Unicorns – The Goods

Maker Stories

This Just In-spiration: Meet Unicorn Cupcake Entrepreneur Jillian Donaldson

April 3, 2018

Photo by Inspired Life Photography

It doesn’t take too much to please us here at UncommonGoods. Give us a creative handmade good or a heartwarming story and we’re more or less set. Throw in a unicorn or a sweet treat and we’re even better than set—we’re stoked. So perhaps it’s little wonder that pastry chef Jillian Donaldson and her Unicorn Cupcake Kit so readily caught our attention. I mean, vegan-friendly fondant alicorns, anyone? It’s hard to say no to something so cute… and so tasty.

Unicorn Cupcake Kit | UncommonGoods

If Jillian’s—a.k.a. Jill’s—sparkling sprinkles haven’t enchanted you yet, we don’t know what will. If they have, sit tight, ’cause you’re in for a treat. For the latest installment in our This Just In-spiration series, we spoke with Jill about family, the joy of baking, and sturdy mixers that double as special trinkets. Read on for more. Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

11 Creative Combos to Craft
DIY Gift Baskets

November 20, 2017

We know it’s the little things that count, but sometimes you want to show someone you care big. Putting together a DIY gift basket is a great way to combine an assortment of cool little gifts with a whole lot of love. Creating that gift basket around someone’s hobby, favorite food, or most-loved mythical creature adds another level of personalized charm. We even included gift basket ideas for kids and teens, because we know they can be even harder to shop for than that unicorn lover on your list.

Taco Lover

Whether they have a soft spot for soft shells or prefer a crispy crunch, they’ll love these taco-themed goodies.

The Uncommon Life

37 Enchantingly Uncommon Facts about Unicorns

November 7, 2017

Ever wondered what a Unicorn’s horn is called? Are unicorns real, or is the mighty beast just a myth? How do you catch a unicorn? We rounded up 37 enchanting facts about everyone’s favorite elusive horned horse to make it easy to find everything you’ve ever wanted to know about unicorns in one magical article.

The gleaming, magical horn that’s captured our hearts is officially called an alicorn.

Alicorn isn’t just the name for a unicorn’s horn. It’s also the name for a horse with wings and one horn.

While Nessie may still be the Highlands’ most notable mythical creature, the Unicorn is the national animal of Scotland.

Scots celebrate the majestic equine on National Unicorn Day each April 9.

Gift Guides

15 Unique (and Super Adorable) Baby Shower Gifts

August 25, 2017

For the special mamas-to-be in your crew, no ordinary gift will do. So when the baby shower invite arrives, don’t just follow her registry — rock the cradle and give the expecting parents something unexpected! With our creative baby shower gift guide, finding unique presents for wee ones has never been easier or more adorable. Whether you wrap up a laugh-out-loud babysuit or a stuffed animal with panache (and a poncho!), let her know from the very start that you’re going to go the extra mile for her bundle of joy. Your friend is making a human, after all. The least you could do is make a clever gift choice.

Mermaid, merman… merbaby! Help Mom and Dad welcome their little guppy with a handmade, teeny-tiny tail blanket.

Baby Mermaid Tail – $30 Buy Now »

Let’s taco about the hottest gift around: Wee ones will feast their eyes on this cheery felt food mobile — until they take a siesta, that is.

Taco Dreams Mobile – $48 Buy Now »

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Is the Unicorn Ready to Rumble?

November 7, 2016

With Scotland getting prickly as a thistle about staying in the UK post-Brexit, you might think such strife is a recent phenomenon. Nae, laddy—the roots of unrest between England and Scotland run deep and are reflected in the British royal coat-of-arms itself. The lion and the unicorn therein might look like they’re happily cooperating to support the heraldic shield in the center, but folklore has it that the two beasts aren’t exactly besties. The unicorn hails from the 14^th century Scottish coat-of-arms, while the lion traditionally stands for England. And when James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603, the two iconic animals were forced into coat-of-arms cooperation. But the beef between the two goes back over 5,000 years to ancient Babylonian mythology, where the unicorn represented spring and the lion stood for summer. Each year, the two fought for supremacy—and each year the lion eventually won. A popular English nursery rhyme reflects this ongoing animosity, as well as historic wars between England and Scotland:

The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown;
The lion beat the unicorn
All round about the town.

For the time being at least, these age-old rivals continue to coexist, though the Scottish unicorn may be asking himself “should I stay or should I go?”

LED Unicorn Lamp | $78

Design

Adopt a Unicorn–Elwood the Rainbow Unicorn Mug!

August 4, 2014

Meet Elwood. Magical unicorn. Party animal. Coffee buddy for life.

Elwood’s fairy tale begins in an Effort, Pennsylvania ceramics studio. It may not be an enchanted forest, but it is a charming place, bursting with creativity and inspiration. It’s where JoAnn Stratakos develops original designs, like everyone’s favorite Rainbow Unicorn, by letting the clay guide her imagination.

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Do unicorns exist?

August 4, 2014

If by unicorns, you mean majestic marine life with a unicorn-like horn, then yes! They do! Though the existence of the narwhal might not be uncommon knowledge to all, a quick office poll is all you need to realize that not everyone has been clued in to this myth-worthy creature. The narwhal is an arctic whale with what looks like a tusk. In medieval times, this tusk was given to royalty and passed off as a unicorn horn. However, that tusk is actually a small town dentist’s dream—it’s technically a tooth that grows in a counterclockwise spiral for up to ten feet. Try fitting that with a retainer.

Cardboard Unicorn Head, $30

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Do you believe in space unicorns?

April 14, 2014

If not, perhaps you should reconsider. Astronomer Charles Messier first discovered the Trifid Nebula in 1764. The name means “three-lobed,” referring to the nebula’s general shape. However, it wasn’t until the Hubble Space Telescope got a good look at it in the ‘90s that we spotted the Trifid’s most enchanting feature. That would be the space unicorn. In the same way that you might look up to find a cloud that looks like an elephant or a duck, one corner of this particular cloud of gas has taken on the shape of a unicorn. An ear and nose are visible, draped by its flowing mane, as the great beast looks away from us. And of course there’s the horn, extending .75 light years long and created by a stellar jet.

Cardboard Unicorn Head, $30