Some say it tastes like Christmas, but I say it’s more like pure class in a glass. Scientists think liking it might mean you have a dark personality (I also drink my coffee black – uh oh), but I think you’re crazy if you hate it. It’s the gin & tonic, people, and I’m a fan. And so, when I saw the Gin & Tonic Making Kit in our assortment, I knew I had to try it out for my next gift lab.
We all know someone who spreads holiday cheer like it’s her job. She starts her search for gifts in July, she’ll stay up all night trying to make that DIY centerpiece she found online just right, and she’s always willing expand her guest list, even if it means squeezing a party of 20 into her eensy apartment. Such a commitment to holiday jolliness can take a toll – it’s stressful to be such a goddess of good tidings. Keep her spirits up and show your appreciation with this list of relaxing gifts.
Fall arrives. Leaves change. The air cools. It feels nice to sit in the sun and soak up the warmth. While some lament the loss of summer, others embrace the crisp autumn air. Many of our blogging friends enjoy kicking up leaves, stoking the fire, settling down with afternoon cocoa and a classic novel. More than a few are energized, developing recipes, aging whiskey, baking, stewing, and prepping for the holidays.
Nothing warms us more than seeing our artists’ wares featured in a great blog post.
See Debbie and Dave’s full post here
As the weather cools high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, bloggers Debbie and Dave at The Mountain Kitchen use our Reclaimed Fire Hose Log Carrier to haul firewood to their rustic mountain retreat.
Our makers never fail to motivate us, encourage our creativity, and fill us with inspiration. So, when a new design enters our assortment, we’re always excited to learn more about the people behind the product.
What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Carol Joannidi, creator of the Sterling Silver Bubble Earrings, and the Bollywood Earrings.
Editor’s Note: Our first Kickstarter project was a major league success! Tokens & Icons, a long valued partner of UncommonGoods, brought it all home with their amazing MLB Game Used Baseball Beanies. Baseball fans couldn’t wait to get their mitts on the beanies, and our goal was reached in just one day! Though the campaign has ended, you can still rep your favorite team and get a beanie of your own. Read on and watch our video to learn more.
Back in 1969 when the New York Mets won the World Series, UncommonGoods founder Dave Bolotsky, then six years old, got a cherished jacket from the underdog team. He’s loved his home team and the sport itself ever since. There’s nothing else quite like the nostalgic feeling sports memorabilia creates—a feeling that goes way beyond their materials.
A baseball story of a different stripe, this handcrafted beanie from Tokens & Icons and UncommonGoods is knit from three continuous wool yarn strands found inside MLB authenticated, game-used baseballs.
When Dan Abramson was brainstorming with a friend in a coffee shop back in 2014, he hadn’t intended to start a movement. The art director, who had founded the tongue-in-cheek “manly” yoga accessories company Brogamats two years prior, was “trying to come up with a funny way to get more men to do yoga,” he recalled. “We were wondering, What can we do to make yoga more macho?” He considered a series of videos of men at construction sites or at football games striking the poses. Then, said Dan, “I thought, What if we had classic green army men doing yoga?”
The San Francisco resident, who’d started doing yoga himself to heal a back injury, thought he had simply come up with a good video joke: “I thought we could do it on Reddit [with existing figures] and it would be funny for a day.” But after a great deal of research into plastics, he realized he could actually make the figures, posing them the way he wanted. So Dan worked to create a set of classic, plastic army figures arranged in postures such as Downward Dog and Warrior One and put his concept on Kickstarter. “It ended up blowing it out of the water!” he shared. “It raised way more money than I anticipated and had a huge audience.”
Something else happened that Dan hadn’t expected: A large number of those who donated were associated with the military—veterans, active service members, and loved ones of military members. “I started getting really heartfelt messages,” he said. “I didn’t have any idea that there was such a huge community of people doing yoga in the military.” Emails poured in from workers in veterans’ affairs, vets adjusting to life after service and loved ones of veterans. Some emails recalled happy stories, others tragic memories. But most of the messages shared a common thread: Yoga could save service members’ lives if only the practice could spread across the military community. “It was incredibly humbling,” said Dan. “I knew then I had a responsibility to do this well and do it right.”
It’s likely you have more than a few strong women in your life, and the holidays are the perfect time to celebrate all they’ve accomplished. Whether she’s a CEO, a miracle-working mom, or simply a lovely lady who deserves something special, we’ve handpicked a list of gifts that’ll give her a healthy dose of inspiration and show you hold her in high esteem.
Now she can keep this inspiring mantra close at hand: she believed she could, so she did – a beautiful message all about moving forward. | She Believed She Could Bangle
