The Uncommon Life

Say What?

August 12, 2011

Finding the perfect gift at UncommonGoods is a snap. But what about writing that card?

We’re here to help you find those words.

If you’re not sure what to say in the bride-to-be’s card, you either:

A. Love her too much for words,
B. Don’t know her well enough to personalize the card, or
C. Can’t stand the witch and don’t even know how you got invited to this stupid party in the first place.

Regardless of your answer, the rule to remember is:

Share your feelings.

Because if you can’t do it in a card, where can you?

But don’t forget – bridal showers are for tea cups, croissants and high-pitched laughter. So talk about your emotions, but do it the way an uptight person would.

Try one of these notes:

Your mother told me to keep my mouth shut. So I’m keeping my mouth shut. Good luck with your wedding.

I love you so much. Even though you don’t see the irony in wearing white.

Thanks for inviting me to your shower. It’s nice to finally see you again.

You picked a good one. I love your fiance. He’s truly been there for me in ways you never could.

Congratulations on finally losing the weight!

But if you’re bold and feel like being completely honest, the best thing you can do is shut up.
And let poignant words of the wise do the talking:

“Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.”
Loretta Young

“Love conquers all.”
Virgil

And my personal favorite:

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Plato said, “At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”
Which makes you far better suited to write this card than I.
Love,
Nina

Place your memorable card atop an equally memorable gift:


Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook	Bridal Shower Guest Book		Porn for the Bride

Guest post by Nina Mozes

The Uncommon Life

Better to Give Update

August 8, 2011

Every three months, we get to write checks to our favorite non-profits. We base the size of those checks on you– which charities you vote for every time you make a purchase from our site.

So here’s what these great non-profits have been doing to make the world a better place.

AmeriCares

It’s been a rough year– from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami to the current drought and famine in Somalia. But that hasn’t slowed AmeriCares down one bit.

Your votes at checkout have helped us send $4,500 in the last three months to help AmeriCares deliver critical medical supplies to people in urgent need around the globe.

American Forests

American Forests joined our program in 2010. For every $1 we donate, they plant a tree. And with your votes, they planted more than 4,400 trees in the last 3 months.

Here are a few projects they’re working on right now.

Ecosystem Restoration in Los Padres National Forest, California
Trees: 224,000
A large-scale project to replant 14,000 acres, to include a sanctuary for the endangered California condor. All but eight percent of this national forest has been deforested by wildfires and other factors.

2011 Red Mountain Restoration, Idaho
Trees: 86,000
Replanting areas of the Boise National Forest to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and support habitats for local wildlife species like the lynx, boreal owl, northern goshawk, and northern three-toed woodpeckers.

Forest For Monarchs, Mexico
Trees: 200,000
A long term initiative that has already planted five million trees in the last four years, this year’s project works to restore 687 acres of the oyamel fir forests that make up the monarch butterfly’s wintering grounds, and will train local residents in sustainable forestry management.

Check out American Forests for more info on how you can get involved.

City Harvest

Using a fleet of 18 trucks and 3 cargo bikes, City Harvest will rescue more than 30 million pounds of food this year, helping to feed more than 300,000 men, women and children each week. At a cost of just 27 cents to rescue and deliver a pound of food, every dollar donated provides nearly four pounds of good food for hungry New Yorkers.

In May, our company helped out with City Harvest’s largest one day fundraiser, Skip Lunch Fight Hunger, where fundraising teams and individuals throughout New York City donated what they would normally spend on lunch to raise nearly $500,000. Those funds will help feed almost 24,000 children and their families throughout the summer months.

RAINN

RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, runs a national hotline to help people in crisis. You voted RAINN into our Better to Give program last fall, and voted to donate $4,500 to support their work over the past 3 months.

The hardworking folks at RAINN just told us, “Last month, July 2011, RAINN helped 12,659 survivors of sexual violence through our hotlines. It was the highest number of people we’ve helped in one month in more than 8 years.”

All these organizations run with the support of people like you, so thanks for your votes! Got a cause you’d like to see us support? Leave a comment to suggest a non-profit doing great work in your community.

The Uncommon Life

Summer Sitting

August 5, 2011

We were pleased as punch to see our reclaimed wood outdoor dining bench on Kirtsy last week.

Image courtesy Southern Living

Check out the full spread of summer porches in Southern Living.

Or check out more of Margaret Taylor‘s handmade furniture and home decor.

The Uncommon Life

Geek Watch: Decoded

May 25, 2011

Our customers’ opinions mean a lot to us, and we love hearing what you think through your comments, tweets and emails. Just a few days ago, we received a special email from Ginny, who purchased the Geek Wrist Watch as a birthday gift for her dad, Zach.

Ginny told us that Zach loved the watch so much that he decided to blog about it! We’re thrilled that Zach liked his gift enough to do the math, so we want to share his post!

This is a Watch by Zach D. Cox

(12 O’Clock) The Cube Root Of 1728

$\sqrt[3]{1728}$

$\sqrt[3]{3*576}$ (Dividing by three)

$\sqrt[3]{3*4*144}$ (Dividing by four)

$\sqrt[3]{3*4*12*12}$ (I know what twelve times twelve is)

$\sqrt[3]{12*12*12}$ (That’s three of them $12$ and the cube root is easy now)

(1 O’Clock) $B'_L = 1$ or Legendre’s Constant or The Prime Number Theorem

$\displaystyle\lim_{n\to\infty} \left( ln(n) - \frac{n}{\pi(n)} \right) = 1$

where ln(n) is the natural logrithm of the number n, and $\pi(n)$ is equal to the number of prime numbers less than the number n.

$\pi(n)$ ~ $\dfrac{ln(n)}{n}$ And the difference between these two numbers is some really deep math. Not the least of which (to me) is how to get that limit to go to 1 $\displaystyle\ddot\smile$ given the approximation that follows it.

The Uncommon Life

What Did the Ketchup Say?

May 19, 2011

You guys have squeezed out some great quotes, and we need help picking the winner of our latest caption contest.

We’ve narrowed it down to our favorite five, so leave a comment letting us know which caption you want to see featured on our website!

1.) “The ketchup is rushing to my head!”- Denise Doldron
2.) “Mustard beat me to the burger, I’m just trying to ketchup.”- Jennifer Meehan
3.) “Don’t squeeze me, bro!”- Alyson M. Olander
4.) “Wait, wait, I can’t see what I’m doing.”-Nancy J Fedder
5.) “Oooh-hoo-hoo, that TICKLES!” – Jen Fletcher

Want a few more good laughs? Check out our facebook page, where you can view all of the entries.

The Uncommon Life

Show Your Bicycle Pride!

May 19, 2011

Not only are we in the middle of National Bike to Work Week (May 16-20), May is National Bike Month! You can show your bike pride while peddling to work, enjoying a weekend ride through the park or by sporting some bicycle-inspired gear.

So spread the word about National Bike Month, and check out a few of our favorite ways to share your love for those two-wheeled transportation sensations!

1.) Bicycle Built for Two Spin-off Necklace

Made in New York, this playful pendant celebrates biking, movement and fun. The twirling medallion features a bicyclist on one side and a woman dancing on the other. Give it a spin and a la flipbook the image becomes a bicycle built for two!

The Uncommon Life

Biking to Work

May 15, 2011

May 16-20 is Bike to Work Week, and it’s the perfect time of year to give your bike a tune-up, and start pedaling.

I checked in with Mindy, our HR manager, who has been biking regularly in 2006. She’s been testing out our new Cycle Care Kit, $15, to see if it helps her keep her bike in great shape.

Made in Atlanta, the Cycle Care Kit has a selection of bike care products, along with bug repellent, to make sure your daily bike commute, or weekend bike trip, goes smoothly.

The Uncommon Life

Skip Lunch, Fight Hunger

May 10, 2011

We sometimes grumble about the same old lunch options around the UncommonGoods offices in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. You do too, right?

This week, we’re putting that back into perspective. We’re pretty lucky around here. We have plenty to eat, plenty of great restaurant choices, and there’s even a farmer’s market nearby, where we can pick up fresh fruit and produce every week.

But millions of New Yorkers are not so lucky. 1.5 million New Yorkers live below the poverty line. Many more can’t afford to buy good healthy food for their families, much less go out to eat. During the summertime, when many kids stop receiving subsidized school lunches, child hunger really becomes apparent.

We’re joining City Harvest’s Skip Lunch, Fight Hunger campaign on Wednesday, May 11. We’re donating the cost of a lunch at our favorite taco joint, neighborhood sandwich shop, or delicious pizzeria to City Harvest’s campaign to provide food for 300,000 children, women and men every week. Every $10 we raise can feed 43 children in New York City.

You can join us too; you can make a donation to our fund raising page, or select City Harvest at checkout every time you make a purchase.

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