UncommonGoods - A Wide Range Of Gifts With A Difference

Founded in 1999, Uncommongoods is the place to go for unique gifts for when you want to find something a little bit different. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Uncommongoods is a privately owned retailer that features designer decor, handcrafted gifts, unique jewellery and table top items. Uncoommongoods like to make sure that their items are environmentally friendly. 

Uncommongoods have a wide selection of items that make ideal gifts for many occasions. 

I have picked out some favourite bits that I feel make great gifts for the man in your life for birthdays and fathers day as well some personalised gifts too. 

Below are a few items I found that would make great gifts for fathers day this year. The personalised whisky barrel is a lovely gift idea for Dad's that love the tipple. The equation geek watch is smart and stylish and features the equivalent notation of each number. The shark socks make a fun addition to the man in your life's wardrobe. You can click here for more gift ideas for fathers day. 

When it comes to birthday gift ideas for men I picked out items that I could see the men in my life loving. I really love the look of the Bioluminescent Aquarium,tiny bioluminescent plankton illuminate this spherical environment when you gently swirl it. We love to have plants in our home and really like the idea of having a Bonsai tree, this Bonsai forest set is great as it comes with the all the bits to grow your own. Last of all my favourite is the deep sea sand desk sculpture which is ideal for  bringing a calming presence to the home/office. Why not check out the website to find more birthday gifts for men. 

In regards to personalised items I picked out some bits for women as well as men as their really are some lovely products. The personalised definition of family necklace is a unique charm necklace which makes an ideal gift for mum's like myself. The custom map serving tray is a lovely way to feature the special spot of your choice whether its the first spot you met your soulmate or your favourite holiday destination. The personalised porcelain mug set is carved with your initials and anniversary which will make a great wedding or anniversary gift. You can find more personalised gifts on this page.

Uncommongoods have been awarded for outstanding customer service every year since 2007. In 2015 they achieved the BizRate platinum circle of excellence award which is their highest achievement yet.  

UncommonGoods has been awarded for outstanding customer service every year since 2007. In 2015, we

achieved the BizRate Platinum Circle of Excellence award, out highest achievement level yet

UncommonGoods has been awarded for outstanding customer service every year since 2007. In 2015, we

achieved the BizRate Platinum Circle of Excellence award, out highest achievement level ye

Message in a Bottle

Around April time I was given the opportunity to be a part of the launch team for a beautiful personalised book Message in a Bottle this project started out on Kickstarter and now 5 months later here is the book!

I have really enjoyed being part of the team and reading updates from Tuire and the team and putting my thoughts into how some of  the pages of the book look etc. 

When the book arrived I was so excited to see how it has turned out. I didn't even tell Stuart about it (how I kept quite I don't know). After seeing the pages on screen it was so exciting to see the book in print. The book is a personaslised one and you may know by now that I love personalised items. The hero of Message in a Bottle is a little bird Kiki, who loves an adventure and finds a message in a bottle and decide's to deliver the message to the owner. The book is personalised for your child including their name and address on the bottle, their name throughout the book and a very personal message in the back. 

When the book arrived, Stuart and I have had a read of it together.We are yet to read it to Blake as we going to give it to him for his Birthday in December but I know he is going to love it. 

The book itself  has breathtaking illustrations which are bright and colorful and even causes the reader to rotate the book. The book is eye catching and the pages of the book are of high quality paper, including the cover. 

One of the best bits of the book is that you get to read the letter in the bottle. After experiencing the adventure with Kiki you get to see what the letter says. 

We picked a special message from the selection offered and chose one especially for Blake's birthday. 

I love this book, its not just any book its a keepsake for Blake to have in years to come. 

It also has plenty of things for us to chat about such as the different animals and countries too. 

The book is very easy to create and there is a step by step guide on the website on how to do this. You can even include a photo of your choice that you would like to add on the page with the letter. 

We are really thrilled with the book and know others would love the book as much as I know Blake will.

If you would like to get your hands on a copy of the book than the first 10 of my readers to use code TM208U at the checkout will get 15% off the book. 

Fathers Day with WhiteWall

As fathers day is fast approaching online photolab, WhiteWall have a fab selection of photo print products. You can transform one of your favorite photos into a stunning showpiece. 

Their are products with an array of looks, sizes and frames to choose from.

WhiteWall offers a high quality printing and framing service using customers’ own photos. Simply choose an image, specify your custom size and material, including HD Metal Prints and Acrylic Blocks, and you pick from a range of framing options such as Floater Frames or Solid Wood ArtBoxes. Prices start at under just under £10 so ideal for a range of budgets. 

The website is simple to use I ordered an 13x18cm acrylic block. All I had to do once selected the item I wanted was to upload my chosen photo (a cute one of Blake on the swings) and then you can move the photo into position and then your done just add to cart and go to checkout. It's that easy. Delivery was speedy too I ordered on the 15th May and the product was dispatched on 17th May, arriving on the 19th of May. 

As for the product as you can see above it is of high quality. The acrylic glass is extra thick at 25mm and is sturdy and made like this for luminosity and impact. The acrylic block is stable so can be stood anywhere without extra supports or stands. The print itself is of premium quality and I'm overall impressed in how the image has turned out since this photo was taken using my HTC phone. 

I am very thrilled with the acrylic block and see myself purchasing from  WhiteWall again in the near future. 

The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home

If you are a regular reader you will know by now that we love to read. 

We started reading to Blake from a young age which we thought was very important. 

Last year when Blake was 6 months old we had a chance to review

 The Little Boy Who Lost His Name which you can read about here. 

If you have a little girl than their also a version called 

The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name. 

Now the people from Wonderbly have now released a new book

The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home. 

Its a cute little story that includes your child's name and also a map of where they live. 

The story is about your child getting lost in space along with a robot called Hubble

that likes making lemonade. 

In regards to personalising the book you are able to : 

- Choose the character in the book so that they have

the same hair color, skin tone etc as your child.

-Your child's name is mentioned throughout the book 

- The flag is also personalised for your country

- along with an epic landmark 

-  and a map of where your childs home is and door number. 

Again like the Lost My Name books I feel that this book will also be 

a fab keepsake for when your child is older.

The images as you can see are bright and colorful meaning that 

the book will keep your child's attention. 

We love that you can personalise the book on so many levels and that 

the story is fun and engaging. 

What do you think of the new book?

Do you think its something that you would buy for 

your child? or maybe for another child in your family

if you don't have children yourself?

Personalised Valentines Gift with Snapfish

With it being Valentines Day this Sunday a great present idea for both the man or women in your life 

is something personalised. 

I love personalised items as it feels like someone has gone and made that bit of an extra effort for your gift. 

Snapfish got in contact with me and asked if I would like to share with my readers a photo gift. 

I decided that I would pick one of their photo books as I felt it would make a perfect gift for my husband. 

The photo book I went for was their popular 11x8 hardback book. 

I like to take photos on a daily basis and as they are special and important why not add 

them to personalised items such as photo books, mugs, keyrings, coasters etc. 

The website is very easy to use and there are a wide range of books you can choose from in different sizes and cover types.  You can also personalise  the theme of the book so that the inside of it can be whatever design and pattern you would like as there is very large selection to choose from. 

You then go on to adding your photos to your book. 

The only issue I had was that quite a few photos of mine kept coming up 

as low resolution even though they were taken from my digital camera.

In the photo book as I am giving it as a gift to Stuart I chose to include photos of us as a couple,

some photos of me, Blake and as a family. 

The book arrived in under a week and is of excellent quality. 

The pages inside are of high quality and the photos look amazing. 

I am very happy of my experience with Snapfish and will definitely be using them again the future for personalised photo gifts. 

Blake's Christmas Sack

I'm so excited for Christmas this year. 

I really believe that having children at Christmas time makes it all the more special and

there is so many things I want to see, do and make with Blake. 

We have so far made a special Christmas tree bauble with Blake at Reason's to be cheerful where I use to work. We have also been to the light switch on in our local town which happened on  Friday 27th. Although we didn't stay for long as Blake started getting upset with the fireworks. There was going to be a market day on the Saturday and Sunday and we had planned to go on the Sunday to see the reindeer's but unfortunately due to bad weather it had to be called off. 

Since tomorrow is the first of December I am even more excited as I have so many ideas of traditions that I want to start doing as a family with Blake.

When I was little every Christmas I had two Christmas sacks which were always full of toys and gifts from loved ones. 

One was left under the tree and the other was always at the bottom of my bed. 

Getting personal have fab range of personalised items and I am so happy to have received a personalised Santa sack for Blake. 

This wonderful red sack is the perfect way to make Christmas morning that bit more magical. Featuring a textured design with white furry trim around the top, it's exactly like the sack used by Father Christmas himself and is sure to bring some added festive cheer.

The sack has a drawstring with white pom-poms on each end, so you can secure the presents inside and make sure no stocking filler goes amiss! 

 

The little boy who lost his name

I have always been a big reader, I love going to the library and picking out a book or two to take out and read. 

I also have a collection of books at home that I love,although not a huge collection I still have a fair good 

amount that I love to read again and again.

Reading to me is very important for children. 

Although Blake is 6 months old and far too little to read himself I have been reading to him

since he was a few days old.

I am also a fan of personalized items as you probably know by now if you read my blog frequently. 

So a book that is personalized especially for Blake is right up my street. 

The Little Boy Who Lost His Name opens as a child wakes, to discover their name is missing from their wardrobe door. 

They then set off on a quest to find it, meeting bears, mermaids, narwhals and other creatures, depending on the letters which make up their name.

I adore this book and I think that it makes an amazing keepsake for years to come.

This book will certainly be an item I'll putting in Blake's keepsake box so that he can look back on it when he is older. 

I showed Blake's Granny and Grandpa the book and they both said that 

they thought it is an ideal gift for a newborn. 

I love how the story is cleverly done to spell out Blake's name so that when he is older

I know he is going to have lots of fun listening/reading this book. 

The book is ideal for boys and girls as their is also a girls version the little girl who lost her name. 

One of things I would love to see in the future would be the possibility of being able to personalize the character to look like your child to give them an even more fun experience. 

What do you think of this book? Do you think it's something that your child will love?

Comment below. 

Alternative christening gift Ideas

Yesterday I shared with you our plans for Blake's christening in July. 

Today thanks to getting personal I am going to show you two lovely alternative christening gift ideas.

When it comes to christening's most people buy traditional items such as a bible and silver items such as money boxes, silver spoons etc. 

I wanted to give you some alternative ideas as I love personalized items but also 

items that are a bit different and not just traditional. 

First up is the "Little Star" Blue text token.

This little token is made from polished glass which features the message "Little Star" 

along side a cute blue star design. 

It comes in its own little presentation box so that you can keep it safe.

 H3 x W3 x D2

I love this and am adding it to Blake's memory box for when he is older. 

If you would like me to do a post on what I have in Blake's memory box so far.

Than comment below, I've had such fun adding bits to it so am happy to show you all if your interested. 

Next is the most cutest personalized Oak wooden toy. 

I love, love, love this little toy it's such a special little gift.

I think it is an ideal alternative christening gift. 

I can imagine that this will bring Blake hours of fun when he is a little bit older. 

Fixed to it's feet it has four chunky white balls meaning that the elephant can be pushed around. 

You can even tie a piece of string through the elephants eye so it can be pulled along.

 The elephant is handmade from durable solid oak, sourced from sustainable forests and finished off with Danish oil.

You can add a lovely touch to the toy by getting the toy personalized with any name. 

It's an item that will give your little one hours of fun and then serve as family heirloom for many years to come. 

What do you think of these alternative christening gift ideas? 

Comment below.

I love your comments. 

Fathers Day with Getting Personal

One of my favorite companies has to be Getting Personal, I love how you can find the perfect gift 

for anyone and for Fathers Day there is no exception. 

I could spend hours on the website and it always takes me ages to decide what I am going to get. 

So here are three fab ideas of what you could get for your Dad or to buy for your children to give to their Dad.

The Man Tin is an ideal for gift for men who if they are anything like my husband always has a drawer in the kitchen filled with miscellaneous items. Now Stuart will be able to keep his pointless items he wants to keep in this little box out of the way. It's definetly a useful gift for Fathers Day. 

Next is this gorgeous engraved star paperweight its an ideal gift for commemorate a special occasion.

I chose this as I feel that it makes a fab memento for Stuart as it will be his first Fathers Day. 

The paperweight is crafted from smooth , polished metal and can be engraved with a message of your choice.

The paperweight can be personalized with any message up 60 characters printed over four lines. 

I chose for it to say: 

"Daddy

Lots of Love

 Blake

xxx." 

Next up is the Personalized pint glass, Getting Personal have many different designs for Pint Glasses but I chose this one. 

The glass is expertly engraved with a stylish oval badge design, alongside the word "Pint"

I chose for it to say "Stuart's Pint" rather than "Daddy's Pint" as I felt it would be more personal to Stuart that way. 

The special message I chose was

" Happy Father's Day 

Lots of Love

Blake" 

Have you chosen what you are going to get for your Dad or for your children to give to their Dad?

I'd love to know, comment below. 

Mothers Day: Getting Personal

I am a huge fan of personalized gifts for every occasion and I have been very lucky with Getting Personal sending me some lovely personalized items which would 

make ideal gifts for your Mum this Mothers Day.

What I love about getting personal is that they have the perfect personalized gifts for people

with a range of of budgets from as little as £3.99 you will find the ideal gift for your Mum. 

I chose a range of items that I personally love and know that other Mum's out there will love too. 

First of all I have chose a non personalized item which I love as I am a total stationary addict 

and also want to keep organised so the Busy B My Weekly Planner is a fab gift for Mum's who love that kind of thing. The weekly planner comes with a magnet so that you can put up your plan for the week on the fridge. 

There is room for each day of the week and a section for your To Do list which is fab for busy Mum's like myself. 

£9.99

Now onto the personalized items first up as I love having photo's dotted around our home so 
the engraved glitter cubed frame trinket box is an ideal gift for me. 
The beautiful silver frame trinket box with diamante framed lid has a sliver frame with a room for a photograph on all four sides. 
To make it an extra special gift you can have it personalized with a message with up to 42 characters,
over 3 lines. 
Mine says : 
"Mummy
lots of love 
Blake" 
I am planning on putting photos of Blake in all four the frames. 

£19.99

Next I chose the engraved vintage jewelry box with decorated legs. 
I love vintage and shabby chic items and plan on using this to keep a few of my favorite pieces of 
jewelry in. I feel that the stock images from their website make it more easier to show you
how beautiful it is. 
You can personalize it with up to 100 characters and mine 
says: 
"Mummy
Happy 1st Mothers Day 
Lots of love 
Blake"

£19.99

I just adore how beautifully designed it is especially the feet and the pattern around the top of the box. 

Last of all keeping with the shabby chic theme I chose this personalized pink ditsy patchwork cushion. 

The left of the cushion is taken up by pretty pink polka dots, the middle a pretty turquoise and pink floral pattern and the right a crisp white waffle effect. 

Each print is separated by pink and white ric rac. 

The back is hot pink and can be personalized with a loving message. 

I chose to have mine with my name on.

£26.99

This cushion currently is sat on my dining room chair but as I am hoping to get a new sofa and a 

new bed soon I am trying to decide where to put it. 

All of these fab items can be found on getting personal's mothers day section on their website.

ClaireaBella Jute Bag

The lovely people from Toxic Fox contacted me to tell me about their range of gifts for Christmas. 

ClaireaBella is one of the ranges that Toxic Fox sell and ClaireaBella has such a lovely range of items to choose from. 

The ClaireaBella range of products include: 

- The Best Selling Jute bags

- make up bags

- mugs

- wine glasses

- cushions

- stationary  

-accessories

and more

I was sent the popular and best selling Large Jute Bag. 

The Jute bag is made to order by a ClaireaBella artist here in the UK, with stunning glitter and sparkles making them a unique gift. 

They are loved my celebs and eco friendly where you can create your own personalized character.

When personalizing your character you choose: 

- Name

- Hair style

- Hair color

- Outfit

- Eye color

and 

-Skin tone.

I chose to have a bag for me with a fab short hair style that looks 

a little similar to mine and similar to my hair color too.

The outfit I chose was the pregnancy one which is appropriate to me since I 

am having my little one this month.

I like that you are able to choose the skin tone as I am very pale. 

The only downside is I would have loved to have been able to choose if my character had glasses or not.

Since I wear glasses myself it would have been fab to have been able to have had that choice. 

I overall do love how the bag has turned out and am using it as part of my hospital bag since I am able to fit a good amount of things inside ( drinks, snacks, make up) 

What do you think of my Jute bag and the ClaireaBella range?

For my readers I have been lucky enough to offer you 10% off your order

at Toxic Fox with code: TFBlog

Christmas Gift Guide: Stocking Fillers

For my last of my Christmas 2014 Gift Guides we have some Stocking fillers. 

*Glazed Apple Bath Jelly

Sink into a cloud of bubbles with this sweet scented glazed apple bath jelly from the Body Shop.

Scoop into warm running water for the ultimate  festive bath time indulgence. 

£10 

*Lip and Cheek Stain Doll

This cute lip and cheek stain is a fab special edition to add to someones stocking.

This dual-purpose liquid stain gives a natural-looking, rosy glow to lips and cheeks.

I love the doll packaging! 

£10 

*Personal Planner

I am a huge fan of Personal Planner and love their new Giraffe design. 

The planner is ideal for keeping yourself organised and is fab as

you can personalize it however you like.

From your favorite photo on the front to adding birthdays and special occasions to the calendar

this makes a fab stocking filler.

*Personalised Chocolate Bar

Getting Personal sell a range of personalized chocolate bars for every occasion

I recently received a personalized bar for me and the hubby. 

We chose the snow penguin design. 

Each bar comes with a full color wrapper that's personalized with your name

at the front and then a little message on the back.

Inside the wrapper is a foil covered 100g bar of melt in the mouth milk chocolate. 

Lush Wand Bubble Bar 

I received this bubble bar as a gift a few years ago for Christmas and love it!

It's on my Christmas wishlist for this year as well. 

I had to add this to the list as its such a fab little stocking filler that smells

of marshmallows yum. 

*The New Rubik’s 3X3 

This is a new improved version of the original Rubik’s Cube where you cannot peel of the stickers and cheat! The Rubik’s Cube is the classic colour-matching puzzle that’s a great mental challenge at home or on the move. Turn and twist the sides of the cube so that each of the six faces only has one colour. Over “43 Quintillion” (that’s 43 with 18 zeros to you and me) moves are possible with this original 3x3 Cube, but there is only one solution! With lots of practice you can solve it in under 10 seconds!

*The Rubik’s Void 

Void is a HOLE new puzzle, with a HOLE new challenge. The Void has missing centre cubes that make this puzzle harder than an original 3x3 Rubik’s cube to solve. This cube is truly amazing to behold, leaving your brain void of answers to the question: “how can that Rubik’s Cube have a hole in the middle and still work?

Items with * have been gifted to me for the purpose of this post