Guest Blogger – The Goods

How to Help Change the World with What’s in Your Wallet

December 19, 2017

*Editor’s note: On November 26, 2017, UncommonGoods participated in Shop for Good Sunday. Following Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, Shop for Good Sunday celebrates businesses that make a positive impact on the world. The newest addition to themed post-Thanksgiving shopping days, Shop for Good Sunday was founded by the team at DoneGood, a social enterprise working to put people in touch with brands that share their values. DoneGood’s Cullen Schwarz took a moment to tell us about his company’s mission and why “consumerism” doesn’t have to be a dirty word in this guest post.

Cullen Schwarz, DoneGood co-founder and Chief of Good Thoughts

The most powerful tool you have to change the world is in your pocket right now

There’s a revolution happening across the country and around the world. UncommonGoods is a part of it. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a part of it already too.

The world

Our world is filled with tremendous love and beauty. It also has some problems—inequality, environmental degradation, exploitation to name a few.

We believe that the world’s most powerful force for addressing those problems is already in your pocket—it’s the dollars you spend. We quit our careers to start DoneGood because we wanted to help people more effectively wield that power.

Together we all spend trillions of dollars buying stuff every year—if even a fraction of that money can automatically help alleviate poverty, fight climate change, and otherwise make the world better, the impact is huge!

The dollars we spend help solve problems when we shift our shopping to mission-driven social impact brands—companies that are paying good wages, empowering people, investing in communities, offering paid family leave, and using sustainable production practices.

Maker Stories

Makers Joining Forces:
A Brief History of WomenMadeLA

December 11, 2017

From left to right, Debbie, Sashee, and Lori

Three women, three companies, and three uncommon goods that represent the food we grew up loving, by Debbie Mullin

Two years ago, in the infancy of our businesses, the three of us—Sashee Chandran, Lori Sandoval, and me, Debbie Mullin—kept running into each other. We were handing out samples at the same market, renting time at the same commercial kitchen, and neighbors at the same gigantic trade shows. When the three of us finally sat down to chat about our LA-based companies, we realized they all faced the same exciting but daunting challenges with growth—expensive LA real estate, setting up distribution, finding good employees, etc.—all on top of being women and minority-owned businesses. Each of our companies needed so much to keep growing, but we didn’t know how to afford it all at once.

Enter: WomenMadeLA. The three of us joined together a year ago to form our collective and formally support one another through shared resources for our quickly growing small businesses. Since then, WomenMadeLA has moved to a large downtown office to accommodate growth, and has even added new companies. The collective now employs three full-time staff for all our photography/video, graphic design, and social media needs and to keep all WomenMadeLA products looking as good to their customers as they taste at home.

Design

Winter Jewelry Lookbook Bloggers

November 11, 2013

This 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!

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!”

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.”

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?”

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

Home Is Where the Design Is

October 24, 2013

As a fashion blogger at Kita Moda, I believe details and accessories are imperative. But this golden rule doesn’t just apply to my wardrobe, it’s important for my apartment’s design and atmosphere as well.

I moved into my own place about a year ago and over the recent months I’ve spent lots of time getting rid of my college Ikea furniture and replacing everything with sustainable pieces made for big kids. But of course I need stellar pieces to accentuate the fine furniture, right? This is where my obsession with UncommonGoods comes in. Every single one of their home decor items is a conversation starter. Packed with loads of color and unique textures, each piece appears to be from a far-off land making my home a bit like a well-curated mini museum. If you’re searching to brighten up your home with function and beauty, look no further. Take a look at some of my favorite pieces.

For the kitchen: A festive recycled glass pitcher and matching margarita glasses are a must for any party! My boyfriend appreciates the tastes of tequila, and I, sangria. And for when you’re not planning a party? These colored glasses inspired by Brazilian Agate will do just the trick.

For the living room:A beaded picture frame stands out against more basic wooden or metal frames. I love how these colors pop against all the white.

These Agate Coasters will make you and your guests want to use them. I like to leave them stacked when they’re not in use, almost as a mini sculpture. Architectural bowls make such terrific centerpieces. I’ve had my bronze Kelly Wearstler-esque one for quite a while but if I were to to replace it, I’d look to the Satellite Bowl. The stark black and clean lines just make such a statement.

For the bedroom: My entire bedroom is covered in jewelry. My dresser looks as though it’s in preparation for an editorial run-through with trays and bowls and cases full of pieces. My vanity and each and every shelf is the same way, covered. I simply need a closet dedicated to jewelry but until that miracle happens, practical jewelry boxes will have to suffice. One of my favorites actually matches the aforementioned beaded frame and it’s full of compartments inside.

And of course, let’s not forget about the art.

It was a bit like love at first sight when I spotted this Green Poppy Love Chair by Kate Lewis. It’s currently on my wish list, lets hope Santa comes through this year. It reminds me of a vintage dress my aunt from Greece recently gifted me, proving yet again, how seamlessly fashion and design go hand in hand.

Remember, it’s all in the details, so click here for more unique home decor ideas to add to your own wish list.

Design

3 Easy Steps to Make A Necklace Display

October 17, 2013

Hey you jewelry lovers, I’m Christina from Tales From The Thrift. I’m so used to showing off all my thrift shop finds that sometimes I forget to blog about the projects I conquer when I’m not vintage hunting! Naturally, my projects usually have something to do with actually organizing all of my random finds. Like a lot of other jewelry hoarders, I’m shockingly bad at storing my treasures, almost to the point of embarrassment. Every piece I own — from the fancy gems gifted by loved ones, to my huge collection of thrifted trinkets — gets stuffed into old jewelry boxes and dusty pouches or tossed haphazardly onto my nightstand before bed. Obviously, this strategy leads to plenty of tangles, tarnishing, tears, and loss. But finally, after one missing earring too many and some minor soul-searching, I realized it was time to become a responsible jewelry-owning adult and embark on my first-ever DIY storage project.

I kicked off my mission with a plan to create a simple display for some of my favorite necklaces. I began scouring a few local thrift stores and stumbled across some wood-framed, canvas art pieces–one black with silver handwriting, and the other with an abstract floral print–at Goodwill. (I ended up abandoning the floral canvas, and sticking with the black/silver piece, which features a poem by Elizabeth Bishop. If you’re curious, you can read it in full here!) I scored both items for around $4.

What you need: Other than some old wood-and-canvas artwork, just some nails and a hammer.

Step 1: Hammer your first nail at the top/center on the front of the wooden frame. Make sure you keep the nail exposed by at least a half-inch.

Step 2: Hammer a few more nails in a similar fashion, evenly spaced on either side of the middle nail, so you end up with a nice, balanced row.

Step 3: Put the display on your dresser or hang it on the wall, and arrange your necklaces. Enjoy a life free of tangled jewelry.

For rings, earrings and bracelets, I supplemented my DIY display with a few handmade jewelry stands and holders from UncommonGoods. UG’s gorgeous Hand Of Buddha Stand is perfect for my “real” jewelry that I wear daily, and I added a light blue Pedestal Holder and pewter Labyrinth Bowl to hold my other assorted baubles.

Of course, I still have plenty of jewelry stowed away and out of sight, but my DIY display definitely helps me keep my most-loved necklaces organized and easy to find. And best of all, my new set-up is as pretty as it is practical!

Design

An Enchanting Children’s Picnic with A Daily Something

August 20, 2013

One of my personal favorite bloggers, Rebecca of A Daily Something, has an incredible way of making everything beautiful and ethereal. I first met her when she was styling the room at BlogShop with old book pages, antique suitcases, and fresh flowers, transforming an empty studio into a colorful yet serene work space.

I wanted to see what she could do with our wooden and crocheted toys and how they would inspire her. So she staged a play picnic (with real life children) and shared these dreamy pics with me for the blog.

oval xylophone // lowercase alphabet blocks // puzzle stacker
pita pockets lunch // organic fruit rattles // fox pillow

Gift Guides

A Day at the Beach

June 25, 2013

Warm sun, waves crashing on the shore, that coconut-y smell of sunscreen. Is there anything better than a day at the beach? Nope. Nothing.

I can’t wait for a few relaxing beach days this summer. Here are a few things on my beach wish list this year…

01. Beach Ball Roundy Towel. Guys, this over-sized towel is made to carry! It has a sturdy strap that allows you to pick it up and swing it over your shoulder. Think of all the free space you’ll have in your tote bag now… and a lot less sand.

02. Upcycled Mail Sack iPad Case. Admit it. You totally bring your iPad to the beach. No? Just me? Well maybe you would if you had this awesome case, think about it.

03. Custom Map Tote Bag. Tote bags are a beach must-have. This one has a ton of pockets and space, plus I absolutely love the authentic nautical chart.

04. Custom Beach Stacking Rings. I always want to wear jewelry at the beach, but none of my day-to-day accessories quite fit. These rings are perfect. They feature granules gathered from over 1,000 shorelines around the world. Wow, love.

05. Beach Sounds Portable Speaker. A day at the beach just isn’t complete without the right soundtrack. Plug in your iPhone, strap it safely inside, and you’re ready for a beach dance party.

06. Bamboo Sunglasses. I’m all about the bamboo sunglasses this summer. They’re so lightweight and durable. Perfect for the beach.

07. Beach Chess and Checkers. Playing checkers on the beach sounds so relaxing after a long day of swimming, don’t you think?

08. Sprocket Rocket Camera. I take photos everywhere I go… with my iPhone. I’d love to take this camera to the beach to capture some photos the old fashioned way.

Are you planning on spending some time at the beach this summer? What’s on your beach wish list?

Design

Art Crush: Denise Fiedler

May 3, 2013

I think I have spring and summer fever. The lingering cold and snow here in Colorado has me daydreaming of warmer temperatures… and crushing on Denise Fiedler’s collages. They capture that easygoing charm of summertime so perfectly.

Denise started making collages in 2009 after one serendipitous bout of spring cleaning. While going through her attic, she stumbled upon a box of vintage books and newsprint, which she’d collected over the years from flea markets. Inspired by her forgotten treasures, she decided to transform these ephemeral materials into works of art. She calls this unique artistic endeavor paste.

The yellowing pages and iconic subject matter give her work a wonderful sense of nostalgia. It’s like we’re looking into the past at a simpler time of bicycle rides, ice cream cones, and family road trips in the ol’ station wagon.

To construct these delicate outlines, she carefully carves silhouettes from the vintage pages and assembles the cutouts to adeptly capture the design and essence of her subjects. Denise draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including architecture, animals, food, and people who have caught her eye.

Which one is your favorite? I think I need the ice cream collage. Just imagine, it would be summer on my wall all year round… that sounds pretty great.

See more from Denise in the Uncommon Artist Gallery and read more about the works featured above: Ice Cream, Sunglasses, Woody, Hydrangeas, Dogs.

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