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Gift Guides

12 of Our Favorite
New Mother’s Day Gifts

April 16, 2019

Mother’s Day’s on the way, and you’re racking your brain for new and exciting gift ideas to express how infinitely special Mom is. Well, we’re here to help. Like, that’s our actual job. We’ve put together a select list of gifts that we didn’t have last Mother’s Day. Whether she’s into entertaining, birdwatching, or getting her feminism on, you can say, “Thanks for raising me!” with something she’ll love—we guarantee it.

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Gift Guides

Jewelry to Make Your Valentine Shine

January 25, 2019

Dating five months vs. married five years. A bond built on world travel vs. raising kids together. A love you’ve just discovered vs. one with lots of history. The jewelry here toasts your one-of-a-kind connection. Made with love, each piece celebrates its special sparkle.

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Gift Guides

Our Favorite Gifts for Beer and Whiskey Lovers

November 14, 2018

These days, brewing and distilling industries are experimenting constantly, so it’s hard to keep track of a beer or whiskey lover’s favorites. Today, it’s this saison beer and that high-rye bourbon—but next week it’s that single-hop IPA and this small batch Islay single malt. The last thing you want to see at gift-giving time is that polite smile that says the hooch you chose is so three weeks ago. Surprise them with a gift they didn’t see coming instead. Something to elevate their drinking experience, or express their passion for their beverage of choice—like the 14 beer and whiskey lover gifts below.

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Gift Guides

Gifts for Impossible-to-Shop-for Guys

October 30, 2018

Stop us if this guy sounds familiar: He already has everything he needs (and a lot of things he doesn’t). He owns every book ever written on his favorite subject and definitely doesn’t need another sweater. You feel like it’s impossible to surprise him with anything short of a monogrammed hovercraft. He is… Mr. Impossible-to-Shop-for. Never fear—read on for some of our most uncommon offering to tackle your trickiest guy-gifting conundrums.

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Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Which Movie Star Took a Week to Learn a One-word Script?

June 18, 2018

This popular actor appeared in over 1000 feature films during the 1930s through the 1950s, including several classics, performing alongside the likes of Jimmy Stewart, James Cagney, Judy Garland, and Bette Davis—but was uncredited in most of them. Why didn’t he squawk about it?

Actually, he probably did—because this actor happened to be a raven. Animal trainer Curly Twiford rescued the month-old chick in 1936 from an abandoned nest in the Mojave Desert. He named him Jimmy, and raised him indoors so he’d be comfortable around humans. In hopes that directors would want to use him in their films, he spent two years training his brilliant bird to type, light cigarettes, put coins in piggy banks, operate a cash register, flip magazine pages, open letters, deal a hand of poker, ride a tiny motorcycle (!), understand a few hundred English words, and speak 53 of them.

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Gift Guides

Gift Lab: Screen-Free Kid Fun with Flipbooks and a Castakite

June 14, 2018

 

Products
Flipbook Kit (T. Rex/Pteranodon version)
Castakite

Research
I was once a child. Isn’t that enough? OK, no.

I was planning a Mexican beach vacation with my mother, my brother, and his five year-old son, “The Chooch.” Like most kids, The Chooch is addicted to screens of all sizes. We wanted to get him away from them. His dad and I chose these two toys for our experiment in behavior modification.

Hypothesis
The Chooch will have a blast with these. More importantly for us, he’ll be distracted from his tablet for a significant amount of time.

Part I: Flipbook Kit

Boy and Flipbook. Initial response: positive. (Note experiment-appropriate lab wear.)

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Gift Guides

12 Space-Savers for Your Home Sweet Shoebox Small Apartment

May 10, 2018

Space-Saving Storage Solutions for Small Apartments

Scientists claim the universe is expanding, but they haven’t been to our house. You feel us? When it comes to saving space, more is never enough. Each of the items below is both more, and less. (Physics is full of such paradoxes.)

1. An entryway shelf that streamlines your exits.

Out The Door Catch-All Shelf | UncommonGoods

Hang this by your door and free up a drawer. All the little things you need as you dash out—keys, sunglasses, phone, wallet—will find a place on it. You can even put reminder notes on it with a magnet. For example, “Buy that cute catch-all shelf.”

Out the Door Catch-All Shelf – $45 Buy Now »

 

2. A caddy for storing #bedlife necessities.

Bedside Essentials Pocket | UncommonGoods

Look at your bedroom. See any space for remotes? Magazines? Tablet? Neither do we. This pocket creates a place for them right where you need it: next to your bed. Now, cocooning will be even cocoonier.

Bedside Essentials Pocket – $20-$25 Buy Now »

 

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Gift Guides

14 Practical Travel Items That Are Totally Worth Packing

March 16, 2018

Traveling soon? Have globetrotting friends? All trips have their hassles, and all can be made easier and more fun with some packable helpers. Read on for our latest faves.

1. A cocktail kit to help you unwind in midair.

Happy Hour is a terrible thing to waste. This compact tin contains everything you need—in TSA-approved sizes—to make tasty Moscow Mules wherever you may be at cocktail time. Just add mini-bottles of the hard stuff.

Moscow Mule Carry-On Cocktail Kit – $24 Buy Now »

 

2. A stylish way to organize your cords.

Seen an airport or hotel lost and found lately? They’re full of forgotten chargers, cords, and devices. Not yours, though. They’re all safely organized and accounted for in this clever roll.

Travel Cord Roll – $20 Buy Now »

 

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