Over the next few weeks, I’ll be making some suggestions of possible sources of gifts for the teachers in your life. Some will be products for purchase. Some will be ideas of things to make. All of them will be meant to help remember teachers as worthy of thanks.
I’m a fan of the unusual, useful and responsible. If I can find all three in a gift, I go for it.
Two online sites can be counted upon to give me options in this regard – uncommongoods.com and etsy.com.
Here’s what defines UncommonGoods apart:Shopping either site for a gift for a teacher will head you in the right direction.
Featured Artist: UncommonGoods highlights the stories of our artists and designers throughout our website as well as our print catalog.
Handmade Goods: Look for the blue hand icon throughout the website to find our handmade goods.
Uncommon Knowledge: UncommonGoods posts surprisingly uncommon information and facts related to certain product categories or featured items on the site. For example, did you know that early candles were often eaten rather than burned? Or that Leonardo da Vinci invented the scissors?
Our Commitment to the Environment: UncommonGoods strives to work in harmony with the environment: our print catalogs are printed on recycled paper (30% post consumer waste) and all our merchandise is produced without harm to animals. Look for the green recycled icon throughout our website for products made of recycled materials.
Better to Give Program: We donate a portion of each order to your choice of non-profit organizations: American Forests, AmeriCares, City Harvest, and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).
And Etsy:
Our mission is to empower people to change the way the global economy works. We see a world in which very-very small businesses have much-much more sway in shaping the economy, local living economies are thriving everywhere, and people value authorship and provenance as much as price and convenience. We are bringing heart to commerce and making the world more fair, more sustainable, and more fun.
Both Uncommon and Etsy had the added benefit of supporting creative communities and independent artisans. Each time I make a purchase from either site, I have the feeling I’ve just purchased a gift that will be unique and special to the individual for whom I’m shopping.
The range of prices on both sites allows for diversity of choice without getting too spendy, and I’ve never felt as though my purchase was anything less than high quality.
Any gift for a teacher from UncommonGoods or Etsy has the added bonus of sending the message that you see the teacher as unique to your or your kid’s education. And that’s a message worth sending.