Unique Wedding Gifts from Uncommon Goods

Tags

anniversary, baby shower, birthday, bridesmaid, gifts, giftware, presents, wedding

If you’ve ever watched that hilarious show, Parks and Recreation, you’ll be familiar with Leslie Knope. She’s not only immensely, exhaustingly dedicated to her job, but to every aspect of her life, and is known for being able to give amazingly perfect gifts, that almost seem to have been invented for the recipient. Ultra organised and thoughtful, she’s sort of this generation’s Monica Geller from friends.

There are many of us Leslie-Knope-Monica-Gellers out there who live to emulate these heaven-sent gift givers. We always want to find the most fitting, special and memorable gift, don’t we? For example, at the moment I’m on the lookout for a baby shower gift, and I won’t just settle for the first thing I come across. We want our present to trump every other one and we also desperately want to make the person who we give it to, cry their little heart out with friendship and gratitude. We will research and take special care to find a store (or more often these days) a website that offers variety, personalisation, individuality and thoughtfulness in the products if offers in giftware.

I have a few favourite websites that I like to visit when I want to find that special something for a wedding, baby shower, christening or birthday, and I recently came across a new one to add to my list; Uncommon Goods. I even like the name. My parents have a big wedding anniversary coming up and I’ve been enjoying browsing what wedding anniversary gifts they have to offer.

What impresses me about it is that it offers what many discerning shoppers are looking for, unique and special products that a borne from a notion of sustainability. This company says they are more than just ‘green’, offering handmade, recycled and organic products, but they want to encourage an awareness in their customers of the social and environmental impact of their purchases while at the same time offering something different and memorable for those special occasions that mark life’s important moments.

So, coming up for me in the future, I’m really excited about finding some presents for my friends and family that allow me to feel I’m shopping with an awareness of sustainability, but also that I’m giving a gift that is unique, affordable and captures the personality and tastes of the person I’m buying for. A special friend is getting married in September and I know I will find something quirky and interesting that I can get for her and her new husband in the wedding gifts at Uncommon Goods. I just hope she doesn’t read this post and guess what her gift might be!

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Special Gifts…Crochet Jar Lids

Tags

crafts, crochet, gifts, presents

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

I’m always on the look out for ideas for little gifts to give friends and family, especially for Christmas, birthdays and thank-yous. And since I learned how to crochet, I’m always putting my craft to use to make presents rather than buy them. Yes it saves money – well, actually sometimes it doesn’t because the yarn and the hours of work would actually add up to quite an expensive gift in the real world – but what I mean is that is isn’t about doing something for cheaper, its about creating something for someone; personalising it. I get real joy from that and I love seeing people’s faces when they realise they’ve recieved something that no-one else has.

So, with that in mind, I decided to make a little gift for my daughter’s nursery teachers out of some spare mason jars that I had (yes, I’m that sort of person – I bought a box of 10 ages ago ‘just in case’) and inside I filled them with some Quality Street (other sweet brands are available) and then I thought I would use some of the cotton yarn that I had bought ages ago and hadn’t put to use just yet. See My Sacred Stash for reasons as to why said yarn had been purchased. I got to work and crocheted the jar lid covers and I think the results aren’t bad at all! I’ve included the pattern below and just a note – depending on the type and size of jar lid you’re using you might need to add extra rows here and there but it’s mainly a ‘fit and check’ kind of routine as you go along.

Crochet Jam Jar Lid Covers

Crochet Jam Jar Lid Cover

Pattern is in UK terms

Size 3.5mm hook.

Cotton Yarn.

Make a slipknot and chain 4.

Row 1: Work 11dc into first chain (the one down at the knot) and join with a slip stitch.

*Always chain 1 after you join your previous row with a slip stitch*

Row 2: Work 1dc, 2dc into each stitch around and join with a slip stitch (16dc)

Row 3: Work 1 dc into each stitch around.

Row 4 – 8: Repeat row 3 and keep holding up against your jam jar lid to check progress of size. Change colour whenever you like, make it stripes or a plain colour, it is up to you.

Row 9: Work 1dc, 2dc into each stitch around and join with a slip stitch (24dc)

Row 10 onwards: Keep working 1dc into each stitch around and join with a slip stitch.

You’ll know when your cover gets big enough, you will be able to hold it over the jam jar and see it start to curve down over the edges. Finish the last two rows with the following:

*Into Front Loop Only* 1dc in each stitch around. Join with slip stitch.

I changed colour again for the final row. Feel free to do what you like.

I used the picot stitch around to create the final ‘trimmed’ look of the lids.

Where you last joined with a slip stitch, ch 3, slip stitch back into first chain, slip stitch into same stitch.

Slip stitch 2 stitches across and repeat the picot stitch all the way around and join with a slip stitch. If you’re unsure about a picot stitch, this is a great tutorial that I found helpful.

I just used some of the contrasting yarn to make a string to tie around the lid to secure it and threaded a gift tag through.

I gave the jars to Amelia’s nursery teachers for Christmas and they seemed to like them – at least I hope so!