Recently, UncommonGoods generously reached out to me to ask if I'd review some of their products. UncommonGoods is a company that sells the work of individual artists and craftspeople, so there were many stylish and unique items for me to choose from.
Something cool about UncommonGoods is that they give $1 of every purchase to a charity, and you choose the charity out of various options that are all worthy causes, from saving forests to literacy to human rights. More info here.
Tom (the person who reached out to me) was nice enough to look through their stock and recommend some Halloween themed products. I ended up choosing two items. One was a beautiful nightlight with a full moon glowing behind the silhouette of a tree.
The Midnight Moon Lithophane Nightlight:
This is feeling like the year of the full moon for me with all the photos of the moon I've been taking and the recent Super Blood Moon Eclipse. So this nightlight seemed like the perfect choice for me! I'm showing it here with two different walls so you can see how it casts light on different textures. It gives a big glow, more than I'm used to from a nightlight. It fills a small room with a soft warmth.
Something you can only really appreciate in person is the material this nightlight is made from. The artist used porcelain and a process inspired by the lithophanes of the 1800s. A card was included with this which explained the history of the lithophane process. Knowing the history made me appreciate this nightlight even more!
I'm very interested in things from the 1800s, so I was surprised at how little I knew about lithophanes. When you're done reading this, I suggest googling "antique lithophanes" to see some examples. I'd like to get my hands on one of those antiques!
This is what the nightlight looks like when it's not switched on. It's an easy assembly to attach the porcelain pane to the base. You can see in the photo below that there are two little plastic screws on the back that you tighten once you've fit the porcelain pane in. This takes a standard nightlight bulb.
Briefly, this is the process behind the nightlight: First the artist carves the image in wax while illuminating it from behind. Then they take a plaster mold of the carving and cast a fine porcelain in the mold. They then kiln fire it to 2300 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours, giving it a translucency. Pretty cool, hey? A lot of work went into this nightlight.
The second item I requested happened to be something I'd pinned a picture of on Pinterest some time back. So I was super happy to see it offered by Uncommon Goods! This Bat on a Branch is made from age-accelerated steel. The sturdy bat comes on a metal "branch" that can attach to a wall or tree with two screws.
Here's the bat's backside:
In his natural habitat :)
I haven't decided where to hang the bat for this season. I'm hoping to have him securely hanging in time for this year's Halloween party, because I think he'd be something fun and welcoming at the door.
Something else Halloweeny and moon related that I was tempted to choose was this scarf:
Hubble Telescope Moon Phase Scarf
The moon gradually makes its way from a sliver to full as you make your way up the scarf. UncommonGoods actually sells a lot of cool scarves, which you can see here if you like.
The moon theme will continue through October for me, because this year's Witch Party will have a full moon/spooky tree theme. A theme that as it happens will fit perfectly with my new nightlight! I'd actually been thinking about that party theme before this offer was made to me, so that's a fun coincidence.
I should mention that UncommonGoods is not for the most part a Halloween themed site. They have many lovely gifts for all occasions, especially if you're shopping for a lady. For example, you can find a gift for your girlfriends here and there are some very unique gifts for wives here. Where else could you find a ladies belt made from a recycled fire hose? Or a pair of library card socks? It's worth a look!
Something cool about UncommonGoods is that they give $1 of every purchase to a charity, and you choose the charity out of various options that are all worthy causes, from saving forests to literacy to human rights. More info here.
Tom (the person who reached out to me) was nice enough to look through their stock and recommend some Halloween themed products. I ended up choosing two items. One was a beautiful nightlight with a full moon glowing behind the silhouette of a tree.
The Midnight Moon Lithophane Nightlight:
This is feeling like the year of the full moon for me with all the photos of the moon I've been taking and the recent Super Blood Moon Eclipse. So this nightlight seemed like the perfect choice for me! I'm showing it here with two different walls so you can see how it casts light on different textures. It gives a big glow, more than I'm used to from a nightlight. It fills a small room with a soft warmth.
I'm very interested in things from the 1800s, so I was surprised at how little I knew about lithophanes. When you're done reading this, I suggest googling "antique lithophanes" to see some examples. I'd like to get my hands on one of those antiques!
Briefly, this is the process behind the nightlight: First the artist carves the image in wax while illuminating it from behind. Then they take a plaster mold of the carving and cast a fine porcelain in the mold. They then kiln fire it to 2300 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours, giving it a translucency. Pretty cool, hey? A lot of work went into this nightlight.
The second item I requested happened to be something I'd pinned a picture of on Pinterest some time back. So I was super happy to see it offered by Uncommon Goods! This Bat on a Branch is made from age-accelerated steel. The sturdy bat comes on a metal "branch" that can attach to a wall or tree with two screws.
Something else Halloweeny and moon related that I was tempted to choose was this scarf:
Hubble Telescope Moon Phase Scarf
The moon gradually makes its way from a sliver to full as you make your way up the scarf. UncommonGoods actually sells a lot of cool scarves, which you can see here if you like.
The moon theme will continue through October for me, because this year's Witch Party will have a full moon/spooky tree theme. A theme that as it happens will fit perfectly with my new nightlight! I'd actually been thinking about that party theme before this offer was made to me, so that's a fun coincidence.
I should mention that UncommonGoods is not for the most part a Halloween themed site. They have many lovely gifts for all occasions, especially if you're shopping for a lady. For example, you can find a gift for your girlfriends here and there are some very unique gifts for wives here. Where else could you find a ladies belt made from a recycled fire hose? Or a pair of library card socks? It's worth a look!
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