Life and Travel with Jessica
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Travel
  • Bucket List
  • Contact

5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods

11/30/2015

12 Comments

 
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
For Christmas Shopping, I am all about supporting Small Businesses, fair trade, and green initiatives, so when I heard about Uncommon Goods, and their amazing business model, I got really excited! Here is a little bit about their business, and then I have for you, 5 Cool Christmas Gifts from them!
Uncommon Goods is a privately-owned retailer that features unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people. They run all their operations out of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal, including their warehouse where the lowest-paid seasonal worker starts at 50% above the minimum wage! So cool! They make it their mission to support and provide a platform for artists and designers; in fact, half of what they sell is made by hand. Most of the products they carry are created right here in the USA, and about one-third of their entire collection incorporates recycled and/or upcycled materials! That's what I'm talking about! At the core of their company is a great respect for the integrity of the creative individual and the belief that it is their responsibility to use their business to impact the world in a positive way. Also, as an independently-owned business, they have the freedom to support causes they believe in and positively impact the world. With every purchase, they will donate $1 to your choice of their not-for-profit partner organizations! Since they started their Better to Give program 15 years ago, they have donated over $1,000,000 dollars to charities around the world! Holy moly, this company is so much aligned with my beliefs and purpose in life, and is exactly what I strive for in my own business. This is how a company should be!
So here are 5 Cool Christmas Gifts that they offer!


Picture
*Cool Uncommon Goods Christmas Gift #1. A Pick Punch*

5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
The pick punch is so cool!
I got it for my brother Ben, who is a guitar player in a Johnny Cash Tribute Band. They travel all over the United States, and even to a couple different countries, and have quite a following. They even got to meet Johnny Cash's sister!
Anyways, my brother collects hotel key-cards from all the hotels they stay at, and he will trace a pick onto it, and then cut it out, to make his own unique pick! So when I saw this pick punch, it was literally perfect for him!


5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
All you need to do is find an old credit card, rewards card, or hotel room key card, put it in the pick punch, press down, and out pops our very own pick!
You can purchase your very own Pick Punch from Uncommon Goods.
​
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
*Cool Uncommon Goods Christmas Gift #2. Vegan Caramel Sauce*
​
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
I got the Vegan Caramel Sauce for myself, and used on pancakes, french toast, vegan ice cream, and oatmeal. So suffice it to say, I used up the whole thing in a couple of weeks!
This is a great alternative to regular, sugary, and unhealthy pancake syrup.
It is made by hand, by a small business owner in Seattle, Washington, using completely vegan ingredients, including organic evaporated cane sugar, organic coconut milk, hemp milk, and brown rice syrup.
The Vegan Caramel Sauce is a great Christmas gift for any foodie, or health conscious person on your list!
​
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
*Cool Uncommon Goods Christmas Gift #3. Coffee Explorer Set*
​
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
My entire family is avid coffee drinkers, so I got this coffee set for my mom, so she won't have to buy coffee for a while!

This exotic coffee set includes:
-Fruity Single Origin Coffee (berry, fruit juice, caramel tasting notes)
-Classic Single Origin Coffee (cocoa, nuts, cane sugar tasting notes)
-Balanced Single Origin Coffee (dark chocolate, honey, orange peel tasting notes)
-Bold Single Origin Coffee (cooking chocolate, cherry, cashew tasting notes)


This complete set includes four exotic single-origin coffee beans from Ethiopia, Brazil, Colombia, and Honduras.
This coffee set makes a great gift for the coffee snob in your life!
​
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
*Cool Uncommon Goods Christmas Gift #4. Library Card Socks*
​
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
How adorable are these socks?! 
They are so nerdy, and yet so fashionable at the same time!
These library card socks from Uncommon Goods make the perfect gift for any nerd, or fashionista in your life!
​
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
*Cool Uncommon Goods Christmas Gift #5. Shark Socks*
​
5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
These shark socks from Uncommon Goods are so unique, and so cool, they make a great Christmas Gift for everyone!

5 Cool Christmas Gifts from Uncommon Goods
Peace Love and Christmas Gifts
Jess <3
​
*Disclosure*
I was given these items, and these are my thoughts on them.
​
12 Comments

Our Wedding Reception Part 1!

11/16/2015

10 Comments

 
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
I'm back again, with more wedding pictures!
Hooray!

Our wedding reception was just wonderfully, and completely perfect!

We had our reception at the Oaks Club, which is a little rental hall. 
This is one big way to save money on your wedding; have the reception at a rental hall, not a wedding rental hall! The reason for this, is that by adding the word wedding, it automatically makes everything so much more expensive! All the wedding rental halls we looked at, made you use their caterer and bar services for an outrageous price! The rental hall we used, cost only $450 to rent, and they let us bring in our own food, alcohol, and decorations! The result was a much cheaper wedding reception, and a reception that looked exactly how I wanted it to look, not how thousands of other bride's receptions looked!
I do have to brag a little bit here, because Nick was absolutely amazing when it came time to get the hall decorated! He (along with our wedding party) did everything possible to make it look exactly how I dreamed my wedding would look! 

The decorations! 
Our reception was lots of lace, pearls, and vinyl, with some superhero thrown in!
It was exactly what I wanted! Take a look!
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
Picture
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
Picture
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
The Food!
We had Chinese food for our reception! It was so fantastic! Everybody loved it, I'm still having people come up to me and tell me, that it was the best food they've ever had at a wedding!
We had General Tso's, sweet and sour chicken, lo mein, white rice, fried rice, eggrolls, crab rangoons, and vegetable chicken! Yum!
Picture
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
China Barbie's Wedding Reception
The Cake!
I am absolutely smitten with our cake!
I have dreamed of this cake since I was a little girl, and it was everything I dreamed of!
It was a five tiered cake stand (that me and Nick made), stacked with Krispy Kreme Donuts!!! It had lace, pearls, and black and white fake roses intertwined with the donuts. I wanted it to look like a super fancy wedding cake, except it's not fancy at all, cuz it's donuts!
The top tier was a delicious vanilla cake that we cut and smashed into each other's faces. 
The cake toppers were a Spiderman action figure holding a Batgirl action figure!
So perfect!!! 
Take a look!

 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
 China Barbie's Wedding Reception Alt T
So that was the first part of my reception! 
Stay tuned for the rest... :)
(Photos by Graham River Productions)
Picture

Peace Love and Our Wedding Reception
Jess <3

More Articles You Might Like;
Picture
Our Wedding Pictures
Picture
My Engagement Story
Picture
Our Wedding Ceremony
10 Comments

WCW; Making Your Own World Changing Plan

11/11/2015

14 Comments

 
Picture
Lending a hand to human beings on this earth who need help, is one of the greatest things you could ever do! You will feel good, you will find yourself! You will find purpose for living!!! You will make a difference!!!
I have written a couple different World Changing Wednesday posts about how you can affect change and change your world. But today's post is different. 
Today I will show you how to find your passion.
And your passion, it's the key to discovering what you were put here on this earth for.
​
Picture
Picture
So here is what I want you to do;
Today sit down, with a pen and paper, in a quiet peaceful spot. Turn off your cell phone, and set the timer for an hour. Just one hour!
Then think. Allow your mind to wander, and yourself to be vulnerable. Because in order to have a mighty influence in this world, you need to figure out what your passion is!
So think about what breaks your heart.
The thing that when you think about it, it makes you so sad, and so angry at the injustice and horror of it, that is your passion.
It is when you find your passion, that a fire will be ignited in you, and you will start doing deeds of epic proportions!
Think about it!
Mother Theresa's passion was the sick and the poor.
Gandhi's was freedom.
Martin Luther King's was equality.
The Dalai Lama's is peace.


All of these people made history! And it was because they discovered their passions, and pursued it with everything they had!

​
Having trouble thinking of things? Here is a list I made of some of today's biggest injustices and problems. Do any of these wrongs make you so angry and sad that you want nothing more than to dedicate your life to righting them?

- Orphans.
- Sex trafficking.
- Labor trafficking.
- Poverty.
​- The Sick.
- War. War ravaged countries.
​- Abused animals.
- Endangered animals.
- Child Soldiers in Africa.
- Abuse.
- Bullying.

And this is just a starter list! Start looking around you; Read the newspapers, join groups, see the injustices, and don't turn a blind eye to them anymore!
​

Picture
                How to make your own World Changing Plan!

1. Figure out your passion, as stated above.
This is the easy part! Your heart will guide you, and tell you what your passion is!
Then once you figure out your passion, you;


2. Research, research, research!
Find out as much about the cause as you can. Find statistics, figure out what needs to be done, and learn as much as possible! Also, if something lights a fire in you, it probably has for other people too! So look up groups in your community, or beyond, who are involved in the cause you want to be involved in. That doesn't mean that you necessarily have to join that group or that cause, but it's good to know what's out there. Attend a meeting, look at their website, learn what they are doing to further their cause. Then;

3. Decide if it's the right fit for you.
Maybe you will absolutely love what these groups are doing. Maybe you won't. Maybe you want to do your own thing! Start your own group! Or you could see what they are doing, and get inspiration and ideas for what you want to do.

4. Write it all down.
Write down your passion, and the injustice that you seek to fix.
Make a mission statement. All great organizations have one.
Write down why this injustice makes you so mad.
Write down what you think needs to be done about it.
Write down what you can do.
Write down the various groups and organizations that are doing what you would like to do. Write down what you like and don't like about those organizations.  
And then;

5. Take action!
If you have found an organization that is right on track with your thoughts, find out when they hold meetings. Attend the meetings. Speak your voice. Give ideas. Volunteer when they need volunteers. Give money when they need money. 
If you haven't found an organization, make one!
Start your own non-profit! 
Or just start small. 
Start doing the things you wrote on your list, that you think needs done.
​Start giving of your time, and your money. 
​Read this article to see different things you can do.


Picture
So if changing the world is something that you are interested in, make your world changing plan today, and get started on your journey!
I would absolutely love to hear your plan! Leave a comment stating your mission statement, your passion, or your entire plan!
​

Peace Love and Changing this World
Jess <3



More Articles You Might Like;
Picture
Rescuing Animals.
Picture
Are You a Superhero?

​
Picture
Preserve Mother Earth
14 Comments
<<Previous
      
    ​
    Picture

    I'm Jessica!

    I've traveled all over the world, but Ohio is where I call home. I'm a lifestyle & travel blogger, and author. I love setting goals, reading, and snuggling up with my fur babies. I can usually be found at my local thrift store, or in the hammock in my backyard.

    About Me
      
    Picture
      
    Picture
      
     
      
      

    Popular Posts

    Picture
      
    Picture
      
    Picture
      
    Picture
      
    Picture
      
    Picture
      
    Picture
      
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Asia
    Atlanta
    Beauty
    Blogging
    Bucket List
    Caribbean
    Changing The World
    China
    Christmas
    Coffee Break Retro Style
    Diy
    Fashion
    Food
    Goals
    Guest Bloggers
    Halloween
    Health
    Home Decor
    Inspiration
    Money
    Music
    My Favorite Posts
    My Life
    North America
    Oceania
    Ohio
    Parties
    Sponsored Posts
    Support Small Businesses
    Volke House
    Wedding
    World Traveler
    Zero Waste

    Archives

    March 2023
    December 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    *Disclosure; This blog is a personal blog written by me. This blog accepts forms of paid advertising and sponsorship. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content. Even though I receive compensation for some posts or advertisements, I will always give my honest opinions, findings, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.*
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.