Review: Uncommon Goods

When Uncommon Goods asked me to collaborate with them I was instantly excited! I already knew a little about their mission statement and products, but still found some pleasant surprises as I learned some more about their company.

They seem to run an honest and inspiring business, and they offer a very large variety of fun items; which makes Uncommon Goods a wonderful place to shop for yourself or for pretty much anyone you could possibly know. You can browse by category, do a keyword search or use their handy pages for gift ideas. Check out this page for lots of birthday gifts. It includes items to brighten up a home or wardrobe, and nifty things for people into science, sports, music or cooking. There's also a huge section for personalized gifts, which you can find here. Or -and this is very helpful as it's often the trickiest!- you could look here to find something nice for the men in your life. Handy, right?!

Since you're following my blog, odds are you're a fellow owl-loving lady with a fondness for jewelry and a knack for crafts. If so, I think you'll love the three items I'm reviewing today as much as I do... So let's get started!

I knit a lot, so it's quite surprising I did not yet own a yarn bowl. They have always intrigued me, so I was very excited to try this owly one. It is beautifully crafted, and nice and heavy so that it doesn't slide as you pull yarn from it.

It was very safely packaged and came with business cards and information on the artist who made and designed it.

Next up is this fun necklace. It's beautiful, quirky in a mature way, and even gilt/dipped in 18 and 22k gold. I find the color wheel matches basically anything I throw at it, and it makes even the most basic outfit instantly look creative.

I am equally smitten with the clever packaging!  It scores 10 out of 10 for sure! I loved the glass jar and the way the necklace was presented inside. Even the illustrated tag is cute. Yellow Owl Workshop definitely knows their stuff!

Lastly, this felt succulent garden seemed like a great substitute for the real succulents that didn't survive their stay with me... I don't exactly have a green thumb. I am, however, good with crafts, so I was excited for this DIY kit!

It's a fun concept and the instruction booklet was wonderfully clear. It's mostly a matter of assembling things, but you can still make a bunch of creative decisions with the chalk details and final placement of the succulents.

The one issue I had was that it didn't stick together very well. Double-sided tape just wasn't strong enough to hold the foldable box together (hence the gold washi tape you see in my picture), nor keep the succulents stuck to the bottom securely. But it's nothing a little glue couldn't fix. Despite that minor issue, I actually enjoyed it a lot. The rolling of the succulents, the coloring with the chalk, and finally figuring out what composition looked best. It was fun and I like the result!

A Few Notes on Sustainability:

Now, I'm very passionate about going "green", love to support independent artists, but also really like the service and security of established companies. Uncommon Goods incorporates all three into their business! They value sustainability, in every sense of the word. They work with artists and small manufacturers, use recycled and organic products whenever they can, support non-profit organizations and are all about fair and long-lasting relationships. They even give back to the community by inspiring and helping their customers donate some old things to Goodwill.

Final Verdict:

I loved collaborating with Uncommon Goods! I found them to be a very transparent and warm company. There is a personal touch to everything they do, and a definite sense of community. They even have a blog where they feature their artists and lots of different kinds of employees in interviews with pictures. It's a business I feel very good about working with. And, as you can see, the products I received were absolutely wonderful too!

P.S. I received these items for review, but was encouraged to share my own opinions and experience.