The Uncommon Life

A Little Buzzed

October 26, 2011

Retired Wine Barrel Lazy Susan designer Lisa Johnson shared this funny photo with us!

She says the little green hummingbird was just enjoying the sugar left on a wine barrel that was waiting to be cleaned and repurposed into one of her clever designs. We wonder if the little fellow would like a fine cheese to go with that robust red? Perhaps he’d like to see the cocktail menu next!

Do you love wine as much as this happy hummingbird? Check out more retired wine barrel goods.

Design

Bear Essentials

October 26, 2011

Halloween is almost here, and we’re excited to celebrate with some sweet treats. These adorable gummy bears aren’t edible, but they can do an impressive trick. Give them a squeeze and they light up!

If you love these bright bears, you may also enjoy these Spooktacular Uncommon Goods!

Design

Comments of the Week

October 21, 2011

Our latest top commented voting app additions include a posh pillow (that’s also comfortable), a peaceful keychain, a nosy little eyeglass accessory, and books your baby is sure to love. We’re glad our voters are telling us just what they think, and we hope you’ll join in the feedback fun, too!

We’ll kick off our comments with some kind words for the Pweebo “Posh” Pillow.

We’re glad you love this soft, function design, Beth! We know you want to meet the needs of your demanding couch, so remember to tell all of your friends to vote for these colorful pillows!

Our next voting app visitor also left some praise for an item under consideration.

It’s looks like Gionne loves the Bomb Keychain, but forgot to vote Thumbs Up.

Carole, on the other hand, remembered to raise her thumbs for the Nosy Eyeglass Holder.

Thanks for the great feedback, Carole. Glasses can be spendy, and this wooden holder can help you keep track of them.

Although Mary Margaret thinks the eyeglass holder is cute, she disagrees with Carole.

But never fear, she did find something she loves in this week’s selection.

We’re glad you like the Indestructible Nursery Rhyme Book Set! This is just the kind of feedback we love to receive in our community voting app. It’s thoughtful, constructive, and friendly. Thanks for sharing your insights with us, Mary Margaret!

Do you have something to say? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Visit our voting app to comment on these and other uncommon goods!

Gift Guides

Gifts for the birds

October 19, 2011

‘Tis the season to spread your wings, with a flock of new gifts from UncommonGoods.

Birds make music during the day, keep watch at night, and are the animal symbol for rebirth. What a great way to breathe life into your personal style!

Go bird-watching:
Perched Parrot
Spiky Owl Balancer Stake
Parent Nestling Necklaces
Nest Egg Necklace
Felt Birdhouses
Hot Air Balloon Hummingbird Feeders
Recycled Glass Night Owl Nightlight

Or sign up for a free holiday catalog with other gift ideas.

Design

Comments of the Week

October 14, 2011

This week our top comments come from voters telling us what they think of a little book that lets kids have fun with food, porcelain bowls that look good enough to eat, a kit that’s sure to be a cup of tea, and special pillows to celebrate new babies.

We’re glad you love Melanie Mckenney’s Salsa Bowl Trio, Karen! Although we don’t have a bell pepper bowl up for voting, we do have another scrumptious design– her Cantaloupe Bowl Set.

Speaking of scrumptious, another item up for voting this week, My Food Passport , makes trying new foods fun. But Kimberley isn’t so sure it would do the trick.

If it were full of foods like ice cream and pizza, you probably wouldn’t need the passport. Although some of the foods may seem strange to kids, they’re worth a try! We think this handy book might just help your picky eater discover that they love mangoes, mushrooms, or avocado. We’re glad to see that Liane and Cassandra agree.

Since we’re on the topic of having fun with food, we’ll also take a look at a comment from Patricia, who’s ready to have fun with a drink.

Thanks for the comment, Patricia! We want to see your vote as well. If you love the Tea Leaf Reading Kit don’t forget to give it a “Thumbs Up” in our voting app. You can also leave your email address, if you’d like, and we’ll let you know if we decide to carry this product.

We offer the notify feature on all of the products up for voting, but Summer isn’t interested in an announcement.

It didn’t take long for Jana to step in and explain why these Birth Announcement Pillows would make great gifts.

Which of our top commenters do you agree with? We’d love to hear your opinions on these (and many more) potential products up for voting in our community voting app this week!

The Uncommon Life

World’s Greatest Boss?

October 13, 2011

Boss’ Day is coming up, but there’s still time to find the perfect gift for the excellent executive in your life.

Before the proclamation of this special day you could only show your boss how much you cared on his or her birthday, during the holidays, and at mandatory company events. Then in 1958 Patricia Bays Haroski, an employee of State Farm Insurance Company, decided that bosses should have their very own day each year.

Aiming to not only create a day to show bosses that they are appreciated, but also to improve employer-employee relations, she registered Boss’ Day with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to her admiration for her great boss, we’ve been celebrating this annual national holiday for more than 50 years!


Mark your Perpetual Calendar

Usually, Boss’ Day is on October 16, which Patricia chose because it was her Boss’ (who was also her dad) birthday. Since that happens to be a Sunday this year, you can show your boss they’re a superb supervisor by celebrating on Monday the 17th.

In honor of this managerial Monday, we’ve created a collection of our favorite gifts for bosses inspired by our fantastic boss, UncommonGoods Founder Dave Bolotsky.

Dave is a great boss because he values our opinions, puts employees first, and makes UncommonGoods a fun place to work.

Do you have a great boss? We’d love to hear why!

Design

This Just In: Mushroom Kit

October 12, 2011

It can be hard to get kids (and some adults) to try new foods, especially if those foods are kinda funny looking. Mushrooms, for example, are quite delicious, but some folks just aren’t in to fungus.

Those caps can seem a bit strange, plucked from the dirt, packaged in foam, and wrapped up in plastic at the grocery store. But, you don’t have to go to the supermarket to find edible mushrooms. You can actually grow them easily at home, so picky eaters can see from just where their food is coming.

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Gift Guides

Gift Lab: Alphapets

October 11, 2011

I’ve always thought that origami was pretty neat. I’ve seen people fold paper into those prophetic fortune telling contraptions, make beautiful swans out of napkins, construct geometric fish in just a few creases, and create those highly fashionable newspaper hats. However, to be perfectly honest, aside from the occasional paper airplane, I had never made an origami figure of my own.

Of course, when I was offered the opportunity to test the Alphapets Origami Book, I had to give it a try.


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