Happy Monday everyone!
I want to begin today by saying how much I am ENJOYING working on these bi-monthly Hawaiian talent posts.  I am learning so much about some very special people and the work that they do, and I am beyond impressed with the local talent we have around us! (if you need to catch up on my first TWO features–Clark Little ocean photography, or Kaleimaeole jewelry, click on links.:))  I have heard from many of you that you are also enjoying the posts….and the GIVEAWAYS, so we’ll keep them up!
(Speaking of giveawaysthe Calavera bikini winner will be named at the bottom of this post!)

Today I am excited to share with you a local company producing fabulous bath and body products, owned and operated by a couple that live right here on our North Shore.  Surfer girl Holly Harding, and her husband, Ashley, are the creative genius behind BUBBLE SHACK HAWAII!

NEW LOGO to use (2)

Really.  Hold me back, I love them all!!!

I don’t know if I want to scrub my body with these…or eat them!!

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Bubble Shack is quickly becoming known as the bath and body brand for the surf and ocean minded, and it is sure to bring YOU a BIG DOSE of ALOHA, wherever you may be!

You’ll be happy to hear that the Bubble Shack products are all 100% vegan, paraben free, paraffin free, TEA free. sulfate free and phthalate free.  All Bubble Shack bath nd body products and soy candles are naturally handmade in HAWAII.  They use many locally harvested herbs, flowers, and other naturally grown ingredients from the islands.  Plenty more information about their products over at the Bubble Shack site!  Oh you’re going to LOVE this stuff!  When I bought my first Bubble Shack products the hardest thing for me was choosing which one , two three sets to bring home! :)

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I have loved the Bubble Shack products for quite some time, but only recently discovered the story behind the company.  Holly Harding, the creator and owner of Bubble Shack was kind enough to answer some of my questions, so here is the story in her own words!

Q 1.  When did you begin Bubble Shack, and what was the inspiration behind your products?
Holly:  My husband, Ashley, and I began Bubble Shack in December of 2005.  We had owned a music entertainment agency, where we booked bands and artists (including myself and Ashley) for various concerts and gigs.  When we moved to Hawaii, we found the market to be completely different and knew the same type of business would not thrive here. I was working in corporate marketing/advertising in Honolulu as well as playing some with the Honolulu Symphony and Ashley was working in radio advertising sales.  Feeling less than fulfilled working for the man and knowing the outlets as a classical musician in Hawaii were limited, we decided we needed to do our own thing if we wanted to stay in Hawaii.  Ashley always had an odd obsession with natural soaps so we decided that we would make them with a funky, Hawaii spin.  Within a month of figuring out how to make basic soap, we were selling them at the swap meet!  One thing led to another and within a year we had a thriving operation running out of the garage of our house.  After this initial success, we then decided it was time to take the business to the next level.  We took out an SBA Loan (which paid off last year-woohoo!)  and put together a real business plan and strategy.  We moved into a warehouse, designed packaging, hired employees over time and decided wholesale was the route we wanted to go.  We also brought on a lab for product development to ensure all of our products are formulated safely, corrected and with cutting edge ingredients.  In addition, my love of surfing and music is innately present in many of the themes of our products.  Now Bubble Shack is in over 350 stores worldwide including Japan, Guam/Saipan, Australia and the US Mainland.

 

Q 2.  What do you like about working in Hawaii, and the kind of products/ingredients that you get to use from the islands?
Holly:  Hawaii and the ocean provide incredible inspiration for the themes in our products and the fruits, flowers and vegetation that are both prevalent and loved in the islands make our products both exotic and unique.  We use locally grown herbs, kukui and macadamia nut and flowers when possible.  In addition, our soaps use Hawaiian spring water, which I swear is one a big part of what makes them sooooo great!  

 

Q 3.  How would you encourage a young person who is interested in creating their own brand?  Is there anything you have learned that would be beneficial to someone dreaming of trying to make a business of their own?
Holly:  Don’t let fear ever motivate you or hold you back.  Many people are afraid to fail and that’s why they continue to do what’s comfortable or work for the man.  But for every success, there are small and sometimes large failures. Let everything around you create inspiration and if you have an idea, go for it.  You can start most businesses with very little money if you are disciplined to re-invest the initial profits back into the business.  If you have access to the internet, a tax ID and drive, you can start any business you want!  Successful brands are created and last when the brand embodies the core essence of the passion of the creator in addition to allowing the market feedback to provide refinement.  Never ignore the market yet stay true to the core essence of the foundation of your brand.   Lastly, know that there will be many struggles in the beginning but to create something from nothing and see it succeed provides the ultimate personal satisfaction.

 

Q 4.  A few more things about your life/hobbies/,etc… 
Holly:  There is no place I’d rather be than Hawaii and specifically North Shore.  I couldn’t love living where I live any more.  I’ve lived and traveled all over the country/world and North Shore is such a special place.  The ocean and surf culture that’s present here provide such an incredible source of inspiration in both life and for Bubble Shack.  For me, I’ve always had something to work on; a goal, a passion.  I started surfing only four years ago but feel like it keeps me alive and it fills me up when and how I need it to.  If I need a challenge or need to get some aggression or stress out, I surf a bigger, fast wave. For me, I’m glad I actually found surfing a little later on in life.  I tend to turn all of my passions into a career or go to competitive levels. I was a professional classical musician for many years and feel like I let competition and the drive to make money at it burn me out.  I want to surf for life so in a way I’m glad I got hooked a little later and was never competitive with it…….you’ll see that love in Bubble Shack’s brand essence, including increasing visibility as a surf brand.  We recently sponsored the Women’s Pipe Pro and are positioning Bubble Shack as the bath and body brand for the surf and ocean minded.

Ashley still plays in several bands on island…….you’ll probably see him at Surfer the Bar (Turtle Bay Resort,) from time to time tearing it up on his saxophone!

Here’s a few shots of the girls at the Pipe Pro contest earlier this year:

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 (Hey look!  It’s one of my featured SuperGROMS, Dax McGill , above with the trophy!)

And more Bubble Shack loving beauties

Pipe Pro Tent Photo

The Bungalow GLOW soy candles are both beautiful to look at, and smell nothing short of…PARADISE!
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Keep up with these great products, and follow Bubble Shack on Facebook.
Bubble Shack can be found at:  Longs, Strong Current, Deep Ecology, Foodland, Aloha General, Waimea Valley and North Shore Surf Shop.  Bungalow Glow Premium Organics can be found at Pineapples and Waiamea Valley.  Our standard Bungalow Glow candles are in nearly all the shops on North Shore.  In addition, Whole Foods is a great place to direct people to for both Bubble Shack, Bungalow Glow and our dog line, Bungalow Woof.

NOW—Let’s get to the FUN!   Holly, from Bubble Shack Hawaii is giving a gift set to TWO grommom readers!!
One gift set will be A BUNGALOW GLOW PEMIUM ORGANICS GIFT SET–

The second gift set includes A BUBBLE SHACK GIFT SET and a cool Bubble Shack hat. 


To enter to win one of the giveaways, please leave a comment FINISHING THIS SENTENCE:

“WHEN I HEAR THE WORD PARADISE, I THINK OF ________________.”
(It can be a word, or anything you’d like to share.  A memory, a dream, a smell, a taste…Just go for it!!)
I can’t wait to read your comments!
(*keep in mind, subscribers to thegrommom ALWAYS get double entries!  You can subscribe to this blog at the very bottom of this page…)

 

Now for the winner of the Calavera Bikini….(Drumroll, please! :) )
CONGRATULATIONS, ANNIE POWELL!!!  You are the winner!! (And it sounds like you have an awesome summer ahead to enjoy it!)
Annie, please email me using the “contact” form at the top of my site, and I will let you know how to get your custom suit!  You’ll love it, I am positive!!

Thank you, Bubble Shack Hawaii!
ALOHA to you all.  Have a fabulous week!
Grommom

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{ 17 comments }

In ONE Short Week.

May 18, 2013
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Do you ever stop to think about HOW MUCH happens in one week’s time? If we knew how much was headed our way, sometimes I think we all might stick our head in the sand and hide. But then again, that means we’d miss all of the beautiful and fun things too. And we don’t [...]

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Zucchini Coconut Yogurt Bread

May 16, 2013
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I picked up some zucchini at the market last week, without a plan for how to use it.  I happen to LOVE zucchini, but it is one of the few vegetables that my boys do NOT get excited about.  In fact, they are pretty outspoken about disliking it, which bums me out.  I have such [...]

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Celebrating Summer: Calavera BIKINI review + Giveaway!

May 14, 2013
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There are a whole lot of active women getting stoked for what Calavera Swimwear has to offer! It isn’t easy to find a stylish bikini that also works with an active lifestyle.  Either things shift when you don’t want them to, or the ties around the neck are terribly uncomfortable…First world problems, yes–but if you’re [...]

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Jordyn Barratt {The Amazing Supergrom Series.}

May 13, 2013
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I hope you’ve been enjoying this bi-monthly series where I feature some of our SUPERGROMS from here in Hawaii.  We have so many outstanding young athletes in our surfing and skating community, that I love having the chance to interview the kids and the parents to learn a little more about what it takes to [...]

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Happy Mother’s Day, in the Real World.

May 12, 2013

Aloha! I hope you are all having a great day–Whether you’re moms or not, there is something to celebrate today. First I want to say that I am SO THANKFUL for both my amazing MOM, and my wonderful MOTHER-IN-LAW today.  God bless you both!  I really wish I could reach out and hug you right [...]

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How to Wear a Sarong {Vlog,} and “Best of the Week” Photos (*contest winners too)

May 10, 2013
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Happy Weekend!! Well, this post was meant to go out MUCH sooner, but we had a few technical difficulties in our way….Thankfully I think we’re all better now. Thank you for your patience.  If you are anxious to hear about the lovely Hawaiian jewelry winners, I will be listing them at the very bottom of [...]

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A Hawaiian Night Sky

May 9, 2013
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Living in the country will always have some pros and cons.   After spending part of my day in Honolulu, then hauling groceries home from Costco today, the drive back to our house seemed very long. But one thing that seems to make it all worthwhile is the view from our front lanai.   Looking out [...]

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How Running with a Garmin Changed my (Running) Life.

May 8, 2013
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When you’ve been a runner as long as I’ve been a runner….and something comes into your running life that really rocks your running world, you just want to RUN out and tell everyone.   And that’s exactly what I’m here to do!   So listen up. But first, for those of you who don’t know [...]

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Kaleimaeole {Hawaiian Handcrafted Jewelry+ Giveaway!}

May 6, 2013
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As part of my local ARTIST SERIES, today I have the privilege of featuring KALEI LATRONIC.  Kalei is the artist behind Kaleimaeole jewelry, some of the most beautiful island jewelry around.  I first met Kalei at our local Farmer’s Market where she has been sharing her jewelry for years now.  After getting to know Kalei a little [...]

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Coconuts 101 {a weekend VLOG}

May 5, 2013
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Happy Weekend Friends! It’s taken me all day and night to get to this little computer, but I’m here to finish what I started…and to finally talk coconuts. The following little VLOG is truly “Coconuts for beginners” because, as you will see, I’m a bit of a beginner myself still. But it was fun putting [...]

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The Secret of Your Naturally Skinny Friends.

May 3, 2013

FIRST—A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: My camera is back! I mean, my camera is not back.  My camera was in bad enough shape however, that our Best Buy Protection Plan “Junked” it, and offered to replace the old camera with a new one.  So, like any good Americans, we took that as a sign that it [...]

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Potty Training {Or, How not to potty train your kid.}

May 1, 2013
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It was really hard for me to decide on a title for this post.  Some of my ideas: “How to screw up your two-year-old” “Five ways to LOSE YOUR MIND.” “Things I’m not good at.” “How to raise an anally retentive child.” and plain and simple “POTTY TRAINING IS TOO HARD.” (insert whiiiine.) Friends:  I’m [...]

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Energy Bars

April 30, 2013
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Hey Friends! Have I ever told you?  I’m a total BAR JUNKIE. No–not THAT kind of bar…Geesh guys, give me some credit, would ya? I love ENERGY bars.  I almost always have a stash of bars hidden in a secret spot (because I have sneaky children who get hungry, and sniff out these sorts of [...]

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Brisa Hennessy {The Amazing SuperGrom Series.}

April 29, 2013
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Aloha!  We’re back with the second post In the AMAZING SUPER GROM SERIES.   The idea behind this series is to share some of the amazing groms from Hawaii, and to hear a little about them…Through interviews with both the parents, and the groms, I hope that we can all learn a little about what [...]

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Weekend (Insta-) Update Edition.

April 26, 2013
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Another packed week has flown by and I gladly welcome the weekend.  How about you? Waking up at o-dark thirty for State Surf Contests two days in a row has been hard on me. Here’s something I’ve pondered this week:  Some people actually wake up before the sun just because they like to. I’ve never [...]

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Urban Baby Bonnets {Hip Sun hats for Moms and Mini-Groms}

April 24, 2013
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I am excited to share one of my new favorite companies with you!  Urban Baby Bonnets create incredibly hip, practical, and adorable hats for both Moms and little ones… Dave and I are both very serious about protecting our little ones from the sun, but Levi is usually quick to pull off any hat we [...]

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Clark Little Photography {With FOUR sweet giveaways!}

April 22, 2013
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I am absolutely thrilled to kick off my HAWAIIAN ARTIST SERIES by featuring: Clark Little Clark is an amazing photographer here in our North Shore community.  His work has become world famous in a very short time, and for good reason. His photography simply captures your heart with one glance. Some of you might have already [...]

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Friday Fun {With A Vlog in the (tropical) rain…}

April 19, 2013
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Aloha! How’s your week been? We’ve had a really fun week around here.  My brother’s family is in town, as well as other friends (it’s always spring break somewhere!) which means that we’ve been taking breaks all over the place. I’m just trying to calculate how my boys will ever graduate high school at the [...]

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The Eye of The Tiger

April 18, 2013
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Dave and I are both fairly (ok, pretty seriously,) competitive people. I mean, not crazy-over-the-top, but yeah–we’d like to believe that we are healthy-competitive. One thing about two competitive people raising kids is our need to keep our own competitive impulses at bay:  Let the kids be kids, and win or lose…the most important thing [...]

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Lowfat Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

April 17, 2013
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I’ve got another banana recipe.  Maybe the best one yet. Have I mentioned that we grow lots and lots of bananas around here? I have? Ok.  Just check’n. This is actually a recipe that I shared way back. But since I just made these again….and fell in love with them again….I thought they were worthy [...]

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Dax and Finn McGill {The Amazing Supergrom Series}

April 15, 2013
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Welcome to the FIRST of my SERIES on SUPER GROMS OF HAWAII! I’m more than excited to feature the McGill family as the first in this series! Dax, (age 15,) and Finn (just turned 13) have been making their mark in the world of surfing and skating since just about the time they could walk! [...]

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Things I’m Excited About. {With Vlog #2}

April 12, 2013
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Happy Aloha Friday!  I hope this finds you well, and ready for a great weekend! Today, I’m excited about a bunch of things!  A new series begins Monday, and I’ll tell you all about that in a minute.  But before I dive into everything, I’ll go ahead and share this week’s VLOG!  We did this one [...]

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Growing Old With Grace: Lessons I’ve Learned From the Elderly.

April 11, 2013

Lately I’ve been thinking a bit more about what it will be like to grow old.  The topic seems to keep coming up, so I thought I would write down a few of my thoughts. Last weekend, my parents (bless their heart!)  drove across the state of Washington to visit a  96 year-old friend of [...]

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On Love, Tantrums, Noodie Mommy, and Party Rock. {Levi Updates.}

April 9, 2013
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I think it’s only fair that I open this post with a disclaimer:  We have four boys. We truly have worked hard to parent well, and have always believed in disciplining our kids.  My first born was pretty much an angel.  Still is.  I don’t think I even understood the phrase “Terrible Twos” when he was [...]

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Lighter Manicotti–Two Ways

April 8, 2013
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First of all–sorry if you tried to visit this place Sunday and found the blog MIA!  I have no idea what happened.  I tried not to panic, but it did last most of the day.  By the time I checked back, it was all here again (thank God!) but that left me no time to [...]

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My first VLOG–w/ home and country updates.

April 5, 2013
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Aloha! Today I am trying out my first “vlog!”  eeks!  It only took six tries, and it’s still pretty silly, but I thought it was worth throwing out as our experiment. Obviously there is a different sort of pressure when you are doing a video as opposed to writing.  A phone ringing mid-video can actually [...]

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Weight Issues and Mind Games, Part II

April 5, 2013

  Since I posted that little post about weight issues and mind games, I’ve heard back from a lot of people who would like to hear more.  Your comments and responses to that post confirmed my suspicions that most of us at one time or another deal with mental battles related to our body image. [...]

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The Day we Skipped School. (Well, one of them…)

April 3, 2013
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Do you ever let your kids skip school just for the heck of it? (or if you’re in school, do your parents let you skip?) Not because they’re sick, or have a dentist appointment, but just because. We did that today. I admit:  This is not easy for me to do.  People ask me all [...]

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