From Kerala, with Love

When I first created the Kerala Massaging Soap Bar it was an ode to my friend Vishal and his many gifts from Kerala he would always share with us..namely his spices; many of which you can find in this lovely soap. This wonderful piece from BBC's travel section only goes to show I'm not the only one in love with this lovely and bountiful region of India.

Top 10 activities in Kerala, India’s deep south By Anirban Das Mahapatra

No trip to Kerala is complete without a boat ride on its idyllic backwaters. (Keren Su/LPI)

Kerala has been a favourite haunt of travellers for nearly 600 years; exhilarating, enchanting and enthralling with its top-notch beauty and culture. Here are our favourite 10 activities that get under the skin of this incredible state.

Know your spices

You will find a huge range of spices in this state, such as pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, mace, fennel, turmeric, cumin, coriander, aniseed, tamarind, allspice, saffron, poppy and mustard. Ambush your senses at the spice markets of Mattancherry in Kochi, and pack an extra bag for the inevitable shopping.

Cruise the backwaters
No trip to Kerala is complete without a languid boat ride on its idyllic backwaters. Lined by emerald coconut plantations and interspersed with turquoise lakes, these placid lagoons are the perfect place to shake off pent-up urban stress. For an extra-special experience, spend the night on board a houseboat, and witness a dreamy sunrise break over the serene bayous at dawn. Houseboats can be chartered through the District Tourism Promotion Councils in Kollam or Alleppey, or a multitude of private operators.

Live it up in Munnar

Green is the colour that swathes the lush mountain slopes of Munnar, Kerala’s answer to the fabled hill stations of north India. The crisp air and clement weather in this scenic hill town are perfectly engineered to give you the most restful experience possible. Order a steaming cup of tea from a nearby plantation to go with the breathtaking views.

Photograph Kochi’s fishing nets
Top among Kerala’s iconic photo opportunities are the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets – dating back to the 1400s – that line the harbour at Kochi. Crafted out of teakwood beams and resembling giant alien arachnids poised to sting, they form unreal silhouettes against the seascape and provide some dramatic camera fodder, especially at dusk.

Get beached in Varkala

You will wish you were an Alex Garland character the moment you set foot in picturesque Varkala. Perched on a precipitous cliff and overlooking the sapphire waters of the Arabian Sea, this beachy paradise boasts some dazzling and pristine sands to relax on.

Hotel Soap Bars Save Lives

Ever wonder what happens to all of those partially used mini soaps you leave behind at hotels when you travel? You probably don't. But if I told you they could be reborn into soaps that would save the lives of millions of children that would probably get you thinking.

CNN ran a great article yesterday featuring a wonderful non-profit called The Global Soap Project which has been able to re-purpose previously used hotel soaps into much needed bars of soap for families in impoverished areas like Haiti, Kenya, Swaziland and Uganda. Most of us are fortunate enough to have access to clean running water as well as the luxury of choosing our soaps based on their beauty or botanical benefits yet millions around the world cannot afford to buy basic soap for daily use or have access to water clean enough to bathe in. For them the soap they receive from The Global Soap Project is a life-saving gift.

Has GSP inspired you? If so you can visit this page on their site to find out how you can help. I'll be sure to do the same.

If you're a business owner reading this and you want to do a joint fundraiser for GSP let me know on LU's Facebook page and we can create something national together. There is strength in numbers ;)

Logan,

Soap Siren

Today's Local Love: Jebena Cafe

Last week the fam and I were jonesing for Ethiopian food, which we haven't had since we lived in Toronto near Little Ethiopia up on the Danforth. Thankfully a relatively new spot in Northgate opened a few months ago called Jebena Cafe. 

Jebena Cafe is run by Martha Seyoum and her husband and though the restaurant is small the food is both hearty and fresh. Steve's vegetarian platter was full of two savory lentil sides, buttery cabbage, salad, spinach and a spicy pureed jalapeno condiment. I had a similar platter but with beef and when I asked for no lentils I was given an extra portion of spinach instead. Lukas also enjoyed everything, especially the spongy and delicious injera, which there was a lot of. If you have a hard time with wheat and bread in general then you'll most likely do well with injera which is made from teff, a tiny grain grown in Ethiopia and the main staple of the country's cuisine. The one thing I'd like to see on the menu is a chicken option vs just beef or lamb, sometimes a lighter option is nice to have.

The portions are generous and I ended up needing to take half of my platter home though we all left stuffed and barely had anything for dinner that night. Unfortunately we were so hungry when our food arrived neither of us thought to take pictures. You can find some great ones on Jebena's Yelp page. As one reviewer pointed out the TV in the restaurant was on at lunch time and as she pointed out watching Al Jazeera TV is indeed eye opening and we were able to watch broadcasts that clearly never make it to US television.

On top of the great food you also get great service. Martha is a wonderful hostess and proprietress who enjoys the company of her customers. It's obvious that she loves what she does and though not a trained chef, her food is prepared with care, passion and joy. When you eat at Jebena it feels more like going over to a good friend's house to have a home cooked meal in a relaxed and inviting atmosphere and that's almost impossible to find these days.

If you're looking to try something new and would love to support a small, family run, local business then make sure you stop into Jebena soon for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Jebena Cafe

1510 NE 117th St
(between N 15th Ave & N Pinehurst Way)
Seattle, WA 98125
Neighborhood: Northgate

(206) 365-0757

Today's Local Love: Bacon Forever!

Being a fan of Mangalitsa, aka "Wooly Pigs" has made me a lover of all things pig even more so than ever before. So when I had the pleasure of setting up my tent at the Fremont Market a month ago right next to Bacon Forever I was beyond happy.. more hungry actually lol

If you didn't think you could get bacon as a to-go snack to have on hand whenever you wanted to..well, then you clearly hadn't heard of these guys. "Bacon Now. Bacon Forever." is Tina & Chris', Owners of Bacon Forever & Certified Baconarians*, slogan and with good reason. What better way to describe locally-sourced, fully cooked, seasoned and dehydrated bacon strips preserved like jerky and shelf-stable. 

They've got three savory flavors and dog treats. But if you want bacon in every part of your meal? Then hang onto your sweet tooth 'cause things get sweeter with their Muddy Pig (yup, chocolate-dipped bacon slices) plus bacon baked goods! Btw, my kid was thrilled to be the only kid at camp with chocolate-dipped bacon in his lunch box. 

And when you're done with your bacon feats you can wash all of the salty, chocolaty, spicy evidence away with our Bacon n' Egg Mangalitsa Soap. Not edible but won't add to your waistline.

Bacon Forever's Chris & Tina

Are you a follower of Baconarianism? If so this awesome %15 off coupon code (baconfan) for use on their website when you check out is going to rock your Baconarian Universe. A special gift from Chris and Tina to Lather Unusual fans, family and friends. Thanks guys! 

*Baconarianism?: (noun) The principle and practice of consuming bacon in all forms.

Happy Munching!

Logan

Soap Siren

What the Frack have I done?!? Is there such a thing as business "addiction"?

For as far back as I can remember I've wanted to create things; songs, products, businesses, inventions, delicious dishes, art, poetry, you name it. My poor mother has heard most of the ideas from wanting to be Annie, to a rock star like Rick Springfield to starting a birthday cake business at school, opening a restaurant in Puerto Rico and pushing MLM products (some of these things I've actually done). I've always had big, big dreams! Forget a small shop, I want to create a colossal brand, spawn franchises, rule the business world, create an empire! I want to be Sir Richard Branson with tits and heels. I have no idea where this comes from, perhaps some past life of greatness cut short or some deeply rooted genetic glitch..lol.. all I know is that I'm internally driven to do more, be more, succeed! Damn it!

2007 saw me walking away from my catering business, Blue Nile Catering, in Manhattan in order to move for a job offer Steve got in Canada. I had originally started BNC the day after a caterer I worked for took credit for my creative touches at an event. That slight, along with being tired of the NYC struggling actress scene, spurred me to action. For a business that started with such meager beginnings ($2000 in my checking account, a few credit cards and a lot of determination) Blue Nile did pretty well for almost 10 years. But it was non-stop, exhausting work that left me little quality time with my friends and family; especially Lukas, who was 2 by the time we moved to Toronto.

When it was all said and done I was both depressed and relieved to end my time at BNC. Dealing with postpartum depression while heading up a growing catering company isn't very fun and missing some of the most important years of your child's life isn't any better either. I have my regrets.

Yet here I am again. New business, new ideas, new drive, new fears, new weight on my shoulders. Yet, if it weren't Lather Unusual I can assure you it would be something else. How to describe it..that drive to create something monumental. Is it just ego? I don't think so, though that does play a part I'm sure in the whole cycle of production. For me it comes down to creativity because at the end of the day I don't feel as though I exist as a fully realized person unless I'm creating something tangible: a thing to share, experience, smell, see, feel, consume, covet. Working in an office was hell for me and I can't imagine what else I would do if I wasn't creating on my own terms... and ideally making a good living at it.

More days than not I'm in "What the Frack have I done?!?" mode, though being a New Yorker "Frack" isn't actually the word I use..lol.. and it's much like being pregnant with Lukas when Steve and I would look at each other and say "My god, what have we done??" because we knew there was no going back. Starting a business is a lot like making a baby, once you sign a lease and commit to the thousand and one things you need to do to start it, not to mention keeping it alive and thriving, you're in it to the hilt. You can't "sort of" have a kid any more than you can "sort of" run a business. Will I ever be cured of this "addiction"? Most likely not. In the mean time I'll keep plugging away because it's the only way I know how to live... at least for now.


Logan
Soap Siren

Lavender, Vintage Cars and Crafts at the Sequim Lavender Festival

Sunday July 17th saw our first visit to the Sequim Lavender Festival® put on by the Sequim Lavender Growers Association in Sequim, WA located on the Olympic Peninsula. This was actually my first time on the Peninsula which made the day trip even more fun. It proved to be a rather typical PNW day within what has been a non-typical Summer with more wet than bright sun unfortunately. That didn't keep people from coming out and enjoying themselves though as the weather shifted from chilly to humid with intermittent sun to cloudy and finally rainy. The fact that it didn't rain all day was a true blessing, both for us and the many vendors set up to show off and sell their wares.

Rabekah Cadorette from Three Strands Handwovens

We opted to make it a day trip but if you're coming from more than 3 hours away you might want to consider staying overnight to get two full days out of the festival or even make it a full weekend trip by arriving on Friday. There's a lot we didn't get to see and extra time would have been nice, especially if you don't want to worry about rushing back to beat the inevitable hour + line up for the ferry.

In town we had the chance to view beautifully restored vintage cars (scary when a Camero can now be entered into such shows! Alas, we're getting old..), crafts of all kinds and of course an abundance of lavender products from plushies stuffed with the fragrant herb to lavender ice cream and gallons of lavender-scented body products.

But by far the most fun was actually going to a farm and picking lavender for ourselves. We spent the majority of our time at Creekside Lavender Farm where owners Susan and Rick Olson showed us around and made recommendations on lavender varieties while we talked essential oils. Lukas had a blast, marveling at all of the various colors and different scents, their bee hives and the very cool owl perched high in their barn. The Olsons use old, copper distillation and we marveled at how it takes 250lbs of fresh lavender to produce 16 ounces of pure essential oil.

Soap Siren pickin' lavender

Lukas picking his own lavender

With over 20 varieties growing at any given time the Olsons have created some wonderful proprietary blends. If making it to their farm isn't an option you can order their amazing products online: including fresh bundles for August weddings! Their honey is also spectacular with their bees getting only the very best from their lavender fields. Lucky little bugs.

Raw cream and whole milk

Our last stop of the day before heading home was to the Dungeness Valley Creamery. They were closed but we were able to take good advantage of the fridge stocked with dairy they make available for just such occasions. Thanks for that guys! With my mom in town right now you have no idea how happy she is to have fresh, raw cream for her coffee. And nothing says yum quite like a glass of fresh milk with a touch of honey and muddled fresh lavender flowers. Divine! Next up, Lavender-Lemon Shortbread..

If you want more great info about Lavender  and it's uses check out the Lavender webinar by Tim Blakley of Aura Cacia on August 10th.

Cheers!

Logan

Soap Siren

Wedding Season is Upon Us in the PNW!

Thanks to our lovely weather, the PNW has a longer Wedding Season than elsewhere in the States. If you're tying the knot soon it's not too late to take care of some of your wedding needs as you get close to the finish line after months of planning. Still in the planning stages for a 2012 wedding? All the better because these ladies are in high demand.

Wedding Director Extraordinaire: Tammy McGowan of Your Wedding Story, has been organizing wedding planning and Big Days for years. Why pull your hair out trying to keep track of everything when Tammy can help keep you sane? Whether you're just starting your planning or you're a few weeks away she can step in and help organize the process. Most importantly, she'll free you up mentally to focus on the joy of getting married. Tammy has fabulous package deals going on right now so reach out to her today and take advantage of the extra savings and free consultation. Your Wedding Story on Facebook.

Brow Tamer: At Maribella Spa Services, licensed esthetician, Angela Graham will tame your brows and clean up all of your important places in preparation for that blissful honeymoon you've been anticipating. With "Nearly Wed" packages she can make sure you're stunning for your big day. She can even work on your entire wedding party..including the Groom! If Angela can tame my curly & unruly brows, yours will be a snap!

My Dec. birthday roses.

DIY Flowers: If you're creating your wedding the old fashioned way (ie with your own two hands and a lot of blackmailing of friends for services) or just looking to shave off costs when working with a florist check out our Fair Trade Roses from South America. Freshly cut and sent via FedEx, they will last throughout your main event and, if properly cared for, greet you upon your return from your honeymoon. These beauties dry elegantly and will make any bouquet a stunning keepsake. We have access to over 50 varieties in a rainbow of assorted colors.

What would a wedding post be without mentioning our Soap Pastries? They make fabulous shower and favor gifts. But reach out asap if you're looking for cakes or cupcakes for your August wedding because demand has shortened our in-store supply and these beauties take 3-4 weeks to be ready. If you're heading towards a Fall wedding even better! The more curing time the better.

Cheers,
Logan
Soap Siren

Would your doctor pay for your wasted time?

What does your doctor give you when he/she's late?

I like CNN's take on this.  I especially love the moxie of a local Everett woman for sending her doc a bill (which he paid!). If you're kept waiting well past your appointment time then it's only fair to receive some measure of compensation for your time. After all if you value your time shouldn't your doctor?

Know a doctor that could use some of our amazing handmade soap to give away as tardy gifts? Let us know!

Just a small collection of Lather Unusual soaps

Preservative-free? Not always a good idea

Since delving into the sea of body product creation I've learned a lot! I still have more to learn I'll admit but so far so good. When I first started I wanted everything to be completely "All natural" with zero additives, chemicals, etc. Partly this is because most of us have been taught to believe that all chemicals are "bad". Even though, at it's most basic level we're all made out of chemical compounds and it's due to natural chemical compounds that we are all walking and breathing right now. Heck even water, H2O is a chemical compound because it has 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.

Maybe it's time to rethink our views on "chemicals" and instead take a look at ingredient components and why they are needed, what use they serve and the benefits (if any) they bring to a product. Are some chemical compounds (naturally occuring and man-made) detrimental to our health? Yes indeed but the key again is education when figuring out just what's needed and why.

Here's a great example of when a preservative (man-made ideally) would have been a good addition to the product to the left. The container is of a fun, easy to purchase toy that acts like a "fart putty".  Since it's not a cosmetic product the manufacturers are not required to fortify the slimy stuff with a preservative; even though it's intended to be held in the hands and will most likely get used on the skin for various amounts of time. My little guy thought it was fun to lay the entire blob on his face and make a Darth Vader type mask out of it as he breathed rapidly through a makeshift mouth hole. Gross, I know..lol.. but this is what kids do, they get inventive with products and create their own uses for them. A clear example of a product being used outside of it's exact intended use; something manufacturers try to safeguard against.

After a few days of this he got bored and put the well-used slime back into it's container and forgot about it. We unearthed it a few weeks later. The perfect amount of time for the incubation of all manner of bacteria and molds to get freaky and procreate. It was a perfect storm for such an opportunity for overgrowth: moisture, excessive contact with human skin, warmth (container was sealed) and lack of a preservative). Too bad we didn't have access to a friend with a lab because I would have loved to have known exactly what we had growing in there. End result though? One unhappy kid with one seriously gross toy.

Now what's the correlation between this jar of slime and a bath product? Pretty simple really. Let's say you're in the shower where you take your favorite jar of XYZ product and we remove the .05-1.5% of preservative that's been added to keep you and it safe, then let you dip your wet, naturally bacteria-laden fingers into the jar and start using it on your skin. Once your wet fingers go into the jar the jig is up! Adding the lid back on, making a warm home for your new critters to grow, has now added to the problem. Dip back into it a day later with new goodies to add and this time you may be taking out more than just body polish or face scrub. You may not be able to see or smell the bacteria/yeast spores but there's a pretty high likelihood that they are there;  and their numbers are growing by the minute both in the container and on your skin. This could lead to a bacterial infection on your end of things..ouch!

So the next time you see ingredients like Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycolbe be very glad they are there because they are what keep the nasties from growing in your favorite products. Of ocurse if you make your own bath products, not intended for sale,  then you can go preservative-free but for those of us who sell retail we'd rather not take the risk.

Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol are the main ingredients in a commonly used preservative system that is an excellent choice for formulations that require a paraben and formaldehyde-free preservative system. The combination of these ingredients provides optimized protection against microbial growth from bacteria and yeast. At Lather Unusual we use these two ingredients at the recommended strength of 0.5% - 1.5% in our lotion and scrub formulations.

A mosaic table is born! The making of a live brand element

When customers visit Lather Unusual they can't help but encounter the large mosaic table that greets them when they first walk in. This was not an original part of the design when I was first envisioning what the store would look like back in Nov. of 2010. As a matter of fact it didn't become a concrete idea until the start of January, just a month before the scheduled opening date. But fate stepped in and it became obvious that something big had to happen.

Budget drove the first decision to transform part of a partition wall in the front of the shop into some kind of table/counter elements. Once we took that down (Pookus was a huge help) it seemed a shame not to re-purpose the frames which were still in good shape. After securing some clean backerboard, via freecyle, I went in search of tile and lucked out big time with a listing for free tile on Craigslist. What I didn't expect was that the tile was actually three big containers of new mosaic tiles (which I had never worked with); most of which was still glued to backing paper and easy to sort by color.

Thus started my journey into mosaic work! I researched designs online and found an amazing artist named Tiffany Miller whose work was a complete inspiration for the table design. I knew I wanted something that incorporated circles (like soap bubbles) and a few of her fine art pieces helped me see just how to make that happen.  My other bit of luck came from discovering an amazing product called No Days Mesh. It allowed me to create a 6'x4' sheet of mesh on which to build the design and fuse all of the tile down as I worked. When it came time for two of us to move the mesh and lay down the thinset cement I think we lost 4-5 tiles in total..which is stunning considering the size of the piece. There's no way I could have done this in 3 weeks w/out this product.

I also have to give thanks to my friend and experienced mosaic maker Angel for her help with the moving and grouting of this huge piece plus the loan of her tile cutters and endless advice. You saved me Angel! Plus Carrie at Streuter Technologies (makers of No Days Mesh) and Joe Moorman of Mosaic Art Supply for talking grout with me.

All in all not bad for a first time mosaic project. It has made for a wonderful brand element and conversation piece. I'm looking forward to using it to stage future classes and we're even considering adding wheels to the base to make it moveable for store events (buffet baby!). If you haven't been in yet, do stop by and see the table for yourself.

Cheers,

Logan,

Soap Siren 
Lather Unusual

Today's Local Love: Jodee's Desserts (Guilt-free divinity in Green Lake)

When it comes to eating organic desserts there are usually two categories such fare falls into: granola-crunchy stuff devoid of true ecstasy and a whole lot of bland fiber and pastries that you can't believe are actually good for you. Friends Jodee and Butch Campo have created a stellar example of the later. Jodee's Desserts, whose namesake is responsible for the creation of the shops pies and other sweets, gives you eye candy, mouth joy and a contented (though not stuffed) belly experience full of flavor and silky texture.

With organic, gluten and dairy-free ingredients playing the leading notes you might wonder if you're really going to be satified? After all, can one actually enjoy a luscious slice of Banana Cream Pie devoid of whipped cream and butter? This former pastry chef says emphatically, "Yes!". Though they do have delicious smoothies, coffee, and other sweets the pies really steal the show here.

Be warned though, if you take a whole pie home expect that plates will be licked, lies may be told and uneven portions may be sliced. You may do battle with your spouse/roommate/boyfriend/friends/the dog..because chances are the last piece will be fought over, secretly hidden in the cold, dark recesses of the freezer and generally coveted. Their tag line is "All of the flavor and none of the guilt" and though you may feel guilty for taking more than you're fare share, that will quickly pass as you polish off the last crumb of nut crust from your fork....yes, it's really that good.

Jodee's Desserts

7214 Woodlawn Ave. NE 

Seattle, Wa 98115

Tel: (206) 525-2900
Mon-Sun 11am-8pm

Email: Info@jodeesdesserts.com

Welcome to the new Lather Unusual blog!

With the launch of new Lather Unusual website I'm happy to also launch the new blog! Pretty exciting stuff is going on at Lather Unusual..new products, new ideas, contests, coupon codes, buyers' clubs and so much more. You can find out the latest info here and on our Facebook page so if you haven't "Liked" LU on FB I highly recommend you do so today.

Thanks for reading along, subscribing via the RSS feed and joining in the conversations.

Cheers and may your next bath experience be Deliciously Unusual!

Logan,

Soap Siren 
Lather Unusual