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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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Design

Comments of the Week

October 7, 2011

Each week we add a bundle of prospective new goods to our community voting app. We love sharing these uncommon designs, and we’re glad our community loves telling us what they think! We’re excited to share a few of the star statements from this week.

We’ll start this week’s comment roundup with some very enthusiastic feedback from Christine.

Thanks for the feedback! We know Christine truly loves the Crawlings Knee Pads. That many exclamation points can’t lie.

Our next commenter skipped the excited punctuation.

Although the Boyfriend and Girlfriend in a Bottle are just the right size to take with on the go, they do not symbolize unhappy relationships. As a matter-of-fact, they can be used as cute little reminders of actual, human boyfriends and girlfriends while they’re away.

Lynn and Sareen both see the humor in these plastic partners.

We think this item could make a great gag gift, too!

Speaking of great gifts, we think the Baby Voodoo Doll would be a great gift for an expecting parent, but Christy isn’t so sure.

If you have suggestions to help Christy think of people that might love this precious pincushion, visit our voting app and send your suggestions her way! We think it could make a great baby shower game.

We can’t wait to hear how you would gift these uncommon items. So, don’t forget to leave some comments of your own. And, yes, it is fair to say you would gift them to yourself!

The Uncommon Life

Fall Giveaway!

October 7, 2011

ETA October 10, 2011: Congratulations to our Fall Giveaway winner, Joanna Z!

Joanna said, “I love the smell of ripe apples on the trees, the crisp, cool mornings, and pumpkins showing up at every grocery store, every produce stand, and on just about every front porch.”

Thanks to all who entered for your fabulous fall stories!

Colorful leaves, warm beverages, new fashion, and Halloween. What’s not to love about fall? To celebrate our admiration for autumn, we’re giving away some of our favorite fall goods! Read on to find out how you can win.

Vawn and Mike Gray aren’t novices when it comes to creating kiln-formed glass art. In fact, they developed their own process to turn old glass bottles into fused-glass masterpieces using an energy efficient, computer-controlled oven.

We love Vawn and Mike’s recycled glass nightlights. Their Recycled Pelican Nightlight and Recycled Sandpiper Night Light are so popular, we added another bird to the lineup, just in time for fall!
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Design

Fresh, Clean Style

October 5, 2011

Artist Bo Jia developed an admiration for smooth lines and understated beauty by taking in traditional Chinese architecture and landscapes while spending time in the Chinese countryside as a youth. While living in China, he studied fine arts, learning both traditional Chinese decorative arts and Western painting techniques. These influences are clear in his latest designs, Porcelain Dish and Laundry Detergent Vases

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These designs are a collaboration with his wife, Alison, who studied Chinese culture extensively. The couple aims to create designs that emphasis the beautiful craftsmanship involved in creating traditional Chinese ceramics, while bringing the art form to a new generation through modern design.

These striking vases are the perfect example of this modern execution of a traditional craft. The bold, colorful pieces are cast from actual detergent bottles. Although the vases are unique porcelain sculptures and have a coarse, unrefined texture–quite opposite of the texture of a plastic bottle–they embody well-known shapes.

Handmade in the Washington, D.C. area, Porcelain Dish and Laundry Detergent vases are now up for voting in our community voting app. If you love Bo and Alison’s ceramic bottles vote now.

Design

Comments of the Week

September 30, 2011

Last week’s favorites, Modern Cat Scratch Frames and Fortune Teller Napkins are still going strong in our community voting app, but we’ve also added a few new items for your voting pleasure this week!

Our community is speaking up to share their feedback on a cozy hoodie that keeps your phone comfy, extra padding for your baby’s little knees, and more potential uncommon goods.

We fully support your efforts to make your cat a lover of the arts. Thanks for the comment, Judy!

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