Archive for the ‘Baby Clothes’ Category
cocoro is a ‘mumsjustlove’ recommended site!
Sunday, November 29th, 2009 by tomonoWe are so happy to tell you that we are now officially recommended by ‘mumsjustlove.com’ which is an independent directory of the web’s best online shops for mums and babies.
Here is what they say about themselves and cocoro:
mumsjustlove find the best products, retailers and offers online for mums and their little ones. everything promoted on mumsjustlove is hand-picked by their editorial team, no listings are paid for which means they are really showcasing the best! their product directory features the best products from literally 100’s of retailers and we are pleased to say cocorostyle is one of them!
It’s so exciting that the word is spreading about our products and that people really like them. If you have bought one of our baby kimonos or baby kimono gift sets we’d love to hear from you too!
Tomono x
Baby Kimono Gift Set - Free Delivery Until 24 December!
Saturday, November 28th, 2009 by tomonoKonnichiwa,
Isn’t it crazy that Christmas is just around the corner again? It’s also crazy that it has taken us a ridiculously long time to prepare our larger baby kimonos and baby kimono gift sets.
But they are now ready!
Unfortunately, we’ve only got a limited number of gifts sets but we are very excited about what we’ve put in them and think they make an absolutely unique gift for someone special.
Each baby kimono gift set comes with:
- a lovely Japanese drawstring pouch for your little essentials when out and about
- a gorgeous Japanese style muslin square
- a cocoro baby kimono of your choice
The gift sets come in a black matt-finish box and are wrapped in a lovely traditional Japanese furoshiki cloth.
Baby Kimono Gift Set
One more thing we are offering with our gift sets is FREE delivery worldwide until 24th December. Yay! This means you can send them to friends or family around the world without paying extra for the postage. You just have to tell us the delivery/shipping address when you enter the checkout.
We really hope you like them.
As ever, I would live to hear from you if you’d like to leave a comment.
Arigatou!
Tomono x
Improving the cocoro website
Monday, November 9th, 2009 by tomonoWe have been asking people to complete an online survey about how we can improve our website over the past few weeks. Most of the people who completed the survey have given us such positive feedback. Lots of people have commented that the website is easy to use and attractive. However, we also found out that many of you are seeking more information about the kimonos and more photos on the product pages.
Since Oscar is too big for the smaller size baby kimonos we went to see 4-months old ‘Merry’ the gorgeous little daughter of friends Helen and Martin. We went to see them on Saturday morning and was so happy to see Merry awake and smiling. She has most amazing hazel colour eyes and we couldn’t have hoped for a better model. She was so great about having her photo taken.
We even had help from Helen’s sister Jenny, who was visiting from London. She helped us with the development of the cocoro logo and has been a big supporter since we started. She has also started her own business in catering called Ginger Jar. She is not only good at cooking but also at taking photos so she took lots of nice ones for us, too!
Here are some photos of Merry in some of our most popular baby kimonos from the shoot:
Merry modelling Dark Blue Warabe Baby Kimono
...and from a different angle
Strutting down the catwalk in Purple Hana Ranman baby kimono
Merry - a natural baby model!
Thank you so much for your support
We will be adding more pictures and information about the baby kimonos, such as clear sizing and other details. Of course we would like to make the website and the information about our products. Your opinions are very important to us, so please leave a comment and let us know what other information you would like to see on our website.
Tomono x
Food and babies
Friday, October 30th, 2009 by tomonoWe had a pot luck lunch party yesterday at one of my Japanese friend’s house. I can never leave Oscar when I want to concentrate on cooking so I decided to do slow cooked Chicken the previous night.
I always love chicken with bones and skin. So whenever my mum in low prepare roast chicken, she gives me all my favourite bits on my plate! Nibbling around bones must be such a shocking site for them but for us it is the best bit - with lots of collagen which is good for your skin.
Oscar is spoilt for choice at the pot luck party!
I stewed chicken legs with some ginger, garlic, konbu seaweed, onion and carrots for few hours in the evening. It smelled absolutely gorgeous and tasted good, too. To make little bit more party mood, I did Temaki Sushi (’hand-rolled’ sushi) where you can choose your own topping on the top of Seaweed and vinegary Sushi Rice.I prepared some radish pickle, tuna with Wasabi Mayonnaise, some bonito flakes, ocean sticks, fish eggs, smoked salmon and some cucumber.
My favourite Temaki Sushi was one with cucumber and smoke salmon with hint of Wasabi. The crunchiness of the cucumber and crispy seaweed is just the best combination ever.
What Japanese babies eat
Japanese babies often live on sticky Japanese rice. They love it but usually dislike vinegary Sushi rice , so please do not feel tempted to try this recipe for your baby! All I got from Oscar was yukky face and the daunting job afterwards of cleaning the floor and even walls of semi-dried sticky stubborn rice.
I’m sure every country has own baby weaning recipe, but this is one of the best gift I strongly recommend. 100% vegetable flake so easy to use for early stage of weening. Available in pumpkin, sweet corn, potato and carrot varities.
The first meal
Usually we are recommended to start weening around 6months but in Japan we have ceremony called Okuizome (Okui means ‘eat’ and zome means ‘first’) on 100th day after the birth.
Traditional first meal for babies in Japan
Sea Bream is often used for special occasions
This is a traditon to wish their healthy life always full filled with enough food rest of their life. Family members gather around the table and put teeny tiny bit of food on baby’s lip with chopsticks or just let them have a taste of soup.
Putting rice on Oscar's lips
Do you have any traditional ceremony in your country? I’m very curious!
Tomono x
We need photos of your babies in our baby kimonos!
Sunday, October 18th, 2009 by tomonoToday, I had a little visitor from Oakwood. His name is Harry Ichitaro. He is just over 5 months and has such adorable eyes and a cheeky smile. Harry’s mum and dad let us take some photos of Harry wearing some of our baby kimono designs. He did a brilliant job modeling the 6-12months kimonos.
They way I made Oscar smile was by bribing him with grapes. On the other hand Harry, who only just started weaning yesterday, gave us beautiful smiles just by his mum and dad sneezing.
Here are some of photos from the shoot.
Baby Kimono - Dark Beige Karakusa
Baby Kimono - Dark Blue Warabe
Baby Kimono - Light Green Ume
Survey Feedback
Since we started survey, we had lots of nice feed back and also learned people are looking for more information about kimonos, so we are now looking for lots of more pictures.
So if you, or your friends, have a baby with our kimonos, please send us their picture!
For more information, please contact me at info@cocorostyle.com
Have a lovely weekend!
Tomono x
cocoro hits the headlines!
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 by tomonoHello friends,
I can’t wait to tell you all about our adventures in the news this week!
As you know from my previous blog I was interviewed for the local paper last week and a photographer visited us to take some pictures of our baby kimonos. Oscar usually wakes up just before 7am. So Lewis or I wake up with him in turn on weekends so the other can sleep in a bit longer. Although it was my turn to sleep in last Saturday I was too excited so I got up at 8am to go to the corner shop to get a copy of the Derby Telegraph.
I quickly took a shower and walked to my local shop and got 7 copies. I was so happy to be introduced in the local paper! It is only 35p but sending one copy to my family in Japan cost more than £4 in postage! They better understand what it says even if they don’t speak a word of English.
Tomono hits the headlines
We had lots of enquiries over the weekend which was great, but guess what? BBC Radio Derby called me on Monday lunch time to see whether I could come in for an interview and talk about our baby kimonos.
I was over the moon but at the same time I was so nervous to do a live radio interview in English. I made Lewis practice with me by pretending to be the DJ for a few hours the night before. I needn’t have worried though because Aleena and her staff were so friendly at the studio and she was really good at helping me to clearly explain about the benefits of the baby kimonos. Of course, Oscar didn’t leave me alone for a minute but Aleena didn’t mind. He was great at modeling one of the new bigger size kimonos which I’m hoping to make available later this month. You can listen to me on Radio Derby for the next 7 days.
On a final note, I want to say “Thank you” for all of the people who have visited our website over the last few weeks. We have had nearly 2000 visitors so far which is just amazing.
We want to make your visit to our site as enjoyable and simple as possible so in an effort to improve your experience we have started a really short survey for all visitors. If you have completed the survey, thank you, if not I really appreciate your answers and comments.
Arigatou gozaimasu.
(Thank you very much)
Tomono x
cocoro supports Downs Syndrome Derby
Saturday, October 10th, 2009 by tomonoLewis and I have been attending workshops and seminar to learn how to start business. We of course learnt so much but moreover we met lovely people who are also trying to go with their dreams. Lewis met Julie, who is originally from Liverpool, and she has just launched her called ‘Vintage and Cake‘ selling beautiful cakes and vintage clothes. We had lots in common - newly relocated to another city, age and we both loves talking about cake and clothes!
Vintage and Cake - Yummy!
She invited me to lady indulgence shopping night at St Benedict school in Derly Abbey. It’s a charity event for Downs Syndrome Derby, since I became a mother I start showing interest in charity towards to children and babies. It’s amazing how life priority changes when we have own child. Lewis even sometimes have tearful eyes when he watches some sad news about baby( I have never seen him crying for 10years!).
I had my stall there supposed to be selling my baby kimonos but ended up shopping….. There was lovely home made card shop, chocolate shop, and my favorite one was a shop selling locally brewed beer!
Lots more lovely stalls
Local beer for my hubby!
I got some beer for my hubby (who I left alone on Friday night) and I got Julie’s gorgeous cup cake to end my long Friday.
My lovely cup cake treat!
Tomono x
Baby kimonos in Derby Telegraph news shocker!
Thursday, October 8th, 2009 by tomonoWe are so happy that the Derby Telegraph offered to write an article about us for this Saturday(10 Oct 09). I had an interview with the business editor over the phone on Tuesday and today we had photographer visit us.
She took lots of photos of Oscar and I with our gorgeous baby kimonos.
Oscar modelling a Purple Hana Ranman baby kimono
I picked up Oscar bit early from the nursery and bathed him before the shoot. He must be growing so quickly because the baby kimono I put on him was a bit too tight. We are still waiting for our larger sizes to come in stock so it had to do!
"I'm not coming until I get my Danish"
She took some pictures of the baby kimonos, some with Oscar in a small kimono, others with me with a kimono and Oscar and I cuddling together. She was ever so good with Oscar to make him smile. I’m not sure which pictures will be in the article but I will definately get a couple of papers and send them to my parents in Japan!
Tomono x
Come back here Oscar!
Tomono with a baby kimono
Oscar supervising the shoot
Baby kimonos, my favourites and the best sellers so far…
Thursday, October 1st, 2009 by tomonoPersonally, I really like the Purple Hana Ranman baby kimono. I know that flowers are traditionally for girls, but boys look cool in those too.
Lewis has his own personal favourite, the Light Green Ume baby kimono, but he’s too big to fit (even the 6-12 months one).
When we first ordered 10 different kinds of fabric from Japan, I was not 100% sure what kind of design will be popular in Europe. But by the afternoon at the Japan Matsuri festival, it was clear that the Blue Warabe baby kimono was the biggest hit. People say that they love the cute design with the Japanese dolls.
So due to popular demand we are now ordering more of the Warabe design fabric, possibly in red and cream, as well as, dark blue. I can’t wait to show you.
However, we do have some of our current stock of baby kimonos, so please don’t be disappointed even some stock have sold out. I’m happy to recommend alternatives.
We are now giving away our promotion code worth £5 (*valid till 31 Oct 09) for your first order, so please join our news letter by completing the simple sign up form at the top right of this page!
mata ne
Tomono x
Ethical & Japanese is cocoro style
Saturday, March 7th, 2009 by adminHow I wonder where you are…..?
I am so glad to be connected with you and share global parenting and motherhood! My name is Tomono. I am originally from Kochi Japan and currently live in Derbyshire with my English hubby and cheeky 12months son Oscar.
What a year we have gone through together. Me as a first-time mum in a foreign country and my hubby Lewis working full time and also studying. If that wasn’t enough, after just starting a mortgage we found out I was knocked-up!!! As you could imagine the past year and a half has been one to remember…
The reason why I started this business is simple. I could not find something I really wanted for my baby boy Oscar. There are so many hip designer baby clothes, ethical one in UK but sometimes not really functional. On the other hand, I found tons of functional one in Japan but not with inspiring design…
My son Oscar has been suffering from serious eczema since he was born. I have tried many creams, changed washing powder, listened to lots of advice, but guess what?! Organic cotton romper was the most effective to ease his itchiness!! Organic cotton products are not only friendly to sensitive babies but also to our precious green world. One stone kills two birds!!
Here on this blog there will be lots of gobbledegook about myself but I would like to share my experience in UK as first-time Japanese mum and introduce both beautiful British and Japanese cultures.
One day my dream is to know parenting around the world and combine all those ideas into Tomono’s big treasure chest and BANG! - out will come beautiful, inspiring and environmentally friendly products for our children.
Don't miss out on news and promotions. Sign up today.
"I received the kimono. We received the Cocoro package today. It looks great! I felt it was really nicely presented and I'm sure my friend will like it."
Joshua, Sydney
