Kicking back at the Sunday Market

On Sunday the Torquay Cowrie Community Market was on; which is always a treat to check out. For me its the food, the organic veggies and a bit of local live music sitting on the grass in the sun (hopefully!).
I took Flynn and met up with my friend, photographer extraordinaire, Anita Beaney and her daughter Leila. The crowd was bustling despite the lack of sunshine and the vibe was great.
Flynn and Leila couldn't stand still with so much to look at and managed to spend their allocated money not too long after we arrived. First buy of the day for Leila was a home made barbie out fit. Flynn had his heart set on this tribal necklace; which he thought about all market before going back to the first stall and making his buy. Thankfully they were able to walk past the used toy stand with out asking for more!! Ha ha....

Seasoned shoppers deciding what or if to buy ...taking their time to make a decision!

Home made lovelies with buttons....

Time to get some food and catch some tunes on the grass; the blue ice cones were a blast. Even though a cold day the kids still insisted on choosing this market treat! Brrrr....




My favorite food at the market; Tibetan Momo's with their home made chilli sauce and soy! YUM!! Not sure if I will try and make some but check out the link for a recipe; the local Buddhist momo's you just cant beat!

Leila took her favorite Cocoon Couture Tiny Toucan Shoulder bag for collecting her goodies on our Market Day outing. Later at the beach it was perfect to fit in the extra rocks and shells that she found....oh also her jumper once the sun came out and her shoes!

Flynn used his new Monster Couture back pack to hold his super cool 'lava rocks' and market buys; what was great is that I didn't have to end up carrying their finds; as they were wanted to carry their own bags! A perfect day out. xx

Cocoon Couture Shoulder bags, available in a variety of gorgeous cocoon couture critters. RRP $39.95

Okido, Creative Fun while Learning

Okido would have to be my new favorite kids activity magazine, web site and 'must have' entertainer when out for morning coffee with friends.
Okido is an art and science magazine for children; both educational, inspiring and fun all at the same time!
The brain child of multimedia designer and scientist, Sophie Davuois and illustrator Rachel Ortas; the winning combination of talent provides your child with a captivating and inspiring learning experience.
This beautiful publication is available every 3 months and for us here in Australia you can subscribe and even buy back issues!

The latest issue for Okido is on the Moon; is full of wonderful activities perfect for young children; recipes, and interesting facts hidden amongst the variety of stories.
Also available, are these simply beautiful post cards; perfect for any birthdays or occasions where you need a unique card on hand! Being a collector of many things I just love to have them up on the pin board for inspiration!
There is also a great 'Okidoodle Book' which is the perfect colouring in, crazy sketch doodle book for the plane or car trip when heading away...I had to buy some more as the boys had filled theirs up!
Also check out their blog for latest happenings in Okido land!Cocoon Couture Early Bird wall art kit. RRP $49.95



Cocoon Couture is soon to be launched into the UK at the Bubble London trade fair and we are so excited to announce our new distributor Avocado and Cress!

Cocoon Couture offers a range of creative activities for your child with the stunning wall art kits. Made from FSC approved timber the ply wood tile provides a beautiful surface to create a unique Cocoon Couture critter scene with our re-positional stickers. Available in a choice of critter designs, Early Bird, Sleepy Owl, Gorgeous Giraffe, Mini Monkey, Timmy Tiger and Mr Whale.
The perfect birthday present or stocking filler for this Christmas!
Enjoy xx

Magical Ponyo

School Holidays at last! Which has been such a welcome relief to the daily routine of lunches and pickup and drop off deadlines. Thanks to Babyology; one of the activities on our to do list for these holidays was to go and see the movie Ponyo by the Academy Award tm Winning Director Hayao Miyazaki. Who also directed other memorable animated films such as My Neighbor Totoro which is a number one favorite in our household; Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away.

Ponyo did not disappoint; (with the boys were set with their popcorn and choc top ice creams) as soon as the movie started they were transfixed to the screen; as was I! Half way through the feature; Archer said to me 'Mum I Love this movie'; I then looked down the row to Flynn who was sitting there quietly his face was beaming from ear to ear!



There is something magical and uninhibited by the real yet innocent world that Hayao Miyazaki creates. His stories are to be cherished by the young and old (er); I highly recommend Ponyo for this holiday program, it will most definitely hold a special place in the childhood memories of my two boys; which makes me smile.
Enjoy!

Twitching and Twittering, an Obsession with Birds

I am an avid hoarder and when I was young (er) I was mad about birds and collected all things to do with them. Today I want to share with you a sneak peak from my 'Tuckfield's Australian Bird Studies' card collection. Ahhh aren't they just divine?

I thought you might like to read a little about the birds I have chosen to share with you, check out the back for useful twitcher information!



With all things birds in our beautiful bean bag collection, early bird, dreamy owl and sleepy owl; cocoon couture would not be here if it weren't for my love of birds and these delightful treasures. Even the social networking site twitter giving reference to the song birds sing to chat with each other I thought it was appropriate I share these precious bits from my archives.

Enjoy!

LMNOP issue 8 Out Now!

I am just thrilled as always to get the latest LMNOP magazine. It never disappoints and issue 8 is yet another wonder read full of inspiring and interesting pieces for us creative mums out there.

Photo: by Ian Macpherson
Books that make you want to read them for yourself; Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty is one of my favorite books in our shelf; oh and the boys love it too! LMNOP give it a great wrap.

Photo: by Ian Macpherson Styled by Jenny Lacey
How much would all kids love to play on this beautiful IVI, Traffic Rug by Danish by Design.

Find LOVE at 6th Ave and 51st St. Photo: Hallie Burton.
I have read the New York article about 3 times and am saving all the wonderful travel, shopping and play tips for when we head off there in a year with the boys.
If you don't already subscribe then make sure you do today as it is FREE and a must. Not to mention LMNOP has a new and fabulous web site and blog which is their magazine that keeps on giving in between each issue!

A Little House of Your Own

I just have to introduce you to one of my all time favorite books from my childhood. 'A Little House of Your Own' by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers and Irene Hass. Some times you have a book that you just need to pour over and over and try to soak up the wonderful sentiment and try to spirit yourself away into the magic of the illustrations.

A Little House of Your Own with its beautiful pen lined illustrations had the ability to transport me to another world...to my very own special place. It is a wonder what the sense of imagination can give to a child and by sharing this delightful book with my boys has reminded me of how even the simplest things can give a child a sense of their own space.

From under the table with a table cloth; to a big card board box with a few holes in it and a flap for a door. Any tree is a sanctuary for my boys...we travel away from the park to find the biggest and most wonderful trees for them to climb and discover their own special space. One favorite enchanted tree my boys love to discover over and over again is fondly called 'The Monster Tree', and a must to visit every week.

I just loved these pages when I was young (and now!)...in fact I would love to share the whole book with you but had to resist. The little tea party in the tree house is my all time favorite dream cubby. Maybe it is why I love camping so much; just like my little house of my own in many different magical National Parks around Australia.


Martha's house was always the lovely little house came complete with a chimney, curtains on the window and a table and chairs. I always thought she was a 'lucky duck' to have a mini grown up house! But the tent over the clothes line and the couches and chairs with blankets and bean bags never disappoints. In fact sometimes the less perfect and most improvised the space the better!

If you are keen to find this book have a look at amazon to see what you can buy; funnily enough I have not been able to find many on sale with my original cover circa 1959 (it was my dear Auntie Sue's book when she was young).

Why not mess the house up today and create a cubby for your kids...or send them outside to find a bit of space under that overgrown bush in the yard. Don't forget a few comforts; like blankets, a picnic rug, cushions, bean bags, table (if it is big enough) and a tea set would be nice too.

Enjoy! xx

The Monsters are Coming

Well I thought it was about time to unveil our new brand Monster Couture to you all. Introducing our awesome spooky, kooky monsters; Bat Star and Captain Shaggy!

Cocoon Couture offers gorgeous bean bags, wall tiles, height charts and other beautiful accessories; and having captivated children and parents alike for a few years now, we thought it was time to offer something a little different to those little boys and girls that love the spooky world of monsters.

Recently we gave Babyology readers an exclusive sneak peak at our very exciting new range, Monster Couture.

Inspired by my twin boys (Flynn and Archer) drawings and their persistent requests 'can we have a monster on a bean bag mummy?' I thought it was about time to expand our brand profile to include a Monster Couture bean bag range!

Flynn and Archer love the new range and cant wait to get the Black Bat Star (for Flynn) and the Black Captain Shaggy (for Archer...he loves yellow) in their room. Black seems to be their colour of choice...because it's spooky mum; they tell me!

Monster Couture bean bags are made from 100% cotton soft, stylish chunky cord. They also come with a separate calico liner to fill your beans; leaving the cover free to be machine washed after your cheeky little monsters have left their mark!

We have just finished our launch to a select number of beautiful stores at Kids in Style and will make our first delivery to these lucky retailers in September 2009. Just in time for Halloween!!

While I work away on the new web site for Monster Couture please feel free to send through your request to join our newsletter so we can let you know when the new range is available.

The first 5 emails through to us at info@monstercouture.com.au will receive a fabulous Monster Couture library bag; the perfect accessorie for trick or treating come October.

Looking forward to getting back into a bit more 'blogging'; I have so much to share with you all. xx