The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Melanie Majewski

August 6, 2013

Melanie Majewski, UncommonGoods Senior Human Resources & Office Management Coordinator

My hometown is…
Schenectady, NY. The most recent Ryan Gosling movie (The Place Beyond the Pines) was filmed in and took place in my hometown.

My favorite company event I’ve organized was…
Ah! This is a tough one. I get a little stressed when it comes to the organizing aspect of the events, but it’s so worth it in the end. I love all of our on-site snacks/lunches, but I really love our happy hours! Our latest at Owl Farm was really fun.

I’m inspired by…
Happy, daring and adventurous people. And Beyoncé.

My favorite place to visit in New York City is…
I really love walking around NYC and being outside when it’s sunny, so I have to say I love all of the parks: The Highline, Central Park, Prospect Park. Oh! And the Brooklyn Botanic Garden… it’s only a block from my apartment!

An uncommon fact about me…
I’m digging deep here.

I once received a karaoke machine for Christmas (I was about 8 years old) – one of those machines that you hook up to your TV and it video records you. I was really into performing (as you can tell with the level of dramatics here, still am) so I filmed myself for days. I started getting bored singing the same songs so I decided to do a “newscast” (I should also mention that I went to college for journalism). During the weather forecast portion of this 15-minute video, I took my Dad’s world atlas book, took a blind twisty off of one of the living room windows, and so eloquently projected the weather forecast (and by eloquently I mean I couldn’t get the mirrored video-thing down and I kept pointing to the west when speaking of the east). Somehow my Mom stumbled upon the videotape and shared it at our family Christmas party the next year, haha. She never lets me live it down.

(I could have totally gone un-dramatic there and just said, “I’ve caused a fire to start in the microwave not once, but twice.” You’re welcome.)

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
Cooking up a new recipe for my roommate, daydreaming up my next adventure, taking a dance class, or catching up on The Ellen Show. I like to keep life interesting and rarely sit still.

The word that best describes me…
Driven.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
SO MUCH! I’ve learned a lot about the human resources and recruiting industry. But also how to interact with people, network, collaborate with smart and creative people, work in a warehouse, and most importantly, feed 300+ people in one day!

Would you rather…Spend an hour each day practicing ballet indoors or showing off your yoga poses in the park?
That is one of the toughest questions I’ve been asked in my 24 years of life! Can I practice ballet in the park? If not, I don’t know how to answer this question.

The Uncommon Life

Baby Week 2013

July 29, 2013

This week we’re talking about babies with the help of some of our favorite bloggers and team members. Check out what we have going on across the site.

Lynzy of Sparkling Footsteps created a collection of stylish baby gifts as she waits for her little one to arrive.

New mom, Rebecca Gallop of A Daily Something shares her favorite quirky baby products to build a nursery.

Whether it’s a baby shower or a birthday, Erin of ArtSocial has some great ideas of how to give art as a gift.

Tiffany from our Product Development team illustrated the top baby names of 2013 with Patricia Carlin’s Coat of Arms artwork.

Customer Service Specialist Naomi and her bambina test out the Baby Gift Set to help keep baby’s skin soft and sweet.

Custom Orders Specialist Julian gave our Belly Art kit a test with his wife and toddler.

We share our tips for throwing a geeky baby shower.

Visit our Oh, Baby! Pinterest board for some of our favorite baby products and tips.

The Uncommon Life

Illustrated – Top 10 Baby Names of 2013

July 29, 2013

This has already been a big year for babies! Especially royal ones.

Although George Alexander is not on the list of top boys names for 2013, we wanted to share the top five boys and girls names of the year with our regal custom Coat of Arms Birth Announcement art.

Boy’s names:
1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Mason
4. Jackson
5. Lucas

Girl’s names:
1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Emily
4. Charlotte
5. Abigail

The Uncommon Life

Celebrating International Shipping with our 6 Favorite Foods from Around the World

July 26, 2013

We’re always getting questions from fans of our products from around the world wondering when they’ll be able to make purchases and have them shipped from our home in Brooklyn to their homes outside of the United States. For a few years, the answer was “we’re working on it.” It took some time to work out the details, but it’s important to us to be able to get our goods across the pond (any pond) to those who want them. Now, we’re thrilled to announce that international shipping is finally here!

Our team is super excited to share our designs around the globe, so we had to do something fun to celebrate. In honor of the special occasion, team members brought foods from their favorite countries. Some brought dishes to represent their heritage, some contributed the cuisine of lands they’d like to visit, and others made the choice simply based on the food’s deliciousness!

Our HR team made our international foods potluck even more special by decorating our break room and busting out a Scratch Map to mark the places from where our food “traveled.”

We loved devouring these tasty treats, so while we’re spreading the word about our new shipping options we decided to share the love and spread the recipes for our favorite potluck foods.

Alisha, or Director of Purchasing rolled up some scrumptious Swedish chocolate balls, AKA Chokladbollar.

Sarah, our Senior Product Development Associate, also contributed a Scandinavian favorite, Lefse.

HR Manager Mindy whipped up a batch of fantastic Eggplant Caponata.

Transportation Manager Victoria (who worked hard to make international shipping happen!) supplied us with a big batch of Hamentashen.

Summer Analytics Intern Andrew got in on the fun with his homemade Haitian-style Macaroni Au Gratin.

And the last delicious dish in our roundup of festive foods from near and far, Senior Merchandising Manager Heather’s strawberry shortcake was the icing on the cake. Actually, her cake was complete with homemade whipped cream, which made it extra delectable.

These are just a few of our favorites from the celebration. What’s your favorite international food?

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Gaby Dolceamore

July 25, 2013

Gaby Dolceamore, UncommonGoods Community Outreach CoordinatorMy hometown is…
Ventnor City, New Jersey. It’s a little beach town next to Atlantic City.

My favorite design challenge product is…
The collection of paintings from Valerie Galloway. I too love afros and striped shirts! I fell in love with her work and emailed her to tell her she should enter. Although Valerie didn’t end up winning the 2012 Art Contest, I never hesitate to remind our buyers that I “discovered” her.

I’m inspired by…
Music from the ’60s. Actually, make that anything from the ’60s.

My guilty pleasure is…
Glee and root beer floats.

An uncommon fact about me…
Coming up with a new one of these for every company meeting is daunting, but I’m going to make sure this uncommon fact is original. I have a collection of 1960s astronaut memorabilia from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. Pins, patches, dolls and magazines – anything with an astronaut’s face on it. A museum once used one of my pieces in a temporary exhibit about Apollo 1. I guess you can call me a space geek.

My favorite place to eat in New York City is…
Other than my sofa? Sun in Bloom on Bergen in Brooklyn. It’s all natural, gluten-free, vegan, and all that jazz so I don’t feel guilty when I gorge on pancakes. They also have the most amazing coffee and are a great place to chill with a book before yoga class on Sunday morning.

In 140 characters or less, @GabDolceamore is…
A dark horse running in a sorority of carousel ponies. (Bet you didn’t know I was a Twitter poet!)

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
Pinterest is everything and the Internet is cats.

Would you rather… Have to wear the same thing for 2 weeks straight OR never get to wear your favorite outfit again?
It’s no secret that I love clothes, but I had a taste of wearing a school uniform as a kid and I kind of miss it sometimes. I would have no problem wearing leggings, a cashmere sweater, and moccasins for two weeks. There would be so much more time for me to think about other things like what’s for dinner and who is the best rock’n’roll drummer ever.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Kris Keenan

July 23, 2013

Kris Keenan, UncommonGoods Product Safety & QA Coordinator
My hometown is…
Nashua, NH

My favorite UncommonGoods product in my category is…
I’m a bit obsessed with all of the Uncle Goose blocks, especially the Counting Koi Blocks. I also love the softer style ones, like the Illustrated Animal Wooden Blocks.

I’m inspired by…
I’d love to give a sophisticated answer here, but the truth is: my mom (the voice I hear talking me down whenever I think life is too hard – because it totally isn’t and I’m just dramatic) and my dad (whose voice I hear if I try to cut corners, but also teasing me for not having more fun with life).

My guilty pleasure is…
I don’t believe in guilty pleasures – I relish all my vices.

An uncommon fact about me…
I have moved 18 times (counting apartment moves, as well as cities and states).

My favorite place to eat in New York City is…
Grimaldi’s Pizza all the way!

The word that best describes me…
If I’m honest – contrary.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
How to talk comfortably on the phone for business.

With a pile of stuff in front of me I would make…
(You’re given washi tape, sequins, colorful string, safety pins, and felt squares.)

I would make decorative garlands with my nieces, Star and Evelyn.

The Uncommon Life

Insta-Recap #1

July 22, 2013

We’ve got Instagram fever. We’ve got it bad. Here are some of our favorite picks from the past couple of weeks.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Shana King

July 18, 2013

Shana King, UncommonGoods Merchandising Operations Associate – Home Décor

My hometown is…
Born in Brooklyn NY; raised in Newport News, VA.

My favorite UncommonGoods product in my category is…
Sea Serpent Garden Sculpture, by Chris Crooks. (It was the first product I presented at company lunch as a merch assistant, and it is KILLING IT!!!!)

I’m inspired by…

My daughter; she is amazing, has breathed new life into my world, and always gives me reason to push forward. I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’D DO WITHOUT THAT LITTLE GIRL!

My guilty pleasure is…
Baked mac ‘n’ cheese.

An uncommon fact about me…
I was 6 months pregnant before I found out!

My favorite place to eat in New York City is…
Home!

The word that best describes me…
Hard worker! (Two words.)

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
All about sustainability!

Would you rather…Eat your favorite food for every meal for a week OR not get to eat your favorite food for a year?
Eat my favorite meal every day for a week.