Lunapads

As you know, we are very proud of our beautiful office. One of my favourite things about it (other than the people and paint colours) is a collection of artwork and documents at the front. So this post is a bit of a mini-tour, as well as just sharing some of the things that make working here special.

Thanks to a recent suggestion from our personal Feng Shui expert (aka Suzanne’s Mom), we recently moved our front altar table (pictured at left) to improve the inflow of good energy into the office. The table was built by a talented architect/designer friend as part of a trade show display. On the upper far left of the table you can see a beautiful statue of Kuan Yin (the Goddess of Compassion - Suzanne reminds me of her) that I inherited from a beloved Aunt. Next to her is an African fertility statue given to us by our friend and herbal supplier Nikiah (that’s a bag of her herbs under the table, as it happens, waiting to become herbal heat packs!) Underneath that there is a mask given to us by a Zimbabwean-Canadian woman as a thank you for donated pads, a lovely box that I brought Suzanne as a gift from Mexico, a gorgeous red glass ball given to Suzanne by a close friend, the Maiden garland Suzanne gave me prior to my wedding, and a “prosperity” piggy bank - a gift from Wendy, our production partner and next-door neighbor.

The photo on the wall above on the left caught my eye at an art show at a local cafe and reads “create” (a personal mantra) - it was taken at the Berlin Wall just prior to its fall. The painting on the right is a powerful piece reminiscent of Georgia O’Keeffe that I commissioned from a local artist many years ago to incorporate in Lunapads packaging and marketing materials.

The photo on the right is basically of a big mishmash of letters from customers, thank you letters from organizations who have received donations, and random fun bits and pieces. My personal favourite is the knitted pink “L” made by uber-crafty Lunagal Morgan.

If these walls could speak, I think they’d say “we like it here!”

Woo hoo! The brand-new super-gorgeous and of course highly practical Lunapads Cycle Charts are here! This new product is a fun and creative tool that offers insight into the unique patterns of your menstrual cycle. Whether you’re trying to predict the date of your next period, know when you’re ovulating, or just want to be more in tune with your body, we’re sure that you’ll find it useful and interesting.

The Cycle Chart has 2 parts: the Legend and the Chart. The Legend has four sections of symbols: “your period” for information about your menses and body, “your mood” to track emotions, “your fertility” for information related to fertility, and “your world” to note your external environment.

The Chart is a grid with two circles for each day: one to record the calendar date, and the other for a symbol chosen from the Legend (or make your own!) When used consistently for a few months, the Cycle Chart will reveal patterns that can lead you to a deeper understanding of your cycle…and yourself. Available now as a downloadable .pdf file or we’ll send you one in the mail.

Thanks to customers who asked us for a microwaveable heat pack in our Facebook group, we are pleased to introduce our newest product, the herbal heat pack.

Getting this product sorted out was a bit of an adventure into itself, as we initially figured that we would be better off purchasing it from a supplier rather than making our own - wrong! There are some pretty sorry goods out there (not to mention unreliable suppliers), and so we decided to take matters into our own hands. As many of you are aware we have lately been happily collaborating with Nikiah Seeds of Mama Goddess Birth Shop, creator of the Moon Cycle Bath. In this case, she was only too happy to apply her wisdom as a Chartered Herbalist to choose and blend the herbs, while I simply went next door to Wendy our production partner, figured out a pattern and whipped up a couple of samples. The result is frankly yummy!
The packs contain the following organic ingredients: Lavender (calming), Peppermint (wonderful scent and anti-nausea), Chamomile (calming), Mullen (dream-enhancing) and Lemongrass (for clarity and relaxation), mixed with Wheatberries and Flax seeds for heat retention.
Available now in favorite Lunapads fabrics Cocoa Kaleidoscope, Midnight Pansy or Purple Stardust to comfort crampy bellies or lower backs in style!

Every now and again it’s nice to take the time for a little self-improvement, websites included. As many of you know, we have a long and deep attachment to our gorgeous website and its dedicated designer-mothers, Lauren and Emira of Raised Eyebrow Web Studio. The site is very personal to us and we like for it to feel like a genuine and intimate reflection of who we are (at least as much as a website realistically can!) We launched our last site in July of 2006 and have been thrilled with it, but in the year-plus since then we have learned and grown so much, making it time to update it.

One of the greatest pleasures of working at Lunapads is being able to collaborate creatively with a group of extremely passionate and clever people. Every product, fabric and statement are the result of at least 2 people talking it through, and likely more than that. This back-and-forth creativity (or flow, if you will is at the heart of the Lunapads culture and the new site is yet another fantastic example of it.

First highlights, then kudos.

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“Why are Lunapads so expensive?” has long been on of my least favorite responses to our products. While it might rankle me (“You’ve got it backwards!” I want to scream) for the unenlightened it is an natural response, particularly when you have a $7 box of tampons on the one hand and a $35 DivaCup on the other. For our part, I can assure you that natural menstrual products are as-yet no goldmine, and that while we do our best to keep the prices as low as possible, we also like to do things like pay our production partners and staff properly and patronize suppliers of organic fabric, which isn’t exactly bargain bin. That said, even for those of us who are clear on the longer-term financial savings to be had from their initial investment, not to mention the other benefits we like to talk about, what if $35 is still a stretch at the time?

Lunapads.com Buying Clubs are our answer to this question. The deal is that you get 20% off everything (including Kits, which are already discounted, plus SALE items, we mean everything) when you order with friends to come up with a minimum $300 purchase online. Shipping is FREE. Orders must be purchased by one person and shipped to one location, so it’s a great opportunity to get together with your classmates, book club pals, co-workers, etc. to open your goodies and settle up with the Buying Club Administrator. Needless to say, no other promo coupon codes can be used for Buying Club orders. Check out the full details here, and happy shopping, girlfriends!

We are looking for real, live Lunagals (other than us!) to “star” in advertisements like this one for BUST and Bitch magazines. We are offering your choice of $50 worth of Lunapads.com products to customers whose images and testimonials that we use. To apply, email us a high resolution photo of yourself with a plain background (no less than 3” by 3” at 300dpi) along with a brief testimonial about why you think that Lunapads, Lunapanties or the DivaCup are great. We hope to hear from you! info@lunapads.com

This will probably come as a surprise, but I just tried the DivaCup for the first time over the holidays and want to offer my enthusiastic testimonial. I have felt badly about not trying it sooner, but my previous experience with the Keeper wasn’t great (I found it hard to insert) and after I had my daughter almost 3 years ago I haven’t felt as inclined to use anything internal. I have very light flow and am not super-sporty, not to mention that we have Sandra’s super-knowledgeable DivaCup customer service, with Suzanne as backup, so I just let it go.
And yet I always keep my DivaCup handy, hoping that the right opportunity would come around, and sure enough it did, just a few days ago. And here’s the crazy thing: it was so easy to use I could hardly believe it. Back when we just had the Keeper, the only folding technique that we were aware of was the Double fold (still recommended for the DivaCup), which, although functional, isn’t nearly as easy to work with as the Push Down (or “Seven”) fold (pictured). If there’s anyone out there who is having trouble with the Double fold but still wanting to try the DivaCup, I strongly encourage you to give it a spin, as it were. Once it was in I didn’t feel it at all, and was able to party the night away (including a dip in the hot tub, something I would not have attempted otherwise). Thanks DivaCup, and Happy New Year to all our readers!

If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you already know about some of the charitable efforts we have been up to lately. Today I’d like to tell you about a personal friend and longtime Lunapads fan who is helping at-risk youth in Vancouver, and how you can help too.
Madeleine Kipling is a veritable fireball of humour and energy. The first time I met her was back when I had my store. She had just received a cheque for an acting gig and was, of all the things she could have been spending her hard-earned cash on, buying Lunapads for all her girlfriends to celebrate. She took her time and chose a different pattern for every friend (she was in a women’s comedy troupe, 30 Helens, at the time) and blew me away with her enthusiasm for what most visitors to my otherwise-clothing store found curious at best. Maddy was all over it, though, and is responsible for recruiting as many women to using washable pads as anyone I can think of.

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Attention Fashionistas! One of my all-time favorite fabrics is making a surprise comeback. “Hats & Heels” is an almost ridiculously femmy print that also includes violet purses and gloves on a scarlet background. Paired with purple fleece, it’s a no-holds-barred, non-wallflower print that can make having your period feel pretty glam. And this time I’m not making empty promises - we actually have it in stock (like, right now!) in the following Lunapads styles: Heavy, Wide Maxi, Teeny and Mini Pantyliners. P.S. the crazy brown flower print will be in stock early in 2008 - I swear on my tiara!

As Madeleine alluded to in the job requirements for our ‘help wanted’ post, having an affinity for small children is an important criteria here at Lunapads. While maternity/paterinty benefits are quite good in Canada (a full year off with pay) unfortunately, busines owners like Madeleine and I don’t qualify! So, Madeleine and I have no choice but to simply bring our kids to work with us.

Here is Garret trying to work (or perhaps trash?) my printer/fax machine. He quite happily wanders around the office, visiting whomever he wishes. Sometimes he’ll gently pat you on the back to get your attention, or he’ll sneak under your desk and steal your shoes. What I love about Lunapads is that everyone pitches in to help keep an eye on the kids. Whether it is playing a game with them, letting them make a mess on your desk, or taking them to the park, Madeleine and I are truly grateful for the loving care our kids get at Lunapads. Thank you Lunagals!

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