Unique Gift Ideas with UncommonGoods

I am so excited to be working with UncommonGoods, sharing some picks from their amazing gift guides (like the Bedside Smartphone Vase, above).  You might remember I collaborated with them a couple of years ago.  I still love and use both of my UncommonGoods finds, especially that turquoise woven basket with a handy lid!  You might have spotted it in my office makeover; it's where I stash paperwork with incriminating details that needs to be destroyed.  I love it so much that I even purchased the same style of basket without a lid for pet toys (you can spot it in this post about how I keep my house clean with two pups).  I feel good about supporting UncommonGoods because of their commitment to sustainability and craftsmanship.  As a company, they support a community of artisans, designers, and creative thinkers.  They share stories behind the products and makers.  Plus they carefully curate a beautiful selection of home accessories, jewelry, and just plain fun pieces - no need to wade through a million listings to find that one piece.  EVERYTHING carried by UncommonGoods will have you clicking "add to cart".  And for my Canadian friends - they ship to Canada with prices in CAD and duties/taxes calculated at checkout, which means no hidden costs.     

Online shopping can be overwhelming, so I appreciate the carefully chosen selection of beautiful, practical, and unique items that UncommonGoods offers.  From casual work buddies to BFFs, from gardening enthusiasts to style mavens, you'll literally find something for everyone - even those impossible to buy for loved ones!  You can even find a personalized or customized gift idea or shop by interest to really find that special gift.   

Here is a sampling of my favorite finds:

This Molten Sculptural Bowl tops my shortlist because of the modern, coastal vibe.

Speaking of beachy, I love the coastal vibe of this Beach Glass Marble Pendant. I love jewelry as a gift because you don't need to worry about sizes, it can easily be mailed - or tucked nicely into a stocking - and, if worse comes to worse, it's easily re-gifted (guilty).

For the reasons above, this Waterfall Stairway Pendant also caught my eye - look at that enticing rough cut of the stones.

If anyone has, ahem, me on their list this year, I'd love this Aquamarine Pendant!  So, so pretty and my favorite color.  I promise I wouldn't re-gift...

You're going to think UncommonGoods only carries jewelry with the way I'm drooling over their necklaces.  That is just the tip of the iceberg for small gifts you can tuck into a stocking.

For the knitter in your life, this Create Yarn Bowl is such a thoughtful gift that shows you care about their favorite hobby.

Whenever I am stuck on a gift idea for someone, I give tea!  I used to work in a local tea shop and now I'm a tea snob, so I like to treat anyone I can to some fancy loose leaf teas.  This Green Herbal Tea Kit is so perfect and has such a nice presentation.

Another gift idea that is beautiful without having to worry about sizes or fit: a dreamy Hand Dyed Scarf!  It has such soft, pretty colors.

This Stoneware Match Striker is so versatile because everyone keeps matches in their homes, whether they're lighting a fire at night or just a few candles, and I'm sure everyone on your list would like to upgrade from the grubby box in which their matches currently reside.

A BRASS Plant Mister for your friend with the greenest thumb on your list - so practical but pretty enough to leave out, it sure beats the $1 plastic water can so many of us hide under the sink... If your friends are plant killers like me, don't worry, there are so many unique ideas for gifts you can give your friends to show how much they mean to you all year long.

I need this waterproof Drifter Action Speaker in my life!  This is perfect for anyone who has a cottage or loves to spend time on the beach.



This White Sailing Ship Kite is so cute, you'll be tempted to keep it and hang it as a mobile in your home.

So clearly I just created a list of things I want, with my not-so-subtle beachy/modern/turquoise theme here...  If you're trying to track down that perfect, unique, meaningful, practical yet beautiful, can't-find-it-in-stores gift, take a peek at UncommonGoods.  Happy shopping!

Uncommon Goods - Stylish Fireside Storage

Have you heard about UncommonGoods?  They are a really interesting company because they're hyper-aware of the world around them and strive to offer unusual finds and beautiful handcrafted goods, while trying to respect the world in which they are created and the people who produce them.  Much of what they sell is made in the USA, where even the lowest paid, seasonal employees earn 50% above minimum wage.  About a third of what they sell is made from recycled/upcycled materials.  As a feminist, what excites me most is that they work with not-for-profits - donating $1,000,000 to date and raising awareness - including RAINN (the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the States), Women for Women International (which provides tools for self-sufficiency to refugee women and survivors of war), and Reach Out & Read (a network of doctors and nurses working to promote literacy and language skills in the States).  I try to support socially conscious businesses, who sell goods manufactured in North America - or at least under livable/ethical conditions that don't exploit workers overseas - but I'm far (far!) from perfect.  The Siren Song of something cheap and cheerful sometimes beckons me, even though I know what factors drive prices down.  I know I should make more of an effort to learn where and how the things I buy are made, and I've been working on that as a personal goal, so I appreciate when a company makes it their policy to try their best to make a positive impact on the world.  If we each do a little...

I was given the opportunity to hand select items to review from UncommonGoods, and this gave me a chance to not only peruse the website but also test out the services.  The first item that I chose is a handmade lidded basket (click here to get the full scoop), which I actually really needed (okay, wanted).  After our paper shredder gave up the ghost, we started using all of our sensitive documents and receipts as fire starter instead of shredding and recycling them.  We needed a place to store this paper (which amasses so quickly).  We'd been searching for something with a lid to hide the mess, to no avail.  No local shops had what we were after so we were using a weird, tiny, orange pail that we had received some beer in.  This handmade basket caught my eye because it's aqua, but the lid and handles made it perfect for our intended use.




The basket is handmade in Senegal.  You can read more about the designer and her desire to bring independence to rural African communities right here.  (Click here to see the matching pink knitting basket - it's just as cute.)

Right now, the basket is sitting beside the firewood cubby but if I want to stash it in the office, the handles make it easy to maneuver - even when it's full.  It would look cute anywhere in the house (the bonus of a limited whole home colour palette).

Apologies for the horribly ugly wood in the cubby.  I mentioned on Instagram that because I carefully selected the prettiest rounds all winter, now I'm saddled with some real uggos.  We are going to call them organic and rustic.  Every room needs a rustic touch, right? 

 
Once I had a "practical" item chosen, I decided to pick something fun and decadent.  I really contemplated an agate cheese plate (click here to see) because the hunk of teal agate was calling my name, but I decided that a set of agate coasters (this set, to be precise) would be more practical for me.  Remember how I regretted not buying that second set of agate coasters when I made my DIY Framed Agate art?  Even though I have my solid wood DIY hex coasters, I can always make room for more.  I'm actually keeping this agate set in my office, to protect the solid wood top Hubby made for my treadle sewing machine desk.  I always have a mug of piping hot tea close at hand (it's getting chilly again and snowed a few days ago!).

You can buy these agate slice coasters gilded (click here), but I happen to prefer the raw look of the stone.  It's dyed agate so it's not completely "natural," but I like the organic quality.  It complements my rustic log pile ;)

Everything was shipped carefully and beautifully.  The agate coasters, for example, had some neatly trimmed foam between each slice for protection, but it looked nice enough to gift as-is, so you could easily order something from UncommonGoods and have it shipped directly to a recipient.  Both items were shipped separately, so there was no chance of them damaging each other in transit.  One thing that really impressed me about UncommonGoods is how nicely they handle customer reviews.  When they first contacted me, I perused their website and read reviews on many of the products I liked.  All of the reviews are uncensored - some products have hundreds - and any negative reviews (which are few and far between) have been dealt with politely and thoroughly - I love that!  You can shop with confidence thanks to that transparency.  And, if you're in a hurry or looking for something specific, you can shop by theme, like "Personalized Jewelry" (click here if you're curious), or "Housewarming Gifts" (which you'll find right here).  It's perfect if you have a specific occasion, person (like a recent grad!), or price range in mind.

Perhaps the most important thing to know, which you'll discover if you click over, is that UncommonGoods has a really beautifully curated collection of pretty and practical items that are perfect for gift-giving - or making your own space more special.  You don't need to sift through a million items but you're certain to find something special - from the comfort of your living room!

Disclosure: I partnered with UncommonGoods for this post but was not prompted to provide a positive review of their goods or service.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  I will definitely purchase from UncommonGoods the next time I'm searching for a gift for that hard-to-shop for person.  

A note to my fellow Canadians: some items do not ship to Canada, unfortunately - but you'll know immediately which ones do and don't, which makes shopping easier.  I had my items shipped to a shipping depot across the border.  I might live in a small city, but proximity to the States makes it pretty sweet!  They do try to make it easy by immediately recognizing your location as Canadian, so all prices show up in our dollar and the shipping quotes include duties and taxtes, with guaranteed landing fees - which is a big deal for International shipments.  As a Canadian, I feel very proud when I can support Canadian businesses, which I try to do as often as I can, but supporting American businesses is important to me too.  I feel a close connection to the US (partly because I'm so close I could probably lob a rock onto American soil with a good quality trebuchet), but also because I think that keeping jobs in North America - and supporting ethical overseas manufacturing - benefits us all.

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