EveRy enDiNg hAs a NEw BegiNniNG

EveRy enDiNg hAs a NEw BegiNniNG, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Our good old FLAP analogue wall clock has been around for a while.

Only once a year it needs a little help to adjust the year, no further need to worry about.

2011 has flown in my opinion (that's a good sign I believe)

Have a nice New Year's Eve and a happy new beginning everyone!

rewind 2011

rewind 2011, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

month by month review of 2011 highlights

We have traveled a lot this year;
stayed in Antwerp, Berlin and Barcelona.
Enjoyed the summer holidays at the Costa de la Luz (which was wonderful)
For dessert an autumn trip to Paris.

Photographing and blogging is a great way to capture life.

Thanks for your visits & comments! x

wooden 'witje'

wooden 'witje', a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Approximately one week ago, I read the announcement of Deborah, about her new Kickcan & Conkers webshop.

Naturally I went straight to the shop and fell in love with a pull-along wooden horse.

That day I bought a horse (very impulsive) and today, at the end of the afternoon, the package from France was delivered and from now I own a horse.

Quite obvious I will call my horse 'Witje' (as in the Dutch Pippi Langkous tv series, because the horse looks very similar to Pippi's horse Lilla Gubben)

Oh, and although it's way too dark to make a proper picture of my new horse, I made it anyway.

x-mas @ntwerp

x-mas @ntwerp, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

stove stuff

stove stuff, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Following the teapot of 2010, you might think that's unbeatable, but this Christmas we've got again a superfun personal and useful Christmas gift from my employers.

An orange iron casserole and signed 'koninklijke gerechten', their brandnew own written and illustrated (royal dishes) cookbook.

The casserrole is already on the stove, as today we are celebrating another Christmas day with family.

portmeirion print

portmeirion print, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Totem kitchen pottery, an illustration print by Elisandra Sevenstar, the artist of the Christmas stamps 2011. When I ordered it in her Etsy shop, she made me aware of this...

christmas day

christmas day, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas Eve under the tree
(it was fun and everyone is happy with the presents)
We had a late morning breakfast and this afternoon I have to work at Villa Augustus (that's part of the job, not that I mind)
For the occasion I wear an appropriate 'hares' outfit (found on Etsy)
Tomorrow the four of us will visit Antwerp for diner and drinks.
Enjoy Christmas, whatever you are going to do!

google earth review

google earth review, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

a stable in Bethlehem

Jesus in a manger
surrounded by
Joseph and Mary

three kings
an ox
a donkey
and two sheep.

merry x-mas!

point & shoot

point & shoot, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Last minute xs x-mas tree request of my colleague Roy.
A stairway snapshot for the collection.
Tiny little ornaments by Miko design (love that camera).

pantone x-mas chandelier

pantone x-mas chandelier, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Several times a year, I transform the chandelier at Villa Augustus, based on the seasons.
The chandelier in the restaurant is now decorated with colored Pantone X-mas balls.
They look so bright and shiny!

Are you already in the Christmas mood?

☆☆☆ + ÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔ = x-mas

☆☆☆ + ÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔ = x-mas, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

one tin star
one paper star
one star in the wood
plus nine small baubles
equals x-mas

oui, oui, paris

oui, oui, paris, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Paris by Yves Saint Laurent is my favorite fragrance since I have been using perfume.

Paris is also one of my favorite cities (London-Barcelona-Berlin) and is currently listed at the top of the list because of all the wonderful memories of our two days in Paris last October.

The perfect Paris souvenir is made by Erika of miko design and is by far my favorite Christmas decoration this year.

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

the wool-pile-desk-pine

the wool-pile-desk-pine, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

shining stars & bright baubles

shining stars & bright baubles, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

The beautiful bright colored paper stars are from Sissy Boy Homeland. They have many pretty colors, so I think it's very modest I have only picked the orange and pink stars.

The inspiration for the Christmas chain I also got at Sissy Boy Homeland. Their wonderful chain of colored pearls, I applied on our tiny colored baubles and I crocheted them together. Piece of cake!

wood & word x-mas tree 2011

wood & wool x-mas tree 2011 , a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

This is only a detail of the wood & wool x-mas tree 2011.

The Latin text is taken from the book De Nativitate Jesu by Dick Bruna.
I wrote the story with a chalk marker (quite a lot of work) while sitting on the tree.

This is the making of of the wood wool & x-mas tree 2011.

wood & wool x-mas tree 2011

wood & wool x-mas tree 2011, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

And here it is;
our traditional Christmas tree.
It's already the 4th edition of homemade x-mas trees.
This tree of course is made ​​of scrap wood, but unlike previous years of unstained wood.

The wood & wool x-mas tree 2011 has a story.

The Dick Bruna Christmas story I've read a million times to Minne and Pippa when they were little. This is the Latin edition "the nativitate Jesu"

x-mas trees booth

x-mas trees booth, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

The stock had shrunk back to one single tree,
so today we've made nine new trees.

The x-mas trees in the booth are most likely the last trees of the year.

Today we finally made ​​our own home tree.
The release of this tree is completely different than the previous trees.

The x-mas tree of 2011 will be presented shortly...

wood & wool pet x-mas tree

wood & wool pet x-mas tree, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

This tiny tree I've made for Chikuwa.
Chikuwa is a French bulldog who lives in Japan.

Lynn asked me to make a xxs tree for her cute Chikuwa.

This awesome dog has a doggie blog and is already owner of a wood & wool stool.

Since "normal" Christmas trees in her house often not do survive (demolition cat), Nikki ordered ​​a cat-proof x-mas tree (at least that's the idea)

brightly colored stool legs

brightly colored stool legs, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Brightly colored stool legs,
as if the stools wear funky tights.

After many requests with detailed wishes, concerning wood, colors and patterns,
sometimes I receive an 'at its sole discretion' order.

The lady in question (just moved from Barcelona to Amsterdam) had only one wish; no white...

Yay, that's my thing.

It's super fun to make things upon request,
but this stool also was a pleasant job.

dark days before christmas

dark days before christmas, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

The dark days before Christmas, do have bright spots too.

The colored lights in the tree, you can see from a distance when you enter the street. (sorry to those who do not love the bright LEDs) and the sparkling lights from inside.

A wooden crate with winter fruits. Juicy orange tangerines wíth leaves and twigs.

Long evenings and lots of time for a good read or a nice movie.

Within a few days we will make a new xxl wood & wool x-mas tree for our home.
(it's about time, for someone starting to make x-mas trees since October)

spoonful of cuteness

spoonful of cuteness, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Happy with a plastic spoon?
Yes I am.

First I thought the plastic spoons were too expensive.
It is (not) just a plastic spoon.
But they are so cute and were getting cuter everytime I saw them at the Villa Augustus market.

I could not choose, the flowers, dots?
And what colour? blue, red, pink?

First I bought two.
A week later two more.

So I bought them all in pairs.
It's cheaper when you buy two at a time ;)

Keep fooling yourself!

They're worth it! (even the coffee tastes better)

★ wish upon a star ★

★ wish upon a star ★, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

I just love stars;

Have some ★ cardigans,
a pair of ★ boots (they're almost famous),
For Christmas I bought a bright orange paper ★ at Sissy Boy (thanks Deborah)
and stumbled upon more stars, while unpacking the Christmas stuff (amazingly, every year I am surprised again by things we have for years and years)

I will try to keep this pretty ★ shirt aside until Christmas (that's the intention...)

(antique Christmas ball & butterfly mirror: scored at Lammie's shop)

cover star

cover star, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

This wood & wool x-mas tree has risen as a cover star in Mollie Makes issue 8.

How cool is that?

This morning I was pleasantly surprised when the Scandinavian Christmas edition fell on the doormat.

Again many beautiful 'living & loving handmade' things and (yay!) also a free BY FRYD calendar to enjoy the wonderful Scandinavian style throughout the year 2012!

christmas countdown

christmas countdown, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Why wait?
Tomorrow is December
Christmas countdown has begun!
Yay, only 24 nights.

All nine 'brand new' scrapwood x-mas trees are made by me today.

Pick one and send me an e-mail...
(these trees can be stamped with any text whatsoever, if you like)

(because of confusion about the money spent on research by Pink Ribbon, I've decided to donate - the 8th part of the trees sold in November - to the Cancer Fund KWF Kankerbestrijding)

sunday morning

sunday morning, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

With my brand-new big wool handmade 'sennaloves' cowl. (sometimes another project slips in between, even though I really have no time for it at all)

Drinking coffee on the new peony pink Fermob bench in the garden. (after a few days showing off in the living room)

It's a piece of candy in front of the wooden fence with garden poem. (None can have a healthy love for flowers, unless he loves the wild ones - Forbes Watson.)

wood & wool stools sarah

wood & wool stools sarah, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

fermobism

fermobisme, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

The old white wooden garden bench moved to the front yard recently.
That's a very good reason to order a new Fermob bench for the garden.
What colour?
It's difficult to choose.
The names of all those colours are as pretty as the colors themselves.
We already have a Carrot chair, Savanna and Willow Green loungers.
It actually is pretty in every single colour I think.
We picked Peony Pink.
Oh, it is so pretty! (I'm a Fermob fan at heart)
The bench may stay indoors for a few days,
before it will be our new backyard bench.

dreaming of a white x-mas (tree)

dreaming of a white x-mas (tree), a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

wood & wool x-mas tree on request;
white and natural scrapwood
and stamped
ánd curvier*
(* two more planks)

red berries in a bucket

red berries in a bucket, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

today @ villa augustus

today @ villa augustus, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

the tree is almost bare

the tree is almost bare, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

100% wool boots & blanket

100% wool boots & blanket, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

zilalila handknitted blanket from Nepal (Sukha) and fully lambwool lined Shabbies (Zappaz).

I'm prepared for a severe winter.

destination saudi arabia

destination saudi arabia, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Mena Samoor, Mohammad, Moyassar & Samar;
all four have their own wood & wool stool.

[happiness]

[happiness], a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

eleven-eleven-eleven

Today is a special day!

It's Dutch Day of Sustainability,
start of the carnaval season,
the day before the arrival of Sinterklaas in my hometown Dordrecht.
and how many people will get married today?

wish you all 11-11-11 happiness!

sleeping on the couch - 'happiness'

sleeping on the couch - 'happiness', a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Pippa sleeping on the couch.
She's not feeling well.
When she wakes up and we are both on the couch to cuddle together,
we agree this feels like a kind of happiness.

><((((º>

><((((º>, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

hurray for the front yard!

hurray for the front yard!, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Inspired during our last visit to Paris, we made a plan to change our front yard.
About 7 Years ago we planted far too many flowers, plants and shrubs.
(it's difficult to create a garden out of nothing)
All the planting turned into a jungle and we could only sit on the bench under the kitchen window.
So we decided all plants had to go, only the hornbeam hedge and ginkgo tree remained.
The black soil we covered with gravel, that's all we had to do.
The result is great!
Oui, oui, our new small front yard feels like a 'petit Paris parc'.

home sweet home & office

home sweet home & office, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

I've been working at home this morning:
Updating the administration and preparing packages for shipment.
(the non-creative side of the wood & wool business also must be done)

Fortunately I have a nice 'office' and with loud music and a beautiful 'second hand' bouquet beside me.
(Some weeks on my weekly Flowerday at Villa Augustus, the flowers of last week are too good to throw away. They have a second life for about two days. Fading roses are the best!)

The garden gentre also delivered 25 heavy bags with gravel for the front yard.
(another garden project next Sunday) and when I was resting on the bench in the front yard for a while, I saw a small leaf on the upper branch of the yellow ginkgo tree. Like a heart against the bright blue sky.
November 4th. Yay I love those infinite beautiful autumn days!

outside

outside, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

At the beginning of the week the pavers have been busy working in the garden.
We have a smooth paved terrace in our backyard again.
It's a big difference, even though nothing really changed.
Everything is back to normal height and leveled.
The best job is to sweep sand between the stones. (I think it's fun)
Give me the broom and a big applause for the weather.

natural, stamped & taped

natural, stamped & taped, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

new: nine new november trees

The traditional wood & wool x-mas trees are € 25 and a stamped version is € 30 (excluding shipping costs)

1/8 of the sold november trees i will donate to pink ribbon

You can have your tree stamped, with any text whatsoever. Just pick one and send me an e-mail...

daylight saving time is over

daylight saving time ends, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

daylight saving time (or summertime) is over
[the extra hour of sleep was wonderful]
candlelight time has begun
and i must admit
the living illuminated by candlelight
also has its charms

the twin trees

Someone in the United Kingdom asked me to make her a similar tree, like the stamped x-mas version. Preferably as precise as possible. It turned out quite successful (at least i think) and reminds me of the old school game: 'find the 7 differences'

wood & number sign [81 a]

wood & number sign [81 a], a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

another cosy sign request:
a house number sign for Yvonne's chicken coop.

picture sense

picture sense, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

in the kitchen
two brushes in a small container
nothing special
so it seems
and yet i sometimes see a 'picture'
before i even grab my camera

is it a strange deviation?
taking pictures in your head, without a camera

often i do take the picture,
but more often it remains a picture in my head

brand new wood & wool x-mas trees

brand new wood & wool x-mas trees, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Again in stock: nine freshly made trees.

The traditional x-mas trees are € 25 and the stamped version is € 30 (excluding shipping costs)

You can have your tree stamped, with any text whatsoever. Just pick one and send me an e-mail...

wood & wool x mas tree @ dutch design week

wood & wool x mas tree @ dutch design week, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

During the Dutch Design Week from 22 - 30 October 2011 you can find the wood & wool x-mas tree at the Etsy Labs.

location:
SC | 85
Sectie C
Daalakkersweg 2-8
5641 JA Eindhoven

admission: free

the circus story

the circus story, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

The Circus Apartments in Berlin are housed in a brand new, state-of-the-art building and interior designer Sandra Ernst is bringing her good taste and attention to detail to make the place shine.

Beyond that, what feel is truly luxurious about The Circus Apartments is the luxury of space. The apartments range from a comfortable and roomy 60m² to a spectacular 180m², which means it can be the location for almost anything you can dream of, from a romantic week for two to a supper club with friends, a photoshoot on the roof-terrace or a film-screening in the living room.

I'm very excited there's a wood & wool stool in all three brand new Circus Apartements in Berlin.

from the city of light

from the city of light, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

on both sides of the bed
a shining reminder of Paris

folded a wire ball
unfolded a flower

a transparent design
you can clamp down
(or hang on the hook)
with a light switch on the light itself
and a very long cable;

brilliant bedside lamps

deux jours a paris

deux jours a paris, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

There's always plenty of things to discover in Paris.
First of all, traveling with Thalys seemed a relief (7am departure from Rotterdam and at 9.30am drinking coffee on a terrace near Gare du Nord)
This time we walked 'all' the little side streets in le Marais.
Merci is a new favorite(!) and we had a wonderful lunch in the basement. At the end of the day we checked in at Mama Shelter, a cool hotel right behind Père Lachaise.
After dinner we had a midnight visit at the Eiffel Tower.
The next morning we walked via Pont Neuf (haven't participated the "love locks" craze) to Saint Germain.
We walked a marathon in two days (luckily I was smart enough to wear my red Adidas) and tired but satisfied we were happy to relax for some hours on the train.