Meet the Designer - Ingrid Daniell from Cocoon Couture

Meet Designer Ingrid Daniell

Designer Ingrid Daniell of Cocoon Couture started her company in 1994 and not long after the label took its first baby steps into a select number of unique children's boutiques across Melbourne and Sydney. From these early beginnings Cocoon Couture soon gained momentum and a loyal following.

What inspires your designs?
So many things inspire my designs, number one would be my children, my many and constant vintage (flea market) finds and treasures from my childhood. Children’s book illustrations of the 50’s 60’s 70’s …. And now!, Tovve Jannson, would have to be my favourite childrens illustrator. My bursting vintage fabric collection, toys, opp shopping (flea markets!)…

What color do you love right now?
Yellow is making me smile!

What are you currently reading?
The Big Twitch, by Sean Dooley an Australian bird watcher/comedian…very funny and inspiring read…thinking of my next bird bean bag!

How would you describe your own personal style?
I would have to say I eclectic with control…if that makes sense? I love knick knacks and a my walls covered with art work that inspires me. I also love to have space and white walls to show off my ‘collection’ of art and interesting pieces.

What is your favorite city/location/destination?
I would have to say Paris for an international city to visit…But for local I just love getting up to Melbourne! It is a great city with so much culture, music and great food…living down the coast is wonderful, but I feel so lucky to live so close to Melbourne, it grounds me and inspires me!

What’s your favorite find right now?
Well I have just found a beautiful table for my studio, it is a small round top, made from hard wood and is circa 1970’s. it is just what I was looking for! I found it at the Mill Antique Market in Geelong.

Who is your favorite composer, or what is your favorite music genre for when you are designing?
I do love my music and find that I often listen to my latest purchase; I am a bit of a rock chick so tend to have something mellow on in the back ground when I am in the studio. Nick Cave often makes his way onto my play list and I guess my favourite music genre would be post punk.

What is your favorite dessert?
Tiramisu…yum coffee mascarpone cheese and a sprinkling of cocoa!

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
No matter what I do my children and their happiness are and continue to be my greatest achievment, but I guess they are not really mine to achieve; so I would have to say building my brand Cocoon Couture!

Who are your heroes?
My husband, my boys Flynn and Archer, my parents and grand parents who gave me every opportunity to live my life to the full.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An actress or a fashion designer!

What's been your most exciting/fulfilling/wonderful moment since launching?
Mmmm there are so many but I actually would have to say when we launched cocoon couture in the US and in Scandinavia that was possibly one of the most exciting times for me and Cocoon Couture!

Do you have a favorite product from the range?
I still love our bean bag, it is the first product that I designed and with so many colours and critters to choose from it always makes me smile!



And, please complete the following:
If I were surprised with a gift of $1,000 cash, I would use it to: ( you know this is so hard to answer!) take the family away for a warm mini break in Byron Bay!
 

InspiRED

" A room without any red is like a woman with no lipstick"

I read a quote this morning in a home design magazine and it inspired this morning's theme! Interesting enough - on feeling inspired - I noticed the very last three letters in the word. Enjoy a little inspiRED from Cute-ture.


Alimrose flags (bunting), Alimrose bumblebee stroller ties, Dippy Dop's The Little Reindeer


Oobi Baby Apparel and Dippy Dop's Little Reindeer


Australian designed red charm bracelet from Riley Burnett


The most gorgeous Alimrose Designs doll in red polka with Empress Arts burberry inspired Red Mocassins


Adorable Alimrose Designs dolls, red and pink knitted baby overalls and the best rattles in the world - Alimrose Monkey Rattles in Red and Navy Stripes.

Healthy Food for Kids

I saw the documentary Food Inc on the weekend and it really re-opened my eyes about the very thing our bodies need to survive! How on earth have we allowed food manufacturers to get away with adding things to our foods that have been genetically modified and include using cloned animals and major pesticides that don't have to be labelled!

The first step Cute-ture is taking is to make parents aware that food standards for school children have not been updated since the 1970's - I kid you not!

Check out Moms Rising website and add your voice to the call for change.

"We believe that federally funded nutrition programs should provide all children with the healthy food they deserve. This includes low fat and safe dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Schools should be soda and junk-food-free zones and serve food that complements and furthers parents' efforts to feed their children healthfully."

Celebrity Inspires Charity

I was saddened this morning when I heard the Farrah Fawcett had passed away after a very challenging and public battle with cancer. She really fought to the end and her beauty both inside and out will be remembered by many.

As such I am dedicating this months profits (July 2009) from our Read, Recycle and Give program to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

READ, RECYCLE, GIVE

WHAT KIND OF BOOKS

1. We need books in good quality so that they will get bought. Any books that are damaged will not be sold on the site but will be donated to foster homes, children’s homes and homeless shelters.

The golden rule is: If you wouldn’t want them on your living room shelves, very likely nobody else will either so please help us by sending books that you would buy.

2. Cute-ture focuses on children’s lines, so the books should be for children (from 0 up to 12 years old)

3. Send the books!

Simply mail the books to:

PO Box 575
Beverly Hills, CA, 90213

Each month, we will do a random draw from those who have donated that month, and you could win a wonderful item from Cute-ture's site.

4. Check out our recycled book list regularly as each purchase will go 100% to charity!! Voila – you have helped us full cycle. This is the link - but as you will see - there is no books yet (since this is the first week) so please bookmark it and keep coming back. Read, Recycle, Give.

Weekly Give-away

Today we are giving away ONE fantastic toiletry bag from a New York Designer. All you have to do to for an entry and chance to win, is either of the following (or do both if you want to double your chances)

1. Get two friends to become FANS of Cute-ture on our Facebook and email me the names of those two friends so I can confirm they did. What's in it for them (other than all the lastest news on the cutest things ever) is that they also automatically entered.

2. OR – leave a comment on our blog about what has inspired you this week (friends, pets, shopping etc) and/or made you smile. Don't worry - your email address will not appear on the blog.

Its that simple!!

Just How Big Are You

I can remember when I was much younger, standing in the kitchen with my brothers and my mum lining us up against the wall to measure us with a ruler over our heads and mark in a pencil our height on the wall. If only she had these adorable height charts back then. Cocoon Couture has the most fun designs that are both colorful and practical and always environmentally and child safe!

The cute characters on their height charts - which are available on our site - mirror the characters they have on their bean bags, shoulder bags and backpacks.

I am in love with the Early Bird which is ironic since an early bird, I am not. I also love that the design includes the squirrel and owls and all the lovely critters that are in all of the children's books right now. The height charts come with a number of pegs (pins) that attach to the side against the height and you can either add your different children's names to the pegs or the dates of the measurement.

Seriously cute.

Three Little Tree's Grow

With the philsophy of "we don't own this earth, we merely borrow it from our children" as their inspiration, Kate and Jacquie (two gorgeous blondes from sunny Queensland) developed a beautiful line of bold designs for boys and girls that enhance the beauty in children.

I love their vision and their designs and are so thrilled to be introducing Three Little Tree's to North America!

No words

with a broken wrist its a little hard to blog so i will let these beautiful images talk for me and the mood
i'm in for 2009..... xx

Keeping Children Safe

Over the years, I have heard discussion through the media on what is the right time to make a call to report what you ‘think’ may be happening to a school child you are teaching, to a child you hearing screaming next door or to a child of a school mate who seems to always be injured or bruised. I always thought it would be easy to know when to do this but the reality is that I didn’t.

Having moved into a new neighborhood less than a year ago, we met all our new neighbors and made friends but occasionally would hear some children nearby being screamed at and hearing sounds that sounded like hitting. These children are 2 and under (3 kids in total). My father had heard this when visiting, my husband and I had heard it a number of times and some of our house guests had heard it and we all talked about our concerns but none of us actually saw anything so didn’t know how concerned to be.

The dilemma was – do you report something you assume may be happening without having actually seen it. I also should add, it didn’t sound like a little smack on the bottom but hitting over and over. Now, this may sound easy to you but when you are a neighbor and new to a neighborhood you want to think the best of those around you and without actually seeing abuse, you question what it is you are hearing and what really may be happening.

I remember one time when I was in college that I came home during a burglary. Somehow I walked in and managed to justify the mess in the house, the missing DVD player and the gate being opened for a few hours – until I saw the window missing when I opened the freezer (looking for donuts) and found it in there. Then the light went on in my head and I realised we were being robbed.

One of our houseguests finally did see the truth and witnessed one of the children being beaten and called Social Services. When she told me I was appalled that these poor children were being hurt and also upset about why I hadn’t done anything earlier. It has played on my mind ever since.

So today – I urge you to believe your concerns even when they are not solid. If nothing is going on, then let an expert figure that out. Make the call and help keep children safe.

If you suspect child abuse please call (in the USA):

1- 800- 4- A- Child
(1- 800- 422- 4453)

Or call Social Services in your area.