1. Compact Swivel Cheese Board with Knives
Compact Swivel Cheese Board with Knives – $64 Buy Now »
Looking for a birthday gift for someone celebrating in October? We gathered 15 of our favorite goods that are sure to put a smile on their face, whether you’re looking to please a gin drinker, a baseball fan, or even an impossible-to-shop-for friend.
On November 6, Americans will choose every single member of the US House of Representatives, a third of the US Senate, and many of the state and local officials who influence how our communities function daily.
Sounds important, right? Unfortunately, it’s pretty uncommon to see strong voter turnout during midterm elections. Only 36% of the voting-eligible population cast ballots in the 2014 midterm election, according to the US Elections Project. Voter turnout among women between 18 and 24 was just 18% during the last midterm election.
Source: US Elections Project
We’ve joined the TurboVote Challenge, powered by the non-partisan non-profit Democracy Works, to help the US achieve 80% voter turnout by 2024. Democracy Works develops technology to help Americans overcome process barriers related to voting, including registration problems, lack of time, or inconvenient polling places. Through their TurboVote tool, you can register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and receive reminders about local, state, and federal elections.
Tamara sneaks a sniff in her Brooklyn, New York, studio; photos by Theresa Hensley
Some 20 blocks from our own offices in the Brooklyn Army Terminal, Tamara Mayne and her staff of candle experts toil in Industry City. Tamara’s studio is filled with smells: pear, bergamot, jasmine, gardenia, lemongrass—the list goes on. She’s a new mom, and it’s a rare treat to catch her at work in her Sunset Park outpost. “My home studio [is] where I do most of my work,” she tells us, adding, “in true New York fashion, it’s half of our bedroom.” But if her apartment’s where much of the behind-the-scenes, creative-director-y magic happens, Industry City is where it all comes together. After all, that’s where her Sunday Morning and Love Potion candles come to life—where soy wax is heated, mixed with fragrance, and poured into sleek, stylish tins and jars, topped off with stickers Tamara designs herself.
It’s no surprise that a candle-making studio might be a relaxing place, but Tamara’s workspace, with its vast wall of windows and tiny “shop” where you can smell every candle she makes, is especially calming. Dressed in jeans and a casually knotted button-up, she’s nothing if not approachable. That unstuffiness makes its way into her creations, too: they’re well crafted, beautifully designed, and smell great, but they’re not too self-serious. Made from soy wax, a sustainable, clean-burning alternative to traditional paraffin wax, each is perfumed and packaged with a care that shows… and they’re usually named something fun. You know, like “Love Potion.”
Watch our video to learn how Tamara bottles that “lazy Sunday” mood
We visited Tamara’s studio to see her goods crafted in the flesh—er, wax?—and spoke with her about where inspiration strikes (the subway), how long it takes to develop a new candle (longer than you’d think), and more. Read on for our Q&A.
The Uncommon Life
Fashion Designer Arzu Huseynova Wins UncommonGoods’ Fall 2018 Scholarship
September 6, 2018
Photo by Alexandra Fedotova
We’re always on the lookout for the next great design. Of course, great designs don’t create themselves. Learning to craft something beautiful takes patience, time, and willingness to learn. We’re proud of all the dedicated folks out there committed to learning to do what they love. That’s part of the reason we started our UncommonGoods Scholarship program.
This time around, our scholarship team was wowed by the beauty of winner Arzu Huseynova’s fashion design. Arzu, who’s collection was inspired by Burning Man, received $1,000 to use toward continuing her education at The New School in New York, where she’s currently enrolled as a fashion design major.
We asked Arzu, who speaks four languages, to share a little more about her career aspirations, her love of fashion, and how her mom’s tailor shop inspired the collection that earned her this award. Check out our Q&A below to learn more.
Model Ianina Burnaeva. Photo by Sana Nodelman
September’s coming, and you know what that means: September birthdays are coming, too. (It is the most popular birth month, if you didn’t know.) Don’t know what to snag your best Virgo—or Libra—pal? Worry not. We’ve got 19 suggestions, each more likely to induce birthday smiles than the last.
1. Fragrant soaps that mimic the look of real birthstones.
These soaps are so pretty, we wouldn’t begrudge you buying more than one—even if September’s all you really need. Colored completely with veggie-based dyes, they’re loaded with invigorating minerals and soothing vitamin E oil.
Birthstone Mineral Soaps – $20 Buy Now »
2. A necklace filled with real nonpareils.
Handmade in Brooklyn, it’s a great way to pay tribute to your sweetest pal.
Sprinkles Heart Necklace – $52 Buy Now »
3. Puzzles that unlock bottles of wine.
Got a friend who likes their liquor with a side of problem-solving? These wooden brainteasers require decoding before they’ll relinquish their precious vino.
Wine Bottle Puzzles – $30 Buy Now »
With more than 4,000 uncommon goods to choose from, it’s not easy to pick favorites. It’s certainly fun trying, though. Our blog team took a look through our collection of product roundups to make this list of the items that got us the most excited.
1. Jars that make growing herbs indoors easy.
Mason jars aren’t just cute, they’re also perfect planters for your hydroponic herb garden.
Mason Jar Indoor Herb Garden – $20 Buy Now »
2. Animals that’ll keep your houseplants company.
Made from bendable brass-plated steel, these furry (and scaly!) friends adjust to hug the stems of your favorite indoor tree.
Plant Hanging Animals – $22.50 Buy Now »
3. Glasses that link two of our favorite things: wine and the stars.
Sure, you could take a look at the stars by walking outside at night, assuming you don’t live in a big city. But these glasses make for an even more fun way to track the location of each constellation.
Stargazing Wine Glass Set – $30 Buy Now »