Browsing Tag

Winter

The Uncommon Life

Warm and Cozy Blogger Picks

November 18, 2016

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.

reclaimed-fire-hose-log-carrier

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.

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Gift Guides

Hygge: a Hug’s Danish Cousin

October 13, 2016

Hygge Collection | UncommonGoods

A hot bowl of homemade porridge for breakfast; a leisurely bike ride past warm, welcoming shops; a fresh pot of tea shared with an old friend; the comforting glow of candles—lots of candles. All of these things are hallmarks of hygge, an essential ingredient of life in Denmark. Though it has no tidy translation in English, some etymologists think it’s a distant Danish cousin of the word hug, an association encouraged by the cozy, comforting essence of both words. It may be hard for English speakers to pronounce (try “hyoo-gah”), but it’s not so hard to attain. The new Little Book of Hygge offers pointers on the Danish way to live well, while Morley College in London has started teaching hygge along with their Danish language instruction. But hygge isn’t just about warm, fuzzy feelings—it’s central to Denmark’s status as the happiest country in the world. That’s right, Denmark is consistently crowned the #1 country for happiness, according to the UN’s official World Happiness Report. And if it’s not too much of an oxymoron, the Danes are serious about their happiness. Just ask the staff of the Happiness Research Institute of Copenhagen. With chestnuts-roasting-on-an-open-fire season just around the corner, we offer this cozy collection of uncommon goods that can help you mix more hygge into your home and lifestyle, whether you live in Copenhagen or Corpus Christi.

25321_mainnordiclights

You might say that hygge is part of the Scandinavian landscape: serene stands of fir and birch, mossy forest floors dotted with red-capped mushrooms that might just be gnomes out of the corner of your eye…Our Nordic Tea Light Trough lends a soothing alpine glow to your decor. 

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The Uncommon Life

Instagram Challenge: CRAFTING

February 17, 2016

Instagram Challenge | Crafting

The next Instagram Challenge theme is CRAFTING. One of my unexpected joys from working at UncommonGoods is the inspiration to try new projects. It’s no secret that our vendors are a very crafty bunch, but our internal team is also full of talented dabblers. When we’re not working on a new catalog, you may find us learning how to knit, coloring for fun, mastering tie-dye techniques, and making weaving look easy. Given that we’re all more susceptible to introspective projects during the winter hibernation months, we thought it would be the perfect time to see your crafty creations! While sharing your photos, be sure to use the hashtag #UGInstaFun to be in the running for a $50 gift card. Visit here to see the creative entries we’ve received so far and scroll down to view some of our favorite crafting essentials from UncommonGoods.

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Design

Winter Jewelry Lookbook Bloggers

November 11, 2013

UncommonGoods Winter Jewelry Lookbook Bloggers | UncommonGoodsThis year we wanted to highlight our handmade jewelry collection like we never have before. So we worked with four bloggers to put together a gallery of images of them styling our pieces to showcase how someone can personally style our necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings – something never before seen on our site!

To pick our lucky bloggers, we reached out to some talented ladies that we worked with in the past for product reviews. We loved their style, photography skills, and what they had to say about our jewelry so much that we invited them back to share some more. They recevied some of their favorite pieces from our Artisan Jewelry Gallery and photographed them during their outings and gatherings as the temperatures were dropping. Meet the bloggers here!

UncommonGoods Winter Jewelry Lookbook Bloggers | UncommonGoods

Amy Christie of This Heart of Mine



Amy Christie is a maker herself with a blog about her style, family, and her creative process. She describes her winter style as “Cozy: jeans, thick socks and comfy tops. I like boots and chunky scarves, oh and tailored coats!”

UncommonGoods Winter Jewelry Lookbook Bloggers | UncommonGoods

Katherine of Of Corgis & Cocktails



Katherine blogs about her life in Central Pennsylvania and her lovable corgis. We just love how her personality shines through in her personal style. She loves layering a lot in the winter too. “With the way weather is in my area, there can be frost on the ground in the morning and quite warm during the day. I own lots of tights and scarves. I still wear ‘summer dresses’ too – just with lots of sweaters and scarves on top.”

UncommonGoods Winter Jewelry Lookbook Bloggers

Katrina of The Demure Muse



Katrina is a style and DIY blogger from Seattle who spends her winters “Sitting on the patio of my favorite mom & pop ran restaurants in the crisp fall air and watching the wind blow through all the leaves on the ground is the best way to start off the day. Who can say no to good eats and beautiful scenery?”

UncommonGoods Winter Jewelry Lookbook Bloggers

Nicole of Rose Runs Wild



Last but not least, Nicole is one of the most down-to-earth bloggers you might ever come across. Priding herself on not being a fashionista or foodie, just a full-time mom and real-life lady, she is also a new bride! We asked how she spends her winters with her family: “When the temperatures drop we love to enjoy the fall weather outside as much as possible. It’s time for bundling up in sweaters, scarves and boots. We take lots of walks to enjoy the smell of the leaves and see all of the colors that fall brings with it. We build fires in the backyard and spend our evenings laughing with good company as often as we can. We start having more family dinners, baking as often as possible, the crochet needles and yarn come out. It’s our favorite time of year!”

Check out what they came up with in our first collaboration lookbook!


Design

Winter Accessory Design Challenge

July 29, 2013

UncommonGoods Winter Accessory Design ChallengeWe know we’re right smack dab in the middle of the summer, and the last thing on anyone’s mind are scarves, mittens, earmuffs, or beanies, but we still need your entries! The Winter Accessory Design Challenge ends in a few days and we want everyone who knits, crochets, and sews to share their designs with us to have a chance to win $500 and a vendor contract with UncommonGoods!

To submit your winter designs and for the complete contest rules visit our Winter Accessory Design Challenge page.

UPDATE: Extending the Winter Accessory Design Challenge 12 more days! The deadline is now officially on August 11th at 11:59pm. Happy knitting!

The Uncommon Life

Midwinter Art Break

January 24, 2013

 

The holidays are over, and winter stretches ahead. Sometimes it’s stunningly beautiful. Sometimes it can be bleak. Sometimes, just boring.

Fortunately, painters, sculptors, carvers, collagists, craftspeople and photographers have created glorious art about all the faces of winter. Looking at their work can feel like a mini-staycation,  a meditation, or a moment of bliss. Isn’t that always true about good art?

I’ve been collecting winter-themed art on Pinterest since last autumn. Eventually, themes began to suggest themselves. Here are a few of them.

Winter: The Art Composes Itself

I named this theme in the spirit of, “The jokes write themselves.” Against a snowy white background, branches and bird footprints can look like ready-made drawings–although, of course, the pieces below were all carefully composed by very talented artists.

Life in  Wintertime

Clockwise: Todd Hido, #6093 (2009) © Todd Hido; Todd Hido, #4124 from the series House Hunting (2010) © Todd Hido; Vija Celmins, Heater, 1964 © Vija Celmins; Wolf Suschitzky, Frozen Shirts, Welwyn Garden City, 1941 © Wolf Suschitzy.

Ice and Snow Art

Andy Goldsworthy, “Ice Spiral (Treesoul),” Reconstructed icicles around a tree, 28 December, 1995.  Glen Marlin Falls, Dumphrieshire, Scottland. © Andy Goldsworthy; Andy Goldsworthy, “Icicle Star,” joined with saliva, 2004, © Andy Goldsworthy.

For a blizzard of winter art, look here: http://pinterest.com/marisa_/