blue, but marine or petrol or sea blue or turquoise. I am not the type that only mentions the basic colors but always need to add an adjective to the color. (and it's nice to know that there are other people like me).

My wool storage is growing by the week and especially the greens and blues have quite a few variants.

The most original custom made order so far, I received this week from someone in New York. She has ordered a stool as a wedding gift for her friends and wants their wedding date carved in one of the wooden legs. How romantic is that? Like ♥ & initials carved in a tree. Once this stool is finished I will of course publish a picture.

2cv in hibernation

my 2cv in hibernation, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

This week I will drive my dear old 2 CV to the garage for a thorough inspection. Last summer I still drove a few times a week with my car to Villa Augustus, but it was sometimes quite a hassle to steer the car.

When winter came, I've hardly used the 2 CV and the hibernation has not improved the car's condition.

Some weeks ago, on a beautiful sunny day, I suddenly feel like driving in 'my ugly duckling' (another Dutch nickname). The car needed to be pushed by a few family members and neighbors to start and after a few laps in the parking lot, just drove merrily around.

The wheel is still not very flexible and there's a hole in the canvas roof that must be repaired. I hope that not too many mechanical problems arise during the inspection and I can continue touring around in my car. It's such a pleasure!