Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Written by The Independent Staff
 SPLISH SPLASH
Eva Schwartz makes me want to get dirty. That’s the best way to appreciate her craftsmanship. Schwartz has a fine nose for combining natural scents, which she captures in unctuous bars of handmade soap. Your bath will be one of indulgent aromatherapy. A blend of olive, coconut and palm oils assures you of silky smooth skin all day long. Planning a day pulling weeds? Her Shoo Fly Soap infused with lemon grass helps keep away buzzing mosquitoes. Wise is the man who showers in her Sage soap; it’s as sure to draw ladies as a bacon burger seduces guys. My personal fave is the Lavender Bergamot, which scents my entire boudoir these days. Schwartz sells her Home Grown Jubilee soaps at the Lafayette Hub City Farmers Market in the Oil Center on Saturday mornings and at Jewelie’s Boutique on Rena Drive, $5-$10 a bar, or check out her website, www.homegrownjubilee.biz.
— Mary Tutwiler
BIRD IN HAND
The rogue well may be capped on the Gulf floor, but there are still millions of gallons of crude oil bobbing out there off the coast. And that means years of mitigating the disaster. Cypress Tees in Lafayette is pitching in by donating 30 percent of the proceeds from the sale of its new Bird of Paradise T-shirt to America’s WETLAND Foundation’s Conservation Corp, an LSU Ag Center-based AmeriCorps program that uses volunteers to conduct restorative plantings and ensure that Louisiana’s coastal ecosystem can support the species that rely on it, including our state bird, the brown pelican. The all-cotton Tees are light blue with a brown design and come in adult ($21), youth and romper sizes ($18). Ladies’ shirts and toddler rompers are available at Jewelie’s in Lafayette. The rest can be purchased at CypressTees.com. — Walter Pierce
PERFECT STORM
As we approach the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, there’s no shortage of books that have been published memorializing the tragedy. But a few stand out from the pack, transcending the narrative account of events and offering enduring social commentary and perspective. Dave Eggers’ critically acclaimed Zeitoun is undoubtably one of those. The novel is based on the incredible true story of a Syrian-born contract painter in New Orleans who decides to ride out the hurricane and protect his home, and help rescue others, only to soon find himself an unwanted outsider, imprisoned and accused of terrorism in the hysteric aftermath of the storm. Just released in paperback, Zeitoun is available at all major bookstores for $15.95. — Nathan Stubbs
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