Unique Gift Guide for all your summer gift giving needs

I love gifts. I’m a gift person. I love making them, giving them, receiving them. It’s one my main love languages. In high school I discovered this store that sold small artisan, small maker goods. Way back then, I found a moonlight in a jar that one of their collaborators made. I loved it and gave it as a special gift.

Imagine my surprise some 15+ years later when Uncommon Goods contacted me about doing a shared gift guide post for you. {sponsored post!} I love that Unique Goods gives back to the community with an opt-in donation when you check out, and I love how sustainably made their curated products are. There’s a story behind every good and that’s unique, too.

I dove into their website and fantasy shopped just about every category, looking with the eye of no, no longer a bride wanting decorative stuff for her house that now at the stage I know what I don’t care about and what can my kids play with and not destroy and what is my taste, really, now that I’m a full-grown, house-owning, mom-of-three adult?

And here’s what I’ve garnered for you, gentle readers. A complete, unique gift guide for all your gift giving needs.

Kids

I’m a more practical gift giver to my kids now. I buy toys that can last, are educational, and that don’t have a zillion small pieces because the sound of all those pieces hitting the hard wood floors of our house causes me tiny teeny panic attacks as cleaner-in-chief. They have a whole list of kid ideas over here, but I’ve also picked out my favs for you.

Organs here: plush (for when the kids throw them at each other), varied, and totally part of our regular discussion. The colon is my first choice as my dad is a colonoscopist so the kids overhear conversations about blocked bowels and polyps and black tarry stools with regular frequency. But the uterus is pretty sweet too.

Scratch Map Deluxe here: YES! an interactive map! We have family that spans the coasts and the globe and although we regularly have maps taped up in the kitchen, they are inevitably torn down. #toddlerlife Think of how you peel away a lottery ticket’s paper with a coin? Yes, that’s what they get to do here. Winning.

Indestructible Nursery Rhyme Book Set here: you’ve probably seen these in your local baby gift store. The books that even the most ferocious child can’t tear up? These are my go-to for car rides as my tot will eat through board books and shred books that have even the slightly thinest pages. I love that you get five in a set and can keep their interest for a few hot seconds.

Periodic Table Building Blocks here: my sister “Tia KK” is a total science brain and loves teaching the kids about the periodic table. They love these wild ideas, too. This block set could make it all come to life. And when you’re hurling sodium and hydrogen at your babysitting auntie, that’s true education, right?

Crayons for little fingers here: my tot is probably like yours and thinks he’s 16. But the big kid slender crayons can prove a real challenge for his coloring desires. I LOVE these playon crayons as they fit fat little fingers and bring their scribbles to fruition. They do break so don’t leave the kiddo too unsupervised. They also taste good, apparently. So there’s that warning too 😉

Fox Clock here: in teaching my kids to tell time, especially my 4 and almost 6 year old, I have to often cover up the digital clock in the kitchen and chase them towards the old fashioned one on the wall, higher up. This clock would totally perk up their bedroom and force them to practice their real time-telling. And it’s just SO cute to boot.

Grown Ups

Grownup gifts can be hard to give. You might even have an anniversary coming up, and yes, there’s a whole section here on that. Mother’s Day is also on the horizon if your mom (or you if you are a mom) love scarves, yes, they have a section for those here!

I remember registering for our wedding and upon receipt of so many of our generous friends’ gifts thinking well what do I actually do with this? Now that I’m almost seven years into marriage, six years into home ownership, and a lot of entertaining at our house later, I really know what I could use in my arsenal of entertaining.

Literary Candles here: once an English major, always an English major. The classics are my favorite and the candles would perfectly scent up an evening when my lady friends come over for chocolate & vino. And one is already set up in the Library in our house for when I slip in for a late evening reading.

Pistachio Pedestal here: yes! thank you! so smart. We love to serve nuts at parties or even big family dinners and the idea of having a spot for the shells (especially for the kids old enough to peel them) is brilliant. No more chasing shells down!

Organic Spiced Hot Cocoa Mix here: This looks so delicious. I’ll eat anything that’s cocoa. And I’d gladly serve it to you.

DIY Smartphone Projector here: talk about a brilliant way to share your pics from your recent trip! My parents honeymooned around the world 40+ years ago and very rarely will show us the slides. Let’s just say slide projectors have been upgraded.

State Slate Cheese Boards {Minnesota!} here: we love cheese. I mean, we’re so close to dairy capital of the world in Wisconsin, how could we not? And I always struggle with how to serve cheese at a party. If you leave the plastic wrap with the name of the cheese on it, it looks messy. If you don’t, who knows what the cheese is? Chalk + board + cheese means my guests will never struggle with this again!

Flavor Fusion Water Bottle here: with our garden almost springing up, I am dying to try infusing water with our many herbs and berries we have all over the place around here. Totally doing mint first!! Another great one for guests.

Happy shopping & thanks to Uncommon Goods for sending a sweet box over!