Love Letter Gifts for the Holidays

How is your holiday shopping going? If you’re still searching for that something special that you haven’t seen before, I have the perfect site for you! Uncommon Goods is an online retail shop based out of Brooklyn, New York, that is filled with unique gifts made by talented craftspeople who focus on sustainable design.

“We make it our mission to support and provide a platform for artists and designers; in fact, half of what we sell is made by hand. Most of the products we carry are created right here in the USA, and about one-third of our entire collection incorporates recycled and/or upcycled materials. At the core of our company is a great respect for the integrity of the creative individual and the belief that it is our responsibility to use our business to impact the world in a positive way.”

– via Uncommon Goods  

They have lots of cool home, garden, office, special occasion and even personalized gifts in their collections, and they asked me share some of my favorites with my readers this holiday gift giving season. Since I love typography and graphic design, I have chosen some text worthy treats that would certainly make a thoughtful impression.

Personalized Faux Bois Vase $90

“When lovebirds carve their initials into the knotted bark of a tree, they create an everlasting record of a romance able to stand the test of time. Ceramicist Laurel Begley translates this ages-old tradition into a keepsake vase that captures a couple's ability to always find something fresh and beautiful to love about each other as they grow old together.” 

Custom Address Stamps $72

“A thoughtful token for a couple of newlyweds, a family, or a new homeowner, this personalized stamp celebrates the place you call home. Brandy Schuman custom designs these stamps in her Atlanta, Georgia, studio and then cuts them out of durable red rubber and North American native wood. Your chosen name and address are rendered in a stylish mix of print and script lettering, adding handwritten appeal to ready-to-go writing.”

Cocktail Recipe Glasses

(Set of 4) $20

“Keep your bartending repertoire at hand and streamline your mixology with this set of clever cocktail glasses. Each rocks glass features four formulas — one on each side — for concoctions based on their main spirits: gin (salty dog, Tom Collins, gin rickey, gin fix); rum (mojito, rum sour, Boston cooler, Havana two); vodka (Bloody Mary, vodka cooler, Madras, seabreeze); whiskey (whiskey fix, de riguer, cablegram, dinah). Each glass in the set is marked on its base with its main spirit, so it’s easy to get to the bottom of things at cocktail time.” 

A Year of Gratitude $30

“You can live a life of abundance, independent of any material things, if your heart is always filled with a spirit of gratitude. This elegant box set contains all you need for a head start on such a gracious way of living. Not only does it contain 52 thank you cards—one for each week in the year—but it also has tips for writing meaningful thank you notes, and a guided journal for you to record your experiences.”

Namaste Pillow $97

“More than just a warm greeting or farewell between yogis, the word ‘namaste’ is also used to express gratitude or to thank another person for his or her selflessness and generosity. Capturing the nuanced spirit of this expression, Alexandra Ferguson’s handcrafted pillow brings a calming presence to any space and serves as a reminder to be thankful for life's many blessings.” 

What Wood You Say?

Wooden Desk Phrases $50

“Wise words spring to life in these bright desk sculptures. Artist Matthew Hoffman draws and then laser cuts uplifting phrases out of birch plywood. Highlighted by a vibrant finish and letters that climb, each pedestal-footed design is signed by the artist himself.” 

“I really like the idea of sneaking positive

messages into the world.”

– Matthew Hoffman

In addition to offering beautiful gift items, Uncommon Goods also shares the inspirational stories of the makers behind them. Be sure to check them out while selecting your next perfectly thoughtful gift from Uncommon Goods this holiday season!

Note: I was compensated for this blog post,

but the opinions are exclusively my own.

Place your UncommonGoods order by 5pm ET on the dates below to receive your order on or before December 24, 2015:

December 17 – choose Economy shipping or faster

December 18 – choose Standard or Preferred shipping or faster

December 21 – choose Expedited shipping or faster (not valid for PO Box addresses)

December 22 – choose Express shipping (not valid for PO Box addresses)

Orders placed after 5pm ET on December 23 will leave the UncommonGoods warehouse on Monday, December 28.

*Unfortunately the shipping cutoff for International orders has already passed.

Just looking ...

Pretty in pink at the Grange showroom

Have you been to the Boston Design Center lately? This weekend they held a Red Tag Sale which was paired with the Boston Home Show at Cruiseport Boston. The BDC, which sells exclusively to the design trade, was open to the general public. Many showrooms were offering high-end floor models, fabrics and more at drastically reduced prices. I went looking for some design inspiration for a few projects I am working on, including a couple of living room makeovers, my kitchen/mudroom renovation, and a proposal for a summer design show. Below are some snapshots of what caught my eye while I was there. 

See anything you like?

Just because I love it ...

Faux bois ... one of my favorites,
love it on this love seat.

I would love to have this chair and ottoman
(what a great tone-on-tone zebra fabric)
in my new master bedroom.

I love ottomans. The style of this one is
so much fun, but in a traditional way.


Etched Pedestal Bowl

I saw all of these stylish items while browsing at
Ethan Allen in Burlington. What do you love?

A fairy-tale event ...

Photo courtesy of Linda Encarnacao

Enjoying the Gala Preview Cocktail Party,
Friday, May 15th at the Wenham Museum

Last weekend, Friday, May 15th through Sunday, May 17th, was the North Shore Design Show: Tablescapes held at the Wenham Museum. Each of the design participants was asked to come up with a tablescape setting that either relates to life on the North Shore or honors the mission of the museum and it’s extensive collections highlighting the “treasures of childhood and how we lived, worked, dressed and played from the 17th century to today” in New England. Each of us was given an 8' x 8' space in which to tell our “story.” Below are some pictures from my design vignette entitled
“Tea for Fairy & Me.”



Look closely ... you are about to get a bird’s eye view of a miniature shade garden and table setting for two designed to entice a visit from a woodland fairy.



A round, earthy green shag carpet anchors a cafe table clothed in a combination of mossy green velvet, elegant white birch bark/faux bois-like fabric, and edged in nubby brown linen – a design that is repeated in the miniature table set for our guest of honor ...


Using willow branches, moss, and a hot glue gun, I created my first ever pair of fairy chairs (not as difficult as I thought it would be, honest!). Slate from my home’s roof, dislodged during a winter storm, serves as the floor, while a beautifully curved trunk of an old apple tree was removed from my yard to house this enchanted tea party. A fairy globe nestled behind a moss-covered rock catches the light and ignites the imagination. An irresistible-to-the-touch rabbit stands guard. Miniature tea set available through the Wenham Museum gift shop.




A punch of color and whimsy is provided by a stunning pink Lotus Lantern (or for our imaginative tea party, a clover flower). I am grateful to Roy Goodwin for introducing me to this amazing work of spiritual art in his blog, Return to the Center. If you would like to see what it takes to create these delicate blossoms, visit Roy’s photostream - Mun Su Sa Lotus Lanters - on Flick’r. The beautiful photos inspire awe, and show how priceless this gift truly was. Thank you, Roy.

Modern sparkle is added with a set of three mirrors imprinted with black graphic illustrations of birds and butterflies that seem to hover over our garden of ferns, lambs-ear, bleeding hearts, and wild violets (all snagged from the woods behind my house). Wall covered with a natural woven window shade in Zen Sage from Smith & Noble. Black plant stand with tray is a favorite piece from my home.



Hidden within the moss, visitors to the museum discovered these adorable needle felted wool acorns from Etsy artist, truLuxe. I just love them! And meeting the artist in person was a true pleasure.
Thank you for coming to the show, T!

Along with museum visitors, our anticipated guests have arrived and are hiding safely in the cover of the birch and white pine branches ...

Photo courtesy of Linda Encarnacao

Large Porcelain Fairy Dolls available
at the Wenham Museum gift shop.

As if dressed by fairies, cafe chairs are slip-covered in green flower-covered silk and skirted with golden tulle, while attached willow branches add an organic touch.

More design details inspired by and collected
from the floor of a New England forest ...

At our life-sized table for two, honey cream and black raspberries
are waiting to be served with a tiny golden spoon.

And finally, a delicate white tea pot and glittery pine cone candles are paired with rose adorned teacups, and a set of pink “tutu-like” plates combined with simple white china. More gold spoons are nestled on gold trimmed napkins and wrapped with a thick metallic thread.

As if sprinkled with fairy dust,
imagination sets the stage ...

The Wenham Museum is known for it’s doll, toy and train collections and for being a fun, yet educational place to bring children – as well as a place that can bring out the child in each of us. I was inspired to create my fairy setting after remembering the magical moments spent in the museum with my mom and most likely the Girl Scouts when I was young, and more recently with my husband and sons (we saw a great Lego exhibition this past winter that showcased moving train cars, amusement parks, city sky scrapers ... all created out of Legos). The world of miniatures fascinated my boys on our trip, and in coming up with my concept, I was reminded of the New England tradition of building miniature fairy houses in the woods, as written and illustrated by Tracy Kane in the Fairy Houses Series.

Image from fairyhouses.com

This resourceful tradition, paired with a desire to illustrate how creative decorating doesn’t have to rely on expensive items, is the story I wanted to tell. Just step outside your back door, or visit a local forest, garden or park, for the best type of design inspiration.


Thank you to the very gracious Wenham Museum, to everyone who was able to attend the show over the weekend, to those who helped or inspired me during this project (special thanks go to Nancy; Ruthie; Dorothy & Roy; my mother, Ann; my husband, John; and, of course, my very imaginative little guys). And thanks to all of my blog guests for visiting this “virtual design tablescape.” I hope you enjoyed the story behind the vignette as much as I enjoyed creating it!