Whether you arrived here through curiosity, a puppet’s whisper, or your inner child, we are delighted you found us. 

About Frédérique (the human being : )

I am Frédérique, founder of Giggles and Chisels, LLC, and host of a small wooden world called the Petit Refuge.

I grew up in France but have lived most of my adult life in the United States, carrying both cultures with me. Growing up in France in the 70s and 80s makes me value slowness, boredom, and long afternoons with nothing planned but unleashing my own imagination outside. Building my adult life in the US makes me realize how much permission many of us need to slow down and step away from the business of our society.

That double lens led me into classrooms, through doctoral research on young children’s mathematical thinking, and into a quiet conviction that early childhood matters more than we tend to admit. Children are people, small, unique, full of a wisdom we spend our adult lives trying to recover.

When my daughter Rosie was younger, we built a whimsical world together. I did not know then that I was building something for myself, something I would need years later. Founding Giggles and Chisels from that imaginary world has been, unexpectedly, a deep source of healing. I lost my father when I was four, and building this world made me realize why I had never truly left childhood behind. 

I just needed to awaken my inner child, and found so much peace in doing so. And that’s when the wooden Fellows came to life.

About the wooden fellows

Four Fellows wandered from Rosie’s imaginary world and are now part of our journey, keeping me grounded in early childhood and reminding me daily why this work matters. Each one brings something unique, something that the others cannot.

Maurice was the first to wander out of Rosie’s imaginary world and into our basement workshop. Quiet and thoughtful, he sits with me through grey days, bringing with him a calm presence. He reminds us that even sorrow has a place. He has a colorful hat knitted by Mme Rigolotte that he refuses to wear.

Mme Rigolotte was discovered soon after, when Maurice went looking for her after spotting a scarf fluttering in the yard. Full of laughter and wisdom, she reminds us that joy lives in the body, and that life is too short to be taken too seriously. You usually hear her coming, with her wooden clogs announcing her before she does. Clog clog clog clog.

Petite Clothilde arrived, a few months later, full of dreams and gentle ways for self-care. She models how imagination blooms best in slowness and in the space of boredom. She comes from a land where clouds are pink and edible, and loves turquoise ceilings.

Pierre-Qui-Roule was the last to appear, his feet spotted first, peeking from a hollow tree trunk. With his bare feet, he calls us outside to gather treasures and remember our deep responsibility to care for Mother Earth. He is rarely alone, his companion Boule de Poil is always nearby (napping and snoring).

More whimsical creatures have joined us since. The Pouilles, who always want to be part of a story, usually insisting on being the main character. The Bouilles, quiet carriers of hope. And Boule de Poil, Pierre’s devoted companion, not a dog, not a cat, not a hippopotamus, just a Boule de Poil. More are on their way.