Unique 1st Birthday Gifts

The time has come to once again say my favourite saying of the year, "time flies". As of this coming weekend, we will have a 1 year old on our hands.

Buying a birthday gift for a child is difficult. Especially when that child can’t tell you what they want.

So, when people starting asking what they should get Morley for her first birthday, my honest answer was, “I have no idea.”

I have been so focused on making sure her first birthday party is special, that I completely forgot about her gifts.

While I’m sure Morley would be perfectly happy with a cardboard box and some tissue, we wanted to get her something unique. And if you’re looking for unique gifts, you turn to UncommonGoods.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, UncommonGoods provides a platform for artists and designers. They feature unique jewelry, designer decor, kitchen and bar ware, tabletop items and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment without harm to animals or people.

Since our living room already looks like an amusement park, we decided that instead of buying her more stuff, we would instead get her something that we could use to decorate her first "big girl room" when we move into our condo later this year. Sticking with our animal theme, here are the unique items we chose from UncommonGoods for Morley’s first birthday.

Cardboard Animal Head (Small Moose)

Since a real moose mount is not feasible, we’re sticking to a more animal- and environmentally-friendly design. This easy to assemble animal head kit includes numbered cardboard sheets and detailed assembly instructions. The cardboard is durable and made from 100% recycled cardboard in Virginia. The cardboard animal heads come in three different animals (moose, deer and elephant) in either small or large sizes. (Pictured here: Small Moose - Fred Jr.)

Personalized Animal Print (Bear)

This print will fit perfectly on Morley’s gallery wall that already includes prints of a variety of other woodland/Alaskan animals. Inspired by the sophisticated graphics of midcentury children's books and the colours and patterns of vintage quilts, these animal illustrations blend winsome personality with impeccable colour and design. There are a variety of animals to choose from (swan, otter, rabbit, bear, fox, deer, llama, unicorn or sloth), and all are personalized, with your children’s name appearing in stylized white letters on the animal of your choice. (Pictured here: Bear)

My Cinema Original Lightbox + 100 Letters (plus Extra Letters)

This lightweight, battery-operated marquee billboard-type signage is all the rage lately. You can find them all over social media, spelling out fun and creative messages. This Lightbox offers three slotted line to accommodate the included letters and symbols in a creative message. The Original Lightbox includes a total of 100 letters, numbers and characters and the Extra Letters pack (sold separately) includes an additional 100 letters, numbers and fun characters.

Aside from their unique gifts, one of my favourite things about UncommonGoods is that one-third of their entire collection incorporates recycled and/or up-cycled materials. They also give back to the community - with every purchase made, UncommonGoods donates $1 to a variety of non-profits. Since starting their Better to Give program, they have donated over $1 million to charities world-wide, including American Forests which protects and restores forests around the world.

So, whether you're looking for a unique gift for that one year old, geek, animal lover, wine enthusiast or jewelry-lover in your life, make sure to check out UncommonGoods.

What are some of your favourite unique gifts that you’ve received? I’d love to hear!